I'll say this... I was impressed by Kennard and Plumlee.. I was disappointed by Thornton, Ingram, and Grayson somewhat. Overall I really don't know what to expect from this group. I know one thing I'm ready for the season to get started!!
CTC ROLL CALL !
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I agree although I thought all three also showed signs of great potential and they'll get better and better as the season moves along. Grayson was out the month of September so he may still be working on his conditioning, he could be much better even by the first regular season game. For Derryck and Brandon, it may take them longer but both could be dangerous by March.
I get what you're saying, but "disappointed" is a bit harsh IMO. But I do get it. Grayson is Grayson. I think we set our sights so crazy for Grayson and he will fall short of certain expectations. It's because of the emergence of other players, namely Luke, and the balance this team will possess.
Brandon didn't do much, he was not aggressive at all, took a lot of set shots and really deferred. To me, that screams "don't do too much too early to set off scouting reports because of your skill set." Teams already know about him, but they don't necessarily know how K will use him. Stay tuned.
Derryck is learning. Even though he reclassed, he still has a high senior's learning curve. He's not Tyus and he won't be so get that out of your heads. He will also be here two years, because he won't be the dominate force we want him to be...yet. He will be a very good point guard for us though, and he will distribute very well. His court awareness was brilliant IMO, even though his scoring was not.
Amile impressed with more of a willingness to score aggressively, but Josh Hairston had 27 on a Blue/White night so we'll see. Matt took his shots with confidence and I maintain you will see a new Matt Jones this year. Luke Kennard has JJ's confidence, and they spent a lot of time together on JJ's visit. Sean Obi will see the court and has nice awareness and as I've maintained has gotten much better conditioning wise.
I would also like to add, having watched BBN v. CTC it just reminds me how much more professional Duke's program is. BBN was a pick-up game. Cal even said so. CTC was much more polished and had a game feel. These guys will be prepared for the tournament.
I'm missing another one, Show. Moving into a new house. Life happens. I'll be watching on GoDuke though. Count me in for next year. Believe that one. And no Giles. Has his Kentucky official scheduled. Duke has the last one Halloween weekend though. Did I mention LAST O.V. LAST. LAAAAAASSSSSSTTTT.
Does this mean we need to get the road trip crew back together for another CTC?
Okay, so here goes my report. So I loaded up my Daughter and my two best Duke buds and we struck out for CTC. We roll in around 3, I'm driving towards parking, glance over to my left and there on the sidewalk was Skeelow. I stopped and we said we'd meet at the Bryan center. We walked over to the Bryan center to load up on new 5 Time Champion Gear. We usually load up as soon as we get there, haul it all back to the car so we don't have to hold it all in Cameron. We went downstairs cause there's always discount prices on great stuff under the Bryan Center. So I'm down there and get a text from Skeelow. "Grant Hill is upstairs!" I had just swiped my credit card and the lady was slowly folding my shirts placing them in bags. I said "we're good" and grabbed them all and crammed them in one bag and scrambled upstairs. As soon as I peaked the stairs, ran face to face with Grant. I said to my buddy, get your damn camera ready! I walked up to Grant, I hate bothering the athletes but had to make this exception , and Said " Hello Grant it would be an honor to get a quick pic with you." He smiled genuinely and said " No problem". I got my pic. I shook his hand , thanked him and walked away with a permanent smile. I so loved his game back in the day and how he represented Duke University. After offloading our goods ( I got a badass shirt with our full bracket on the back along with several others and that new gray dry-fit flex hat) we headed for Krzyzewskiville. My daughter had the Duke Devil airbrushed on her cheek and we pushed on to the museum. The new trophy case was spectacular . Also the video on the huge screen playing last seasons highlights was fantastic . After taking in the museum we struck out for Wallace Wade. Still tons of construction but WOW! It's going to look amazing when all the work is complete. So Cameron's doors opened and in we went. The student did their various skits and shows, songs and dances, yo yo guy wowed us. Lots of recruits filed out and into the stands behind the bench along with Tatum. Then, it happened. Cameron exploded in sound and light, the hair on my arms stood up. The place went dark. A single spotlight hit banner # 1. Video from the first ship played. Spotlight 2 , video from 2 , spotlight 3 video from 3 and 4 for 4. Then ...spotlight on a blank black banner. The black cover slowly rolled up revealing CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER #5 ! It was awesome! In the darkness, the players had made their way to the court perimeter, spread all the way around. A spotlight landed on each one by one with a thunderous clap as each light fell. Then from each spotlight a lighted cobblestone path appeared from each player leading to center court, they waked down the path and net in the center .....together. It was incredible. So now, my game analysis. First off the bat , Marshall is WAY better this season. He's gonna start. He caught passes well, rebounded well and he took several to the rack and I mean with authority. Matt Jones....starter. Hands down. His defense is golden lock. Played smart all night. Brandon Ingram, not the superstar I was expecting. Lots of poor decisions. But the base is there. Grayson played well. He's strong, nice jumper, great defense. I love Kennard. His ball handling, great, his shot silky smooth. He will be great at Duke. Now, Thornton. I immediately realized how spoiled Tyus made me. I know this was only one game, and not really even a game , but he scares the hell out of me. No control, poor decisions , turnovers galore and virtually no court vision. I seriously don't see him starting unless a lot changes. I know much can change, this is just early observations but we didn't look like a final four contender at all to me last night. But, I trust in K , perhaps the transformation can happen. I still look forward to every second...... GO DUKE !
