Observations from Above the Rim

ACC honors Duke's Smith, Ga. Tech's Favors

2009-11-23T18:28:00.002-05:00

GREENSBORO -- Nolan Smith of Duke and Derrick Favors of Georgia Tech have captured the weekly honors in Atlantic Coast Conference basketball.

Smith was named player of the week after averaging averaging 22 points, six assists and four rebounds as the seventh-ranked Blue Devils took victories over Charlotte and Radford.

On the week, Smith shot 56 percent from the field, including 60 percent from three-point range.

Favors earned the rookie of the week award. The 6-foot-10 freshman forward averaged 14 points and seven rebounds while shooting 81 percent to lead the Yellow Jackets to wins in two of three games in last week's tournament in Puerto Rico. -- Associated Press

AP poll: Duke, Clemson up, UNC down

2009-11-23T15:26:00.002-05:00

Syracuse was so impressive in the 2K Sports Classic that it made one of the best entrances ever into The Associated Press' college basketball poll.

The Orange, who beat California and North Carolina by an average of 19 points in winning the tournament at Madison Square Garden, went from unranked to No. 10 on Monday, the third-best jump-in in poll history.

Writers poll

Coaches poll

Heels, Wildcats to play in Puerto Rico next season

2009-11-20T18:45:00.001-05:00

North Carolina will be packing its bags the week before Thanksgiving next season, too.

The Tar Heels will be one of eight teams participating in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off; they will play Nov. 18, 19 and 21.

They will be joined by Davidson, Hofstra, Minnesota, Nebraska,, Vanderbilt, West Virginia, and Western Kentucky.

Tickets will go on sale next summer.

-- Robbi Pickeral

Duke faces familiar foes in New York

2009-11-18T09:53:00.001-05:00

Duke will face a familiar foe in the NIT Season Tipoff semifinals on Nov. 25 in New York - and it's not just Herb Sendek.

With a 52-49 defeat of Texas Christian on Tuesday that ended long after midnight on the East Coast, Arizona State advanced to the meeting with Duke. Sendek, the former N.C. State coach, credited an ex-Duke player with carrying Arizona State against TCU.

Center Eric Boateng, a former McDonald's All-American who played just one season with the Blue Devils before transferring to Arizona State, posted career highs with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Arizona State wasn't nearly as dominating in its second-round game as Duke was in a 101-59 thrashing of Charlotte. But Charlotte coach Bobby Lutz said the 49ers might have been more competitive if he'd had some practice time to prepare them to adjust their uptempo pace and play at a slower tempo.

As N.C. State fans know (for better or for worse), Sendek is a master at playing at a slow tempo. And he has time to prepare, plus a big man in Boateng who will be eager to prove himself to his former teammates in New York.

Ken Tysiac

Wake's Aminu is ACC player of the week

2009-11-16T19:22:00.000-05:00

GREENSBORO - The Atlantic Coast Conference has honored Wake Forest's Al-Farouq Aminu and Miami's Durand Scott.

The ACC on Monday named Aminu its player of the week while Scott is its top rookie.

Aminu averaged 24 points and 11 rebounds while shooting 64 percent in the Demon Deacons' two season-opening wins.

Scott had 10 assists in an 83-53 rout of North Carolina Central — the most by a Miami player in three years. -- Associated Press

Duke's Mason Plumlee fractures wrist

2009-11-12T14:53:00.001-05:00

Duke's big lineup just got smaller.

Freshman Mason Plumlee, the athletic, 6-foot-10 center who was on track to possibly start for the Blue Devils, is out indefinitely after suffering a fractured left wrist in practice Wednesday, the school announced.

The injury will not require surgery and will be evaluated weekly by the Duke medical staff.

"We are confident that he will make a full recovery," coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "Mason is going to be a very good player for us and we look forward to him getting healthy and returning to the court."

Plumlee is a McDonald's All-American who averaged 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in exhibition wins over Pfeiffer and Findlay. Duke begins the regular season at 7 p.m. Friday against UNC Greensboro.

Ken Tysiac

Devils expect pressure without Smith

2009-11-11T23:55:00.000-05:00

Senior guard Jon Scheyer says Duke is ready.

