That's all I'm saying Lift. Give this young man time. He's going to have Flip moments when our competition will knock him on his ass. My prayer is we do the same to the other team, and protect him from that being a constant. I got tired our team helping Flip off the floor. However, I understand Flip didn't have the weight, and he played out of position.
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I'm praying you are right. By game 10 or 12 we should have an idea what things will look like for Flagg. I will give it some time and hope he carry the team in some areas.
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A 5 Star is getting tremendous 'hype' as a HS player. That does not mean the next team will give you that hype, nor will you be able to transition your game in one year.
I hope one of Duke's transfers are as tough and smart as Cam Spencer was.
Somehow I think having 2 straight titles trumps that.
Very much agree, but it remains a fact. OFC
Really don’t think you worry about chemistry or in all honesty Harris probably would have asked out of his LOI. I do think this team is special and Jon and staff have no choice but to go deeper than normal .
It was closed then alot think between Duke and UCONN .
I went and checked, and overall it looks like we did. Then I looked at the tournament games. Of the four games, the only game where more than seven played double digit minutes was the opener against Radford.
I remember them sending in Chappell, Burgess, Battier, Avery etc in waves. It was great. Teams were demoralized.
That 98 team was special. If Brand doesn't miss half the season we probably get by Kentucky and hang a banner. He came back but wasn't 100%
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That’s a little bit of revisionist history. We didn’t lose that game bc of Brand’s injury. We mismanaged that game. Still can’t watch that game.
I've tried watching the 99 title game again but I can't make it past the first half.
That’s the top game on my list of games I’ll never watch again. If I remember correctly that ‘98 game and the ‘99 final four were both at Tropicana field. House of horrors.
I think the 98 team was good, but as much as I hate to admit it, the holes were the best team that season. They were freaking loaded, and took 2 of 3 from us. In my opinion, Avery and Battier weren’t quite there yet.
The holes have had their fair share of choke jobs too, and 98 was one of several for them.
98 team didn't have any rhythm. The wins tell you one narrative, but internally the team was still trying to figure it out. Ricky Price got buried on the bench. Elton Brand got hurt. Wojo and Roshown were the leaders, and did a decent job. Trajan was getting his groove back. Nate redshirted. Chris and Mike were trying to understand their roles. The team was deep. It just wasn't fluid.
One of my favorite "choke jobs" by "holes" was '77. Cheaters vs Marquette for the national title. Marquette, coached by Al McGuire(his final year),jumped out to a comfortable halftime margin. Ultimately UNC predictably went on a run.
The game was in the Atlanta Omni(practically a UNC HOME GAME), and the holes finally got the lead. Dean shocked everyone by going to four corners with about ten minutes to go, and only a small lead. McGuire only kept enough pressure on 'em to avoid a technical ( you had to attack back then if other team held ball.)
The legendary coach explained later Carolina had his team on the ropes, worn down and on verge of getting blown out. "Their sweat dried," McGuire
said of UNC, and Marquette welcomed the respite.
Led by Butch Lee and Bo Ellis, Marquette got their "mojo" back and beat UNC decisively. They forced UNC into turnovers, and had a helluva run to close it out.
School was like a morgue next day for Cheats fans, and I couldn't stop smiling!!!!
OFC
It may be wishful thinking, but I remember us just rolling teams before Brand got hurt in 98. But it was a long time ago ha. It was a different time. No way Brand comes back for year two today. I do think Battier would have stayed for 2 years at least; he didn't look like a pro his first year. His game didn't come together until he started hitting 3's consistently.
Looks like from Duke site with 2024-2025 Jersey Numbers Hubbard, Borden & Begovich will be back as walkons. I thought Hubbard and Begovich were done after last season. Glad they are back, got to give walkons love too.
Not that Hubbard needs the scholarship. He is a legacy--if you count being a member of the Duke family a legacy.
247 Sports projects Duke to win the ACC and says we have all the pieces to hunt a banner. They think the key is Foster and Proctor taking the next step and think our transfers are perfect role players. They project the starters to be Maluach, Cooper, Sion, Proctor and Foster. UNC is second, Miami third, and Louisville 4th.
I like that Hubbard is back. He is a quick small guard who can push our guys in practice.
I like that Hubbard is back. He is a quick small guard who can push our guys in practice.
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I see they have Flagg at PF, with Sion starting at SF, pushing Maliq to the bench.
While several here have mentioned Sion as a starter, not many want Flagg playing PF.
We have options. We could always put Brown in instead of Sion and go big. People seem to be high on Sion from what I've read. Toughness and experience and talent is a good trio of traits. And Brown was just a sophomore last year, so he could improve a lot. And Gillis should be a steadying hand. I really do like that the non Cooper frosh can be brought along slowly. As others have said the only thing stopping this team is chemistry. I see a potential for a dominant team if the freshman are impact guys. I did notice that the early top 5 teams ahead of us have more guys back, so some are taking a wait and see approach to all our new pieces.