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Thanks for the posting the video, LetsGoDuke! I loved the play where Grayson hit the floor to secure the ball (his hustle reminded me of his huuuuge play against Wisconsin) and managed to pass the ball up the court. And what a sweet pass he had to Jeter for the dunk.
Wow...did Marshall take it to the rack with authority or what on that vicious dunk! You might could draw a charge on a play that started that far out...but a week in the hospital wouldn't be any fun!
OFC
I left out I think our defense will be incredible this year. Again, Luke's confidence is infectious .
A great report, Show, thanks for posting this! You got to meet with Grant (and a pic!), snagged some great Duke stuff, witness the raising of #5...while having your little girl with you...those are lifetime memories buddy...I'm really happy for you. Oh, and you got to see Skee...he's such a great Duke fan!
To the 'practice'...thanks for all the observations! I'm so glad to hear Marshall may really step it up a notch this season. And Matt...doesn't surprise me at all, he is almost everything you could ask for in a Duke player. Brandon, and Derryck, sorry to hear they didn't play a little better, but they've both got some big adjustments. Brandon is so talented, but the players are so much more physical at this level, and he's going to have to adapt. Derryck, well he got a really late start with finishing school, so that has to play a big part. We're definitely going to need him, and with some more practices, and game time I think he'll come around. Tyus did spoil us, but Derryck has his own path, and hopefully that path will lead us deep into the NCAA's.
It may take awhile, and Duke may take a few lumps early in the season, but there is mucho talent on board, plus some very solid vets back from last season. Oh, and we've got K. This isn't his first rodeo either.
OFC
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A few thoughts.
Tyus was a top5 recruit and he had 3 star athletcism and size. So what made him so special were his out of this world skill and poise. There was no way thornton was gonna match this. He simply is not on kyrie's or tyus's level and probably won't be this year. Again he will still be a great playeron his own merit but will need patience
Thought grayson was prettygood
Marshall looked awesome and I was impressed.
Luke is got a trigger on him!!
Thought CTC in general was slightly ujnderwhelming compared to years past but justme (not including awesome title game sguff)
Tyus was a top5 recruit and he had 3 star athletcism and size. So what made him so special were his out of this world skill and poise. There was no way thornton was gonna match this. He simply is not on kyrie's or tyus's level and probably won't be this year. Again he will still be a great playeron his own merit but will need patience
Thought grayson was prettygood
Marshall looked awesome and I was impressed.
Luke is got a trigger on him!!
Thought CTC in general was slightly ujnderwhelming compared to years past but justme (not including awesome title game sguff)
I wasn't there but watched online....here's my report as I saw it.
Amile and Matt - Natural leaders and great communicators. Amile was aggressive with the ball and looked to score. That's fine, but you could still see he had some holes in his offensive game. As for Matt, he's this team's best defender. Didn't show a ton offensively, but like Amile, he kind of is what he is. He'll play as many minutes as anyone.
Thornton - He looked overwhelmed. But that's ok. I won't be as harsh on him as Show, but I do agree he has a long ways to go....but I think that is to be expected. He has a natural feel to his game from previous times watching him, but that wasn't on display last night. Luckily, it's early.
Plum3 - He looked comfortable and confident. That's good to see from the senior. We're going to need more from him than we've ever asked. I'm probably not as high on him as Show, but he clearly looked improved.
Ingram - I thought he appeared to be deferring a lot last night. Clearly he's very talented. Now it's whether or not all of that talents meshes together. He seemed a little shell-shocked.
