I feel certain Duke can chase this kid to Kalamazoo but he will not be wearing this shade of blue next year. I honestly believe with what happened this year that kids will think twice before coming to Durham. These kids have eyes and a ton of people feeling their ears up with garbage. Especially negative things when it comes to Duke. Bamba will not come here after watching what happened with Bolden. Granted Bolden may have done it to himself by not giving it all per say but kids may not get the whole story.
Bolden staying for second year
- Thread starter vcugreg
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I think Bolden would rather sit out an entire year than come back to Duke....that says a lot to me..
I don't know what's going on at Duke..but it has a bad vibe and doesn't look good..Yeah we had one good year with the OAD..but it's been a colossal failure otherwise...
If this was Kentucky we all would be laughing at them...UNC is a prayer shot away from a chance at back to back NC...
Duke meanwhile can't get out of the first weekend of the tournament...and the roster is a dumpster fire, littered with talent that can't get off the bench...
The country is laughing at Duke right now and they should be....
I don't know what's going on at Duke..but it has a bad vibe and doesn't look good..Yeah we had one good year with the OAD..but it's been a colossal failure otherwise...
If this was Kentucky we all would be laughing at them...UNC is a prayer shot away from a chance at back to back NC...
Duke meanwhile can't get out of the first weekend of the tournament...and the roster is a dumpster fire, littered with talent that can't get off the bench...
The country is laughing at Duke right now and they should be....
I agree. Bolden definitely seemed lazy and disinterested on the court, but we don't know the reason for his demeanor.
I think there is a lot of truth in this post. The fact that Bolden would rather sit out a year speaks a lot about how he feels about Duke. I think K has roster construction issues and that has been going on for awhile. It feels like the sales pitch is off or it isn't resonating. There feels to be a lack of trust between the staff and the players who aren't no brainer top 5 picks. Bolden, Semi, Chase should trust that patience will pay off with the Duke system but that isn't happening. UNC is riding the backs of multiple McDonald's AA's who have stayed late in their careers and continued to get better. That isn't happening at Duke, especially in the front court.
Whatever decision he makes, I hope it is the right one for him. I am happy to have him as part of the family right now, and if moving on is in his best interests, then best of luck to him. Go get it young man.
Lots of kids had tough freshman years only to come back and play well as sophomores, even without dealing with injuries their freshman years. I hope Marques comes back, works hard, and shows everyone why he was so highly ranked coming out of HS.
But if he transfers, I wish him well. That can't be an easy decision for a 19-year old to make.
But if he transfers, I wish him well. That can't be an easy decision for a 19-year old to make.
Well I am shocked we won't have Jeter or Bolden next year. Absolutely floored. It has to go beyond playing time because the minutes would absolutely be there for those guys next year. Probably means we are going small next year with Carter at the 5---i.e., my worst nightmare.
Only one team (two after tonight) has won a title since Duke won.
They also have 2 titles in 7 years.
If that's laughable I hope the next 7 years go the same.
Duke will be just fine.
If I'm 6'7 210 lb sf/wf then yes, go to Duke. But if I'm 6'11 260lb, post player and ranked in the top 15, after this why would I come. If I want to be the first option and not shoot 3pt shots, Duke may not be a good fit.
Jahlil Okafor did pretty well for himself at Duke
Whenever you have two and a possible bigs transferring that's a major problem. He need to hire a big man coach to be real. People quick to holler Okafor but he was just a DAWG before he came in. Everyone knew he would be a man. Just like the other bigs to come through Duke that were good. They were already good. Coach K is into the stupid small ball with wing players trying to play down low. It's not working. Justise was just different. He was draymond. These other 3s are built like him physically or mentally. I just hope we get Duval and Coach K isn't 3 ball crazy next year. I don't blame Bolden at all. Worst coaching job of Coach K career
yea but this time now, Duke really needs a center. Yes we have Vrank, but you would almost think that Bamba would realize he can come in and start because the 5 is really thin. Now he might want to play the 4, which he can come in and start at that position as well and then move Carter to the 5.
Remember back during the Bolden recruitment, his parents wanted Duke but he always seemed to want some place else.
He came to Duke bc of:
- to play with Harry & Jayson
- to become a one and done
- to be an impact
- to win a national title
He got to play with both Tatum & Giles but nothing else panned out. You could see it in his body language that he was disconnected from the team.
Why would he come back and even moreso, if he's not part of the "fist", why would the staff want him back.
He came to Duke bc of:
- to play with Harry & Jayson
- to become a one and done
- to be an impact
- to win a national title
He got to play with both Tatum & Giles but nothing else panned out. You could see it in his body language that he was disconnected from the team.
Why would he come back and even moreso, if he's not part of the "fist", why would the staff want him back.
