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Duke Basketball Roundup
Добавлен 27 янв 2024
For fans of the Gothic Wonderland, the Duke Basketball Roundup is your best source for analysis of the Duke Blue Devils anywhere on the internet since 2014!
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DBR Bites #60 - The Brotherhood’s Back In The House!
On DBR Bites #60, we preview Duke (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) ’s upcoming game against UConn (www.theuconnblog.com/) and we celebrate so many members of The Brotherhood coming back to campus!
First, we preview Duke’s upcoming football game against UConn this weekend. UConn is a team that struggled mightily against Maryland but turned it around against Merrimack. Donald and Jason discuss what to watch for when the two teams take the field as well as what UConn brings to the table. There are a couple of skill players to watch as well as who could be under center for the Huskies.
After the break, we get into some basketball stuff, led by a cool event that will be on campus on October 5th. ...
First, we preview Duke’s upcoming football game against UConn this weekend. UConn is a team that struggled mightily against Maryland but turned it around against Merrimack. Donald and Jason discuss what to watch for when the two teams take the field as well as what UConn brings to the table. There are a couple of skill players to watch as well as who could be under center for the Huskies.
After the break, we get into some basketball stuff, led by a cool event that will be on campus on October 5th. ...
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DBR Bites #59 - Duke Claims 2OT Victory at the Lake House
Просмотров 1004 часа назад
On DBR Bites #59, we recap Duke (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) ’s victory over Northwestern (www.insidenu.com/) on the edge of Lake Michigan! Duke won 26-20 in a 2OT affair in Evanston, and there were some good and ugly parts about the whole game. Donald and Jason begin by resurrecting a fan favorite for basketball games: Headlines! We’ll be accepting them for football games as well, so don’t ...
DBR Bites #58 - Friday Night Lakeview Football!
Просмотров 9216 часов назад
Duke (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) Football is back on the field Friday night, and we preview their game against the Northwestern Wildcats (www.insidenu.com/) on DBR Bites #58! Northwestern is in some new temporary digs right on the edge of Lake Michigan, and that will be the stage for a Friday night game against Duke. Donald and Jason begin the preview by discussing what we will see from Nor...
#645 - Football Eliminates Elon
Просмотров 10221 час назад
The Manny Diaz era got off to a great start at Duke walloped the Elon in this season's opening game. The Duke Basketball Roundup gives you a complete breakdown of what happened in the contest and it all starts with the dominant defense on display from Duke. Donald and Jason both want to talk about how many times Duke stopped the Phoenix with a sack or a tackle for loss. On the offensive side of...
#644 - Flagg's Bag
Просмотров 31714 дней назад
Cooper Flagg has scored what is said to be one of the biggest endorsement deals ever for a kid who has not even played a second of college basketball, signing with New Balance, a company with deep ties to his home state of Maine. On the latest edition of the Duke Basketball Roundup, Jason and Donald take a look at Flagg's bag (of money) and what qualities it is that make him such an attractive ...
DBR Bites #57 - Bobby Hurley's coming to Cameron!
Просмотров 15414 дней назад
We’re back with a few topics on DBR Bites #57! Jason and Donald are super excited...Bobby Hurley is returning to Duke (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) ! Duke will play a charity exhibition against Arizona State (www.houseofsparky.com/) in what will be the first trip to Cameron for Hurley as a coach. They’ve known this was in the works, but now we get to finally celebrate Hurley’s return to campu...
#643 - Non-con Schedule Released
Просмотров 27821 день назад
Duke has released the non-conference schedule for the 2024-25 Blue Devils and it is full of compelling and challenging matchups. The latest edition of the Duke Basketball Roundup takes a deep dive into the sked not just the marquis games against teams like Kentucky and Kansas, but also what Duke faces in some of the smaller teams like George Mason and Incarnate Word. After the break, Jason and ...
#642 - Exclusive Conversation with Coach Jai Lucas!!