With junior guard Nolan Smith sitting out a two-game NCAA suspension for playing in unsanctioned summer league games, the Blue Devils are down to two scholarship players in the backcourt.

On Friday and Monday, Duke will play without Smith against UNC Greensboro and Coastal Carolina, respectively. Those teams won't have the size to match up against the Blue Devils, who have their biggest team in coach Mike Krzyzewski's 30-year tenure.

So they're likely to pressure Scheyer, freshman Andre Dawkins, walk-on Jordan Davidson and whoever else handles the ball in the backcourt for Duke. Scheyer says the Blue Devils are ready.

"Obviously we're a better team with Nolan," Scheyer said. "There's no denying that. He gives us a lot, adds a lot, and of course takes pressure off me. So of course for the first two games we have to be ready to just handle the ball.

"I'm sure defenses will try to pressure us a little bit more, and that's something we're prepared to do. And it's something that, we can't have any excuses."

It's unclear exactly how Duke will rotate its backcourt. Without Smith in the first half of an exhibition game against Division II Findlay, the Blue Devils actually started with four forwards on the floor with Scheyer.

Krzyzewski wasn't pleased with the way that lineup played, but Scheyer said the team hasn't abandoned it.

"We didn't take advantage of it like we could have (in the exhibition)," Scheyer said. "We were a little sloppy and didn't go inside as much as we should have. So I think that lineup is really good for us. Just, when it's in there, we've got to go inside, get the ball in there."

Regardless of which lineups are used, playing without Smith should be good practice in overcoming adversity early in the season for Scheyer and the Blue Devils.

Ken Tysiac

Duke plans huge basketball reunion

2009-11-10T14:14:00.001-05:00

Duke is planning a huge celebration of coach Mike Krzyzewski's 1,000th game with the Blue Devils and the 70th year of basketball at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Duke Varsity Club will play host to what's being billed as the biggest men's basketball reunion in the history of program on Feb. 12-13. Krzyzewski's 1,000th game at Duke will be the 1 p.m. meeting on Feb. 13 with Maryland at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Over 300 former players, coaches, managers and trainers will be invited back. The weekend will include a reception hosted by Duke athletic director Kevin White and an after-game party with the current Duke coaching staff.

"This will be an exciting weekend and a great way to celebrate the history of Duke basketball," White said in a statement.

Ken Tysiac

Duke tops Findlay; Smith suspended 2 games

2009-11-03T22:07:00.000-05:00

DURHAM – As junior guard Nolan Smith sat on the bench in the first half Tuesday night, Duke wobbled like a truck with one under-inflated tire.

Like it or not, though, the Blue Devils will have to get used to playing without Smith for a couple games. After Duke defeated Findlay 84-48 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that Smith will miss the first two games of the regular season because of an NCAA suspension.

Smith was suspended because he played in a summer league that wasn’t sanctioned by the NCAA. He will miss games Nov. 13 against UNC Greensboro and Nov. 16 against Coastal Carolina.

Outside of normal play on their own teams, college players are forbidden by the NCAA from participating in organized games that aren’t sanctioned or approved in advance by the NCAA. The NCAA rule governing this is in place in part to preserve players’ amateur status.

"He shouldn’t have done it,” Krzyzewski said. “The guys know. And this is what every basketball player has to know, don’t play in a game that has time and score (being kept), unless it’s a sanctioned game.”

Smith, who’s from Upper Marlboro, Md., said he played in a summer league game in the Washington, D.C., area while he was home before the second session of summer school. He said he didn’t realize he’d made a mistake until he got back to campus.

Krzyzewski said the suspension was for two games because Duke’s staff was uncertain whether Smith had played in one game or two and wanted to err on the side of caution in reporting to the NCAA. Smith said he accepted the punishment.

"I was definitely disappointed in myself,” he said. “. . .With the rules the NCAA has, you’ve got to get permission as a college athlete. I definitely learned my lesson.”

This will be the second time in six years that a guard from a Triangle ACC school served a suspension to open the season because of unsanctioned summer play. In 2004, North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton was suspended for the season opener for playing in an uncertified summer league.

The Tar Heels lost that game against Santa Clara but they went on to win the national title.

