Duke Dodged More Than Just A Bullet

Read this article on Bleacher Report

    
Okay, I know everyone's had enough of the David vs. Goliath references. But this wasn't exactly the same story. In the biblical version, David had a slingshot, and God on his side. In the 2010 Butler basketball version of this story, David didn't need God. David had a full rocket launcher, four sticky grenades, a sniper rifle, AND a spartan laser, just in case you wanted to come at him with a vehicle or something pathetic like that. (Forgive my Halo references, but you get the point.) Can we stop comparing them to the Hickory Huskers already? Butler was a damn good team this year. Their best player is not Jimmy Chitwood, his name is Gordon Hayward, and he's going to do work in the NBA as a future lottery pick.

Yeah, they were the underdogs, but not by much. Didn't these kids just win an insane 25 straight games? TWENTY-FIVE STRAIGHT??? Nobody seems to remember that Butler was ranked in the AP poll the entire year, coming in at a very respectable #11 in both the preseason and the final regular season polls. Duke was ranked #9 in the preseason poll and #3 in the final regular season poll. This was a relatively even matchup, considering it was a home game for Butler. The real injustice was that the selection committee gave Butler a #5 seed. How in the freakin' world does a top 15 team get a #5 seed? Selection committee, that's on you.

On another note, my Dukies were not your typical Goliath. Duke didn't star a single lottery pick on their team. Kyle Singler is a mid to late first rounder now, but other than that, no one on this squad has a remote chance to be drafted in the top 14 picks this year. Duke's team this year is one of the best examples ever of how players on a team can work together to use each player's individual strengths to compensate for each player's individual weaknesses.

Jon Scheyer has been constantly criticized for his lack of quickness and ability to create shots at the point guard position. That's okay, because Nolan Smith is great at those things, and he had the ball when the shot clock was running low. Brian Zoubek is a monster rebounder, but he is far below average as an offensive threat down low. The solution? He kicked the ball out to open shooters at every opportunity. Lance Thomas was never a great offensive player, so instead, he contributed by guarding the other team's best player every game by using his unbelievable defensive intensity and energy and left the offense in the hands of more capable players.

I could sit here for days and tell you how this team just worked perfectly together, but I'm not going to. All you need to know is that this team was not Goliath. This team had no stars. This team played as one unit. Yeah, they watched Hoosiers, and they heard you, Gene Hackman, they heard you.

Finally, let's give Butler the credit they deserve. Gordon Hayward, I could have completed med school in the time it took for your final two shots to finally come down from the sky. I was THAT worried. Butler, I tip my hat off to you, you were one of the toughest opponents we faced all year, you gave us a hell of a game, and you almost won it. You played winning basketball, championship basketball, and came up a possession short. You have nothing to be ashamed of, and you will be a force to be reckoned with next year.

NCAA Tournament: Charlie's All-Tournament Teams

I'm posting this list of the players who I think deserve the most recognition for their performances in the tournament in 2010. Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Gordon Hayward highlight my first team selections, since I believe they have been the most outstanding players from Duke and Butler, respectively. My opinions of course are my own, but I believe this is fairly accurate. Take a look:

First Team
G Nolan Smith, Duke
G Durrell Summers, Michigan State
G Lacedarius Dunn, Baylor
F Kyle Singler, Duke
F Gordon Hayward, Butler

Second Team
G Jacob Pullen, Kansas State
G Jordan Crawford, Xavier
F Da'Sean Butler, West Virginia
G/F J.P. Prince, Tennessee
G/F Evan Turner, Ohio State

Third Team
G Denis Clemente, Kansas State
G Ali Farokhmanesh, Northern Iowa
G John Wall, Kentucky
F Wesley Johnson, Syracuse
C Omar Samhan, St. Mary's

Honorable mentions:  Jon Scheyer, Duke; Louis Dale, Cornell; Brian Zoubek, Duke; Ekpe Udoh, Baylor; Demarcus Cousins, Kentucky; Shelvin Mack, Butler; Jordan Williams, Maryland; Draymond Green, Michigan State; Greivis Vasquez, Maryland; Wayne Chism, Tennessee; Jajuan Johnson, Purdue; Ryan Wittman, Cornell, Isaiah Thomas; Washington.

96 or 65?

Tournament expansion talks seem to be getting pretty serious now. We may be only a year or two a way from this water-cooler rumor becoming a reality, but is it a good idea? I have to admit, at first, I was completely against this idea. What's the use of adding another 30 or so teams that have no chance to win the tourney or even do any real damage. But after watching this year's tournament and the NIT (which I had to watch because Memphis was in it) I've realized that a lot less separates good college teams from bad ones.