Просмотров 53521 день назад
No one knows what is happening inside Duke basketball like the coaching staff... and the Duke Basketball Roundup is thrilled to present our conversation with Jon Scheyer's top assistant, Coach Jai Lucas. Jai gives us a candid, insiders view of how the team is shaping up for the 2024-25 season including exclusive details on why Kon Knueppel is wowing everyone and what it is about Cooper Flagg th...
#641 - Is Duke's experience the key to success?
Просмотров 359Месяц назад
We are live with Episode 641 as we welcome Scott Rich to the show to help us navigate some interesting topics! Jason is out on vacation, but thankfully Scott is here to take us through some topics with Duke Blue Devils (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) Basketball. First, Duke’s experience has been a topic of conversation all summer long. But how does it rank among Duke teams from previous years? ...
#640 - On the recruiting trail with On3's Jamie Shaw
Просмотров 314Месяц назад
It's time to talk some Duke (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) recruiting on Episode 640! On this episode, we're joined by On3's Jamie Shaw to dive into how recruiting is going for Duke this offseason and who are some of the players we hope to see in Duke Blue in 2025. Duke has cast a wide net in recruiting this offseason, with 13 players of the Class of 2025 already receiving scholarship offers t...
DBR Bites #56 - Intel from Cooper
Просмотров 308Месяц назад
A trio of topics on this latest edition of the Duke Basketball Roundup. Up first is the 2024 Summer Olympics. Jason and Donald recount some of their favorite moments so far before diving into the controversy over Jayson Tatum not playing in Team USA's first game. If you are here for outrage, you will hear at least a little bit of it. Up next, the podcast guys dive into the changes coming to NIL...
#639 - The computer that says Duke is #2
Просмотров 478Месяц назад
The latest edition of the Duke Basketball Roundup features a look at the rankings of Bart Torvik, who plugged a whole bunch of data into his computer and asked it to give him an analytical preseason ranking of every team in college basketball. It spat out two teams at the very top of the heap, the Houston Cougars and the Duke Blue Devils. It even projects how many points per game Cooper Flagg, ...
#638 - Blue Devils head to the Olympics
Просмотров 202Месяц назад
After some time off, we’re back with Episode 638 as we get ready for the Olympics! The Olympics begin this week, and Jason and Donald go through all of the Duke Blue Devils (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) who will be competing and coaching in the Summer Games. Short of ACC newcomers Stanford and Cal, Duke is sending the most athletes in the conference to Paris, which is really cool. We focus in...
#637 - Draft Express' Jon Chepkevich discusses Duke NBA prospects
Просмотров 4132 месяца назад
We’re back with Episode 637, where we are joined by Jon Chepkevich of Draft Express to discuss some Duke Blue Devils (www.dukebasketballreport.com/) and their NBA prospects! Recently, Sion James and Tyrese Proctor competed at the CP3 Elite Camp, while Kon Knueppel and Isaiah Evans attended the Jayson Tatum Elite Camp, and Chepkevich was present at both to view the athletes. We go through each o...
DBR Bites #55 - Vegas Baby!
Просмотров 2832 месяца назад
After taking a short July 4th holiday break, the Duke Basketball Roundup is back with a Vegas-heavy edition of DBR Bites. Donald spent a few days perusing the casinos of the strip this week and he came back with a list of the teams the sports books love and hate for next season in college basketball. Where does Duke rank and what does Vegas think of the ACC? Have a listen to find out. After the...
DBR Bites #54 - More practice intel!
Просмотров 7082 месяца назад
DBR Bites #54 - More practice intel!
#636 - Jared McCain, Kyle Filipowski find out their NBA destinations
Просмотров 1872 месяца назад
#636 - Jared McCain, Kyle Filipowski find out their NBA destinations
#635 - Jared McCain's NBA draft stock with Jay Bilas
Просмотров 1852 месяца назад
#635 - Jared McCain's NBA draft stock with Jay Bilas
#634 - Video of the 24-25 Blue Devils in action!!
Просмотров 6132 месяца назад
#634 - Video of the 24-25 Blue Devils in action!!