Kennard - So natural. I know he's drawn comparisons to J.J., but I saw more Scheyer last night. His feel for the game, situations and what have you are impressive for a freshman. He's going to play major minutes and might be one of our top three scorers.
Grayson - At times he was the freshman Grayson who appeared lost and kind of disappeared. Other times he showed those flashes we saw in April against Wisconsin. Truthfully, I'm not worried about him at all. He'll be this teams #1 or #2 scorer.
Jeter - Has some polish to his game but he's still learning. Liked his footwork one trip, then the next time he kind of looked like he was plodding. He's so young for his class so he's still making those adjustments. He just turned 18.
Obi - Going into last night I didn't know what to expect, but I thought Sean was pretty solid. The big thing we're going to find out is if Duke goes small(er) more often. If they do (because I do think it makes them a better scoring team) then Sean's minutes could be limited.
This team will be a work in progress, and they're nowhere near a finished product. We could have a few head scratchers this season and then the next game look really good. It's going to take patience from fans.
Amile and Matt - Natural leaders and great communicators. Amile was aggressive with the ball and looked to score. That's fine, but you could still see he had some holes in his offensive game. As for Matt, he's this team's best defender. Didn't show a ton offensively, but like Amile, he kind of is what he is. He'll play as many minutes as anyone.
Thornton - He looked overwhelmed. But that's ok. I won't be as harsh on him as Show, but I do agree he has a long ways to go....but I think that is to be expected. He has a natural feel to his game from previous times watching him, but that wasn't on display last night. Luckily, it's early.
Plum3 - He looked comfortable and confident. That's good to see from the senior. We're going to need more from him than we've ever asked. I'm probably not as high on him as Show, but he clearly looked improved.
Ingram - I thought he appeared to be deferring a lot last night. Clearly he's very talented. Now it's whether or not all of that talents meshes together. He seemed a little shell-shocked.
Kennard - So natural. I know he's drawn comparisons to J.J., but I saw more Scheyer last night. His feel for the game, situations and what have you are impressive for a freshman. He's going to play major minutes and might be one of our top three scorers.
Grayson - At times he was the freshman Grayson who appeared lost and kind of disappeared. Other times he showed those flashes we saw in April against Wisconsin. Truthfully, I'm not worried about him at all. He'll be this teams #1 or #2 scorer.
Jeter - Has some polish to his game but he's still learning. Liked his footwork one trip, then the next time he kind of looked like he was plodding. He's so young for his class so he's still making those adjustments. He just turned 18.
Obi - Going into last night I didn't know what to expect, but I thought Sean was pretty solid. The big thing we're going to find out is if Duke goes small(er) more often. If they do (because I do think it makes them a better scoring team) then Sean's minutes could be limited.
This team will be a work in progress, and they're nowhere near a finished product. We could have a few head scratchers this season and then the next game look really good. It's going to take patience from fans.
Thanks DJ, and Crazyduke for your observations. I didn't get to watch it, and I haven't had a chance to watch a replay yet so I'm enjoying all the info.
Again, it's so early to tell just yet. The thing that I have real hope in is what Show mentioned (about having a great defense this year). We've got some great individual defenders, and if our team defense comes together then this club will have an opportunity to take a little more time to develop on the offensive side. Last year our offense carried us, until late in the season (and tourney) when the defense finally started clicking. Maybe this year it will be the reverse. It's going to be fun to watch this team come together, and hopefully make a good run.
OFC
Again, it's so early to tell just yet. The thing that I have real hope in is what Show mentioned (about having a great defense this year). We've got some great individual defenders, and if our team defense comes together then this club will have an opportunity to take a little more time to develop on the offensive side. Last year our offense carried us, until late in the season (and tourney) when the defense finally started clicking. Maybe this year it will be the reverse. It's going to be fun to watch this team come together, and hopefully make a good run.
OFC
I didn't mean to sound so harsh on Derryck, but I only told the truth. If any of you thought he played well last night then you're just a Duke fan with no real in you. Now all of you know me here and I won't tolerate berating a Duke player here. I'm not doing that at all and I hoped I made it clear that these observations I made were simply of a little team scrimmage . Hell each player will play different in a real game and I completely understand that. I just gave you what I saw last night. I'm always of the opinion that the real team look shows up when conference play starts. By then I'm sure there will be a lot of changes from what we saw last night. But last night, to me was pretty raw, especially at the Pg position.