This is the dumbest thing I've heard in quite some time. K literally was out for almost 25% of the season... Worst coaching job??? He got this team to put together what is arguably the toughest 3 back-to-back games ever won to win an ACC crown... Not to mention that each team they beat in that stretch had an extra night's rest on them. Such a terrible job coaching...
The reason they come here is because we have become a OAD factory...we can move them onto the league and give them the most exposure (Branding) than probably any team in the country...
They will also receive a ton of minutes..because we don't use any kind of bench...they are pretty much guaranteed 30+ minutes every game..
They would like to win...but moving to the NBA is what really drives them...
You take UNC this year just as one example...what do you think is driving them? That loss last year hurt...it hurt real bad..the way they lost makes it worse..they may lose tonight..but I expect that to be the motivating factor to them winning tonight....they don't want to lose again...it would be the worse kind of Sting they could receive and nobody wants to walk out that way again....they are motivated by the NBA yes certainly...but they are much more motivated to win...IMO
Do you think our OAD feel the same way exiting the first weekend? How about next year? Will those OAD really care or understand what that was like? Does it matter that the players left feel it because they won't play much anyways?
All this turnover isn't good..we are inconsistent year to year...Our defense is a sieve every year...guys unhappy getting little to no PT...and constant turnover in our team chemistry...
I often wonder about someone like Kennard...I understand his NBA value right now...but could it also be he doesn't know or care about the guys coming in? The people he's tied to are all leaving...he has to begin again with an entire different cast around him...third time in three years...does he want to do that? He has no bond which the incoming group..what if they are like this group? What if they don't want to win like he does...what if it's about them instead of the team? Can you blame him for possibly thinking that?
I think OAD are good...I believe we need one or two at most....I think you have to build a program and the OAD have to buy into that program...
I don't think we are doing that now...I think we are trying to fit the program to the OAD (To many of them) now..
It's not trying to make five guys a fist anymore...our Fingers are always different....
They will also receive a ton of minutes..because we don't use any kind of bench...they are pretty much guaranteed 30+ minutes every game..
They would like to win...but moving to the NBA is what really drives them...
You take UNC this year just as one example...what do you think is driving them? That loss last year hurt...it hurt real bad..the way they lost makes it worse..they may lose tonight..but I expect that to be the motivating factor to them winning tonight....they don't want to lose again...it would be the worse kind of Sting they could receive and nobody wants to walk out that way again....they are motivated by the NBA yes certainly...but they are much more motivated to win...IMO
Do you think our OAD feel the same way exiting the first weekend? How about next year? Will those OAD really care or understand what that was like? Does it matter that the players left feel it because they won't play much anyways?
All this turnover isn't good..we are inconsistent year to year...Our defense is a sieve every year...guys unhappy getting little to no PT...and constant turnover in our team chemistry...
I often wonder about someone like Kennard...I understand his NBA value right now...but could it also be he doesn't know or care about the guys coming in? The people he's tied to are all leaving...he has to begin again with an entire different cast around him...third time in three years...does he want to do that? He has no bond which the incoming group..what if they are like this group? What if they don't want to win like he does...what if it's about them instead of the team? Can you blame him for possibly thinking that?
I think OAD are good...I believe we need one or two at most....I think you have to build a program and the OAD have to buy into that program...
I don't think we are doing that now...I think we are trying to fit the program to the OAD (To many of them) now..
It's not trying to make five guys a fist anymore...our Fingers are always different....
Four games not three. Four.
This season is a mixture of everything and imo no one isn't out of the cross hairs of blame but. It is what it is.
Did Pitt really have six transfers? Never mind it was three.
I know it was 4 games total, but I was saying that it was arguably the toughest 3 back-to-back games ever won. Clemson was absolutely part of that streak, but the impressive part was the last 3/4 of the games in the streak. Bilas was correct when he said an argument could be made that it was harder to do that than win the NCAA tourney.
Oh I agree that's why people question what happened in the tourney.
Duke still has Javin and Big V to back up Carter just hope they see some time
This is very interesting - and i think very apt to the teams we are seeing in recent seasons. The bond with the incoming freshman seems to be within their group as they have come to Duke as a package vs across the roster. Its an interesting theory.
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Ultimately, while it is alarming that so many kids are transferring from Duke, I don't want someone on the team that does not want to be there. This instant gratification culture is just a sign of the times.
If he plays
If he plays like he did this year at Duke were ever he transfers to he will sit out another year. He's gotta show some spunk no matter where he goes. OFC
You said a lot but I tend to agree with what you're saying. It's understandable to want the best talent that you can get, but that may result in large turnover each year. Personally I like blending a few one and dones with returning players. Both sides have good points but that's just my take
Unless I'm mistaken, we've had more than one OAD exactly twice in Duke's history. 2015, when we won a national championship. And 2017 when we won the ACC tournament championship, becoming the first team to ever win four games to win the ACC tourney.