#633 - Jay Bilas "Flips" for the NBA Draft
Просмотров 2792 месяца назад
#633 - Jay Bilas "Flips" for the NBA Draft
#632 - Brendan Marks Interview Part 2 - Reviewing the ACC’s offseason
Просмотров 3752 месяца назад
#632 - Brendan Marks Interview Part 2 - Reviewing the ACC’s offseason
DBR Bites #53 - NBA Champs and the Duke Hall of Fame
Просмотров 1482 месяца назад
DBR Bites #53 - NBA Champs and the Duke Hall of Fame
#631 - Brendan Marks Interview Part 1 - Duke’s rebuilt roster
Просмотров 6472 месяца назад
#631 - Brendan Marks Interview Part 1 - Duke’s rebuilt roster
DBR Bites #52 - ACC-SEC Challenge and Goodbye to a Duke Legend!
Просмотров 2192 месяца назад
DBR Bites #52 - ACC-SEC Challenge and Goodbye to a Duke Legend!
DBR Bites #51 - Breaking News, ACC Transfers, and Duke Defensive Draft
Просмотров 4263 месяца назад
DBR Bites #51 - Breaking News, ACC Transfers, and Duke Defensive Draft
#630 - Scheyer talks, more scrimmage intel, and academic success
Просмотров 7553 месяца назад
#630 - Scheyer talks, more scrimmage intel, and academic success
DBR Bites #50 - Intel from K Academy Pickup Ball
Просмотров 6623 месяца назад
DBR Bites #50 - Intel from K Academy Pickup Ball
DBR Bites #49 - Kansas Rivalry & Other Stuff
Просмотров 1913 месяца назад
DBR Bites #49 - Kansas Rivalry & Other Stuff
#629 - Who plays, who sits next year Part 2 - The Bigs
Просмотров 7363 месяца назад
#629 - Who plays, who sits next year Part 2 - The Bigs
DBR Bites #48 - Another Portal Addition!! Cameron Sheffield Comes To Cameron!
Просмотров 4863 месяца назад
DBR Bites #48 - Another Portal Addition!! Cameron Sheffield Comes To Cameron!
I got a headline Riley Leonard one and one Malik Murphy 2 and 0
I just hope fans don't go off the rails if the Blue Devils drop a game or two during the non-con. Chances are that they will.
True Duke fans should nt
That 38 point pounding is one of my all time favs! I re-watch that one at the start of every Duke basketball season
That’s a gauntlet! Soo excited!
Coach Lucas 💯
You guys didn’t talk much specifics on recruiting
I am on Sion Swiss Army Train. I know he was a three star HS recruit to begin with. Other than Jon I remember a Tulane local TV guy once said, Duke you struck gold. I definitely would like to see how he counter this ex-UNC (now Arizona) Caleb Love as he has been so nasty to Duke Guards and seemed no one could contain him well then. Look out Caleb we have got Sion Train and I think he has the ability to demolish you to some extent.
Amazing Pod! It’s great to hear a neutral perspective… Also a plus when that perspective is what we wanna hear! Go Duke
What an amazing interview. I didn't expect him to give that honest of assessments or predictions. Wow! Such an awesome job guys!! In some years, I hope for favorable matchups in the dance. This year? I want every best team and for us to swat them away!! Let's Go Duke!!
I think you are stating the facts well. You are the only ones that has not made moral judgements about Kyle. I have heard a lot of very negative comments and making moral judgements about him and his girl friend. It seems like they were out to just drag them through the mud. I do think that the relationship with his parents will improve over time. But of course both sides need to set up those communication lines.