Maryland’s James Gist and Landon Milbourne were suspended for the 2007 opener for participating in a non-sanctioned summer league game.

Smith’s impact on Duke’s lineup was obvious against Findlay, as he was held out of the first half but played 12 minutes after halftime. Without him in the first half, a Blue Devil team that already was thin in the backcourt looked disjointed against the defending NCAA Division II champions.

Senior Jon Scheyer and freshman Andre Dawkins are the only other scholarship players on the team who are true guards. Kyle Singler, a post player in previous seasons who’s the starting “small” forward at 6-foot-9, moved to shooting guard in the starting lineup.

Walk-on Jordan Davidson was the first guard off the bench and played five minutes in the first half, which ended with Duke leading just 36-23. Without one of their primary ball handlers in Smith, the Blue Devils committed 10 first-half turnovers.

"Where’s Greg Paulus when you need him?” a female Duke student wondered late in the first half, referring to the 2008-09 senior guard.

In the second half, Smith scored seven points and handed out three assists as Duke outscored Findlay 48-25.

"We’ve known about it since the summer,” Krzyzewski said of the suspension. “So it’s no big deal. We’re ready to move on. We’re a different team without him, though. There’s no question about that.”

Ken Tysiac and Robbi Pickeral

Duke's Smith suspended two games

2009-11-03T20:13:00.000-05:00

DURHAM - Duke junior guard Nolan Smith has been suspended for the first two games of the regular season for playing in a non-sanctioned summer league, team spokesman Matt Plizga said Tuesday.

Smith will miss the Nov. 13 season opener against UNC Greensboro and the Nov. 16 game against Coastal Carolina. Plizga said Smith thought the league he was playing in had been approved by the NCAA and didn't find out otherwise until he returned to campus.

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will address the issue after tonight's exhibition game against Findlay is finished, Plizga said. Duke struggled without Smith in the first half, committing 10 turnovers, but led 36-23 at the intermission.

This will be the second time in six years that a guard from a Triangle ACC school served a suspension to open the season because of unsanctioned summer play.

In 2004, North Carolina point guard Raymond Felton was suspended for the season opener for playing in an uncertified summer league. The Tar Heels lost that game, against Santa Clara, but they went on to win the national title.

Ken Tysiac and Robbi Pickeral

Singler named preseason All-American

2009-11-02T18:13:00.001-05:00

Duke junior forward Kyle Singler was the only ACC player named to The Associated Press’ preseason All-America men’s basketball team Monday.

Singler, who also was voted the preseason ACC player of the year by the media, averaged 16.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game as a sophomore last season.

He received 30 votes from the 65-member national media panel to become the final member of the team. Notre Dame forward Luke Harangody was the top vote getter with 57.

Kansas teammates Cole Aldrich and Sherron Collins also made the team along with Patrick Patterson of Kentucky.

Singler has 1,060 career points and last season became the sixth Duke player to surpass the 1,000-point mark as a sophomore. He also earned ACC All-Tournament team honors after helping Duke capture its first tournament championship since 2006.

Ken Tysiac

Wall cleared to play at UK

2009-10-30T20:44:00.002-04:00

Former Raleigh Word of God basketball star John Wall has been cleared to play this season -- after he sits out an exhibition game and regular season game, and pays back almost $800 in travel expenses "incurred during Wall's unofficial visits to various institutions during his junior year at Word of God Christian Academy."

Here's the full news release from Kentucky after the jump:

University of Kentucky men's basketball student-athlete John Wall has been certified with conditions by the NCAA. The conditions are repayment of expenses and a two-game withholding, including the first exhibition game versus Campbellsville (Nov. 2) and the first regular-season game against Morehead State (Nov. 13).

Wall, a 6-4 freshman point guard from Raleigh, N.C., was one of five freshmen on the Naismith Preseason watch list. A pre-season All-American according to several national publications, Wall was the top recruit in the country last season according to Rivals.com.

"I'm grateful to have this decision behind me. All I ever wanted was to go to school and play ball with my team," said UK freshman John Wall. "This has been really hard for my mom and I want to thank her for her support during this process."

