Coach K and company set to visit Kenny Boynton Jr.

The Duke Men’s Basketball staff will be more than just a little busy this week.  On the first day that they can be back out on the road, which is tomorrow evening, Coach K and company will have an in home with Kenny Boynton Jr. and his family.

Boynton is one of the nations top guards, arguably the best in the class of 2009.  Duke has been recruiting him consistently for a long time.  He reminds most Blue Devil faithful of Jason Williams.  Williams won a national title, was named national POY which led to him being a lottery pick in the NBA draft.  Like Boynton, Williams was a offensive scoring machine that could play both guard spots, but he settled in on the point at Duke where he learned the trade from Coach K.

Long the buzz of various basketball crazy Duke message boards, Boynton is a prospect that fans dearly want to see rock Cameron.  There is a heated battle for his services and he’s maintained all along that he would take his five official visits. 

Florida has really turned it up for Boynton, attempting to make a move while Krzyzewski was coaching Team USA to the Gold Medal.  Boyntons friend, Eloy Vargas is already a Gator and he is of course from the sunshine state like his friend.

If Boynton were to choose Duke he would remain in the constant media spotlight of a team which has every game televised and one which is in the basketball fanatical ACC.  He could very well be the focus of any school he chooses in a list that includes USC, Memphis, Georgia Tech and Texas along with Duke and Florida.

Florida will come in the night after the Duke staff, but you can bet that there will be a lot to think about in the Boynton household.  While UF has a wonderful basketball program, they sometimes play second fiddle to Gator Football.   Still, the local allure might be as attractive as the national spotlight and playing for a living legend in Coach K.

In the end, the decision should come down to where can he better prepare for his goal of the NBA and which school will continue to support him once he is in the league.  College will be nothing more than a temporary stop for the talented Boynton but his choice will go a long ways in defining him as a future player.

Make no mistake that the Blue Devils covet and care about young Boynton.  They want him to be a part of what looks to be a very talented team.  Duke will always compete for national prominence, but the addition of Boynton would be another step towards a national championship.

The staff has layed it on the line and Blue Devil fans have followed his every AAU move.  Now all they can hope for is that Boynton sees the golden opportunity available for him in Durham.

Blue Devil Nation Premium has covered Kenny Boynton from the very start and you can follow the process even closer by becoming a member.  You can subscribe here.  We will be moving to our new home very soon!

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Some tough out-of-conference opponents

The 2008-09 out of conference schedule contains strong foes to complement the always tough ACC games. Duke will face off against three pre-season Top 25 programs in Davidson, Georgetown, and Purdue, with the possibility of facing a fourth, UCLA, in the Coaches versus Cancer tournament. The Purdue game is a road game on December 2, in the ACC/Big Ten Challenge.

The early season road game at Purdue will be a litmus test for the Blue Devils. Purdue, ranked number six in the CBS Sportsline preseason poll, returns all but one player off of last season’s 27-9 squad. Small forward Robbie Hummel was First Team All Big Ten, guard E’Twaun Moore was Second Team All Big Ten, and guard Chris Kramer was voted Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year. The Boilermakers are talented and experienced as they return 65.1 of the 69.6 points per game scored last season. On defense, Purdue forced their opponents to turn the ball over an average of 17.4 times per game. This will be a tough road game and should be a good indicator of Duke’s toughness.

Davidson travels to Cameron on January 7, 2009, and of course that means sensational Stephen Curry will be in the house. Curry was named the Mid-Majors Player-of-the-Year by CollegeHoops.net. The Southern Conference Champions lost point guard Jason Richards, and 6-8 forwards Thomas Sanders and Boris Meno whom combined for 27.1 points per game and were the teams second, third, and fourth leading scorers behind Curry’s 25.9 points per game. 6-10 230 pound center Frank Ben-Eze is the Wildcats lone new freshman. The loss of point guard Jason Richards who averaged a national best 8.1 assists per game will be tough to overcome and Duke should hold off Davidson to secure a home court victory.

Duke faces the Georgetown Hoyas, on January 17, 2009, in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Hoyas, who lost leading scorer Roy Hibbert to graduation and the NBA, have suffered two off season transfers in Vernon Macklin and Jeremiah Rivers. Starting guard Jonathan Wallace, 10.7 points and 2.6 assists per game, and Patrick Ewing, Jr., 6.1 points per game, have also graduated so the Hoyas have lots of holes to fill. Four new freshmen will need to contribute early for Georgetown. Highly sought after power forward Greg Monroe is one of the new Hoyas who are ranked number 15 in the CBS Sportsline preseason poll. Georgetown should push the Blue Devils but they will be too inexperienced to win on the road in Cameron Indoor Stadium.