The 2 lineups you mentioned, including switching the 2 centers, are EXACTLY--player for player--the starting and 2nd squads I have been talking about and advocating for since before the team's roster even became finalized (in other words, before we added Sheffield as the final piece). 1) I said repeatedly that it would be difficult, if not impossible, to keep both Sion James and Maliq Brown out of the starting lineup, rather than Caleb Foster and whoever else various websites had as our starting 4 (or 3, in the cases of those who had Flagg as our starting 4). Here's why: A) Both bring top-shelf experience to the starting lineup--1 on an ACC team, the other as a main option for a solid Tulane team. A) James has shown to be potentially one of the 2 or 3 best players on this team so far. That might change as the season progresses, depending on the improvement in other players...but he's the PERFECT guy to complement the other starters. Flagg and Maluach will both feed off of his energy, he is an incredibly disruptive defender on the perimeter, he can score at all 3 levels--hits 3s at a 38% clip, drives the lane like it was built for him, and bullies opposing defenders with his 6'6", 220 lb frame. And all one needs to see is the 6-minute highlight reel video from the first 5-on-5 that Duke put out--specifically, his block on 7'2", 250 lb Khaman Maluach AT THE RIM--to see just how good this guy can be. B) Maliq Brown was an All-ACC Defensive Team member, and 3rd in votes for Defensive POY. He played as much center as PF for Syracuse in his 2 years there, and can defend anybody, regardless of size. Also, he led not just Syracuse, but the entire CONFERENCE, in steals (2.2 spg) and effective FG% (nearly 70%) at 6'8" and 222 lbs. Those are BOTH incredible stats that no one should ignore. Also, if you pair him up between Flagg and Maluach, 2 of the best defenders in the 2024 class--who averaged 2.4 and 3.1 bpg, respectively--both of whom have ALSO significantly improved their offensive games of late...and you have arguably one of the top 3 frontcourts in the country. 2) Even Flagg's mother said he would be best and most effective at the 3, not the 4, so those who think otherwise should think about that. He has a top-notch outside-in style, is still too thin to be banging around with guys who are likely to be 240-300 lbs inside (he's only 205 lbs so far, after adding 10 lbs since he came to Duke). His biggest strength is VERSATILITY, on both ends of the court, and at 6'9", he could easily be a far better version of someone like Mike Dunleavy or Year 2 Matthew Hurt, who can shoot 3s at 38%, but can hurt you from ANYWHERE on the court. Add some more weight to him, get him up to 230 at least, and he becomes the most dangerous weapon in Duke's arsenal...not that he already ISN'T that right now. 3) I think this year will be Proctor's breakout year, for 2 reasons. One, despite being a junior, because he upclassed, he's basically the age of a sophomore. And two, last year was a debacle in multiple ways...one of which was forcing 3 starters--including Proctor--to play positions or games they weren’t good at...all because we failed to secure a starting center replacement for Dereck Lively, despite repeated efforts (we approached or offered everyone from Kel'el Ware, to Kadin Shedrick, to Jesse Edwards, and several others...all in vain). Proctor was forced to become a primary scoring option, something he never was. He's a top-notch facilitator. Yes, he can score if need be, or get us some timely shots. But being forced to focus on scoring, to the exclusion of his primary strength, made it impossible for him to have the breakout year most of us expected to see from him last year. But THIS year, that's no longer a problem. We have 3 guys who can legitimately play center in Maluach, Ngongba and Brown. There are scorers and lob threats GALORE on this team. And with Proctor FINALLY able to return to what he does best...although it may take him a bit to readjust to playing like that again...I see him being one of, if not THE, best PGs in the ACC this year. 4) Although the 2nd unit may APPEAR to be somewhat undersized, with a 6'5" and three 6'6" guys in the lineup...it's really NOT. For one, 6'6", 225 Mason Gillis played the 4 extensively off the bench for the 2nd-best team in America last year, and was the Big 10's 6th Man of the Year. He also, not to put too fine a point on it, can shoot the HELL out of the 3-ball, averaging 46.8% for the season last year. Also, look at who was ON that squad, and how well ALL OF THEM shoot--Caleb Foster (40.6%), Isaiah Evans (43%), Kon Knueppel (40%), Mason Gillis (46.8%)...even NGONGBA shot 54% on limited shots (13-24) in his last full year of play as a junior. Imagine how much THAT squad can spread the floor. Also, for those not familiar with what OTHER teams have done...check out several of the Villanova squads under Jay Wright, specifically the 2016 team that won 'Nova's 2nd championship. That entire TEAM was undersized. In the championship game, they started 4 guys who were 6'3", 6'3", 6'5", and 6'6" around one 6'11" center...AND IT WORKED. Just like the 2nd squad we fielded, they were all great 3PT shooters, and spread the floor. In fact, it was 6'6", 240 lb Kris Jenkins, their undersized 4, who hit the buzzer-beating 3 that won the game. 