If anything, I'd guess that the amount of time taken up by the basketball program has decreased. The NCAA has added more restrictions on the amount of time teams can take of their players. My guess is it's at most roughly the same bball workload.
Oh I hope I didn't come off as suggesting you were insinuating anything about Roach. Your posts definitely didn't give that vibe so I do hope I didn't give you the vibe that I thought otherwise.
Savarino graduated in 3 years. Nobody talked about it, perhaps because he was not a recruited player. But clearly it can be done. Honestly the only person for whom we got forewarning about the 3-year plan was Jason/Jay Williams. I don't know if anyone other bball players besides Williams and Savarino have graduated from Duke in 3 years.
Proctor could be the long lost Australian Jones brother. Taller and a cooler accent, but similar in controlled pace, excellent assist-to-turnover potential, capable but not fantastic 3-point shooter, outstanding free throw shooter, mostly stoic and calm, clutch, more Tre level defender. I think after his sophomore year he could move way up the draft board.
I don't know the details but I believe the team has several academic coordinators who keep track of class schedules, assignments and overall progress. I'm not implying they do any of the work for the players, but they do make sure that they stay on course, especially when the team travels and they need to get class notes/recordings and administer exams. The players just need to allot the requisite time it takes to read, watch and complete homework assignments/exams. The average student athlete should be able to keep up with it if they choose to do so. In my college years, as a 4-year student-athlete, I never had any of that. I'm glad that Duke does, which takes some of the pressure off and allows them to dedicate more energy to the basketball program.
But to the Mtn man's point, of those 3 only JWill had actually finished his degree in 3 years. I suspect that Dunleavy and Boozer were each at least 3 credits shy of graduation (you could walk if you were within 2 credits of graduating), so at least a semester away. Boozer didn't finish his degree until after he retired from the NBA. I don't know if Dunleavy did (never saw any info on him). But neither was on track to finish their degree in 3 years.
So far, I think we know of just 2 players who graduated in 3 years: Williams and Savarino. So I don't know if it's reasonable to assume that Roach is on track to do so. It's possible, but it would be unusual in at least the last 20 years at Duke.
I agree. But to date, we've had just two players that I'm aware of who graduated in 3 years. Which is the point Mtn Devil is making: it's pretty rare that a player has graduated in 3 years (one of whom was a walk-on who was also the grandson of the coach, so a pretty unique case), so it's probably not reasonable to assume that any player is on track to graduate.
I think most of it is natural, but small improvements can be made in terms of strength and timing. For basketball, most of it can be achieved in basketball activities (practice and games) but moderate weight training is also helpful. I recall that Zion was not encouraged to do much weight training at Duke since he already had incredible strength and quickness. Some players are better at 1-leg leaps and some with 2-legs. The great leapers are good at both.
I'm guessing Whitehead, Lively, Flip and Mitchell are all gone.
I'm hoping Proctor returns along with Roach. My heart tells me Roach comes back but my head tells me he will go pro, even if its not the NBA.
Genuinely curious... why do more people see Lively leaving than Flip? Even after Lively got healthy, he wasn't much of a scorer, and it isn't like the NBA fully appreciates defense. All things considered, I'd think Flip would be closer to being NBA ready than Lively. I personally think both could stay and develop a bit further before departing, and would help their stock rise, but that's not my decision.
I see a lot of similarities to Austin Rivers - not an explosive athlete but good length for a guard. Not a pure shooter but a crafty scorer with a great mid range game and able to hit from tough angles going to the hoop. I think Proctor is a better point guard and has potential to be better overall.
I had a kid recently graduate in 3.25 years (1 course senior year), so I know the rules pretty well:
*Course Credits required have increased from 32 to 34
*AP Credits are limited to 2, with only scores of 4 and 5 counting
*If you intend to graduate 1 semester early, AP credits can increase to 4. 2 semesters early, 8
*Most Duke students who are not engineers or pre-med can graduate in 3 years
But, most Duke students neither want nor plan to graduate early. Mine was trying to register for another semester when "You have completed all the requirements for graduation" popped up (Thank you Duke Registrar!!). Basketball players MAY not come in with usable AP credits, but with 4 summers, excellent advising, registration preferences and significant monetary incentives, it is quite possible.
For me it’s a matter of who has an NBA skill on day 1. Lively’s defense is already at an NBA level, but I don’t think Flip’s offensive skills are there yet. He doesn’t have great post moves and his 3 point percentage isn’t great. His ball handling needs to get better if he’s going to be a threat to drive. He obviously has tons of potential but still has some work to do before he’s a meaningful contributor IMO. Lively can make a difference for you right away.