According to how the brackets play out, Duke could face UCLA in the Coaches versus Cancer Tournament in Madison Square Gardens in November. The Bruins lost Kevin Love, Russell Westbrook, and Luc Mbah a Moute to the NBA, but Darren Collison and Josh Shipp return and the Bruins bring in the nation’s number one rated recruiting class, which includes McDonald’s All-Americans Jrue Holiday and Malcolm Lee. A game against UCLA in MSG would be an early test for the Blue Devils equivalent to last season’s match-up against Marquette. A Duke – UCLA match-up should be an even and very tough game.

The Blue Devils will be deep and experienced this season with 12 scholarship players including seven upper classmen on the roster. As always, the ACC schedule will be tough and the out of conference games highlighted here will assist in preparing Duke for the tough competition they must defeat in March in order to continue playing into April.

Gold Medal Winning Coach Mike Krzyzewski Returns Home

Just minutes after placing his feet on Americam soil, Mike Krzyzewski addressed a throng of media members and adoring fans at RDU International Airport.  Coach K is still immersing himself in the Olympic experience and will continue to do so as the media requests are sure to come in from well, everywhere.

That’s the life of the legendary college coach who melded together NBA stars into a cohesive unit which of course made all things golden.  While the Chinese media gravitated towards players like LeBron James and Kobe Bryant making them darlings, Coach K is sure to get lots of love in the coming days.

Coach K was flanked by family, in both blood and Duke Blue brotherhood.  As he took to the podium, assistant coaches Steve Wojciechowski, Chris Collins and head of basketball operations Chris Spatola stood at attention behind their captain with the American flag as the backdrop.  His wife Mickie, daughters and their children were just to his right.

In typical Krzyzewski style, he first commented about the players.  “The players were amazing, both on the court and off.  They represented us so very well.”  He then gave props to Spain for a competitive game.  At that point chants of USA, USA, USA, USA could be heard ringing in the corridors of the airport.

He didn’t stop with his praise and commended China on being a good host before joking, “If they had elections there which they don’t, and Kobe  was a write in, Kobe might win.”  This brought laughter from the crowd and allowed his staff to crack a smile in the background.  He continued on Kobe, “Thank goodness he took over at the end of the game.”

He then showed graciousness towards his staff, including new Stanford coach Johhny Dawkins saying they worked tirelessly with no recognition.  You can bet that the work proved worthy for each and will look fabulous on their resumes.  “It’s definitely the best basketball experience I’ve been involved with,” said Duke assistant Chris Collins.

Knowing Coach K, he was probably already mapping out recruiting plans on the flight.  He was quick to quip with a smile, ” It’s so good now to just be the Duke Coach,” which brought about applause from Iron Duke Members and fans alike.  He then said, “It’s really good being the Duke coach having won the Olympics.”

“You don’t realize how proud you are to be an American until you are in those settings and you’re representing your country, said Kryzyzewski.  He then reflected on the awesome accomplishment of winning the Gold Medal, ” During the National Anthem before the Gold Medal game, we are all standing there just mouthing the words and all of a sudden you get emotional.  You start crying and say “Boy,” I wish my Mom and Dad were here … and how the heck are you this lucky to be representing the greatest country in the world in this fantastic sport.”

Well Coach!  Duke fans get a bit emotional too.   We wonder how the heck we are so lucky for you to represent the greatest program in the world and be our coach 24/7.  Congratulations Coach!  You’ve made us all proud.

Note – The Blue Devil Nation will have the Q & A session with Coach K up tomorrow, so please check back that and Coach Cutcliffe addressing the media for the home opener.

Lewis and Paulus are selfless leaders who are enjoying the Duke experience

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It’s always nice when Duke Student Athletes support one another.  Just ask Duke quarterback Thaddeus Lewis who recently told BDN, “When you sign on the dotted line to attend Duke University you are embracing a family whether you are a student or student athlete.”