'Nova regularly ran 4-guard offenses under Wright, and was one of the 2 or 3 best teams in the Big East using that strategy. And with a more traditional-style starting squad, we can easily throw off opposing teams by changing it up with a 4-guard offense. And when was the last time you remember Duke playing a squad with 4 guys who all shot above 40% from distance? EVER? 5) Despite several pundits attempting to predict the stat lines for these players, I think they're ALL wrong, and here's WHY: Last year was just the worst year all-around, despite our Elite 8 outcome. We lost 9 games, 2 each to Carolina and NC State, NONE OF WHICH we should have lost. After all, 7 of the 9 were decided by 5 pts or less. Also, we were widely expected to be the 2nd-best team in the country after Kansas, as we were Preseason #2. And why not? After all, we brought back our top 4 scorers, and 5 of the top 7...more scoring and offense than any Duke team had brought back in more than a decade. If we'd only been able to get a starting center...that team could have EASILY gone undefeated in the regular season and at LEAST made the Final 4, if not won it all. We had THAT much talent at our disposal. But one of the OTHER big mistakes made was, Jon couldn't trust the bench players beyond Foster to step in and do what needed to be done to win. We had not one but TWO Top 20 players in Sean Stewart and TJ Power who averaged less than 8.5 mpg each, and MULTIPLE players who rarely saw the court, or had any chance to get in a rhythm or develop as players. Honestly, I think THAT--more than anything--was behind the mass Transfer Portal exodus we experienced this spring. But THIS team seems to be 100% bought-in to Jon's vision for the team and what it can do, and all of them signed on to return, sign with Duke, or transfer in, after having one-on-ones with Scheyer as far as him telling them where he saw them on this team, and them accepting their individual roles on it. And we FINALLY have what looks like the perfect balance of talent, experience, 3PT shooting, rebounding, rim protection, and defense...at least on paper, and so far in scrimmages. And because of all of that, I expect Jon will do things considerably differently this year. I would expect NOT to see only 6 players getting the lion's share of the playing time while everyone else rides the bench. We legitimately have 11 players who SHOULD get a minimum of 8 mpg, including those 2 squads and Darren Harris, if for no other reason than we can literally BURY teams with 3s from nearly every player (9 out of 11 shoot at least 35%--47% from distance). On top of that, the team energy, togetherness, and the way they complement each other is unlike any Duke team I've seen since Scheyer was a player instead of a coach. The ceiling of this team is unlimited. Yes, Flagg is the centerpiece, and everything will flow through him, and is built to maximize his potential. However, he is FAR from alone on the court. He is SURROUNDED by some of the best players on both sides of the ball that have ever come to Duke, and even if EVERYBODY doesn't become the best player they can be...there are plenty enough other players who likely WILL. And despite those 2 lineups, there are at least a DOZEN potential lineups we can fiddle around with, depending on what we're facing. And 11 players are good enough to start for pretty much ANY team in the country. That makes us extremely talented, versatile and dangerous...three things that easily put us in the top tier of college basketball this coming season, not to mention one of the frontrunners to win it all.
i do remember them telling latner to sit down over in the corner 😂
way too early.
a transfer with dreams of the NBA transferring to Duke is dream suicide
Natty Daddy!
Kon time
Love it
Keep it coming. Love the insight into this new world. We need a national Championship next year bad.
Not going to get it it’s ours
Maybe in women’s soccer but bb is ours next year. Cooper Time
@@user-cp5uy6kl4r lol Cooper flagg ain’t going to do squat
Love DBR. Who started the site?
Love that call! I could use that as my alarm every morning and wake with a smile!
