In Wednesday’s McDonald’s All-American Game, Duke basketball was well represented on both the boys and girls teams. The Blue Devils had three recruits on the Girls West team and two recruits on the Boys West team (both West teams won).

Girls West beat Girls East, 92-64.

The Duke recruits at the McDonald’s All-American Game (via Duke women’s basketball on Facebook).

Oderah Chidom of Bishop O’Dowd High School in Oakland, CA, started at forward for the West. She went 1-for-5 from the field for just two points. She did haul in eight rebounds, block two shots, and contributed two steals.

Rebecca Greenwell of Owensboro Catholic High School in Kentucky also started for the West. She went 3-for-5 from the field for eight points. She made two of her three 3-point attempts. The guard also hauled in two rebounds, dished out an assist, and had one steal.

Kendall Cooper of St. Anthony’s High School in Carson, CA, came off the bench for the West. She went 2-for-6 from the field for six points. She also hauled in five rebounds and blocked three shots.

Boys West beat Boys East, 110-99.

Jabari Parker of Simeon Career Academy in Chicago, IL, started for the West but went just 4-of-13 from the field for ten points. He did haul in eight rebounds and block two shots. He also dished out three assists and contributed two steals. Parker also went 2-for-2 from the free throw line.

Matt Jones of DeSoto High School in Texas came off the bench. He went 2-for-4 from the field for four points. The guard added a rebound, an assist, and a steal.

Michael Gbinije announced that he was transferring from Duke a bit ago, but it wasn’t known where he would go. This weekend, it was announced that he was transferring to Syracuse and will sit out next season.

Apparently, Syracuse’s assistant coach Adrian Autry was his AAU coach. Gbinije also played with Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams in the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic and with Trevor Cooney in the 2010 Nike Global Challenge (all three are currently at Syracuse).

Funny thing is, when Gbinije is eligible to play for the ‘Cuse, they will be a new member of the ACC.

I don’t know about you, but it was tough to watch the McDonald’s High School All-American Game last night.

First, the uniforms were awful. Does someone think the Baylor-style, highlighter yellow is cool? Both West squads wore the black with “electricity”. All the players wore the bright socks and sneakers. It was hard on the eyes.

Rasheed Sulaimon via the McDonald's Corporation

Then, it was all the bricks being shot from the outside. The missed dunks in the boys’ game.

All the talk proceeding the game was that the practices were intense. However the games were sloppy. It was like every other all-star game: one-on-everyone else. Lots of “rebound the ball and go the length of the court and shoot without anyone else touching the ball” (especially in the second half of both games). It was hard to get a grasp of who was bringing what to a specific college.

Did I mention how bad the uniforms were?

Anyway, Duke had three signees playing in the two games. In the girls’ game, Alexis Jones (West) and Sierra Moore (East) faced off against each other.

Jones played 21 minutes and scored nine points (four made field goals including a three pointer). She also had three rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Moore played 14 minutes and scored six points (3-of-8 shooting). She also had three rebounds, three assists, a block, and a steal.

The East won 79-78, as they led 40-31 at the half.

In the boys’ game, the West won 106-102. Duke signeee Rasheed Sulaimon scored 18 points for the West, including 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc. He also made some key plays over the final four minutes to seal the victory for the West when the East climbed back into the game.

Sulaimon will also play for the 2012 USA Junior National Select Team at the 2012 Nike Hoop Summit in Portland on April 7 at 10pm (Fox Sports Net) and in the Jordan Brand Classic on April 14 at 7pm (ESPN).

With the upcoming rivalry game between Duke and North Carolina on Saturday night, I decided now would be the best time to hold a contest.

ESPN’s College Gameday will be at Cameron Indoor Stadium filming LIVE from 10am-noon and it is free for all Duke fans. Gametime is 7pm ET.

What I want to know is, how do you get pumped for this game, watch the game, or enjoy the heated rivalry?

• Do you paint your face and/or body?
• Do you wear a costume?
• Do you get decked out in your Duke attire?
• Do you dress up your kids?
• Do you camp out for tickets in Krzyzewskiville?
• Are you part of the Cameron Crazies?
• Will you be at Cameron?
• Do you have a party?
• Do you watch the game at a bar?

Let me know. Or better yet, SHOW ME!

Tweet me your picture from before, during, or after Saturday’s game, or link the pics in the comments section below.

The lucky winner will win a Duke flag of their choice from CVS Flags. You have until 5pm ET on Sunday to send in your photos and I’ll pick a winner. It’s that simple.

This season’s Part 2 will have a hard time topping Part 1′s game-winning shot from Austin Rivers. But anything is possible.

So send in your photos!