He went onto say, “I want them (athletes) to support me, so I go out and support them.”  Lewis could be seen at the Coach K Academy this summer checking out all of the former Duke players while stopping to talk to a couple of current players like Greg Paulus.  “I wish I could get out there on the court,” said Lewis during that event.  He went on to say he played basketball in high school.

Almost all athletes at Duke played multiple sports at one time.  The aforementioned Paulus was one of the top rated quarterbacks in the nation out of high school.  In a twist of irony, Paulus could be found at a recent football practice peering on much like Lewis did in Cameron, wondering what if. 

Lewis and Paulus are two perfect examples of the kind of special athlete Duke produces both on and off the court or field respectively.  Both could be seen at various Duke sporting events last year and both are willing to put in the work for their university of choice.

I mean, talk about being selfless!  Lewis could be field on the field handing out water to prospects during the Duke Football Camps.  Paulus could be found  atop the hill in the new practice facility waiting to give attendees to the Coach K Academy rides to and from their motel.  Just take a second and imagine Lewis handing you a gatorade and Paulus saying “where to,” as his van loads.  

 ”Greg Paulus is one of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet.  He’ll do anything for his school,” said recently retired Frank Dascenzo of the Herald Sun while the two of us sat in the new practice facility during the K Academy.

Lewis also supported the basketball Blue Devils at the recent SJC Pro Am event at NC Central University.  It’s kind of nice when Singler, Williams or Smith can look up and see Duke’s starting quaterback in the stands. 

There is one bond that ties the two together besides being the engine to their respective teams.  That being each one is throughly enjoying their Duke experience.  “Duke is somewhere you can be comfortable at.  It’s somewhere where you want to be and it’s somewhere where they want you,” said Lewis.  He went on, “It’s family oriented around here and I’m enjoying every mintue of every day.

So, if you happen upon Paulus or Lewis around campus or in any environment, you will see two Duke student athletes who strive to not only give their best, but to support one another.  Perhaps more importantly, they are enjoying their Duke experience.

Team USA spanks Germany — on to the medal round!

Dwight Howard put on a show missing a single shot on his way to scoring a team high 22 points (9 of 10 FG’s) while grabbing 10 rebounds.   Twelve American players played double figure minutes as the Coach K led Team USA demolished Germany 105-59.  The romp was from start to finish, starting with a Anthony lay up and ending with Paul assisting Redd for slam dunk.  James chipped in with 18, Bryant 14 and Wade and Paul had 10 points apiece.  Team USA is now 5-0 and continues their quest to bring the Gold home.

USA Today  ESPN Recap  Box Score

 

Next up – Australia on Wednesday

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SJC Pro Am gearing up for the stretch run (corrected)

Elliot Williams helped his E-Net team to it’s third victory scoring 19 points in the process.  Williams had a fabulous first half where he at times seemed to be posturing for a highlight reel.  There was one sequence where he showed of his athletic ability.  He slashed to the basket finishing with an authoritative dunk which brought ooh’s and ahh’s from the crowd.  He then created a break after a turnover as he slithered through the defense only to be found with the pass where he finished by using the basket to his advantage for a reverse lay in.  IOW, he played a huge role for his team tonight and shows he is not afraid to play against anybody at this level.

He didn’t do it all by himself though.  He was aided by Brandon Costner whose presence has helped E-Net win consecutive games.  Costner was strong in the paint, an area that had plagued his team in early losses.  E-Net was down by 10 points early, but stormed back to go up by 11 and hung on for a victory over.  Former Pack player Anthony Grundy led all scorers and has showed significant improvement since his days in Raleigh.

Three Dukies took to the court for the RDU Barnstormers in a game that would prove a defensive struggle.  The more talented Barnstomrers eventually won 48-47.  This team is guard heavy and guard dominated.  In fact, there is way too much dribbling and forced shots where they try to make the big play instead of finding the open man.  Sometimes the efficient plays bode better for the team than forcing the issue.

For the first time, SIngler was able to get a breather, alternating with Czyz.  I am not too sure how effective this was for the four guard lineup hurt in my humble opinion.  Singler struggled a bit on offense, possibly because last seasons ACC Rookie of the Year got five whole shots, making a deuce and a three.  He got to the line often, going 6 of 10 for a total of 12 points.  What many missed is that he is willing to do the dirty work and little things which equate to 5 blocked shots and 8 rebounds.