The repayment of expenses includes a total of $787.58, consisting predominantly of travel expenses incurred during Wall's unofficial visits to various institutions during his junior year at Word of God Christian Academy.

"We're appreciative of the process and the NCAA's willingness to listen," said UK Athletics Director Mitch Barnhart. "The NCAA staff worked to keep the welfare of the student-athlete in mind throughout this process. I'm happy for Coach Calipari and John Wall that he will get a chance to represent the Wildcats this season. He's a great young man and deserves to be able to concentrate fully on his academics and basketball."

"John Wall is a great kid who always tries to do the right thing and his mother is a great lady," said UK head coach John Calipari. "I'm just happy this is behind us."

Lowe has mixed feelings about recruiting rules

2009-10-30T18:30:00.003-04:00

N.C. State coach Sidney Lowe is glad to see the NCAA trying to clean up men’s basketball recruiting, but also is concerned that in some cases the college sports governing body is throwing out the baby with the bath water.

On Thursday, the Division I Board of Directors approved rules meant to stop college programs from funneling money to associates of recruits. College coaches who run afoul of the rules could be suspended from postseason or even regular-season games.

Here are some things the NCAA is targeting:

- Hiring associates of recruits to non-coaching staff positions at their schools, and employing them at camps and clinics.

- Donating to non-profits (Summer club basketball programs for top high school-aged players often are run as nonprofits.

- Subscribing to recruiting services that don’t provide much useful information (these services sometimes are run by club basketball coaches).

It appears the rules would have prevented Baylor, for example, from hiring Dwon Clifton to a director of player development position. Clifton was serving as the club coach for Greensboro-based D-One Sports, which had highly recruited guard John Wall of Raleigh on its roster.

Wall went to Kentucky despite Baylor’s hiring of Clifton.

"I think what they’re trying to do is eliminate any wrongdoing, and for that, it’s hard to question the NCAA and what they’re trying to do,” Lowe said. “There certainly needs to be something done to get a hold of it.”

At the same time, Lowe laments the loss of opportunities for high school or club coaches who are doing things the right way to get a foot in the door at college programs.

"That’s a tough deal because you do have some high school coaches and you do have some AAU guys who do a nice job with their program,” Lowe said. “A lot of them are striving to become college basketball coaches. If you, I guess, discriminate against them, how do they ever get an opportunity to move to the next level?”

Although some deserving, up-and-coming coaches might be adversely affected, conference commissioners, that Amateur Athletic Union and basketball coaches backed the proposal, according to the NCAA. Lowe understands, but he also has reservations.

"I think it’s tough,” he said. “I know what they’re trying to do, and definitely there needs to be something done about the stuff that’s going on, but I think. . .it would really impact some people that probably are unfairly judged.”

Ken Tysiac

Who is Duke's best end-of-game option?

2009-10-28T11:33:00.005-04:00

When Duke needed a basket in the closing minutes of a close game last season, there was no secret where the ball was going.

Duke's players knew it. Opponents knew it. Fans knew it.

Gerald Henderson was going to get the ball on the wing with an opportunity to drive off a ball screen. He was athletic enough to get to the rim when he saw even a crack of daylight.

He was a rare college player who can hit a pull-up, mid-range jumper. He won a lot of games for the Blue Devils as they finished 30-7 with an ACC Tournament championship and a berth in the Sweet 16 in the NCAA Tournament.

"We tried to put the ball in his hands as much as possible in tough situations, and he responded," coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

Now the Blue Devils have to come up with a different plan because Henderson left school after his junior season and was drafted by the Charlotte Bobcats. Duke doesn't have a player who's capable of scoring off the dribble as proficiently as Henderson did.

So now Duke will rely on three players rather than one on critical possessions. Senior Jon Scheyer (top) and juniors Kyle Singler (middle) and Nolan Smith (bottom) all will have opportunities to make winning plays late in games, but they will have to do it off the pass rather than the dribble.

"Now I think we can put the ball in the hands of three guys on the perimeter," Krzyzewski said. "We have more guys who are capable of doing that."

As N.C. State fans familiar with the Herb Sendek regime can attest, relying on a passing game and motion offense in a one-shot situation at the end of the game can be a dicey proposition. The dribble is a surest way to get your best player the best shot at the end of a close game.

