Or winning the Pete Newell award as the best big in the country and being a top contender for NPOY.
Losing nearly everyone...
- Thread starter TheDude1
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Or winning the Pete Newell award as the best big in the country and being a top contender for NPOY.
If Kennard and or Allen come back that will not happen. Any big we have will be out there to set screens. I would trust that Jefferson's post game was much more polished than Bamba's will be as a freshman and we used Jefferson very little in the post.
Starters: Duval,Jackson,Knox,Bamba,Bolden.
Bench: Allen, Carter, Trent, Delaurier, Vrank, White, O'connell.
Some say its a dream, others say it's actually close to happening.
Bench: Allen, Carter, Trent, Delaurier, Vrank, White, O'connell.
Some say its a dream, others say it's actually close to happening.
Username checks out.
Well Mason was the national big man of the year, so I would say if you have the right skill set and mindset you can flourish here as a big. But it isn't for everyone. You have to have the right type of ability and confidence as a big to play at Duke. And if you don't well, you know where you'll be. Right or wrong that's the reality.
And name me a big man on any basketball team in the world that isn't used for setting picks every game.
Allen coming off the bench is laughable
That is such a dumb argument that you sound like a UNC fan. Duke uses their bigs to the extent they are capable. If you have a post game and can score, you will get the ball: Okafor - 17.3 ppg, Mason P. - 17.1 ppg, Shelden W. - 18.8 ppg, Boozer - 18.2 ppg, Brand - 17 ppg, etc. And that doesn't cover it all - there have been multiple other post guys who have been double figure scorers, including Jefferson this year, and several of the aforementioned guys had multiple seasons in double figures. Coach tends to play to his team's strengths, and if they have a post producer, they will get their chance.
Allen and Carter on the bench smfh
I would only submit I wish Mason's talents and ability to score around the hoop had been utilized EARLIER in his Duke career. Loved Austin, but MP2 seldom got the ball back on those picks he rolled on...
Memory serves his dad insisted Mase be more of a focal point on offense his sr yr or he would go pro. We utilized MP2 to the max, and as you noted he was quite successful!
OFC
I don't think it's fair to put bad defense on just the guards. Duke's defense is set up to deny passing lanes, and rotate over with help. Our young guys are slow to rotate over and offer the help needed. The lane is open but closes too slow, it relies on all 5 to move.
Should not use facts to counteract the myth that Duke does not use big men well.Would like to add that coming here means you will probably beat your hated rival 75% of the time and play professional ball and make more money than than big man UNC players
Agreed as I know our bigs are supposed to rotate over generally in that scenario. Coach rightly puts great emphasis on "Help side d."
OFC
Think it was Mason's High School Coach that came out and said Duke wasn't using MP2 right and he should get more touches.
It was Mason's old high school coach, I believe...not his dad. No big deal, but I don't want anyone thinking less of Mason's old man. That whole family was pure class the eight years they had sons enrolled at Duke.
Dude1 , could we be Duke again with this lineup?
1 slot , looking good. 2 slot locked. 3 slot looking good. 4 slot locked. 5 slot, becoming interesting.
Would be nice but this year taught me to never make predictions or get my hopes up until I actually see them put on a Duke uni.
Dude1 , could we be Duke again with this lineup?
I suppose? If all those guys came here, that would be great... Although I think it would be unlikely. Then it depends who comes back... If we are truly depending on almost entirely freshmen... Well, not many all freshman teams win titles? As of right now you are pointing out five freshmen, only two of whom we actually have on board.
Heheh. Jesus man. It's got to suck living inside your head. I know we don't have them all. I also know the end of Duke basketball hasn't arrived. Are you EVER upbeat? Even a little? This board has become glum caverns. I'm excited to see what next season brings. You guys sound like you're about to be audited by the IRS.
Haha! Don't get me wrong, I'm always excited to watch Duke basketball! I will just temper my expectations a little from now on and not get sucked into all the preseason hype.
LetsgoDukies, don't lose your fire brother. Ya gotta have fun every step of the way. Whats next, we don't even enjoy the season anymore? Hell, we'll just wait for next years NCAA Tourney to turn the tv on, if we don't win it all we'll turn it off and wait again. Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrghhhhhhhhhh!
Coach K came to a game in Columbia in Mason's senior year and told him he needed to get his butt down on the block, so his HS coach lacks a little credibility when he discusses how he was used at Duke.
Duval. We really need Duval. For the sake of Jackson and Trent (and my molars), we really need Duval.
