If true, this is not a good look.
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...pave_semi_ojeleye_s_path_to_home_with_celtics
http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/...pave_semi_ojeleye_s_path_to_home_with_celtics
Semi & Duke
- Thread starter BlueDevilWildcat
- Start date
Interesting,but as in all "he said,she said"cases it's only one side of the story
Part of it seems strange. Like K jumping out of his chair and yelling while the mom kneels at his feet. I agree there are two sides to the story, hope the Duke staff addresses their side because this will get coverage.
But it won't shock me if this version of events is directionally accurate.
Not a good look? For who? These exchanges happen on every team in every sport from 4 year olds up to the pros. Parents get upset and emotional when they don't think their kid is getting enough PT, playing the right position, or being used properly. No one believes that Semi's parents were being perfectly diplomatic and Coach K was belittling them or whatever. Coach K thought he knew what was best for the team and Semi's parents thought they knew what was best for Semi. Big whoop.
Really? This seems like the exact opposite of a big deal to me. Why even give it more attention if you are Duke? The last thing you want to do is act defensive and turn this into a he-said-she-said contest.
There is no chance you hear anything more from Duke than the brief statement in the article, nor should you. It will get very minor coverage because it is Duke and K and some will latch on to the picture one side painted (like you as a UK fan for example). I'm not even a little worried about it.
I was very excited when we landed Semi. He was a big strong athletic kid, at the time he committed, we didn't usually land "big-strong-athletes." There is no question he would have been great for us had he stuck it out, but guess what, the brief minutes he actually got in a Duke uniform, he was terrible.
I literally remember a game early in the season (we were up like 40), Semi came in, and you could tell he was totally lost. All he did was stand at the 3 point line and chuck up terrible three's.
Something crazy... I believe he averaged over 50 points a game in High School, that's insane. Granted he played his high- school basketball in Kansas, so he was probably dunking on high-schoolers who have the same athleticism as most people on this board. I bet he would have been better prepared for ACC basketball had he not played his high-school ball in rural Kansas, food for thought.
I literally remember a game early in the season (we were up like 40), Semi came in, and you could tell he was totally lost. All he did was stand at the 3 point line and chuck up terrible three's.
Something crazy... I believe he averaged over 50 points a game in High School, that's insane. Granted he played his high- school basketball in Kansas, so he was probably dunking on high-schoolers who have the same athleticism as most people on this board. I bet he would have been better prepared for ACC basketball had he not played his high-school ball in rural Kansas, food for thought.
There is literally zero to gain by acknowledging this. I wouldn’t give it the time of day. I’m sure the idiots at RR and THR will enjoy it and make up their own stories and pass them off as facts like they usually do. Kid left a year and a half in, missed out on a national championship and a junior year where he would have had all the minutes he could handle. He left and a space opened up and probably helped us get Brandon. Is what it is.
I understand and can relate to that. It only applies in situations where being called out can actually harm you, though. You can let little stuff slide. For K, this is pretty little stuff.
K can't win in a situation like this. If he responds, then he'll get accused of calling Semi's parents liars, or worse. Whatever happened...it was an emotional time, and that doesn't usually equate to a logical conclusion.
And to all Heel fans, I remember a certain coach that devoted space in his book to call a recruit a liar. No matter what happened with Semi, and his parents, you can bet that K won't be writing a book about it.
OFC
And to all Heel fans, I remember a certain coach that devoted space in his book to call a recruit a liar. No matter what happened with Semi, and his parents, you can bet that K won't be writing a book about it.
OFC
OK,OK...I rescind my comment!............this time
Jon Jackson, Duke's public relations director, already made a statement. That's all that will be coming from Duke.
Nolan Smith, Quin Cook, and others waited their turn even when they felt they should be playing ahead of someone else. Semi chose not to. He wasn't going to play ahead of Winslow and he didn't want to wait his turn. End of story.
Nolan Smith, Quin Cook, and others waited their turn even when they felt they should be playing ahead of someone else. Semi chose not to. He wasn't going to play ahead of Winslow and he didn't want to wait his turn. End of story.
K will "address" it in a very roundabout way. Only not really. But really. He'll never refer to Semi by name. It will be some passive aggressive statement along the lines of "running your own race," "roster turnover," "player development" etc. He'll never name names, or even directly respond to a question. On its surface, K will sound sad that the situation devolved the way it did, whatever way that was.
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But the clear Takeaway will be this: K's turned out far better players since Semi (career journeyman, out of the NBA in 5 years, tops) and had tons of team success. As such, the obvious implication will be that Semi couldn't hack it and wouldn't listen to coaches or take their advice.
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When this is done, K will look like a guy who did the best he could (though not perfectly) with a malcontent who was delusional about his own abilities.