The NBA All-Star Game is Sunday night with the festivities set to begin Friday night. I figured now was a good time to put together another former Duke players in the NBA update.

Dunleavy & Battier via Duke Blue Planet

Mike Dunleavy returned to the Milwaukee Bucks on January 20th and has played in 19 games since. He has played off the bench for the 13-19 Bucks. Dunleavy is averaging 10.6 points and 2.5 rebounds a game. He is shooting 45.8% from the field.

The worst team in the NBA, the Charlotte Bobcats had two former Blue Devils in their starting lineup. Their head coach believes that once they can get their entire lineup healthy and playing together, they will be a better team.

Corey Maggette returned to the Bobcats on February 10th and has played in six games since. His best game since returning came in a loss to the Philadelphia Sixers on February 13th. He scored 22 points on 8-of-16 shooting, hauled in two rebounds, and had three steals. Overall, Maggette is averaging 12.9 points and 4.8 rebounds for the 4-27 Bobcats.

Now that Maggette is back, Gerald Henderson has been out since February 1st due to a hamstring strain. He hopes to be back after the All-Star break. He was averaging 15 points and 4.4 rebounds a game.

» Continue reading “Blue Devils in the NBA Update”

Today is a rare day off from Duke basketball coverage, but I am sure the men’s team is hard at work trying to figure out how to play some great defense. So today is a perfect time to delve into some headlines that graced Duke this week.

*Pitcher Marcus Stroman was named a first-team preseason All-American by Perfect Game. Last season as both a starter and reliever, he was 3-4 with a team-best 2.80 ERA as a sophomore. He ranked third in the nation with 12.60 strikeouts per nine innings (90 K’s in 64.1 innings).

Over the summer, Stroman took over as Team USA’s closer. He was 4-for-4 in save opportunities and did not allow a hit over 8.1 scoreless innings. Only one batter reached base against him, via a walk. He struck out 17 of the 27 batters he faced in international competition. Expect to see Stroman on the mound this spring on Friday nights against every team’s ace.

*The baseball team began practices on Friday, gearing up for their opening three-game series at Texas on February 17-19. You can check out a recap of their fall practices with head coach Sean McNally HERE.

*Chris Marconcini was named to the preseason All-ACC second team as an infielder. He was Duke’s best clutch hitter in 2011: he hit .383 with runners in scoring position. Last year, Marconcini earned Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors.

Somehow Stroman didn’t make the cut. The entire list can be found HERE.

» Continue reading “Duke News & Notes”

Via Duke Blue Planet

Well, games haven’t officially started but after last night’s Countdown to Craziness, who isn’t the least bit excited?

I didn’t get to watch the CTC live or on ESPN3.com (I was Lighting the Night in Wilmington for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society), but Duke Blue Planet and Twitter kept me informed this morning.

Henderson & Redick via Duke Blue Planet

Miles Plumlee won the dunk contest. I’m not really surprised about that considering all the thunderous dunks he threw down last year in actual games. I was a little surprised that maybe Mason Plumlee didn’t reach the final. Miles did beat little brother Marshall, who is a freshman, in the Plumlee dunk contest final. Miles actually hurdled little brother Marshall for the winning dunk (for those who don’t know, Marshall is 6’11). Former Duke guards JJ Redick and Gerald Henderson were judges for the dunk contest.

In the Blue/White scrimmage, Seth Curry led the Blue team to a 56-53 victory. He dropped 28 points on his teammates, as he went 8-of-13 from the field, three of which were 3-pointers. The Blue team rallied from 16 points down to steal the victory. Curry’s big brother Stephen was on hand to watch as the NBA is still in a lockout.

Austin Rivers showed the Crazies what all the excitement is about (they even chanted his full name), as he he hit three 3-pointers in a seven minute span (he finished with 14 points). Miles had 15 points in the scrimmage. Ryan Kelly added 12 points for the White team.

If you want to check out more photos, check out Duke Blue Planet. They have you covered for all things CTC.

The NBA Draft will occur on June 23rd in NJ. Three former Duke Blue Devils are expected to be drafted, with point guard Kyrie Irving expected to be selected either number one or two. However Irving has decided not to work out at the combine and will only work out for the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have the first pick, once. Doctors believe that Irving’s toe (which seems to get a lot of attention) should be fine.

In NBADraft.net‘s mock draft, they had Irving being selected number two by the Minnesota Twins (I can imagine him dishing to Kevin Love), with Arizona forward Derrick Williams being taken number one by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Now (as of June 14th) they have Irving being selected number one by the Cavs.

