The College Basketball Post

[worldbeefreeg]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

So, Staring lineup

Miles
Lance
Kyle
Gerald
Nolan

I dunno though....

Yea, this'll be the starting lineup and at first I was a bit hesitant because I don't like having 2 defensive liabilities coming in and giving Gerald and Nolan a breather. I still say we have at least one defensive stopper (Nolan) coming off the bench so that we don't lose too much when that 2nd unit, if you wanna call it that, comes in. I mean, having Paulus and Scheyer in at the same time is gonna have Rice, Greivis, Lawson, that Wake backcourt, etc licking their chops. I have yet to see what Eliot brings on the defensive side of the ball so he could be that perimeter defender we need.

Then again, if everybody believes in the team D Coach K enforces then we should be straight I guess. I'm crossing my fingers that Pocious will finally live up to his potential and brings energy on both sides of the ball. That 2nd squad of Zoubek, Olek/McClure, Scheyer/Pocious, Paulus/Williams, coupled with our starting 5 could make us the fastest squad in the country, if K just has them run while they're in. Only one slowin' us up is Zoubek and I doubt he gets more than 15 a game, meaning our big men will consist of Plumlee, Olek, McClure, and Lance and you're not going to find a faster and more athletic collection of big men in the country.

The only thing is, K usually only goes 7-8 deep but hopefully he loosens up a bit and balances the squad like he did the olympic squad.


I almost feel bad for Paulus. What type of role do you see him in this year?

 

[haiti5]

greg will be fine..he knows he isnt gonna be an NBA player. He will still get good minutes logged in. Scheyer and Paulus off the bench should be scary...iveheard that Scheyer has improved his game this summer, and we all know when paulus gets it going its a wrap.

 

[juicy j 32]

Malta the fastest team in the country?

 

[worldbeefreeg]

Originally Posted by haiti5

and we all know when paulus gets it going its a wrap.

Ok let's not push it buddy.

 

[worldbeefreeg]

Originally Posted by haiti5

and we all know when paulus gets it going its a wrap.

Let's not push it buddy.

 

[ricardo malta]

I almost feel bad for Paulus. What type of role do you see him in this year?
Instant offense. He's Taylor King but under control and more experience. Plus he actually knows how to run our offense and loves to push it.

Ok let's not push it buddy.
Nah, when he gets goin, he gets goin'. Ask UNC about him last year at their place

That boi had ice water runnin' through his veins, word to Bobby Drake.

Malta the fastest team in the country?
Wrong word. Not necessarily fastest but we have the runners and athletes at their respective positions to run all day. At every position sanscenter we have 2 athletes that likes to get up and down the court. Dre, tell 'em bout Olek. Miles is said to get up down the court faster than some ofour guards according to Gerald. We know Gerald, Paulus, and especially Nolan wanna run. Lance runs the court like a guard as well and Elliot pushes the rocktoo.

If we're not killin' you with fastbreak points then its our perimeter play that'll get you. Like Dre' said though, we're a decent big manaway from being a National Championship contender. If our outside shot ain't fallin' then our halfcourt game goes to $+!*. This is why I wanna see usrun a ton off missed/made baskets and press for 90 feet on defense. We got the depth to play that way so hopefully K does so.

 

[ThaxbyChamblis]

The only thing is, K usually only goes 7-8 deep but hopefully he loosens up a bit and balances the squad like he did the olympic squad.

I was thinking about that too. Cause, we could literally have a 9 man rotation....Honestly, K has no choice but to go to a 9 man rotation...

I almost feel bad for Paulus. What type of role do you see him in this year?
The same role that Jon Scheyer played last year. Greg will still get his minutes...But like Haiti said, He knows he isn't going to the L. Hewants to be a coach He's a team guy...He will do what's best for the team. We will still need him alot this year...

Scheyer and Paulus off the bench should be scary...ive heard that Scheyer has improved his game this summer,

My dude.

I have yet to see what Eliot brings on the defensive side of the ball so he could be that perimeter defender we need.
Athletically, the kid is there, aside from a year in the S & C program. But you know how it is...If he doesn't play D, he won't getany burn. So I think its safe to say, he'll be a good defender. Can't say that he'll be a 'Stopper'. But he should be an above averagedefender.

Dre, tell 'em bout Olek

If only he was 6'8

 

[dr fonclbrics]

Man I hope Abdul chooses UCLA. I can understand why he wouldn't want to considering our depth of guards. But, I am very surprised that its between us andWashington. Does anybody know what his reasoning behind Washington is?