Great memory Dirt!!!! Roy threw more gas on the fire and it did him no good:
http://blog.mlive.com/its-just-sports/2009/11/north_carolina_coach_roy_willi.html
OFC
There wasn't anything wrong with your opinion, Canadian. It depends on personality as to how a person responds. K just isn't the kind to air dirty laundry. A coach with a more aggressive personality may respond differently.
OFC
2016 w/ him and grayson and Ingram wouldve been nice, but then the woulda coulda shoulda comes in to play....grayson doesnt have the great season he had...mp3 doesnt have the strong senior year finish...amile never gets hurt and the 2017 crew doesnt get his leadership and he never wins the ACC Tourney..end of the day, it all happens how it happens imo
This really is not much of a story. K is one of the best ever, but no Duke fan should be surprised if this was true. He is smart, a good motivator and a good teacher. Let's not forget though he's military, and learned under Bobby Knight.
He curses like a sailor, is hard headed, and has a temper 8 miles wide. An old school coach still in the game into his 70's.
It is what it is. He makes millions yearly, and one of the costs to be in the position he is in. If this is about all the negative attention he gets after 38 years at Duke, I can live with it.
He curses like a sailor, is hard headed, and has a temper 8 miles wide. An old school coach still in the game into his 70's.
It is what it is. He makes millions yearly, and one of the costs to be in the position he is in. If this is about all the negative attention he gets after 38 years at Duke, I can live with it.
K is the greatest ever I feel, but none of these coaches walk on water. I can visualize the scenario playing out pretty much as described in the story. However K and Duke officials are right to leave it alone. The past is the past, and K's virtues far outweigh his negatives.
OFC
unc nation has a way of forgetting things like that. Most of them will say they don't remember anything like that. OFC
Sounds like a bitter mom and dad to me. I used to youth baseball. I was an assistant coach when my son played. We had to play everyone on the team and that was understood. Not all players got the same amount of p.t. I truly believe that some of the kids didn't want to play but still the same there were kids that didn't work hard also. Some of them goofed off and we had one kid who was playing left field who fielded a ground ball and turned and threw it over the 3rd base foul fence. I know he did it deliberately and I think his dad put him up to it. He quit right after that. know his dad well and it was par for the course for him to do that. I'm not trying to compare Semi's and his parent situation to what I experienced other than a lot of parents just need to be supportive. Semi did what he thought he needed to do. I thought he got sufficient pt. It seems to me he wanted to play the 3 position but while at Duke he didn't have the skills. I also remember his mixed tape that was all over this board while we were recruiting him and all I remember was dunks. Maybe if he had worked on his outside jump shot before he came to Duke perhaps the pt would have been there for him. Kids know the situation when they come to Duke and I hope he has a solid NBA career. And by the way even though my son played he batted down in the lower part of the lineup but played 2nd or 3rd base because he had the best glove on the team. OFC
An NBA level talent who rarely saw any time is my take away. The underpinning factors of why that was the case we dont know but some where something went awry either during the recruiting phase or when he was at Duke. The dots just dont connect.
He sat out practically a year. I remember Larry Browns interview prior to Semi being able to play.
He clearly stated they laid out a plan for Semi to work on his shot and his defense during his time off. The following article I think stated how Semi was able to develops his game in the time he had off and refine it.
K don’t need to respond to this. There is no reason to.
It’s not like Semi went to a power conference and although he put up good numbers at SMU and it helped him get noticed they should just be glad and move on
He clearly stated they laid out a plan for Semi to work on his shot and his defense during his time off. The following article I think stated how Semi was able to develops his game in the time he had off and refine it.
K don’t need to respond to this. There is no reason to.
It’s not like Semi went to a power conference and although he put up good numbers at SMU and it helped him get noticed they should just be glad and move on
He was never an "NBA Level talent" though during his time at Duke. He was a 4 star recruit, rated in the range of #30 to #50 depending on the site. He came in as a physcial freak who needed to develop a jumpshot and ballhandling skills in order to have any sort of NBA chance. I would say him and Javin would be a fair "this is how good these guys were coming into Duke" comparison.
Semi (along with many others, Javin included) should have redshirted. He was a "project" with VERY high-upside. I'm not too sure why we aren't redshirting anyone, but Semi would have fit the bill. K isn't gonna throw a "project" onto the court until he is developed, Semi didn't develop fast enough for K's liking.
Parents bitter and bitching about playing time. WGAF! Your son was lazy when he was at Duke and his teammates knew it too. Get over it!
This involves sort of a disconnect. There are a lot of very gifted players for whom it would be in their best interests for the coach to tailor a scheme around that player, and to let that player just go crazy. By really letting a player dominate the ball, play through every mistake, and just keep shooting, that player would max out his abilities. If a player had a very high ceiling, as did Semi, that player would likely turn into an NBA level player.
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Of course, the team will miss the NCAAT for a few years if such a strategy were employed.