As much as I dislike the OAD world for personal reasons (much prefer watching the kids develop at Duke for 3-4 years), I think Duke is doing just fine at figuring out how to live in the OAD world.
When the Bolden transfer goes through I think the Bamba chances do go up. I still think he goes elsewhere, but the window would be open.
It's a bit ironic that in all their off-court problems, UNC missed out on a large number of their recruiting "targets" and it turned into a good thing for them. Just think, they've been recruiting the same guys as Duke, UK, Kansas and Arizona....those guys just all spurned them. What's happened because of that is their roster is full of good players who are primarily juniors and seniors and not viewed as NBA prospects when they're young, college players. So, yes, while UNC is clearly showing you can win without the one-and-done model, it's also not something they clamored to do.
Also, Duke was exactly the kind of team this past season that I can appreciate. It just didn't work out. We had three upperclassmen who were vital cogs on a national championship team two seasons ago and a sophomore who had a breakout season. Sprinkled in there was one outstanding freshman, a freshman who at one point was outstanding but has battled injuries, and two additional freshmen who many thought could be multi-year players. The roster setup this season was good, IMO, but I admit next year isn't shaping up the same.
Right now is a tough time to be a Duke fan. And everyone shares in the blame....be it the staff or the players.
Also, Duke was exactly the kind of team this past season that I can appreciate. It just didn't work out. We had three upperclassmen who were vital cogs on a national championship team two seasons ago and a sophomore who had a breakout season. Sprinkled in there was one outstanding freshman, a freshman who at one point was outstanding but has battled injuries, and two additional freshmen who many thought could be multi-year players. The roster setup this season was good, IMO, but I admit next year isn't shaping up the same.
Right now is a tough time to be a Duke fan. And everyone shares in the blame....be it the staff or the players.
I am in complete agreement, and I posted as much in another thread. The stars aligned for them to an extent, and it does not prove that their model works any better than any other model. They were just incredibly fortuitous, and they took advantage of it.
So? I think that's good. You will have more success recruiting players who want to be part of something bigger than themselves, than those looking to be the "first option."
This is why I asked why doesn't Coach K bring in a good big man coach for his bigs. It's obvious there is a problem. Chase was in the program for 2 years with little progress in skill level. Being a great player comes with experience and heart. But you can teach kids to box out, rebound, post up, and catch post passes. But the majority of Duke bigs seem severely under developed. Comparing Boozer, Brand(who was a stud from day one, that had nothing to do with Coach K), Ferry, and Laetner to Plumlees is crazy. Only one Plumlee saw real PT before there Junior years, and he wasn't even close to level of those players at any level of development. Besides the staffs have been vastly different during those times. From 1987 -1997 he had one or either Tommy Amaker or Mark Brey. During that time period Duke went to Final 4 at least 6 times. Since 1998 Duke has been to the Final 4 only 5 times. The staff has to get better, bc the recruiting has been great.
It's a challenge right now, for sure. Lots of legit points above. Ideally, we'd recruit some 3-4 year types and 1-2 one and done, top 5 types, each year and would then have a good mix. I think Frank Jackson is that 3 year type; so are Kennard and Grayson. If there wasn't so much upheaval this year I think all three could have been back or at least two. We still might have two come back. Or three. That gives us some vets.
The second issue is more the make-up of the actual team. After Jones left, we have not had a PG. If we don't get Duval, we won't have one for 3 straight years. This goes to the challenge of recruiting and recruiting a better make-up if possible. If K recruits a 3-4 year PF, but then, recruits over-top of him with a OAD PF, and does so 2 years in a row, then that's a mistake and it's basically a waste to recruit the 3-4 year (see Jeter).
But, then again, if you are recruiting a 30th or 50th rank player, he needs to develop. Jeter had some injuries but he just did not develop. To be honest, many of the recruits that stay at Duke do not develop a great deal from their freshman year. A few do but not enough.
Another problem may simply be that kids who go to Duke expect to become great players and be drafted in the NBA (unless they are a fan early on and want to go there regardless - like a Grayson, even though he has NBA potential).
The second issue is more the make-up of the actual team. After Jones left, we have not had a PG. If we don't get Duval, we won't have one for 3 straight years. This goes to the challenge of recruiting and recruiting a better make-up if possible. If K recruits a 3-4 year PF, but then, recruits over-top of him with a OAD PF, and does so 2 years in a row, then that's a mistake and it's basically a waste to recruit the 3-4 year (see Jeter).
But, then again, if you are recruiting a 30th or 50th rank player, he needs to develop. Jeter had some injuries but he just did not develop. To be honest, many of the recruits that stay at Duke do not develop a great deal from their freshman year. A few do but not enough.
Another problem may simply be that kids who go to Duke expect to become great players and be drafted in the NBA (unless they are a fan early on and want to go there regardless - like a Grayson, even though he has NBA potential).