Thanks for the reports!!! Was hoping we would look better but will just have to trust in K. Sounds like my expectations for DT were much to high. Lotta talent there, just need to buy in and we will compete. Can't wait to for see myself. GO DUKE
Show thank you the great report. Dirt's right, what a great memory bank you'll have with your daughter and isn't that what good times are all about to a parent.
We had a team last season that was great right out of the gate with three great freshman and a senior guard who shot the lights out all season. They surprised most of us with how great they immediately played and Okafor and Jones had only 2 or 3 less than perfect games all season and had championship built into their genes.
This team scares me because of the uncertainty and you know what? I felt that last year in the beginning also and thats normal. We need to have realistic expectations because of the unknown and living up to the hype. I don't think its realistic for any of us to expect excellence with this squad, not yet anyway but it will come because we have a pretty decent coach. We are so young and don't have Quinn Cook for his stability and leadership but we do have great recruits. I know its going to be a fun season for all of us. I'm hyped to hear that Plum will be better this year and look forward to his thunder dunks.
We had a team last season that was great right out of the gate with three great freshman and a senior guard who shot the lights out all season. They surprised most of us with how great they immediately played and Okafor and Jones had only 2 or 3 less than perfect games all season and had championship built into their genes.
This team scares me because of the uncertainty and you know what? I felt that last year in the beginning also and thats normal. We need to have realistic expectations because of the unknown and living up to the hype. I don't think its realistic for any of us to expect excellence with this squad, not yet anyway but it will come because we have a pretty decent coach
. We are so young and don't have Quinn Cook for his stability and leadership but we do have great recruits. I know its going to be a fun season for all of us. I'm hyped to hear that Plum will be better this year and look forward to his thunder dunks.
I have to disagree about Thornton. I don't think he's the BMOC yet. He's not Kyrie, he's not Tyus, he's not even a freshman Duhon yet. I think Thornton is still the guy we need at point. He's the only natural PG we have on the team.
He looked a bit jittery, but at the same time, he has something a lot of tweener guards lack. He knows his teammates. He knows where to put passes for guys and he knows how to set up a score. I was very impressed with that. The passing accuracy, the confidence, all of that in time will come around. I think from a coaches standpoint, he does a lot of "unteachables" well. He is the type of guy we see last night and think "oh we're in trouble" and then come out blazing when the season starts. Only time will tell, but I think in a controlled atmosphere, we'll see what Derryck truly has to offer. And when the leash comes off, I think it'll be fun.
Who were the 3 or 4 guys that went over and stood with the crazies? Im not into recruiting enough to know faces, just names.
Thanks for the reports, guys!
A couple questions/comments:
*Thornton is behind chemistry-wise w/ his teammates right now at least in part b/c he couldn't be there until the Fall semester started.
*What recruits were there again? I missed the full list.
*When Obi plays, is it going to include the default 5, the 4 beside a 5, or some of each? Something about dukiejay's report made it sound like the team set may be a factor in his PT, like in and of itself, his skill set isn't going to guarantee PT.
*Top 7, in no particular order? Luke, Grayson, Matt, Amile, Brandon, Marshall... and? Is it going to be Derryck, even if he wasn't great last night?
A couple questions/comments:
*Thornton is behind chemistry-wise w/ his teammates right now at least in part b/c he couldn't be there until the Fall semester started.
*What recruits were there again? I missed the full list.
*When Obi plays, is it going to include the default 5, the 4 beside a 5, or some of each? Something about dukiejay's report made it sound like the team set may be a factor in his PT, like in and of itself, his skill set isn't going to guarantee PT.
*Top 7, in no particular order? Luke, Grayson, Matt, Amile, Brandon, Marshall... and? Is it going to be Derryck, even if he wasn't great last night?
I think Tre Jones, Gary Trent Jr., Wendell Carter, as well as Tatum and DeLaurier were all over there.
1) I'm not too worried about Thornton. He's going to be fine. But he has a lot of work to do.
2) A lot of local kids, but the big names were Tre Jones, Trent Jr, and Carter....along with commits Tatum and DeLaurier.
3) I do believe the team set will be a factor in how much Obi plays. Marshall and Amile will get minutes for sure, and I feel like Jeter will as well. Also, I think our best scoring lineup will at times include Ingram playing the 4, meaning minutes will be lighter at the traditional 4/5 spots, if that makes sense.
4) Thornton is certainly in that top seven. No question about it.
my rank, top to bottom last night, Grayson, Matt , Luke, Marshall, Amile, Brandon, Derryck, Jeter, Obi, Vrank, Robinson. That's not my ranking for the season, that's how I rank their play last night. Now in Thorntons defense, he had to face Matts defense. That's tough. Grayson and Matt actually had a little altercation and jawing session due to Matts intense defense. Matt had'em all on lockdown.