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Me personally I would prefer Brown start over James. One it would keep Flagg at his natural position and two it would give Duke more bench rotation at the guard spot.
If Sion starts over Brown I will be surprised because Flagg is not interested in playing alot of minutes at pf and I don’t know why you bring Brown in with Gillis this season . That still leaves you four sg/sf coming off the bench with a true pf and a true center .
If Sion IS a starter I would rather have him at sg in the backcourt with Proctor to play two way ball. Brown being a junior I see it a hard sell with Flagg at Duke and so many small forwards telling him he’s the only pf but we’re gonna bring you off the bench .
If Sion IS a starter I would rather have him at sg in the backcourt with Proctor to play two way ball. Brown being a junior I see it a hard sell with Flagg at Duke and so many small forwards telling him he’s the only pf but we’re gonna bring you off the bench .
We do all of this talk about positions and who should play where, but Jon will most likely play the 5 best players the most minutes. I think we can 100% play Flagg at the 4 and get away with it provided Maluach can rebound and be physical. Flagg isn’t an elite 3 point shooter yet, so IMO we’re better off with him at the 4 than the 3. You gotta be able to hit open 3’s in today’s game.
I think Sion is a gem, and like him in the starting lineup with Proctor, Foster, Flagg, and Maluach.
I think Sion is a gem, and like him in the starting lineup with Proctor, Foster, Flagg, and Maluach.
Besides James could possibly be the two guard at least beginning of year. Caleb's injury has set him back.
OFC
I agree with this. We still don't know how quickly Foster returns. If he misses all summer, that could really hinder his sophomore jump. If he's back now, that would be different. Mitchell missed time last spring/summer and it seemed to affect his game.
I get you point, but Flagg as a Sf/Wf is not just about him knocking down the 3pt shot. He is a mismatch at his size. This is similar to how Duke used Mitchell at the wing. Right now Flagg is too thin to bang with some college player. The transition needs to be smooth. Also, we're counting on another freshman to protect him. Let's not do that. Start Brown at the 4 and let things ride.
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Proctor, James, Cooper, Brown and Mal could work. But spacing could be an issue.
That group would be a menace defensively, literally 4 dogs on defense (Mal to be determined.) But shooting would be a big issue IMO.
Other than Flagg and Proctor, I just don't see how any of us can say who ought to play where. We don't know how good our freshmen are, and we really don't know how good our transfers are. It seems like three really solid older guys have been added, and they all look physical.
The one thing we all should be able to agree on is that on paper, Jon has some really nice options to choose from, and it appears to be a lot of them.
The one thing we all should be able to agree on is that on paper, Jon has some really nice options to choose from, and it appears to be a lot of them.
I think it’s going to be about who is the top 8 players and not who starts. Jon gets to play chess with the talent he has. It will be interesting to see the decisions he makes with game by game matchups and during game decisions.
Mal, Flagg, Proctor and Foster can shoot the three. Then you have Evans, Foster, Knup and Harris with Sion who can shoot the three. I don’t need them hitting 15 three’s a game I simply need them hitting them when they are open or sagged off of . Flagg will do more damage from the SF spot . There is a reason Mitchell and Power left . Both want to play at sf . Flagg coming would have put Mitchell back at the four or coming off the bench and the same for Power . Stewart left soon as Brown signed and was said to have wanted out before he committed. That’s just giving you of an idea of where players are gonna play .
In the real world the odds are that some of the frosh will need a year and one or two of the transfers won't be the hoped-for fit. But with all this talent, all that means is that getting down to a rotation of 8 or 9 without chemistry problems may not be a big deal.
There's an abundance of rotation options. And few, if any, big question marks. Some question marks, for sure, but no huge ones.
Compare with UNC. Should be tough, but.... If a returning player or 2 don't improve a good bit, if at least one freshman isn't a star, if either transfer doesn't make the transition, UNC is in trouble. Whereas if several Duke players disappoint, the cupboard is still pretty full.
It's a nice position to be in. Pressure on Jon, though, to mesh the pieces.
There's an abundance of rotation options. And few, if any, big question marks. Some question marks, for sure, but no huge ones.
Compare with UNC. Should be tough, but.... If a returning player or 2 don't improve a good bit, if at least one freshman isn't a star, if either transfer doesn't make the transition, UNC is in trouble. Whereas if several Duke players disappoint, the cupboard is still pretty full.
It's a nice position to be in. Pressure on Jon, though, to mesh the pieces.
How this roster is utilized by the coaching staff will tell a lot . I simply think there is too much front court size to go with a three guard line up .