If one of the NIT teams, Memphis or Ole Miss or UCONN were to suddenly click at the right time, I could have easily seen them making a run in NCAA's this year. Additionally with the first 8 seeds getting a bye, a lot of the first round games, though more anonymous, might actually be better match-ups, and thus better games to watch. Additionally when the lower seeds finally move on to play their execution games, they will no longer be tourney virgins afraid of the spotlight.

Imagine the 16th seed in the tourney this year, they were excited just to be there because it was in doubt all season. More than likely they were less worried about the game and more worried about the sudden exposure, ofcourse they are not mentally prepared to beat the juggernauts across from them. But after one game, the novelty of the situation will wear off a little, and they will be more focused and have a better chance. The second one is always easier than the first, no matter what it is. But this will take a little away from the regular season, especially at the end when bubble teams are fighting to make the tournament, since with 96 teams most big schools will easily be in. Basically, I'm saying, where at first I thought this was a terrible idea, I maybe wouldn't hate it so much now that I think about it. And since I've been 'studying' Biochemistry all day, I've had a lot time to think about it.

Baseball Discussion

I'm just kidding. Baseball sucks.

Duke: 2011 Recruiting Update – Rivers, Adams, Miller, Plumlee

NOTE: This article is taken from the Blue Devil Insider blog. You can view the original post HERE

Yesterday, Blue Devil Insider reviewed Duke Basketball recruiting activities for 2010. Today, we will take a look at class of 2011 prospects. Recently, Duke scored its first commitment for 2011 when 5-star wing forward Michael Gbinije verbally committed to the Blue Devils. While this was a great start to the class, Duke is far from done. For 2011, several major prospects are on Duke’s “wish list”.

Tyler Adams – Duke began recruiting the 6’9 260 pound Adams early this winter and their relationship with the rising power forward has been growing ever since. Recently, this culminated in a scholarship offer to Adams and Tyler has since gone on record as saying Duke is his leader. Right now, the staff is hoping to get Adams to Durham for a campus visit in June. Duke definitely likes where they stand with Adams and if all goes according to plan he could officially be a member of the Blue Devils sometime this spring or early summer. The coaches are impressed with Tyler’s work ethic, low post skills, toughness in the paint, and his strong family upbringing. There is another bright spot for Duke in this recruitment as well, his father is reportedly a longtime fan of Duke Basketball. Stay tuned to BDI, as more good news on Adams could be on the way in the coming weeks.

Austin Rivers – As you have probably heard by now, UNC is jumping into the race for Austin Rivers. While Duke fans will not be thrilled about North Carolina’s participation in this recruitment, sources close to Duke tell BDI that the Blue Devils are still in excellent shape with the 5-star guard. With that said though, Rivers is very likely to consider a few other teams besides Duke and Florida before he makes an official college choice. The Rivers family is very serious about this process and they want to make sure that Austin finds the right school to play his college ball at.

Overall, Duke’s relationship with Rivers continues to show signs of strength. In his online diary with High School Hoop, Rivers acknowledged that he emailed the Duke coaches to congratulate them on reaching the Final 4. Additionally, Rivers called the Duke staff after the team made both the Sweet 16 and the Final 4 to congratulate the coaches & players. Needless to say, the actions of both sides in this recruitment remain very positive.

It is likely that activity in the Rivers recruitment will pick up very soon. BDI has learned that Rivers is very likely to de-commit from Florida in the coming weeks. Rivers will play in the ESPN Rise tournament this weekend which is basically the end of his high school basketball season. With high school basketball out of the way look for Rivers to have a renewed focus on his recruitment.

There are a few final points to note on the Rivers recruitment. If/when he does de-commit do not be surprised if other major basketball powers get involved. UCLA, UCONN, and Kentucky would be the likely contenders here as they are programs his father has talked about in the past. Finally, Duke will be very active with Rivers during the upcoming AAU season. Expect the Duke coaching staff to follow Rivers very closely at summer tournaments and camps. The staff would also like to have Rivers back on campus for another visit sometime this spring/summer. Although no official timeline has been given for a decision, we expect Rivers to finalize his college choice in late summer or this fall.