I know I'm a lot older than you are but back in the early sixties Art Heyman Landon at the Raleigh Durham airport he said whoever picks me up that's where I'm going to school at between Duke and Carolina so it's already happened just saying
Great show! Can’t wait for the season we might run the table heard it hear first
The JJ Redick stuff didn’t age well. Lakers are pursuing Hurley.
How can he say that minutes are not promised and you need to earn them? According to everyone he built this team to fit Flagg. He is pretty much promising Flagg starter minutes without even playing a college game. Yes from what we all hear he is maybe a generational player but don’t say players are not promised minutes when obviously they are. And again from what everything you guys are saying most of the freshmen need work! Man this really sucks if this year is a waste. Alabama, Kansas and UConn again have great players coming back. Plus UNC is looking really good. Putting all our apples in one basket again
UNC is currently pretty weak down low lol
I love that he’s not making promises, sure we may lose out on some good players but a good player without team chemistry can destroy a team.
I know Cooper is probably going to be the star player on this team but I think maluach might be the deciding factor on whether this team is a true contender. Sounds like his potential is limitless and I think now that he’s been on campus going to the Olympics will be the best thing for him to develop to play against great opposition. Also talking to guys like Plumlee and Williams must be so beneficial for him.
In your 50's you're probable; in your 60's you're day-to-day.
I also agree on the 1st take on Knueppel. He is BY FAR the most developed of the bottom 4 freshmen not named Flagg or Maluach. BTW, to the guy who thinks he's 6'5"...I thought the same thing. But his own mother got on X and directly said he is most definitely 6'6", NOT 6'5". Here's the minutes order I see the players getting. Not specific numbers, but in the order of most to least: 1) Proctor 2) Cooper Flagg 3) Khaman Maluach 4) Sion James 5) Maliq Brown 6) Caleb Foster 7) Mason Gillis 8) Kon Knueppel 9) Isaiah Evans 10) Patrick Ngongba 11) Darren Harris 12) Cameron Sheffield 13) Stanley Borden 14) Neal Begovich 15) Spencer Hubbard
I completely agree with the take that has Sion James as a starter. Here's my primary lineup breakdown, based on the completed roster: STARTERS: 1--Tyrese Proctor 2--Sion James 3--Cooper Flagg 4--Maliq Brown 5--Khaman Maluach 2ND UNIT: 1--Caleb Foster 2--Kon Knueppel 3--Isaiah Evans 4--Mason Gillis 5--Patrick Ngongba BACKUPS: Guards/Small Forwards: Darren Harris Cameron Sheffield Bigs: Stanley Borden Like you, I don't see both Sion James and Mason Gillis on the floor at the same time, because while Gillis is more of a shooter and James is more of a driver/slasher, their games are too similar to have them play together. But I DEFINITELY see Sion James as a regular starter for us next season, and Gillis in the same role he excelled at at Purdue--as the best 6th man on the floor.