Low and behold, Olek Czyz didn’t get a dunk tonight.  That’s because he was used as a hacking dummy in an effort to keep the crowd favorite grounded.  Olek was 10 for 16 from the free throw stripe and that was all of his points.  He added 3 boards to go with 2 steals.

Nolan Smith is saddled on a team with many guards and it keeps the ball out of the hands of the talented player.  Nolan tossed in 15 points going 4 of 6 from the field and 3 of 3 from the line.  You would think with that kind of efficiency his teammates might get the rock in his hands more often.  He was smooth in his movement and his first half performance kept his team in the game.  Smith had 3 steals and a couple of assists as his team went to 6-3 which is still good enough for second place.

Lance Thomas was the man tonight and had to be for there was no Jerry Stackhouse, Green nor Davis for the Regulators.  After two consecutive dunks, LT helped his team to an early 29-12 lead.  During one sequence, LT dunked, rushed back to play the passing lanes, made the steal, dished to a teammate to start the break and finished it off with a reverse dunk.  Lance is a hustle guy who goes 100%  while he  in the game.  The wheels came off for the Regulators in the second half as they went down to a one point defeat, 57-56 blowing a 20 point lead.  Thomas had 17 points and a bevy of boards in the Regulators only loss thus far.  My report from the scorers table says LT was hacked hard as time ran out, but no whistle was heard.  Hopefully, a bit more consistency will ensue with the playoffs looming.

I didn’t catch the nightcap, but got a call from the statistician who told me Gerald Henderson has 12 points with his team winning a 54-51 game over   There was no doubt that the overall play was hurt by physical foul-fests and forced shots on this evening.  Still, that’s to be expected in basketball where o n a given night many things can happen.

The tournament will continue on Tuesday night with the final regular games and they will be hard fought in that they are jockeying for play off position.  They will then start the playoffs where the team are one and done.  So, get out there and support your favorite players!  The crowds have been consistent and again, there is an accommodating atmosphere at McDougald Gymnasium.

Standings going into the last regular game – Regulators (Lance Thomas) 8-1, RDU Barnstormers (Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Olek Czyz)  6-3, Team Williams 5-4, Team KG (Gerald Henderson) 5-4, Team Noel 4-5, Black Magic 3-6, E-Net (Elliot Williams, Steve Johnson) 3-6,  Team Felton 2-7 (Duke players in parentheses)

Official Pro Am Site Link

Pictures – (1) Elliot taking a three, (2) Elliot and Steve Johnson with Ridge and Corey (two of the kids our members sent to Carrawell James Basketball Camp), (3) LT readies to dunk

Olek Czyz: Athletic and Aggressive

For someone who has yet to even break a sweat in a Duke practice jersey, Olek Czyz has amassed quite a following among those in the Blue Devil fan base. Whether it is the traditional excitement and intrigue associated with a new recruit or the tales of internet lore spawned from his breath-taking dunks, Olek’s fandom expands more and more each day. The message board scuttlebutt regarding Olek’s recent aerial assaults during and after a particular game in the Greater N.C. Pro-Am has helped fuel the Olek hysteria. While Olek’s actual in-game contributions as a Blue Devil remains to be seen, Duke fans are understandably excited.

For the majority of Duke fans, Olek Czyz was considered somewhat of an enigma during his recruitment. While Duke fans collectively knew little about the Poland native, we all shared Coach K’s hope that Olek would commit to Duke. Although Olek is not highly ranked in the class of 2009, there was an intense recruiting battle for his services between Duke, Florida and Louisville. Despite standing at roughly 6’7”, supremely athletic and said to have a 40” vertical, Olek is considered to be unpolished and a developing prospect. What is not a mystery, however, is what college basketball’s coaching heavyweights saw in Olek: a tremendous upside and potential to explode at the collegiate level.

After formally committing to Duke on Nov. 14, 2007, Olek’s struggles in his game against Luke Babbitt were well-documented and discussed ad nauseam. His play on the court since that game, however, has been anything but a struggle: Olek scored 25 points in a state tournament semifinal win, scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds leading his team to the state 4A championship title, and then won the MVP award in the Capital Classic all-star game. While Olek has continued to progress each day, he remains relatively new to the game of basketball and far from refined. That is not to say that he cannot contribute immediately but just don’t expect an All-ACC Freshman Team campaign. Duke fans, therefore, should be cautioned to temper their expectations accordingly. Being a combo-forward in the Duke system, Olek’s minutes will be limited as Duke’s veterans will occupy the majority of the playing time at the small forward and power forward positions.