Quincy Miller – The Miller recruitment continues to get more complicated as time passes. At this point, many of the major national basketball powers have thrown their name into the hat for his services including: Kansas, Georgetown, Kentucky, Syracuse, Texas, and others. Brian Clifton is now heavily involved in his recruitment and this may or may not be a good thing for Duke. Rumors continue to swirl that World Wide Wes may try to steer Miller to one school or another as well. One thing BDI can say for sure is that some of the family members that were very pro Duke and initially involved in Miller’s recruitment are no longer providing advice with regard to his college choice.

Duke realizes that this is going to be a very public, media oriented, and national recruitment in nature. They are going to run the race with Quincy, but there is no guarantee they will land him given all the factors involved in his recruitment. The good news for Duke is that this recruitment will likely go well into 2011. By that time Duke hopes to have locked in commitments from Tyler Adams and Austin Rivers. Thus Miller would be the icing on the cake of Duke’s 2011 class if things were to play out the way coaches hope.

Marshall Plumlee – The relationship between Duke and Plumlee seems to have cooled a bit in recent months. There has been less contact between the two sides and the Plumlee family is aware that Tyler Adams is a major target for Duke in 2011. While Plumlee has been to many recent Duke games this has mainly occurred so that he could support his brothers. The situation with Plumlee remains complicated, but I would not expect Duke to completely break off the relationship given the family’s ties to the school.

E-Mail Us Your Questions!

Hey everyone, just I wanted to encourage you to e-mail us at doinworkblog@gmail.com with all of your sports questions, especially regarding college basketball, recruiting, NBA, NFL, and Fantasy Sports. (But we will take off-topic questions as well, if you are imaginative enough) Every once in awhile, we will write a column to answer reader questions. Bring it on, we're looking forward to your questions!

Duke: Top Ten Plays From The Sweet 16

Here's a nice video of the highlights from Duke's 2 wins against Purdue and Baylor in the sweet 16. One of my favorite channels that I'm subscribed to on Youtube - DukeBluePlanet, I would recommend it to any Duke fans, there's alot of great stuff in there, including highlights from every game and videos of the players goofing off with each other, it's good stuff :)

Thanks For The Support!

I wanted to thank everyone who read my article on Bleacher report! It's already one of the site's featured articles and currently has over 300 reads and 12 "likes"!! I never thought my first article would be so well received. I'm going to continue doing a weekly column on Bleacher Report (which will be posted on this blog as well), so I hope I will receive your continued support. Thanks again!!!

Update: HOLY CRAP!! My article is the first AND second hit on Dukereport.com!!!!! And this blog is getting 300+ hits per HOUR . . . this is crazy . . . come on, we need more FOLLOWERS!!

3 NBA Observations

So this is mostly a college basketball and basketball recruiting blog, but let's face it; it all runs downstream to the NBA, and I've got three important NBA observations i'd like to get out there.



1. Stephen Curry might not win the rookie of the year, but he should. He's silky smooth, never going to fast, never out of control, head always on a swivel, shakes a defender not too much but just enough, and delivers the ball always exactly where it should go....not to mention his quick-release gun-line jumper which always keeps defenders honest. If he didn't start out the season so slow I think he would definitely be the rookie of the year, but you can't knock any of the rookie PG's this year: Tyreke Evans, Brandon Jennings, Ty Lawson, Darren Collison, and even Eric Maynor have all been great. Curry is a little different because he doesn't have the outstanding size, speed, or athleticsm like we associate with most current day top point gaurds, but he holds his own just fine if not better.

now this move on Chris "Birdman" Andersen is just dirty:



2. The Dallas Mavericks are legit. They're not the same 'make it to the playoffs every year and have no shot at a title' team like they usually are. They're not run-n-gun like the old days and they're not too soft like the less old old days. The mid-season trade sending oft troubled and injured forward Josh Howard away and getting Caron Butler and Brenden Haywood was big for this team. Butler was a great get but Haywood was huge, literally, giving this team the size to actually match up with the Lakers. But more than anything I think Dirk is focused. He's not messin around this season, and he doesn't have the intense spotlight and pressure like years before. It seems like a perfect situation for him to come up big because no one really expects anything great from him. For the most part the Mavs are an after thought behind the Nuggets and the Lakers. Dirk scores effortlessly and is the greatest stress-release player in the game because no one can block that little elbow jumper of his, and he gets it off against anyone and always makes it, and it's almost an effortless two points. He hardly expends any energy getting it. In fact if I had to pick today I would take the Mavericks as the West champs. They are big, they are athletic, good shooters all over the floor and led by arguably the best point guard in a generation, J-Kidd.