There's a reason the Chicago Bulls with Michael Jordan and the Los Angeles Lakers with Kobe Bryant have won so many NBA championships. Those teams could count on highly skilled playmakers to create shots on their own in pressure situations.

Duke doesn't have a player in that mold. But Singler is the preseason ACC player of the year. Scheyer is as steady and heady as any guard in the ACC and Smith seems to be improving rapidly.

Even without Henderson on the floor, Duke will have more and better options than most of its opponents as the clock wanes in its tight games.

-- Ken Tysiac

UK president admits eligibility issue

2009-10-27T17:30:00.004-04:00

Kentucky guard John Wall excites the crowd with some wicked dunks during Big Blue Madness at Rupp Arena in Lexington, Ky, on October 16. (Mark Cornelison/Lexington Herald-Leader/MCT)

Without ever saying John Wall's name, the Lexington Herald-Leader reports, University of Kentucky president Lee Todd acknowledged on Tuesday that one of the school's basketball players faces questions about his amateurism that could affect his eligibility.

Last week, Southeastern Conference Mike Slive last week told ESPN.com that the player was Wall, a heralded freshman point guard and former Raleigh Word of God star.

"I think the commissioner made his statement which I'm not sure he intended to make, but he made it," Todd told the paper after a meeting of UK's Board of Trustees.

Todd told the newspaper he felt "very comfortable" with no UK official admitting a question existed on a player's eligibility until Tuesday because "there's no reason to expose him to a whole lot of newspaper articles when it's not necessary till we get a final decision."

-- Robbi Pickeral

Krzyzewski: New rule will become 'a joke'

2009-10-25T18:55:00.001-04:00

GREENSBORO - Count Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski among the objectors to the new rule that specifies an unmarked zone under the basket where referees will call only blocks, not charges, on offensive players.

"It'll be a joke, because it will become a joke," Krzyzewski said at the ACC's Operation Basketball media event Sunday afternoon.

Krzyzewski agrees with the intent of the rule, because he believes players shouldn't be called for charging underneath the basket. But he said the no-charging zone - which extends from the backboard to the front of the rim - should be marked on the floor.

"It probably hasn't been taken to the step it should be taken to," Krzyzewski said. "If you can imagine it, you should do it."

Other critics of the rule have argued that without markings on the floor, referees will be forced to estimate whether players were in the no-charge zone at the time of contact.

"There are absolutes, and that's why boundaries are used (in sports)," Krzyzewski said. "You shouldn't approximate the distance from the pitcher's mound to home plate."

-- Ken Tysiac

Duke making substantial changes

2009-10-25T18:52:00.001-04:00

GREENSBORO - Mike Krzyzewski said that because Duke is playing with one of the biggest lineups he has coached, he has made significant changes to how the Blue Devils will play.

At the ACC's Operation Basketball event on Sunday, Krzyzewski laid out two major changes:

- The Blue Devils will break down opponents with screens rather than the dribble. Duke has traditionally heavily emphasized penetration and kick-out passes to open 3-point shooters. But Nolan Smith is the team's only threat to penetrate, so Duke will rely on screening and will look for more post feeds. "We need to have more vision when we pass the ball," Krzyzewski said.

- Because it has size rather than quickness, Duke won't extend its defense or trap as much as in the past. There's been a lot of talk that the Blue Devils might play some zone defense, but the change will be obvious even when Duke is playing man to man. "You'll be able to see the zone principles in our man to man more," Krzyzewski said.

-- Ken Tysiac

Observations | ACC preseason poll

2009-10-25T18:49:00.001-04:00

The tie atop the ACC preseason poll was the first in the 41-year history of voting, although if pressed to pick a winner, Duke had 25 first-place votes to North Carolina's 20.

Other observations on the poll:

1. This is the 19th time North Carolina has been picked to finish first. The Tar Heels won the league in 11 of the first 18 times they were picked. Duke has been picked to finish first 12 times before, winning in seven of those years.