Olek’s recent performances in the summer league games against tougher competition demonstrate some of the shortcomings and deficiencies in his overall game. Fans that have attended the games routinely state that while Olek relentlessly attacks the basket when he has the ball in his hands, at times he appears to get lost in the offense. While he can explode vertically, Olek’s overall skill set needs to be improved upon: positioning, shooting, defense, footwork and rebounding.

As with any Coach K recruit, the fantastic part about Olek is that he recognizes his weaknesses and is more than willing to put forth the necessary effort to maximize his potential. While many players with Olek’s physical prowess choose to ignore their limitations and try to mask them by relying on innate athleticism to get by, Olek recognizes he needs to work on his overall skill set. In a recent Reno Gazette-Journal article Olek stated, “Different people develop differently and, you know, I never reached my top notch yet. I have more up in my sleeve than I showed in my senior year. I have a lot of things to work on still, and once I get those things right I can turn out to be a really good player. Duke is a program that can do that for me. They have the best training in the nation; that’s what I think.”

With his size and athleticism coupled with his desire improve, Olek will only get better and better every year he is at Duke. Just remember that while Olek may not set the ACC on fire his first year, there is a bright future ahead at Duke for him. As fellow BDN premium member HWAC42DEVIL told me, “At the end of the day, OC will be a solid contributor who will have a high FG %, can shoot FTs (he had some very clutch makes) and will get the crazies on their feet will his amazing repertoire of power dunks. I fully expect that OC will only get better practicing against, Hendo, LT, Singler, Zoubek, and Plumlee in practice. With a little polishing, the Polish Thunder will be a very special Duke player.”

By the time Olek is a veteran of the Duke system and earning All-ACC honors along the way hopefully we will all recognize what Coach K, Pitino and Billy Donovan envisioned when they were recruiting Olek.

This article is courtesy of Blue Devil Nation Premium member John Hayne.

Scrappy Dave McClure has a nose for the ball

The signature moment to date in Dave McClure’s tenure as a Duke Blue Devil is his game winning basket against Clemson on January 25, 2007.  McClure caught a pass from Jon Scheyer and sank a basket over K.C. Rivers as time expired giving Duke a 68-66 victory.  It was vintage McClure – hustling to the right place at the right time.  In describing McClure, Coach Krzyzewski stated, “He makes simple, terrific plays.”  Three nights later, against Boston College, Dave McClure hyper extended his left knee.

 

His career at Duke has been hampered by injuries.  He has had surgery on both knees while a Blue Devil.  McClure missed the entire 2005-2006 season after having left knee surgery on February 1, 2005.  Surgery on his right knee was performed on August 21, 2007.  McClure has played in 88 games for the Blue Devils and averaged 2.4 points and 2.9 rebounds in 13.3 minutes per game.  McClure was most productive as a sophomore, in the 2006-2007 season, when he averaged 4.2 points and 4.9 rebounds in 21.7 minutes per game.  He started 11 games in his sophomore season.

 

The 6-6 205 pound redshirt senior was ranked as the # 57 player in the high school Class of 2004 by Scout.com and arrived at Duke with a reputation as not being the most athletic player, but a guy with high basketball IQ.  Dave attended high school at Trinity Catholic in Ridgefield, CT and helped the Crusaders win three state championships.  At Duke, McClure has demonstrated he has a nose for the ball and is willing to do whatever it takes – dive on the floor – jump into the stands – battle bigger opponents – to gain possession.

 

What will McClure’s role be in his senior season?  It is a given that Coach Krzyzewski will look to McClure for leadership, but it is less clear how much of that leadership will actually take place on the court.  With the arrival of two freshman front court players, Olek Czyz and Miles Plumlee, and the possibility of a healthy Brian Zoubek, McClure will face tough competition for playing time.  His new teammates are bigger and have two healthy knees each, but Dave McClure has the advantage of experience in the Duke system and understanding Coach Krzyzewski’s desires in given situations.  That is a big advantage but in and of itself will not be enough to secure playing time.  Dave McClure is going to have to out perform his teammates in practice to see the court come game time.  The jury is out and only time will tell the results, but scrappy Dave McClure will surely be hustling for every rebound and diving for every loose ball once practice starts.