3. Brandon Roy is a monster. I don't think enough people recognize how good Brandon Roy is because he is on the West Coast, and most people don't really get a chance to see him. Also he's not always involved in jaw-dropping plays or monster dunks so a lot of the time he's not espn highlight packages. But make no mistake Brandon Roy is a beast, when he wants to score he can. His hesitation slash move to the bucket (or the giant first step) is one of the most effective I've ever seen, it works every time no matter how much you yell at the TV screen telling Rudy Gay exactly what Roy is going to do. He just seems to slow until he hits you with move and then its too late, Rudy 's already just watching and probably a foul.

That 's all i got for now, but i'm working on a write-up for the mcdonald's all-american game, so hopefully I should have that up soon.

5 Reasons Why You Should Root For Duke

This article is also featured on Bleacher Report: 5 Reasons Why You Should Root For Duke

Let's face it: Duke is and will probably always be the most widely hated team in college basketball.
Unless you are a Duke fan, you probably can't stand the program's pretty-boy image, and its long history of star players who just annoyed the crap out of you.

First, there was Christian Laettner—the arrogant jerk who hit the game winning shot in OT in the greatest game of all time, shortly after stomping on the chest of a Kentucky player. Then there was Steve Wojciechowski, a 5-foot-11 white kid who somehow won the 1998 national defensive player of the year award with his floor-slapping antics. Let's not forgot about J.J. Redick, who flashed a smug look of satisfaction every time he buried a deep three in your face.

You hate that Duke has a spotless NCAA record; you hate that they consistently recruit high school All-Americans; and you hate that Coach Mike Krzyzewski does everything right and just keeps winning.
Okay, fair enough, even us Duke fans understand all that, but this year's team is different. It is a completely new kind of Duke team. As a lifelong Duke fan, I've seen many squads come and go, including the three that won it all (and the one in 1999 that should have won it all), but this team is special to me.

I have followed this team more closely than any other team that I can remember, and during the process, have become incredibly attached to them because they are such a likeable group. Here are five reasons why I think that they deserve your cheers as well:

1. Coach K is a national hero.

Like him or not, Mike Krzyzewski (and only a Duke fan would know how to spell his name without cheating) brought USA basketball back from the depths of Athens, Greece, where UNC alum Larry Brown brought home bronze. . . . Really Larry, bronze? You had the greatest power forward of all time, in his prime—Tim Duncan, LeBron James, and Carmelo Anthony and you brought back BRONZE?

Okay, enough Larry bashing.

Coach K took a USA basketball program that finished sixth at the 2002 FIBA world championships and 3rd at the 2004 Olympics and went undefeated in Beijing in 2008, crushing the opposition by an average of 32 points—including the hometown Chinese squad and the vaunted Spaniards.

USA basketball is back to its rightful place way, way above the rest of the world, and you can thank Coach K.

2. Freshman Andre Dawkins has been playing with a heavy heart this season.

Andre's story is particularly touching.

Here's a kid who shouldn't even be in the big dance by all rights. He should be getting ready for the other big dance: the prom. Andre graduated from high school a full year early to join the Blue Devils because of the transfer of Elliot Williams to Memphis and the loss of Gerald Henderson to the NBA draft.

A month into the season, Andre was averaging double figures, while shooting a ridiculous 23-44 (52%) from beyond the three point line. He also had a 7-9 FG game against Radford for 20 points and a 4-4 3-point FG game (all in the second half) at one of the most hostile venues in all of college basketball, Wisconsin's Kohl Center, in a loss to the Badgers.

After the St. John's game, 'Dre was informed by his father that his sister had been killed, and his mother had been seriously injured in a car accident that occurred while the two were driving down to Durham to see his game.

Following these events, 'Dre just wasn't 'Dre.

His shooting percentage plummeted and his once overflowing confidence was all but gone. He registered two DNPs in that time.

He questioned whether he had made the right decision coming to Duke. But after he witnessed how his teammates and coaches rallied around him, cried with him, and attended the funeral with him, he knew he was in the right place.

Dawkins has come back of late, and hit two huge threes in the elite eight win over Baylor—one from nearly half court.

You truly have to root for this 18-year-old kid; he's been through more than most of us who are twice his age.

3. Brian Zoubek stepped out of the phone booth and became Zouperman.

Seven-foot-one Zoubek was a Parade All-American in high school. Three years into his career at Duke, he had been posting numbers that don't seem like an All-American stat line: 3.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game.

I might also add that he probably (this is purely from observation) led the league in traveling, turnovers per possession, fouls, and disqualifications.

I hate it say it about one of my favorite guys on the team, but the man was a bust.