 

[dr fonclbrics]

Man I hope Abdul chooses UCLA. I can understand why he wouldn't want to considering our depth of guards. But, I am very surprised that its between us andWashington. Does anybody know what his reasoning behind Washington is?

 

[ricardo malta]

Does anybody know what his reasoning behind Washington is?
He's from the state of Washington I believe (Bellarmine Prep)

 

[philballa09]

Flames report: Getting inside

As the son of former NBA and Virginia Tech standout Dell Curry, Seth Curry already had plenty to live up to.

Then brother Stephen Curry nearly single-handedly lifted Davidson into the Final Four last season. The pressure to perform immediately became that muchstronger for Seth Curry, a freshman at Liberty who headlines a top-50 recruiting class.

"It wasn't really an issue until March, when Seth really blew up," Liberty coach Ritchie McKay said. "Stephen was a respected playerregionally. But people had no idea what he was capable of nationally. He put on a three-week commercial."

So the questions began. Was Seth as good as his brother? Would he start right away at Liberty? Would he be the conference's top freshman?

The younger Curry has handled all of the questions with aplomb, McKay said.

"He's not like, 'It's all about me,' or, 'I'm going to prove I'm better than my brother,'" McKay said. "Noneof that. He's excited about Liberty. He's excited about his chance to play right away."

Curry isn't the only freshman expected to make an immediate impact for the Flames, who won a conference tournament game last year for the first timesince 2004. A top-50 recruiting class is nearly unheard of in low-major basketball, and Curry isn't the only young talent gracing the Flames'roster.

Brolin Floyd, a 6-foot-6, 212-pound wing, averaged 24.0 points per game last season for Shores Christian Academy in Ocala, Fla. Carter McMasters, a forwardfrom Chattanooga, Tenn., spurned ACC offers to come to Liberty. Jesse Sanders is the younger brother of former Gardner-Webb third-team All-American ThomasSanders.

Add to that mix the return of wing Anthony Smith, who was voted the preseason player of the year in the Big South, and the Flames have the talent to make arun at the title in the rebuilding Big South. It's just a matter of how quickly the new talent melds together.

 

[juicy j 32]

I've heard about Olek and his summer league games.

But either way I would love to see a uptempo high possession game between UNC and Duke this year.

From what I have read Tyler Zeller has been running the court really well so far in practice, especially for a 7 footer.

 

[ricardo malta]

From what I have read Tyler Zeller has been running the court really well so far in practice, especially for a 7 footer.

Yea I heard that as well. If he can get up and down the court like Brandon Wright did then that 2nd unit is gonna be dangerous.

I'm really looking forward for the UNC/Duke matchups. It's basically going to come down to who can last all 4 rounds cause the games are gonna befast paced.

 

[ricardo malta]

From what I have read Tyler Zeller has been running the court really well so far in practice, especially for a 7 footer.

Yea I heard that as well. If he can get up and down the court like Brandon Wright did then that 2nd unit is gonna be dangerous.

I'm really looking forward for the UNC/Duke matchups. It's basically going to come down to who can last all 4 rounds cause the games are gonna befast paced.

 

[dacomeup]

Seth Davis Duke Article

Checking in with ... Duke
Seth Davis
Story Highlights
-Sophomore Nolan Smith should take over for Greg Paulus as starting point guard
-Freshman center Miles Plumlee provides Duke with a missing dimension
-If Gerald Henderson steps up, Duke could make it to the Final Four