Check out more Kyrie news:

Kyrie Irving: Why Cavaliers Need to Take Closer Look at Irving During Workout Sport Shots

Does Kyrie Irving Have Franchise Player Potential? Sport Shots

Kyrie Irving Wants to Remain Normal… Cleveland.com

Kyrie Irving plans on degree in five years College Basketball Nation Blog

Former St. Patrick star Kyrie Irving could bring Cavaliers new life as No.1 overall pick NJ.com

Derrick Williams versus Kyrie Irving: Who’s No.1? Arizona Desert Swarm

Can Kyrie Irving Make the Cleveland Cavaliers a Contender? Bleacher Report

Many fans of Duke remember Jeff Capel’s 40-foot running shot at the buzzer against UNC that sent the game into double-overtime on February 2, 1995 (many don’t remember that the Blue Devils lost the game 102-100). That shot was hailed as one of the most memorable plays in Duke basketball history and it was nominated for an ESPY Award for College Basketball Play of the Year.

Now Capel returns to Duke as an assistant coach, joining Coach K’s staff with Wojo and Chris Collins. Nate James will become a “special assistant”.

Capel returns to Duke after spending nine seasons coaching both VCU (2002-2006) and Oklahoma (2006-2011). At Oklahoma, Capel had the privilege of coaching NBA star Blake Griffin and reached the Elite Eight in 2008. When he began coaching at VCU, he was the youngest coach in Division I basketball (27 years old).

During his career at Duke, Capel scored 1,601 points, had 433 assists, and made 220 three-point field goals. He finished his career among Duke’s all-time Top 10 in minutes played, three-point field goal percentage, three-point field goals, and assists. He was a four-year starter for the Blue Devils helping the team to an 83-46 record and a trip to the 1994 NCAA Championship game.

Duke recruit Quinn Cook (@QCook323) voiced his excitement of the Capel hiring on Twitter: “I’m very excited that @jeffcapel is now on staff at Duke! Tremendous coach. Looking forward to getting in the gym w/ him soon.”

James was an assistant coach the last three seasons. His new job, though it will not consist of on-court coaching duties, will consist of developing game strategies, breaking down game film, planning practices, and contributing in staff meetings.

*All four of Duke’s current assistants were team captains during their playing days at Duke.

The ACC coaching carousel began during the NCAA Tournament, as the ACC lost Sidney Lowe, Paul Hewitt, and Frank Haith from NC State, Georgia Tech, and Miami respectively. Then came yesterday’s news that Maryland men’s basketball coach Gary Williams was retiring. Honestly, I thought he would be one of those coaches who would have to be carried out in a casket for his coaching career at Maryland to be over.

The fiery head coach from NJ (yes I hear alot about him because he’s a local guy for me), was a big reason why the Duke-Maryland rivalry began to surpass the UNC-Duke rivalry in recent years. His competitiveness rubbed off on his players, none more so than recent alum Greivis Vasquez. Both became very ‘hated’ at Cameron Indoor Stadium by the Crazies.

Williams’ retired as the longest-tenured DC-area sports figure. He led his 2002 Terrapins to the National Championship and spent more than three decades at Maryland (he also was a guard with the Terrapins from 1964-67). He held a career 461-252 record at Maryland, including 14 trips to the NCAA Tournament and two trips to the Final Four. The Terrapins also won or shared the ACC title three times.

However the legend is more known for his frenzied style of coaching (he sweated more than his players and he rarely took a seat on the bench). Many believe he should be inducted into the Naismith Hall of Fame (as do I), and former AD Debbie Yow (who did not share a great relationship with Williams) believes that his name should be on the Comcast Center’s court (the home of the basketball team).

Williams also was a GREAT coach. Look at the current NBA playoffs and you will see Steve Blake and Vasquez playing. Neither were considered great players coming into Maryland, but both became stars and All-Americans under Williams and have succeeded in the NBA.

“I love Gary. What he has done for Maryland and for college basketball is remarkable,” Coach K told reporters. “He is one of the great coaches of all time. He is a coaches’ coach and an ultimate competitor. His retirement is a big loss for the ACC and for college basketball.”

But Williams was more than just a great coach. He was a great person. Take this example from former Dukie Jay Bilas in his column:

“I went to the Middle East with Williams to coach U.S. Army teams in a tournament called Operation Hardwood. Williams coached a group of soldiers from Wisconsin, and in a short week of coaching these soldiers, he won supporters for life. In talking with the soldiers on Williams’ team one day, I could tell they revered him. One went so far as to say, “I’d take a bullet for him.” It was a remarkable statement from that Wisconsin soldier, and it was a remarkable statement about Gary Williams.”

Williams will stay on at Maryland to serve as the assistant athletic director.

I know I’ll miss Coach Williams patrolling the sidelines when Duke plays Maryland in the upcoming basketball season.