It could be. Yes, Flip may be an anomaly. But we also got 2 other 5 stars back in Mitchell and Proctor. Flip is our first leading scorer to return since Grayson. And also our leading rebounder. Losing Keels made me lose a little faith, but it appears Jon's plan is working. Even if next years team loses in the sweet 16; I will consider the season a great success. Continuity is essential for long term success. And for me personally it will be much more satisfying to watch. Yes it's nice watching a team come together, but seeing the same mistakes early season year after year was frustrating for me. Perhaps NIL and Jon's more laid back approach will cause more to stay for 2 or 3 years. K was the GOAT but he was pretty hard on players. I love what Jon is building, and if he can keep the bench guys and add a center transfer we really may be on to something. I am very excited about next year. Nothing is guaranteed but we should be back in the top 10 like we are used to. Agree or disagree that things are changing at Duke?
Shifting winds at Duke?
- Thread starter christophero
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In the middle right now . But I like that Flip came back and is not worried about his draft stock . Team still has to gel and you still need role players to return as well. All in all headed in a good direction.
Hard to say. I am still cautiously optimistic but it could be an anomaly of just the right set of circumstances but I hope you are right. Next year is going to be fun. Please give me Roach back. You got a team on a mission then. Remember in 2000, lost to Florida in Jay Will freshman year but many came back on a mission? Won it all the next year? Feels like that.
And we won in 2001 because those guys were thrown into the fire and came back. Feels similar.
We knew Coach S was going to take a different approach to the off-season than K. Coach K was the successful old dog that didn't need any new tricks. Coach S knew the process was changing and has been prepared as such. Not saying we get guys like Flip back every year but I think there is very much a solid plan in place for those mid-tier guys.
GO DUKE!
GO DUKE!
This is where guys like Blake, Schutt, Reeves, TJ and Stewart matter the most. They must push that first unit and be ready at any given time!
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I haven't been this excited about a returning player since Kyle Singler.
Sweet 16 would be a failure. We’re a top 3 team in the country next year with flip Mitchell and proctor. And then with what we’re getting? Also , if I’m reading it correctly, we really SHOULD get roach back. It didn’t seem like he wanted to play anywhere else other than Duke and honestly he’s just not an nba guy..
I wouldnt be thrilled with sweet 16. But my point is I'd rather watch an experienced team even with that result.
We are 11 months until the tournament next year and predicting the exact result of a single elimination tournament is crazy talk. In my opinion next season is a title or bust season, considering what we are returning and who we have coming in. We are Duke, we are used to being the favorites and next year appears to be that again.
The target will be on our backs next season, I’m already excited to see how we respond when getting punched in the mouth. (Not actually punched, unless it’s against Tennessee)
The target will be on our backs next season, I’m already excited to see how we respond when getting punched in the mouth. (Not actually punched, unless it’s against Tennessee)
I really do just feel like the culture is changing. Even coach Lucas said a few weeks ago on Twitter that Duke should start expecting more sophomores in the future. I’m sure duke having a gm for the nils doesn’t hurt either.
Not title or bust yet. Need Roach for that IMO. The Final Four last year and even in games this year, including UM in the ACC Title game, even UT, he has hit some big shots to win or keep us in it. He is clutch tested. Cant really say that for anyone else coming back. As it stands right now, up by 1 or down by 1, I don't know who we are going to. Foster and McCain are unproven. I badly want Roach for that reason.
I guess I meant we will be one of the favorites going into the season. And I feel like that is the case without Roach, provided we add a transfer C to start. Get Roach back and we won’t be starting a single freshman. I really like McCain and his shooting off the bench would be something Duke hasn’t seen in a long time.
K had 15-18 teams (depending how you feel about some) that were one of the top 2 or 3 teams going into the season. And he got only 2 titles out of it IMO..1992 & 2001. Let’s hope Jon has a better success rate because this will be his first one.
We are definitely in the conversation as one of 5 or 6 teams with a decent chance of cutting the nets down with Flip back. We are a contender with both talent and experience, which is all you can hope for going into a season. These guys are what we used to describe as super sophs, freshman who started an entire season so they are pretty seasoned by year 2. If we get Roach back and a senior big man we will be very experienced. Even one of those and we are good to go. I think Roach has moved on; but I'd gladly take him back.
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with flip and proctor back you don’t know who you’d want touching the ball at the end ?
It’s to early to say title or bust . We as fans are putting this expectation on the team . Duke will be top ten in the country as they should be rightfully. However, we have still yet to see how this team gels or even if the roster is set . For all we know Roach back could lead to another subtraction or two . Hopefully before May 31 we will know his intentions. Let’s not forget these players inner circles are still in their ears . I’d keep my eye on Foster should Roach return as there was already chatter before last season of a possible decommit from him . Then there is Blakes and Schutt as well .
A lot of moving parts before players are required to step on campus . Let’s just enjoy the fact we got three impact freshman to return for now .
A lot of moving parts before players are required to step on campus . Let’s just enjoy the fact we got three impact freshman to return for now .
Blakes and Schutt know the expectations and system(s). They need to stay. Furthermore, the NIL can help both of them at Duke rather than go somewhere else and figure it out.
All I ever expect or hope from Duke is to be in the conversation for the national championship. That's what Coach K got us year after year. There are too many uncontrollable factors to expect a championship: injuries, matchups, having to play in your opponent's back yard, and even how the game is called.