2. Wake Forest, picked sixth overall, received one first-place vote. Georgia Tech, picked fourth, received two.

3. Four of the five returning members of the first, second and third ACC teams from last season were picked on the preseason all-conference team: Maryland's Greivis Vasquez (second team), Clemson's Trevor Booker (second team), Duke's Kyle Singler (second team) and Virginia Tech's Malcolm Delaney (third team).

North Carolina's Ed Davis moved past Georgia Tech's Gani Lawal (third team) and Virginia's Sylven Landesberg (honorable mention) to fill the fifth spot.

4. The 144-point gap between Duke and North Carolina and third selection Clemson is the largest gap between any spots in the poll. Clemson-Georgia Tech (third-fourth, 122 points) and Boston College-Miami (eighth-ninth, 116 points) are the other demarcation points.

5. Biggest jump: Georgia Tech, which finished 12th last year, was picked to finish fourth. Biggest fall: Boston College, which finished tied for fourth last year, was picked to finish ninth. The Eagles were picked to finish 11th last year.

6. Good news for N.C. State: The team picked to finish 12th hasn't actually finished last since expansion. (Clemson was correctly picked to finish last in 2004, the last year of the nine-team ACC.) The average finish of teams picked to finish last since 2006, the first year with 12 teams, is eighth.

7. Even though Duke had the edge on North Carolina in first-place votes, Atlantic Coast Sports Media Association director Rob Daniels said the two teams share first place.

"It's like the AP poll or any poll. It's by points and the ties aren't broken," Daniels said.

-- Luke DeCock

Duke, UNC tied in ACC preseason media poll

2009-10-25T18:46:00.003-04:00

GREENSBORO - Media members at the ACC's Operation Basketball event on Sunday placed their votes for the conference's 2009-10 predicted order of finish, and it was the first time in 41 years there's ever been a tie for first place. Duke and North Carolina both received 545 points.

Here's the predicted order of finish, with first-place votes and total points:

1. Duke (25), 545
1. UNC (20), 545
3. Clemson, 409
4. Georgia Tech (2), 387
5. Maryland, 378
6. Wake Forest (1), 315
7. Florida State, 314
8. Virginia Tech, 273
9. Boston College, 251
10. Miami, 135
11. Virginia, 116
12. N.C. State, 76

2009 ACC pre-season all-conference team

Greivis Vasquez, Maryland, 45
Trevor Booker, Clemson, 44
Kyle Singler, Duke, 43
Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech, 24
Ed Davis, North Carolina, 21

Player of the year:

Kyle Singler, Duke, 19
Greivis Vasquez, Maryland, 15
Trevor Booker, Clemson, 8

Rookie of the year:

Derrick Favors, Georgia Tech, 40
John Henson, North Carolina, 8

-- Edward G. Robinson III

ACC Tournament downsized in 2012

2009-10-25T13:26:00.000-04:00

GREENSBORO -- The ACC Tournament set attendance records in its last two visits to Atlanta, but at the occasional expense of early round atmosphere in the cavernous spaces of the Georgia Dome.

Sunday, the ACC announced that in the tournament's next trip to Atlanta, in 2012, the event will be held at Philips Arena, where the NBA Hawks and NHL Thrashers play, instead of the Georgia Dome.

ACC commissioner John Swofford said the league decided to move to the smaller venue, which will seat about 20,000 fans for the tournament, "to protect the tournament's brand and atmosphere."

"This was a visceral kind of decision collectively with our schools and our staff," Swofford said. "We thought this was the right place to be in Atlanta for the future."

The 2001 tournament at the Georgia Dome set a conference-tournament record with 182,525 total fans and an average of 36,505 per session. Last March, the numbers were down to 158,112 total and 26,352 per session -- still the second-most in NCAA history, but the crowds were swallowed up by the dome's open spaces.

"With 40,000 people in there, it was pretty phenomenal," ACC associate commissioner Karl Hicks said. "The ADs thought, 'If we can't get that many people in the dome, what's in the best interest of the league?' "

The Georgia Dome already had been announced as the host site for 2012, but the league never had a contract with the venue, Hicks said.

The ACC Tournament was held at The Omni, Atlanta's old basketball arena, in 1983, 1985 and 1989 before moving to the dome. After visiting four other cities over the past five years, the 2012 tournament is the only one in the next six years that will be held somewhere other than Greensboro.

