Does Alex step forward next year and become the white hype that all anti-Duke fans love to hate???
Will AOC be the next hated Duke player???
- Thread starter Dad2ze
- Start date
Yes I think he will fill GA shoes very well,,,hopefully without all the dumb stuff that wound up haunting Grayson
Alex is what seems to be the number 1 criteria for hating a basketball player, and that is being white.
He might be the next one, but valuable court time will be a big factor. Hard to be really despised if you sit more than you play. The kid can play, but "elite" talent coming in, so his minutes may not be as much as they could be.
Hard to be hated while sitting on the bench. O'Connell played 2 minutes last night. Which isn't much more than he played against Syracuse or even Rhode Island
The kid seemed to regress late in the season and unless he makes a significant jump this off-season, I don't expect his minutes to increase all that much this coming season.
The kid seemed to regress late in the season and unless he makes a significant jump this off-season, I don't expect his minutes to increase all that much this coming season.
That would be a good thing if he was, because it would mean he is playing well.
Alex, y'all wanna talk Alex...
The kid checks a lot of boxes as far as intangibles.
Competitor
Willingness to take a big shot
Scorers mentality
Good shooting stroke for 3's
Athletic
Basketball smarts
What most want to see from Alex is him physically maturing, BUT he is one of those players that comes in and is still growing. I read recently that he's up to 6-7ish now. It's not far off to think that he could add 15lbs of weight and strength for next season. He is listed between 171-176, so adding 15lbs could put him into the 185-190 range which would be great.
The other thing is Alex's older brother (Shawn) is more of a combo forward type player at 6-8/6-9 210 and Shawn is now settling into his body and starting to put it all together. Watch his highlight vids. Alex is more talented and you can assume Alex will progress faster.
I expect Alex to be in the rotation as a wing player not year off the bench but he sure does have a lot of Grayson and Luke in his game. I'm excited to see how he develops his body and how he comes in ready to play.
Jack could be ready to fill a role too as a Jr. Grayson said on numerous times, Jack can really shoot the ball (in practice) and he's a very good rebounder. He just needs that confidence to take shots in games. With Jack's size 6-7 226, he could play a big wing role off the bench.
Jordan is the kind of unknown. He has a very good HS resume: starting PG for a good HS program. Played against elite talent and held is own. Is a good floor general that can run an offense. Needs to get stronger and more confident as a scorer. If he comes is making that Soph leap and around 185, he too could be a contributor off the bench.
The kid checks a lot of boxes as far as intangibles.
Competitor
Willingness to take a big shot
Scorers mentality
Good shooting stroke for 3's
Athletic
Basketball smarts
What most want to see from Alex is him physically maturing, BUT he is one of those players that comes in and is still growing. I read recently that he's up to 6-7ish now. It's not far off to think that he could add 15lbs of weight and strength for next season. He is listed between 171-176, so adding 15lbs could put him into the 185-190 range which would be great.
The other thing is Alex's older brother (Shawn) is more of a combo forward type player at 6-8/6-9 210 and Shawn is now settling into his body and starting to put it all together. Watch his highlight vids. Alex is more talented and you can assume Alex will progress faster.
I expect Alex to be in the rotation as a wing player not year off the bench but he sure does have a lot of Grayson and Luke in his game. I'm excited to see how he develops his body and how he comes in ready to play.
Jack could be ready to fill a role too as a Jr. Grayson said on numerous times, Jack can really shoot the ball (in practice) and he's a very good rebounder. He just needs that confidence to take shots in games. With Jack's size 6-7 226, he could play a big wing role off the bench.
Jordan is the kind of unknown. He has a very good HS resume: starting PG for a good HS program. Played against elite talent and held is own. Is a good floor general that can run an offense. Needs to get stronger and more confident as a scorer. If he comes is making that Soph leap and around 185, he too could be a contributor off the bench.
Alex is the most likely. I think he’s the kind of kid who could have benefitted from a redshirt year this past season. But that’s typically something K has always shied away from. He needs to get bigger. My guess is he becomes our next 1,000-point scorer.
Not nearly good enough & I don’t see him having the potential to ever the focal point of the team. Role player at best IMO.
Guess the question is why was Kennard never the hated Duke player. He was better than Grayson his last year at Duke but never got the hate that saddled Allen. IMO, it’s as much the personality as it is how good of a player you are. You’ve got to be good and cocky. And you don’t have to be white (see Rivers, JWill and Battier).
Shame this topic even exists. Opposing fans, adults & media will specifically select a college kid to dislike b/c he plays for a successful program. Meanwhile if their son/daughter doesn't make a high school team they are ready to sue the coach/school/league.
Classic example of how messed up so many are in the country.