Here's my take on Tyrese Proctor: Yes, he had a relatively bad sophomore year, that ended on a really bad note, with a scoreless game vs NC State in the Elite 8. However, there were MULTIPLE very important reasons for that...reasons which, thanks to the 2024-25 roster that Jon and his staff have put together, no longer exist. Here's what a lot of people missed: Due to Jon and his staff's inability to either bring back Dereck Lively for a 2nd year...OR to secure one of the half-dozen defensive centers we pursued in the Transfer Portal prior to last season (Kel'el Ware of Oregon, Kadin Shedrick of Virginia, Jesse Edwards of Syracuse, Ernest Udeh of Kansas, and even out-there possibilities like Hunter Dickinson of Michigan or Da'Ron Holmes of Dayton)...several starters were forced by necessity to fill roles that they were neither comfortable in, nor good at. First, Kyle Filipowski was forced to become our full-time starting center. Despite his weight gain over the summer, to allow him to bang with bigger players...his game was never that of a center. Like players such as Matthew Hurt (who was put in a similar position of needing significant weight added to be effective down low from freshman to sophomore year) and Paolo Banchero, despite his height and size, he was FAR more comfortable and productive as a PF, in conjunction with a top-notch starting center. Last year, Flip had Lively to play the center role. Before him, both Banchero and Hurt had Mark Williams. The former pairing, with a far more improved Mark Williams, went to the Final 4. His freshman year, Hurt had Vernon Carey. Zion Williamson had Marques Bolden. Marvin Bagley had Bolden AND Wendell Carter. Chase Jeter and Javin DeLaurier had Bolden and Harry Giles. You look at ANY Duke team of the past 2 DECADES, and you'll see a PF who COULD play center, but didn't HAVE TO, because they had 1 or 2 true centers already on the roster. THAT was the biggest thing Duke was missing last year. As a result of Flip being forced to play full-time center, Mark Mitchell was forced to fill in at his usual spot at PF. As a freshman, Mitchell was FAR more effective as a 3/4 combo who was allowed to play all 3 levels. He started that season shooting over 42% from 3, before settling out at 35% for the season. As a full-time 4, his 3PT shooting dropped through the floor. He started last year shooting in SINGLE DIGITS, and VERY slowly, brought it up into the teens and 20s, ending at 27.5%. So one of his greatest skills as a combo forward was nullified. And if you watched both of those players last year, it was VERY clear that the passion, energy and joy they clearly felt and exhibited as freshmen was GONE. Many Duke accts on X made multiple references to the complete drop-off of the sophomore class as a whole, as the main reason we didn't have the Preseason #2 level of success that we SHOULD have had last year, based on bringing back 80% of our scoring, as well as our top 4 scorers, neither of which had happened since at least the 2008-09 season. Duke last year was like that old tale that sums up as "For want of a nail, the kingdom is lost"...except in OUR case, the nail was a defensive center. And that systemic failure, which manifested in basically the entire starting 5 as players forced into roles they should never have been in, trickled down all the way to the PG position...and Tyrese Proctor. He was always best as a primary FACILITATOR...the guy who initiated the offense, distributed the ball, fed his teammates, and made everyone else look better. As a freshman, he had plenty of targets for that, and that performance led directly to the widespread expectations that he would have a POY-level breakout as a sophomore...a breakout which never happened. But that was NOT on him, if you examine what he was forced to do. He was NEVER comfortable as a primary offensive scoring option. As a freshman, he never HAD to be...but as a sophomore, with everyone else out of position and off their games, he was asked to step up and become what he wasn't: a scorer. And as should have been predictable by anyone who knew him...he wasn't good at that, and he took a significant step back from his 1st year. However, the series of blunders that led to the group underachievement that was last season looks to be corrected for next season. Yes, we made the Elite 8, but we should have won at LEAST 7 or 8 of the games we lost, if not ALL OF THEM, if we'd had the one missing piece that threw everything else out of whack...and we could have competed with UConn and Purdue with a starter-quality center on the roster, as well as playing our depth...the other huge mistake we made last season. But next year, we have 3-4 guys who can play the 5, 2 of whom are full-time centers, not a PF playing out of position like Flip last year. We also have the type of roster that BEGS to be let loose and played, so that we don't have half the roster riding the bench all year like Jon made the mistake of doing last season. THAT, more than who we brought in, was behind the majority of our 7 transfers. Maliq Brown may have been the reason for the departure of either Stewart or Power--or both--but the reason they made that decision SO EASILY in the 1st place was because they both averaged around 6-7 mpg all year, despite both being top 25 players coming out of high school. They were never developed, or allowed to become the starting-level contributors they COULD have been. But while I questioned the point behind having 8 players who are either 6'5" or 6'6" on the team--multiple times, I might add--I now think that serves a purpose, AND it gives us switchability and versatility at a level we haven't had in recent memory, at every position on the floor. With only a few exceptions, every player can play multiple positions on both offense AND defense. But more than that, it creates a situation where Jon HAS to play these guys...not only to avoid the mass exodus we experienced during the month of April, but also to maximize this particular team's potential in the long run. THIS year's team, even more than last year's, has the very real potential to go all the way. Rather than having each player fill a specific role...we have the type of personnel to throw a dozen different looks at every team we play. THAT ability gives us far more than simple versatility. It gives us the ability to confuse teams, throw them off their rhythm, disrupt their offense, and stymie them to a high degree. All of those give US a huge advantage. We may not always be the biggest, most talented or best team on the floor every single game. However, with the ability to discombobulate teams and disrupt them, we can MAKE THEM WORSE, and bring them to heel. And with Tyrese Proctor back doing what he's best at, that offense and defense has a true leader, and experienced floor general, that last year's team was unfortunately lacking. And with players like Caleb Foster, Sion James and others to both help him out on the floor, or play in his stead while he's off of it, Duke has what could be the best team in America next year.