To his credit, Zoubek had been dealing with nagging injuries his entire career, and just never got a chance to shine during his first three years. This year has been an entirely different story.

Since Zoubs was inserted in to the starting lineup for the home game against Maryland, he has averaged 6.6 points and 10.1 rebounds a game—including 5.9 offensive boards a game. And that's while playing only 23.1 minutes a game!

He's learned how to play smart defense—without fouling—and has become one of the best passers on the team. Zoubek was essential against Baylor's 2-3 zone, grabbing offensive boards and kicking the ball out to wide-open shooters.

I almost can't believe it myself, but Zoubs might just be more important to this team than any of the "big three."
You gotta feel great for the kid though, because he's such a good person, an academic all-american, and one of the toughest guys in the ACC.

4. Nolan Smith is playing in the memory of his late father.

Now, here is a story that made me start getting teary-eyed.

At the age of eight, Nolan Smith's father, Derek Smith, passed away on a cruise ship—victim to a heart attack. Nolan was so devastated he almost quit basketball. He loved his father—a nine-year NBA veteran who retired after Nolan was born to devote all of his time to raising his son.

Shortly before his father's death, Nolan had been playing a one-on-one game with an older boy on the ship. After losing, Nolan heaved the ball into the ocean in frustration. After seeing this display, his father grabbed his boy by the wrist and told him that if he wanted to play this game, that he needed to get his head on straight and have the right attitude. Little did Nolan know at the time, this would be the last father-son talk he would ever have.

To this day, Nolan still remembers that conversation.

Without a paternal figure, Nolan was taken in by his father's NBA organization, the Washington Bullets, where he had been coaching. The Bullets reserved a courtside seat every game for Nolan, and the players helped school him in the game that he loved to play.

One particularly prominent figure in his life was a former teammate of his father, Johnny Dawkins, or "Uncle Johnny" according to Nolan. Instead of going to Louisville, where his father went, Nolan decided on Duke, where Dawkins was the head associate coach.

Prior to last week's game against Baylor, Nolan caught the end of the ESPN Outside the lines documentary featuring himself and his father, which prompted him to post on Twitter the following morning: "This one is for you Dad!! I love you! #43..... Let's go Duke!"

Smith went on to post a career high 29 points, including four clutch threes which sealed the Blue Devils victory against the Bears. He claimed that he felt that his dad was with him. Now Nolan is headed to Indianapolis, where Derek Smith helped Louisville win its first national championship 30 years ago.

5. This is may be the most tight-knit group you will ever see.

Two words that describe this team well are "togetherness" and "chemistry." These kids are really all on the same page. After the Baylor game, an emotional Lance Thomas said, “We always hang together off the court, there are no cliques on this team.” When asked if he had ever played on a tighter team, the senior captain shook his head and said “Never, never. We’ve worked so hard for this." Lance is one of three seniors on this team with the aforementioned Zoubek and Jon Scheyer, none of whom had ever been past the sweet sixteen until this year.

Scheyer in my opinion, is one of the most underappreciated players in the history of college basketball, and is one of the most clutch players to ever put on a Duke uniform. In his senior year of high school, Scheyer scored an Illinois state tournament record 52 points in his final high school game, including five threes and six free throws for an unreal 21 points in the game's final 75 seconds.

He hit the nail in the coffin to bury Carolina at the Dean Dome earlier this season. More recently, he has hit the shots that sealed victory in the ACC championship game against Georgia Tech and the elite eight game vs. Baylor. Coach K says Scheyer is one of the best kids he's ever coached, and his constantly positive attitude is "infectious."

After the victory against Baylor that put Duke in the final four, Coach K said, “This team will really be brothers forever.  It’s as close a team as I’ve had. You want great things to happen for people who are great with us. I mean, they’ve been spectacular to coach.  You can tell they’re really close and I’m ecstatic about it. I can’t tell you how happy I am about them taking our staff to Indianapolis."

There you have it.

How can you root against these guys?

Coach K has said it time and again; this is not a great team. This is not Laettner-Hurley-Hill, or Williams-Battier-Dunleavy-Boozer. This is a very good team that plays together, that plays hard every possession, and does whatever it takes to win.

If you can't root for that, then you are probably a UK fan. (I've never seen a collective fanbase that hated a single program more, oh yes, even more than UNC.)

Yes I know, we're the only No. 1 seed left, yes I know, we are the favorites, and yes, for the love of God, I know Butler is playing in their hometown and their stadium is where Hoosiers was filmed, but I'm going for The Blue Devils.

LET'S GO DUKE!!!