Originally, the 2015 tournament had been a possibility for somewhere other than Greensboro, but that site has been confirmed. Hicks said the league would likely consider sites for 2016 and beyond after the 2012 tournament in Atlanta.

-- Luke DeCock

Barnes watches Duke thump Pfeiffer

2009-10-24T21:14:00.001-04:00

DURHAM – Before Duke’s exhibition opener even started, a security guard ordered students to hand down the signs they’d brought to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Harrison Barnes, a 6-foot-6 forward from Ames, Iowa, who’s rated the top high school senior in the nation, was about to enter the arena to watch Duke’s 128-70 pasting Pfeiffer in its exhibition opener Saturday.

The signs were photocopies with Barnes’ head superimposed on the body of a Duke player in uniform. NCAA rules prohibit students from participating in organized wooing of prospects on their campus visits, so the signs were collected and taken away.

“If you’ve got one of these, I’ve got to have it,” the security man said. “I’ve got to have all of them.”

Barnes walked into the arena along with Duke’s players, taking a seat behind the bench with his sister and mother on his right. Junior forward Kyle Singler made two 3-pointers in the first two minutes on a 21-point evening as senior Lance Thomas missed the game while recovering from an illness.

But Barnes’ mere presence was bigger news than a game against an NCAA Division II opponent that didn’t count toward Duke’s record.

Duke freshman forward Ryan Kelly, meanwhile, was on the periphery of some different news at week’s end. Kelly, who’s from Raleigh, formerly played on the D-One club team that made headlines last week.

SEC commissioner Mike Slive told ESPN.com on Thursday that the NCAA is looking into the eligibility of Kentucky freshman guard John Wall of Raleigh.

Wall was a teammate of Kelly’s on D-One. The club’s founder and CEO, Brian Clifton, was a certified agent from 2007-08 according to ESPN.com, and NCAA eligibility rules prevent players from receiving transportation or other benefits from agents.

But Kelly’s mother, Doreen, and Duke have said the NCAA has approved Kelly’s eligibility. He provided a spark for the Blue Devils off the bench Saturday with 18 points.

Afterward, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said “there’s nothing there” in terms of an eligibility issue with Kelly and Clifton.

“They’re looking at an association between a coach and a player, not a coach and a team,” Krzyzewski said. “At least, that’s my indicator on it.”

Barnes, meanwhile, is heading back to Iowa with plans to visit UCLA and Iowa State before announcing his school choice by the time practice starts in mid-November. He’s also considering North Carolina, Kansas and Oklahoma.

For the most part, Barnes sat poker faced as security officers tried to keep the Duke students’ enthusiasm in check. But Barnes cracked a smile before guards removed a giant cardboard cutout of his head on top of the body of a Duke player in uniform.

You can read something into that if you like. But with the disciplined, guarded way Barnes is handling his recruiting, it would seem foolish to view a simple grin as confirmation of anything.

Ken Tysiac

Krzyzewski respects UNC, touts Duke's success

2009-10-20T09:53:00.001-04:00

One of the most interesting discussions of the pre-practice basketball media events in North Carolina last season struck at the heart of the sport’s best rivalry with a big recruiting battle looming in the background.

At his preseason news conference, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was asked about the effect of North Carolina’s 2009 NCAA championship. The Tar Heels have won twice in the last five years.

“First of all, I respect that,” Krzyzewski said. “I’ve respected Carolina’s program from the day I got here. I think overall that’s great for our conference. We’ve won four national championships in this decade from our conference. So as far as our motivation, we don’t need North Carolina or Maryland or anybody to motivate us. We’re motivated by trying to win a championship.”

Krzyzewski also was eager, though, to make sure Duke’s accomplishments are recognized. He has won three NCAA titles with the Blue Devils.

“We’ve had excellence of our own,” he said. “When this decade is done we’ll end up being the winningest program of this decade in college basketball, or of any decade in college basketball.

“People have things to hang their hats on. The thing you’d like to hang your hat on the most is the national championship. Because that’s the ultimate. And they deserve it. So I think they’ve set the bar high.”