DURHAM, N.C. -- Now this is what I call an open Mike: As Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski conducts the Blue Devils' fourth practice of the season, his nasally, Chicago-accented voice is being piped through the sound system at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Krzyzewski is wearing a microphone for the benefit of the 200 or so spectators who are assembled in the upper deck as part of a leadership conference being conducted by Duke's Fuqua School of Business, where Krzyzewski is a member of the faculty.
Coach K has mostly praise for his players, but towards the end of the two-and-a-half-hour workout, he loses his patience. The Blue Devils are scrimmaging five-on-five, with the starters wearing white jerseys and the backups wearing blue, and the blue team starts to get the better of the first-stringers. Finally, after 6-foot-10 freshman center Miles Plumlee throws a careless pass out of bounds, Coach K lets 'em have it, microphone be damned. "White shirts, you look like f------ losers right now," he barks. "There's no f------ energy. And you're getting your ###%# beat."
Nothing a little direct (K)ommunication to make you feel glad that college hoops season has arrived.
Krzyzewski may be 61 years old and beginning his 29th season at Duke, but don't think for a moment he has a lost his edge. Fresh off his gold medal triumph with the U.S. Olympic team, Coach K is by all accounts refreshed and revived, not to mention a little relieved that the huge time commitment of USA Basketball is behind him. "I thought about it every day for three years," he told me as we sat together on the sideline after practice ended. "It didn't negatively impact me, it helped me. But now that's off my plate."
Krzyzewski's experience with Kobe, LeBron et al. will forever be a frame of reference for him. As we talked about his Duke program, he constantly peppered his remarks with analogies to the Olympic team. First and foremost is his analysis that last year's squad, which went 28-6 but barely survived 15th-seeded Belmont in the first round of the NCAA tournament before bowing out to West Virginia in the second round, sputtered partly because it was trying to live up to the school's legacy.
"When you don't have older players, you can get caught up with playing for what Duke has done. You have a different opponent than the team you're playing against," he said. "We could have had that with the U.S. team. If we lose, as the coach of that team, it's not going to be a happy lifetime, because people are people and they're going to jam that down your throat. Same thing as a player. Does LeBron get called LeBronze? I can give you a list of things that were our opponents. Spain had none. We were Spain's only opponent."
The main reason Krzyzewski is optimistic about his current team is that for the first time in three years, he is coaching older players. Two years ago, the Blue Devils had zero seniors and just one junior. Last year, they had one senior (guard DeMarcus Nelson) and had to rely on a freshman, 6-9 forward Kyle Singler, to be its lone inside threat. (Singler got so worn down that he gained 20 pounds of muscle in the offseason.) As a result, players had to be forced the last two years into certain positions not based on merit but on need.
This year, Coach K can finally build his team the way he usually likes to, around three dominant players: Singler, 6-4 junior guard Gerald Henderson and 6-5 junior guard Jon Scheyer. Just like he did with Kobe, LeBron and Dwyane Wade. "Now," he says, "we have guys who are worthy of being complemented."
Krzyzewski also admitted that even when his team was 22-1 last season, they were "kind of jabbing and dancing around the ring." When they got to the NCAAs, they showed they couldn't take a punch. That's what happens when you have no depth inside, but for those of you who are skeptical that the Blue Devils can avoid the same fate this season, let me assure you this group is far better equipped to handle the mental and physical rigors of the postseason. Before I get to my official breakdown, I'll pass along three overriding impressions from my visit to practice last Tuesday:
1. Nolan Smith is this team's starting point guard. Period. I speculated in my Twenty Questions column that Smith, a 6-2 sophomore, might overtake 6-1 senior Greg Paulus at some point during the season. Turns out that point was the first practice.
Smith had a listless workout when I was there, but that's only because he was trying to shake off a stomach virus that had him vomiting for two straight days. Everybody I talked to, Krzyzewski included, said that Smith had played better in the summer and fall than any other player. And when I raised the question to Coach K that this development might be tough for Paulus to deal with, he brushed me off. "There's only one ego on this team, and that's our team ego," he said. "So everybody is responsible for doing what's best for the team. This isn't some inherited wealth. Each year you have to earn it. That doesn't mean Greg's a bad player, but right now Nolan would start."
I asked Krzyzewski if he had talked to Paulus about this. "We talk to all of our guys. We're a program of full disclosure," he said. "You have good chemistry by telling the truth. You can tell a lie without ever saying anything, just by not playing the right people."
2. Plumlee is much better than I realized. The 6-10 freshman from Warsaw, Ind., was a late addition to the program. He had originally signed with Stanford, but the school released him last spring from his commitment after Cardinal coach Trent Johnson left for LSU. The fact that Krzyzewski's former player and top assistant, Johnny Dawkins, was Johnson's successor didn't stop Coach K from signing Plumlee, and now I can see why.
For someone who is as young and tall as he is, Plumlee has plenty of meat on his bones, and he is very agile to boot. (Krzyzewski told me he jumped 6 feet, 9 inches for his high school track team.) He seemed a little lost at times basketball-wise, but that's nothing unusual considering it was only his fourth practice. Plumlee is Duke's best shot-blocker, and he fits the Blue Devils' wide-open style much better than 7-1 sophomore center Brian Zoubek. If the season started today, Plumlee would be Duke's starting center.
3. Communication is a top priority. I have been to dozens, perhaps hundreds, of practices during my years of covering college basketball, and I can say without a doubt that no other coach emphasizes communication quite as much as Krzyzewski does. This is how he described it to the participants in Fuqua's leadership conference: "We have three systems -- offense, defense and a system of communication."
He harps on this all the time. During one offensive sequence, he said to 6-4 freshman Elliott Williams, "You were open. You have to call for the ball. It's okay if you call for it and don't get it, but you have to let him know you're there." Later, he stopped a defensive drill to say, "This isn't about talking. This is about commanding. You got him! You got him! I got him!" Still later: "All of us need to call for the ball more. Don't assume your teammates can see you."
At Duke, the players are required to talk to each other even during the most basic drills. If they relax a little bit, Krzyzewski will step in and remind them to keep up their vocal energy. I've heard other coaches describe certain players as quiet types who lead by example. At Duke, they have a special place for such types. It's called the bench.
In other words, the Blue Devils are going to make plenty of noise this season.