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In the OAD era, what is good for the team and what is good for a individual player can be wildly different. Diametrically opposed, actually. If colleges know they have every player for 3 years, they can afford to develop raw players via actual game PT. They'd be stupid not to do it actually. But in a OAD era, good teams just can't afford to slowly develop players and win consistently.
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UNC did it by retaining highly ranked players for 3+ years. Several of them. Nova did it by having multiple players outperform their HS rankings and stay in college. Great strategies, but ultimately hard to sustain.
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Semi's parents wanted K to feature Semi as a perimeter player. His year off in Texas helped iron out the weaknesses that he needed to address to play such a role. But, ultimately, this is a kid with the body to play as a small ball big man, but who lacks the toughness and will to do so.
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His parents need to look in the mirror. Instead of letting him feast vs overmatched kids at a tiny Kansas HS, they could have enrolled him at any number of top tier HS whose coaches would have greatly improved his game. They opted for a school that would let him operate without restrictions, and they should have chosen a school that would do the same.
Also, I have a hard time seeing K disrespecting a woman loud enough to make her drop to her knee’s and cry. Especially with her grown son in the room.
Where I’m from, hall of fame coach or not that would constitute one h3// of an @$$ whipping!
Where I’m from, hall of fame coach or not that would constitute one h3// of an @$$ whipping!
LOL, sounds slike baloney to me. Parents setting up meetings with coaches to talk about PT or anything like that is so pretentious. Who are you to demand to speak with the coach about your precious child? AFAIK, Coach K has never promised anything to a recruit, so why are these people always surprised when they don't get PT if they don't put the work in. I hate this entitled mindset some folks have, put in the work or see you on the other side. Non issue for me, the statement that was given is all that needs to be said.
Sooooo was this an article on Semi's journey or was it about trying to blast the Duke program?
This all apparently happened during early December of the 2015 season?? Yeah, I’m not gonna question K’s actions, he had a pretty solid coaching year.
Not sure the best way to say this but Semi’s family seems like a pain in the ass. Just from some of the quotes from his mom, dad, and brother, I could see the whole staff getting frustrated with the family. On the other hand, Semi seems to want this to go away and for his family to shut up.
Maybe they should’ve added to his name :
Jesusemilore Talodabijesu Ojeleye - means Jesus gift to me. Should’ve added “cant start at Duke.”
People conveniently forget he came in knowing that Jabari and Rodney Hood were here and were inked in as permanent ink as you can buy into the starting lineup. They both played his position.
The idea of him potentially redshirting was actually floated by them but was quickly dismissed. His first year he looked painfully out of place, and with us lacking a big man if used that athletic build to get dirty downlow and help out on the boards rather than just hang out around the perimeter and shoot 3s he may have carved out a niche. I mean hell Josh Hairston was also his competition.
Year two, he apparently had a nice summer. The first few official preseason practices word starts getting out about how great Justise is playing. He’s earnin his starting spot (obviously hindsight) you can argue it was never in doubt, but with Amile, Jah Tyus and Quinn four starters were locked in. Matt was also having a great summer AND don’t forget Sheed was still there coming off a hit or miss Soph year. I didn’t even name Grayson.
So who was he going to beat out? His “run your own race” time would come his Junior year. All the minutes he could have. He didn’t see that and decided to bolt. He can blame K, himself, his parents or most likely he just blamed the log jam in front of him. Notice he didn’t transfer to a Blue blood as his parents tried to make out in the article that SMU just laid out the best plan for him and that’s wby he chose them. Don’t forget he sat out more than a year and didn’t they go on probation causing them to lose post season eligibility? Or did i make that up?
The idea of him potentially redshirting was actually floated by them but was quickly dismissed. His first year he looked painfully out of place, and with us lacking a big man if used that athletic build to get dirty downlow and help out on the boards rather than just hang out around the perimeter and shoot 3s he may have carved out a niche. I mean hell Josh Hairston was also his competition.
Year two, he apparently had a nice summer. The first few official preseason practices word starts getting out about how great Justise is playing. He’s earnin his starting spot (obviously hindsight) you can argue it was never in doubt, but with Amile, Jah Tyus and Quinn four starters were locked in. Matt was also having a great summer AND don’t forget Sheed was still there coming off a hit or miss Soph year. I didn’t even name Grayson.
So who was he going to beat out? His “run your own race” time would come his Junior year. All the minutes he could have. He didn’t see that and decided to bolt. He can blame K, himself, his parents or most likely he just blamed the log jam in front of him. Notice he didn’t transfer to a Blue blood as his parents tried to make out in the article that SMU just laid out the best plan for him and that’s wby he chose them. Don’t forget he sat out more than a year and didn’t they go on probation causing them to lose post season eligibility? Or did i make that up?
Semi didn’t have a problem. He had nice things to say about Duke. He just felt he would be more of a vocal point someone else. It was moreso his parents feeling disrespected by the coaching staff.
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