Now that CTC has come and gone...I'm so ready for the season to start but it's gonna be a long 2-3 weeks waiting for the season to get here.
I think Thornton should be and will be the starting point guard in most games. Of course there will probably be points during the season where he doesn't start but I think for the most part he will be the guy. I'm hoping that was a good learning experience for him. I'm sure he was hyped up and ready to show the fans what he can do and then laid an egg. Sometimes being humbled like that can be helpful. He'll definitely have an adjustment period as will Brandon.
Derryck actually made some nice plays. He had one drive and dish early on that Chase had butterfingers on and it ended up in a turnover, it should have been a layup but Chase wasn't ready for it. He had a nice drive and floater in the lane, another nice drive and dish to Amile. He actually finished with 6 assists. There were definitely flashes of real talent there. Tyus was so steady and rarely made mistakes so even in the games where he wasn't producing much (and there were plenty) he wasn't throwing away possessions. However, he too had a learning curve on defense.
Derryck actually made some nice plays. He had one drive and dish early on that Chase had butterfingers on and it ended up in a turnover, it should have been a layup but Chase wasn't ready for it. He had a nice drive and floater in the lane, another nice drive and dish to Amile. He actually finished with 6 assists. There were definitely flashes of real talent there. Tyus was so steady and rarely made mistakes so even in the games where he wasn't producing much (and there were plenty) he wasn't throwing away possessions. However, he too had a learning curve on defense.
Chase Jeter has a lot of growing to do. Seemed to be out of place a lot, have butterfingers, and foul a lot. Overall, not my favorite C2C, but I still enjoyed it. The new banner topped it all and seeing highlights of the championship game inside Cameron was pretty exciting.
Being a diehard from WI I would just say to everyone who had the chance to make the event to not take such an event for granted. The opportunity to see that banner unveiled is some priceless stuff!!! I got to see the banner earned and would loved to been there last night as well! We as Duke fans CANNOT let our expectations become unpractical.... That sets up for disappointment.... Not the enjoyable fun we all live for!!! We are in the GOOD times..... And I'm gonna enjoy every last second!!!!
Go Duke
Go Duke
I attended as well last night, and I think most of what everyone says is pretty accurate. The comment on Ingram looking almost deferential is a good one. He is still learning how to be "the man." He has got a clear smoothness to his game, and when he figures it out, watch out. He will be a match-up problem for almost everyone. I know my heart skipped a beat on one of his first drives, when he was undercut a little and fell on what seemed to be his tailbone. There isn't a lot of meat on those bones to break that fall! Luckily, he got right up.
Thornton did look a little erratic at times, but not so much that I am particularly concerned. His game seems to really involved quickness and explosiveness, and there will be some turnovers, especially early in the year, as he adjusts to college-level defenses. In fact, he was guarded consistently last night by a guy who will be as good as almost any defender he sees this season. His skillset, and that quickness with the ball, will translate to this level.
Thornton did look a little erratic at times, but not so much that I am particularly concerned. His game seems to really involved quickness and explosiveness, and there will be some turnovers, especially early in the year, as he adjusts to college-level defenses. In fact, he was guarded consistently last night by a guy who will be as good as almost any defender he sees this season. His skillset, and that quickness with the ball, will translate to this level.
I'm kinda thinking K had somewhat of a plan putting Matt on Thornton both sessions. Bet Thornton looks a lot better if Matt is on his side.
Was hoping all along that Luke would surprise us a bit-just like Scheyer did his first year. Hope that holds true. Am really hoping that Luke is aslightly bigger, stronger Scheyer.
Great to hear that Marshal looked distinctly better on the offensive end. Any significant improvement by Marshal on the offensive end bodes very well for Duke and really takes a ton of pressure off of the freshman.
Was hoping all along that Luke would surprise us a bit-just like Scheyer did his first year. Hope that holds true. Am really hoping that Luke is aslightly bigger, stronger Scheyer.
Great to hear that Marshal looked distinctly better on the offensive end. Any significant improvement by Marshal on the offensive end bodes very well for Duke and really takes a ton of pressure off of the freshman.
We got a good team fellows better than 13-14 I believe but I think we will take a few tough losses.
I think datt is sppot on about Derryck getting here late having effect.
I don't believe effort will be lacking this year
I think datt is sppot on about Derryck getting here late having effect.
I don't believe effort will be lacking this year
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