Love it when you post these kind of things show! Hope you are right on with this! But I know recruiting can change daily
Seriously. Mason's next contract could be in the $100M range. Miles' current contract is worth $50M. In a related story, Hansbrough recently applied for food stamps.
To be fair 1) Rivers didn't pass to much of anyone 2) MP2s post game wasn't seriously developed until he improved it end of Jr year and going into Sr year. By Sr year he had a little baseline bank shot and a running midlane hook that he never shot before that season with any regularity.
Good point about Rivers lack of distribution. Loved the kid, and THE SHOT, but wish coaches had worked more on him to pass. Perhaps Mason's game would have developed sooner under such circumstances, we'll never know...
OFC
That 2015 team was a fluke. All three of those freshman bought in, had an extremely close relationship, and had been playing together before college. Plus Quinn Cook. I don't see another Duke team dominated by freshman winning another national championship. With that said Duval is a must to compete next year and hopefully 3-4 year point guard the year after that.
I don't think 2015 was a fluke, thats just a little too harsh sounding. It was what it was: a happily ending story of a great season that most fans didn't expect. I think 2015 spoiled us and caused us to have expectations that are hard as hell to achieve. What we haven't had since then is a Tyus Jones and to me at least more importantly a Quinn Cook. Jones and Cook being on the same team won us a championship. They both had ice water in their veins and Jones had stone balls.
Duke will be alright folks for sure
It will be great if it plays some defense.
I feel pretty good we'll beat UNC twice again next year.
Go Duke!
It will be great if it plays some defense.
I feel pretty good we'll beat UNC twice again next year.
Go Duke!
Read the interview on 247 from Bamba. Kid says a lot of nice things about Duke but the kind of things that make it sound like Duke is a major contender.
Duval & Knox, Duke has to land. If so, that group will be very talented. My only question would be leadership.
Has there been any tidbits about grad transfers?
Duval & Knox, Duke has to land. If so, that group will be very talented. My only question would be leadership.
Has there been any tidbits about grad transfers?
Me? Hah! No, living in my head is fine
. I am still new here, and for the most part this has been a really tough season in many ways, so I'm sorry if you've gotten the wrong overall impression of my however-many-years-of-Duke-fandom based on my sometimes negative reaction to this year... I am not a constantly-negative nelly The thing is, I *am* a bit of a glass half empty person, but I am also fairly practical, and this year has been a bit of a test of both of those things. Listen... This year was really rough. The Grayson thing was just *such* a downer... Months were dominated by the entire sports world hating one of our guys, and frankly I was even thrown by his actions in a way I don't think I've ever been shaken by one of our boys... Then the team struggled terribly in a bunch of ways (including seemingly in terms of chemistry, which we as Duke fans almost never see and which can be a huge downer), our expectations were sky high, for a legendary season, and were basically crushed as we took a ton of losses and then went down in the second round JUST as we hit our highest point and it seemed like maybe the preseason potential was getting reached... K went down... UNC is in the final four again with a class full of upperclassmen and no punishment in sight.... And now we are possibly about to see nearly the entire team go with only two impact freshmen on board who will only be at Duke a single season, after a season where some of the highest ranking recruits in one of the strongest classes in years had a tough year. While I wish it wasn't so, a picture of a bunch of recruits who haven't signed, and who might (even if they do sign) end up not living up to the hype of "they can make us a national title contender" around them isn't necessarily going to make me say much more than "Eh, three of those five aren't signed and even if they do, teams of entirely freshmen don't win a lot of titles."
But I am sorry, my short amount of time on here has been a rough time, relatively speaking, and I haven't been very happy with this year
And no, it certainly isn't the end of Duke... I was tent number one when Coach Gaudet took over, and ran to Cameron from the ER and cheered like a mad man even when we lost to UNC, and we are still here. That said... We *might* be seeing the end of what we traditionally think of when we think of the Duke teams we've loved... Teams with guys who we watch grow for years and we get to know, guys like Jon or Nolan or Kyle or Wojo or Grant or JJ or Shel or JayWill or Shane... And teams like that led by K. To be honest, K doesn't have that many years left, and likely (with so many guys leaving now and top talent not staying) won't have the chance to have another of those teams again. So, in a strange way, it sort of IS the end of a certain something, a something that has been the heart of my being a Duke fan since I first started watching Duke.
I know you might just see this as entirely negative. Sure, it is a *bit* negative
. But I think it is also realistic, and being realistic for me trumps everythingThat said... I am sorry if in the short time here I've seemed rather too negative. Bring on Mo and Duval and K.Knox, let's go into a season enjoying looking forward to watching the learning process and the boys grow, and hoping we have a lot of great games!
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