DUKE ROUTS ST. AUGUSTINE IN FIRST SCRIMMAGE!

For the collegiate basketball team, a scrimmage can be played for a variety of reasons. For the rebuilding team, a scrimmage can be utilized to evaluate where the team is, and how far they need to go, in the maturation process. For a team of young players, it can initiate them to the fast pace game allowing them to garner some experience before entering a regular season game. However, for a team such as the defending National Champion Duke Blue Devils, a scrimmage is used as a tune up, to evaluate their players, and to sharpen all facets of their game in order to prepare them for when the real season begins.  

Duke’s first scrimmage, which marked the beginning of the 2010-2011 season was played on October 23, 2010 against St. Augustine in Duke University’s Cameron Stadium. With ten of the twelve players on the active breaking into the scoring column, Duke rolled to an impressive 141-68 win.

Senior standout Kyle Singler led all scorers and a balanced Duke attack with 31 points including 6 three pointers. He also added 9 rebounds, and 5 assists. Freshman Kyrie Irving and Seth Curry contributed 17 (seven assists) and 15 points (5 assists) respectively, while Mason Plumlee chipped in 13 points and 8 rebounds with 6-6 shooting from the field. Nolan Smith poured in 15 points and dished out a game high 9 assists. Off the bench for Duke, sharp shooter Andre Dawkins connected on 4 three pointers en route to 20 points.

With the game also marking the first opportunity for the Blue Devil fan  to view the team favored to repeat as National Champions against an opponent other than themselves [Duke held their annual inter squad Blue/White game just 8 days prior],  they were not disappointed, as Duke looked as dominant as ever in their first preseason contest.

Duke will face Cal-Poly Pomona on November 4, 2010, 7 pm, at Cameron Indoor Stadium in their final tune up before beginning the regular season.

BLUE DEVILS EXCITED ABOUT FORMER NEW JERSEY GATORADE PLAYER OF THE YEAR KYRIE IRVING’S IMPACT IN 2010-2011.

Year in and year out, the Duke Blue Devils have established themselves as a national power house with one of the country’s best collegiate men’s basketball programs. As is the case in any collegiate sport regardless of the division (I, II, III), a huge part of a team’s success is how well they recruit. Naturally, once you establish yourself as a top program, as Duke has, it becomes easier to sign the best of the best each year. With that said, Duke has done it again with its signing of New Jersey’s Gatorade Player of the Year, Kyrie Irving.

After losing one of the nation’s best guards in Jon Scheyer to graduation, Duke knew that they would need to bring in an elite scorer that could contribute right away. Irving seems to be the guy to do just that. The former St. Patrick’s and Montclair Kimberly Academy star shooting guard comes to Duke having posted some impressive numbers; 24.5 points, 6.5 assists, 5.0 rebounds, and 1.6 steals, per contest in his senior season. He was also named a 2010 McDonald’s All American, a 1^st Team Parade Magazine All American, as well as a 2000 point scorer in his four year prep school career.

Kyrie has also had the honor of representing our country on the United States U-18 basketball team whereby he led the U.S. contingent to a 5-0 record and a gold medal in the 2010 FIBA Americas U-18 Championship in San Antonio by posting an impressive stat line of 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists, and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line for the tournament.

Kyrie comes from quite a basketball pedigree. He is the son of Drederick Irving, the former Boston University star who is the second all time leading scorer at BU with 1,931 points. His father went on to play professional in Australia where Kyrie was born and is a dual citizen.  

The Blue Devils are certainly hoping that this impressive basketball resume that Kyrie Irving brings to Duke will translate to another great 4 years of Duke Basketball!

DUKE TOPS PRESEASON NCAA 'TOP 25’ AND ‘ACC’ POLLS!

After the Duke Blue Devils won their 4th championship of the ‘Coach K’ Era in 2009-2010, the Blue Devils did what they do best and that is, RELOAD and prepare to win yet another title.

The Preseason polls seem to be convinced that the 2009-2010 National Champions have done just that. With Duke sitting pretty at number one in both the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and the NCAA Top 25 polls, it appears to have everyone thinking that they will have as good a shot as any to repeat in 2010-2011. Duke will be returning key players; senior guard Nolan Smith (10.8-ppg); sophomore guard Andre Dawkins (37.9% three-point range); and of course, senior forward Kyle Singler (15.9-ppg). And although they lost their starting center in Brian Zoubek to graduation, Duke will be returning the Plumlee brothers, Mason (Soph) and Myles (Jr) to pick up the slack inside. As far as filling the shoes of Jon Scheyer (18.2-ppg over 4 yrs and a 2010 Second Team All-American), Duke has brought in some key newcomers with the likes of Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry, and Joshua Hairston.

All the pieces seem to be in place in Cameron; time will tell if this will lead to ‘Coach K’ and company hoisting the National Championship trophy once again this coming March!
    

Coach K is an Effective Leader…

 Coach Mike Krzyzewki (Coach K) has the ability to challenge his coaches and his team. He possesses the courage, determination, and creative ideas to ‘think outside the box’. His tireless commitment, enthusiasm, and passion for the game of basketball, enables him to be a leader that can indeed inspire his players with his vision of them  becoming, in every sense of the word, a true team. Yet, what truly sets Coach K apart from other great coaches is his ability to recognize, encourage, and praise, those around him in feeling important, thus instilling in them a sense of pride for the entire Duke basketball family.

Coach K and his Duke Basketball teams’ achievements are extraordinary: 11 Atlantic Coast Conference Championships; 10 Final Four tournament appearances; 4 National Championships...

WE CAN...WE WILL...TOGETHER

“In leadership, there are no words more important than trust. In any organization, trust must be developed among every member of the team if success is going to be achieved.” Coach K