Here's is my breakdown of the Blue Devils:
Heart and soul: Scheyer. I'm not just saying this because Scheyer is a fellow MOT (that is, a Member of the Tribe -- and boy, can he spin a dreidel.) Scheyer has great size and savvy, he is a solid perimeter defender, and he is the best leader among Duke's three main guys. Last year, Scheyer was the first player off the bench, and he still ranked third on the team in minutes (28.3) and was fourth in scoring (11.7 ppg while converting 38.8 percent from three-point range and 88.9 percent from the foul line). When Duke needs a big shot this season, more often than not Scheyer will be the one taking it.
Most improved: Smith. Again, I'll have to take everyone's word for it because Smith seemed so out of it during practice. But I can see why it's so important that he is worthy of being this team's starting point guard. Smith is a terrific athlete, but he doesn't have to score a ton of points for Duke to be good. All he has to do is keep his mistakes to a minimum (he had four more turnovers than assists last year) and apply withering pressure on the ball. Krzyzewski told me that Smith was Duke's best player during the Blue-White intrasquad public scrimmage earlier this month. That scrimmage included two games after the coaches switched up teams, and Smith's squad won both times.
Glue Guy: David McClure. Krzyzewski also said that 6-8 junior forward Lance Thomas has had his best preseason, but I have to give the nod here to McClure, a 22-year-old fifth-year senior. At 6-6, 215 pounds, McClure is able to guard four positions, and he has a terrific feel for the game. He also demonstrated during practice that he is quite capable of knocking down the open three-pointer. (He has only made five threes in 12 attempts during his career.) McClure spent the entire practice wearing a white jersey and rotating in with the starters, so it's apparent that he has Krzyzewski's full confidence.
X factor: Henderson. I was going to go with Plumlee here, but I settled on Henderson because I really think for Duke to reach the Final Four, Henderson has to play like an NBA lottery pick. I don't doubt that he has that potential, but I'm not sure he's quite there yet -- and neither are several NBA scouts with whom I've spoken. Henderson has NBA size and athleticism, but he still has to prove he has the skills and the basketball I.Q. to warrant that type of respect. Henderson was the one who rescued Duke against Belmont by going coast-to-coast for the winning basket. If he keeps making those kinds of winning plays, there's no telling how far Duke can go.
Lost in the shuffle: Thomas. This was a tough choice between Thomas and Zoubek, especially after hearing Krzyzewski's praise for Thomas. But the reality is, Zoubek is 7-1, and though he'll never be mistaken for a ballet dancer, his size alone probably dictates some playing time. Krzyzewski usually shortens his bench to seven or eight players towards the end of the season, and with Singler, Plumlee, McClure and Zoubek in the fold, Thomas could find himself with fewer minutes than he would hope for at this stage of his career.
Bottom line: I know that every program feels flush with optimism this time of year, but once again I came away from a practice believing the team I had watched was better than I anticipated. The main reason is Plumlee -- not because he's the second coming of Bill Russell, but because he gives Duke a dimension it hasn't had the last two years. That, plus all the experience now in the lineup, should be enough to get Duke into the Elite Eight if the Blue Devils stay healthy. If Henderson emerges as an All-America candidate, you'll see Duke in Detroit.

 

[d723]

Dre I like that lineup especially if Kyle just chills out on the wing. I love how this guy can just STROKE over defenders especially if he's playing the 3.


And Abdul is nasty... I really hope he picks a major school hopefully UCLA just so I can watch him a lot next year.

 

[haiti5]

Ok let's not push it buddy.

i dont see what there is to push..dude can shoot the lights out when he is motivated. u may not like him bcuz he is a duke player or whatever but u cantdeny dude has gotten much better. if zoubek and lance can make layups and free throws we will be fine.

and as far as defense, im loving what im hearing as far as nolan starting pg. defense begins with the perimeter and its not many players u can name in theacc who can pressure and pick pockets like nolan

 

[allen3xis]

I don't think Nolan should start.

 

[craftsy21]

Saw Bobby Knight speak tonight... was interesting. He's a little hokier than I thought about some stuff, but when he's just riffing he's hilarious.He was just destroying these douche kids that were asking questions.. it was all in good fun, but he let some of them have it on some stuff.