Brown is difficult because he isn't a real big! He's a small ball big at 6'8 which just means he's a SF who can't shoot outside and is somehow a good rebounder despite not being very athletic to play above the rim!
I think his purpose will be to play solid D and he is a person that can gaurd 3 positions well.
I dont think there’s gonna be many games were coop gets 10 pts
Welcome to the Brotherhood Cam and Sion!
i call him baby zion.he is a mini version of zion.
Great pick up!
My issue with the transfer portal has been that we lose guys and then replace them with top 130 guys or fringe top 100 guys! It's not like we're getting top 20 transfers who actually move the needle in terms of preseason rankings and outlook. Gillis and Brown are good pieces, but they aren't exactly best available. So now in the age of transfers we're still leaning on Freshman. Duke probably has the NIL money to basically build an all star team and it feels like we're dropping the ball on that!
If guys who were in the portal were top 20 players, they wouldn't be in the portal. The transfer market is not comprised of top-tier NBA talent. For teams like Duke, it's all about role players and guys who fit the culture. In the last 40 years, when has Duke ever lacked star power or media hype? They have their stars already.
Unfortunately ncaa is not about player development as much as it was. It is about acquiring assets that can make your team better. Perhaps they weren’t really forced out but Jon knew he needed more players he could trust to eat up 20 plus minutes and didn’t feel some players were ready to do that yet or should do that anymore. Also add Jon knows he has a one year window with a special talent and needed to think more short vs Long term this year. Sort of like going all in like the rams did a few years ago or having a qb on a rookie contract.
I’m not torn over the roster turnover at all, and this is while fully conceding that Scheyer pushed guys out the door. After two seasons, Jon now knows the profile of the player he wants in his program - physical, tall players who can defend and shoot. Roach and Power are defensive liabilities. Mitchell is an offensive liability. Admittedly, I wish Sean Stewart had stayed but he’s still an unproven player with a high ceiling and a low floor. Maliq Brown is a solid, known commodity with a high floor. And this team desperately needs his experience and physicality. Ditto for Mason Gillis and Sion James. This team is VERY GOOD because Scheyer had the courage to go get the squad he wanted.
For Duke Football.
It’s super awesome. Have you seen the Hell Raiser with the infinity tunnel
Do you guys write for the site also? Thank you.
You know I've been to Cameron maybe 10 times in my life and I'll be honest with you every time I go in there it is like the first time there's no other place like it no other place everybody whether you're a Duke fan or not should go there before they die what are an extraordinary place
Uh oh we in business!!!!!!
LGD!!!
Welcome to Duke!
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Jon messed up with Stewart. He did seem lost a lot this year on the floor but he was a freshman, they're going to make mistakes. He should have been getting way more minutes than he got. Hate to see him leave, but I understand how Maliq is a better fit for this team.
It’s always rough after the season is over but this pod helps keep me connected!
Great content guys! Thank you
This is a great pick up for Jon, I expect to see a few more before long. I also was saddened that Sean Stewart entered the portal, he is the only one of the 7 transferring out who would have played significant minutes. Go Duke!!!
Yep, Duke is being introduced to the Real World. And know this: Scheyer has all but pushed these guys out. He’s recruiting these guys’ position with experienced players who can both defend and shoot.