The "hatred" towards JJ and Grayson and others always puzzled me. I guess I "get it" a little more with Grayson for his on court antics, but true hatred towards a teenager/early 20 something playing a game on a team which rivals mine is just beyond me. I just don't get it. Root against them, hope their team doesn't perform well, relish in the fact they got bounced in the round of 32, think their fans are uneducated morons? Yep, that I get, but hatred???? That I don't get. Maybe I am different than most, who knows?!?!
I am an AOC believer, but I'm also one who thinks AOC regressed a bit during the season. I would like to see him be stronger with the ball, and hopefully some of that will come with an off season in the Duke weight room. I won't forget how Amile bulked up over his time at Duke. IMHO Alex's work ethic, motor and shooting stroke are not in question, and I too think he will be a solid four year contributor at Duke really coming into his own his Junior year.
Alan
I am an AOC believer, but I'm also one who thinks AOC regressed a bit during the season. I would like to see him be stronger with the ball, and hopefully some of that will come with an off season in the Duke weight room. I won't forget how Amile bulked up over his time at Duke. IMHO Alex's work ethic, motor and shooting stroke are not in question, and I too think he will be a solid four year contributor at Duke really coming into his own his Junior year.
Alan
Grayson was hated because he basically won the Natty for them and he’s white. He went off and everyone other than Duke fans turned into Grayson haters. My phone and Facebook blew up about how much they hated Grayson. My friends couldn’t wait until he was gone. Then the tripping incidents made it worse and the reason they hated him. All Duke players are arrogant and cocky but any other player is seen as playing with passion and heart. The hate people have for Duke players is quite sad and pathetic.
My sentiments exactly.
Also, this thread got me thanking, I’m really thankful for AOC and Jordan Goldwire. Think those 2 will do big things their junior year. Maybe they can be like scheyer and smith.
AOC has the one weakness that Grayson never overcame: the ability to beat a defender one on one with some moves. I haven't seen AOC able to beat someone off the dribble yet. Of course he was deferring to some great offensive talent this year. I see him coming into his own his Junior year by which time he'll be 20 pounds heavier. Then he'll have 2 years to be hated.
Unless Duke gets that 40 pt. a game scorer from NY who will be hated from day 1.
Unless Duke gets that 40 pt. a game scorer from NY who will be hated from day 1.
I think class plays a huge role in the “hatred” of the prototypical white Duke player. People see a good looking, talented, kid who plays for an always-successful private school that is difficult to get into and assume he has grown up with a silver spoon in his mouth and has never had to work a day in his life. This is amplified by many of the fans of UNC and Kentucky who come from working class backgrounds. Ironically, most of our most hated white players, Grayson, JJ, Laettner, all came from humble backgrounds and never had nearly the wealth and privilege growing up as Grant Hill, Seth Curry etc.
I think the race aspect of this is blown out of proportion if I'm honest, although I do believe he was selected by the OP because of his race.
Realistically, the hated Duke players are ones that have succeeded or that have had a reputation as "dirty". I think the thread takes a whole new tenor if the OP says "Will Tre Jones be the next hated player", or any other of our incoming freshmen.
So while race may play a factor here, please bear in mind its a factor primarily because it's contained in the first post on this thread. Amazing how framing a sentence works.
Realistically, the hated Duke players are ones that have succeeded or that have had a reputation as "dirty". I think the thread takes a whole new tenor if the OP says "Will Tre Jones be the next hated player", or any other of our incoming freshmen.
So while race may play a factor here, please bear in mind its a factor primarily because it's contained in the first post on this thread. Amazing how framing a sentence works.
AO has a ways to go before being called "good".. People will hate him if he is good and also because of his chest tattoos lol
This thread did not invent the idea that our most hated players since Laettner have almost all been white. The "I Still Hate Christian Laettner" 30 for 30 had a pretty sound analysis of it, which @BlueDaveil 's post a couple before yours made me think of.
Grayson tripped people while Laettner stomped on players chests.
Don't hate them, just have no respect for them.
From my point of view it has nothing to do with color.
Liked plenty of Duke players but not those 2. I am probably not the typical heel fan though due to where I live.
Don't hate them, just have no respect for them.
From my point of view it has nothing to do with color.
Liked plenty of Duke players but not those 2. I am probably not the typical heel fan though due to where I live.
Grayson had three incidents in four years that was absolutely stupid and cannot be defended.The rest of his time at Duke was spent taking more cheap shots than any other player that I have ever seen at the collegiate level.Even through this he was on the the all academic team and has been heavily invoked on many community events.Laettner chest stomp came with only three games left in his career but he was the subject of hatred long before this happened.Much of this is due to the mistaken fact that the were perceived to come from a privileged background and they were very good white players.
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