 

[haiti5]

if seth is half as good as stephen..ima need the government to begin human genome projects with Dell Currys dna

 

[tmay407]

I'm gonna get my BCG on and start thinking about this 8th grader...he's from Bryan (bordering town with College Station) and grew up an Aggie fan, so Ithink the chances of us getting him in 2012 are very good

Most 15-year-old boys heavily involved in basketball spend time hoping that somewhere within them, they might have the talent to someday play basketball at least for a Division I university and possibly even for a career on the professional level.

For 15-year-old J-Mychal Reese of Bryan, he doesn't need to aspire to be great. He already is.

"When he was born, March Madness was on the TV in my wife's birthing room," said his father, Bryan High School Head Basketball Coach John Reese. "All he's ever done is basketball."

There may not be a truer statement, considering that he had mastered the art of dribbling at the age of two - a time when most kids were still struggling to walk without falling flat on their faces. Now, as an 8th grader standing 6-feet-1-inch tall, the soft-spoken kid has more talent than most of the other kids on his team combined. At this point in his life, J-Mychal doesn't have to worry about anything except doing what he loves: Playing basketball.

"I like playing a lot," J-Mychal said. "Every time I step on the court, I just play."

His early and abnormal success in AAU leagues based out of Houston sparked national attention. In an AAU National Championship game in 2004, J-Mychal scored 31 points in his team's victory. The opposing team combined for only 35.

Both Texas A&M and the University of Arizona have already extended scholarship offers toward J-Mychal, who currently sits as the No. 1 ranked high school prospect for the recruiting class of 2012.

"I don't worry about all that stuff," J-Mychal said.

Even the NBA has begun to look upon the young phenomenon with interest. In 2005, he was invited to the NBA All-Star game in Denver, where he participated in an exhibition game against others in his age group. His tenacity was proven as he finished as the game's top scorer - with a broken foot.

"There is no doubt in our mind that Reese, who is multi-dimensional enough to play four different positions, should be the No. 1 ranked player in the class," said Clark Francis, editor of hoopscooponline.com.

In just 15 years, J-Mychal has garnered more media attention than most do in a lifetime. In 2006, he appeared in an episode of ESPN's news magazine Outside the Lines about "Diaper Dandies." Later that summer, he was featured in an ESPN The Magazine article about his early and incredible achievements. He also appeared in a video chronicling sports stars of tomorrow hosted by legendary broadcaster Pat Summerall.

To date, J-Mychal has shown interest in playing college ball for A&M, Texas, North Carolina and UCLA.

Even in the midst of all the attention he has received, J-Mychal considers himself a fan of the Aggies.

"We get to watch [A&M] a lot," J-Mychal said. "We go watch them almost every time they play at home."

This past year, J-Mychal participated in Mark Turgeon's Texas A&M Junior Elite basketball camp, wow-ing those on the floor with him.

"It was fun," Reese said. "I got to meet the players and they taught us a bunch of stuff about playing hard and playing tough."

J-Mychal's biggest fan, his father John, has taken the unique job of being both father and coach and has given his son advice as his imminent arrival on the national stage draws closer and closer.

"I tell him the three H's," John said. "You've got to stay humble, you've got to stay hungry and you've got to stay honest."

Next year J-Mychal will more than likely attend Bryan High School, where he will have the chance to play for his Dad once again.

After that, for the best eighth grader in the country, the sky's the limit.

 

[ricardo malta]

I don't think Nolan should start.
Such a compelling argument Allen

I didn't think he should start and thought coming off the bench with Scheyer would be monstrous but again, you can't keep somebody out the startinglineup if they're more than deserving of it. I'm still hesitant about him running the offense in a half court set, but I'll take his defense,speed, and ability to push the ball over Paulus almost any day.

 

[rocdamike11]

Originally Posted by Ricardo Malta

Does anybody know what his reasoning behind Washington is?

He's from the state of Washington I believe (Bellarmine Prep)
and an interest in playing with Isiah Thomas at UW (from Tacoma as well)

 

[allen3xis]

.. i would write more...if yuku could work

 

[haiti5]

didn't think he should start and thought coming off the bench with Scheyer would be monstrous but again, you can't keep somebody out the starting lineup if they're more than deserving of it. I'm still hesitant about him running the offense in a half court set, but I'll take his defense, speed, and ability to push the ball over Paulus almost any day.

exactly im pretty much sold on his athleticism, ability to defend, make the right pass, and drive to the bucket.

im not sold on his basketball IQ and other offensive skills. but ill take a defensive minded pg over a offensive minded pg 9/10