Uconn's roll through the tournament is very rare. More common is squeaking through and some luck is always involved. I just want to be competing with a good chance of winning the championship each year.
Uconn's roll through the tournament is very rare. More common is squeaking through and some luck is always involved. I just want to be competing with a good chance of winning the championship each year.
If Roach comes back someone will leave. It's a numbers game. But you take back a senior captain. I believe Roach was our second leading scorer. The ball will be in Proctor's hands, so Roach may decide to move on.
The ball not being in his hands isn’t the issue - Roach is a score first guard, always has been.
Shey, glad to have you back. Hope you enjoyed your rest. Amazing what an hiatus and a couple of scotches can do to restore enthusiasm.
OFC
Cook was a better player than roach in almost every category. I love having roach but hes just not an nba guard imo nothing wrong with that
I really, REALLY want to think that the times are changing at Duke, and we will see a couple/few top players stay for 2-3 years mixed in with a OAD or two. I think we need to wait and see for a few years before we claim anything has really changed. I am hopeful though!
I don't disagree with some of the comparisons between Coach K and Jon, but I really think NIL money is potentially a game changer. If Zion could have signed a $100M deal with Gatorade or Nike as a sophomore, would he have come back? I don't really know, but that's a lot of leverage. I have to think Flip and potentially Proctor will be banking some money next year, and rightfully so IMHO.
I don't disagree with some of the comparisons between Coach K and Jon, but I really think NIL money is potentially a game changer. If Zion could have signed a $100M deal with Gatorade or Nike as a sophomore, would he have come back? I don't really know, but that's a lot of leverage. I have to think Flip and potentially Proctor will be banking some money next year, and rightfully so IMHO.
Guys like Banchero, Zion, Tatum, and a few others will leave no matter what. Jon is young, energetic, and more up to speed on the way the game is changing. Hopefully this isn't just a one year thing with a few coming back. Time will tell.
It's just so wrong though to be offering college kids money to play at your school. That's like paying your kid to take the garbage out.
It's just so wrong though to be offering college kids money to play at your school. That's like paying your kid to take the garbage out.
Do millions of people watch your kids take out the garbage and make your household 10x because of it?
My dad used to say that lol. He was a teacher, and when other teachers complained about pro salaries he said no one pays to watch us teach.
Let’s just remove the word “College” from every sports team, and I’ll see your point.
Remove “amateur” and call it even.
I love college basketball. If paying college kids thousands or millions of dollars keeps these kids playing college basketball instead of professionally than I am all for it. As a Duke fan, it was so frustrating watching 2nd round and undrafted guys leave the program.
I don’t understand the issue people have with paying college kids. I mean, it’s either them or the millionaire/billionaire boosters just keep the money.
It’s like people complaining about pro athletes making too much. You do realize it’s either the athletes getting the money or the billionaire owner keeping that money?
I don’t understand the issue people have with paying college kids. I mean, it’s either them or the millionaire/billionaire boosters just keep the money.
It’s like people complaining about pro athletes making too much. You do realize it’s either the athletes getting the money or the billionaire owner keeping that money?
Let's be real here, paying college athletes is slimy. It's a horrible trade off for a failed system. If they are going to be paid, then the "amateur" tag needs to be removed. They don't have it as bad as many try to paint it either. So feeling sorry for the "college" athlete is a bunch of crap. As a matter of fact, for many, their time in college is far better than their situation at home. At least in terms of routine, food, housing...
It's also a tired argument about the billionaire owners. It's a two way street. The owners need the players, and the players need someone wealthy enough to own a team.
It's also a tired argument about the billionaire owners. It's a two way street. The owners need the players, and the players need someone wealthy enough to own a team.
You are making the exact point on why top level D1 athletes should be paid. The schools need the players, and the players need someone (from or around the school) wealthy enough to pay them what they feel like their market value is. This isn’t amateur, this is semi-pro now.
We don’t have enough of a sample yet, but if NIL helps keep kids in college longer, than I do not see in any possible way how that is a bad thing. Sure it is slimy, but top college athletes have been getting paid forever, now it’s just making headlines.
I hear you Mac, and I 100% respect your opinion. My take is a little different. I don't think it's fair for universities and coaches and tv networks to make millions off of college players' performances. I admit fully, I do not know how NIL money is filtered to college athletes and how it's determined how much they are paid. Flat out paying an athlete to attend your school is lousy, but higher profile athletes should be able to get paid to drink Gatorade or wear Nike gear or eat wings at their favorite local hangout.
You aren't addressing the point. Which is they are no longer amateurs, and the old stigma of one school being more on the up and up than their rival has been flushed down the toilet.
With NIL and the transfer portal, basically the NCAA said "READY, FIRE,AIM!!"
Think it was Calipari who a few years ago said "before long, we're going to be giving out our business card in the handshake line."
All we've done is basically put a band aid on a bad cut that is in dire need of a lot of stitches.
Another sign of shifting winds is if we can score a big name 5 man in the portal. Almost anyone we sign (not Hunter but he's not coming here) would be the 3rd option at best; so they would have to be willing to be a role player on a championship team. And they could probably make more in NIL at another school. With our firepower, especially if Roach comes back, the Virginia center would fit nicely. I think people are sleeping on the kid.
Why is everyone stuck on the Virginia big ? He’s a role player to me and if Reeves isn’t a starter or Young then what’s the point of three role playing bigs .
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