The discussion was particularly relevant as highly regarded forward Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa, gets set to visit Duke this weekend. North Carolina and Duke are among the final suitors for Barnes, who’s 6-foot-6 and regarded by many as the top player in the Class of 2010.

Whichever team lands him will take a huge step forward, even if he’s there for just one season. Duke, which hasn’t been to a Final Four since 2004, would instantly be among the NCAA championship favorites in 2011.

If North Carolina lands Barnes, Roy Williams’ train would be likely to just keep rolling and mowing down everybody in its path. If Kansas, Oklahoma or UCLA get him, Duke and North Carolina both will miss out on a big opportunity.

Against that backdrop, Krzyzewski made sure last week that the media didn’t forget Duke’s accomplishments.

“Last year, Carolina had great team ego and great team talent,” he said. “That’s the ultimate. And we’ve had that here. So I understand how they feel. But it doesn’t last forever, and that’s why they play seasons. We start it over and they don’t bring any records along with it.”

Ken Tysiac

Plumlee, Devils add size, speed

2009-10-15T23:31:00.001-04:00

Duke sophomore forward Miles Plumlee exudes a lot of confidence for a guy who averaged just 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds and didn’t even play in 13 games last season.

“I know there’s no one faster than me at my size,” said Plumlee, who has undergone a significant offseason transformation.

Along with his brother, freshman Mason Plumlee, Miles was named as a likely frontcourt starter for Duke on Thursday by coach Mike Krzyzewski. Miles has added about 15 pounds to his 6-foot-10 frame and increased his standing vertical jump from 32 inches to 36 inches.

He now has the highest vertical jump on the team. He also said that along with his brother and senior Lance Thomas, he gives Duke unusual speed at the forward positions.

“I don’t think people realize how fast we are,” Plumlee said. “We’re going to be able to keep up with everyone in the open court. We’re big, long and athletic.”

The starting lineup Krzyzewski described has the Plumlees at 6-10 apiece and 6-8 Kyle Singler on the floor in an unusually big alignment for the Blue Devils.

Duke also has just three guards on scholarship. But Krzyzewki said the Blue Devils still are going to try to push the ball up the floor to get easy baskets more often than last season.
Senior guard Jon Scheyer sounds optimistic that it will work.

“Even though we’re a bigger team, we can really run,” Scheyer said. “With Miles and Mason inside, they can really run the floor. They can jump. They’re long. So even though we’re bigger, we’re just as athletic.”

Ken Tysiac

Plumlees to play big role for Duke

2009-10-15T16:54:00.001-04:00

DURHAM - Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said that if he had to name a starting lineup at the beginning of preseason practice, brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee would be in the frontcourt.

Veterans Nolan Smith, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler would work in the backcourt, with senior forward Lance Thomas playing a significant role off the bench.

Mason Plumlee is a freshman, and Miles is a sophomore who Krzyzewski said has improved significantly in the offseason, putting 18 pounds on his 6-foot-10 frame. He now weighs about 240 pounds.

"He's really a good athlete, and he's gotten bigger, stronger," Krzyzewski said Thursday during his news conference to preview Duke's Countdown to Craziness practice-opening event.

Here are more notes from Krzyzewski's news conference:

- Krzyzewski had freshman Ryan Kelly of Raleigh work exclusively on the perimeter for much of the offseason so he could develop his footwork.

"He'll help us right away," Krzyzewski said. "He can really shoot the ball."

- Seth Curry, a Charlotte native, who's transferred from Liberty, will make his only public appearance during the blue-white scrimmage at Countdown to Craziness.

Curry has to sit out the season under NCAA transfer rules.

"Seth is really good," Krzyzewski said. "I wish we could go back to high school and have him come in early."

Ken Tysiac

Duke to hold basketball open house

2009-10-12T11:58:00.000-04:00

Duke's men's basketball team will hold an open house for fans beginning at 11 a.m. Saturday at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Players and coaches will be available for autographs (but not photographs) from 11 to 12:30. During the autograph session, fans will be able to take their photos with Duke's 1991, 1992 and 2001 NCAA championship trophies.

Fans will be allowed to watch practice from 1 to 3 p.m. Doors to the arena will open at 10 a.m., and admission is free.

Ken Tysiac