19 former Duke men’s basketball players played during the NBA’s regular season. Ten of those players advanced to the NBA Playoffs. However, just two remain as I am typing this.

That means that eight were eliminated, so let’s take a look at them.

The LA Lakers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs (who advanced to the Western Conference Finals last night) in the first round. Guard Chris Duhon played in two games. In the final game, he played 43 minutes and scored 11 points on 4-of-10 shooting. He also dished out seven assists. On the season, Duhon averaged 2.9 points and 2.9 assists over 17.8 minutes.

The Boston Celtics were eliminated by the NY Knicks in the first round. Shavlick Randolph played just three minutes in the April 23rd loss. He did haul in three rebounds.

The Milwaukee Bucks were swept by the Miami Heat in the first round (the Heat advanced to the Eastern Conference Finals). Two former Blue Devils were a part of the Bucks season. Mike Dunleavy averaged 12.3 points, four rebounds, and two assists over their four playoff games. During the regular season, he averaged 10.5 points in 25.9 minutes.

JJ Redick averaged 7.3 points in the four playoff games. After playing in 50 games to start the season with Orlando, he was traded to Milwaukee and played in 28 games. During the regular season, Redick averaged 12.3 points.

» Continue reading “8 Former Blue Devils Eliminated from NBA Playoffs”

Former Duke men’s basketball player Kyle Singler was named to the NBA’s All-Rookie second team after a solid season with the Detroit Pistons.

Via Duke Blue Planet

Singler was selected 33rd overall in the 2011 NBA Draft and elected to play internationally during his first season away from Duke. This season, he was the only Piston to play in all 82 games (74 starts). He averaged 8.8 points and four rebounds in 28 minutes per game. Among NBA rookies, he was fourth in scoring, fifth in three point percentage (35%), and sixth in rebounds.

Portland’s Damian Lillard was named the Rookie of the Year, and was joined on the All-Rookie first team by Dion Waiters (Cleveland), Bradley Beal (Washington), Anthony Davis (New Orleans), and Harrison Barnes (Golden State).

Joining Singler on the second team are teammate Andre Drummond, Tyler Zeller (Cleveland), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Charlotte), and Jonas Valanciunas (Toronto).

Duke men’s basketball rising senior Tyler Thornton is one of ten finalists for the Sports Illustrated College Athlete of the Year. The award celebrates one male and one female college athlete who demonstrated excellent performance in both the classroom and on the court/field. Sportsmanship and community involvement are also considered. The winner will be featured on the May 27th issue of SI (it can be bought on newstands May 22nd).

Thornton against Michigan via Duke Blue Planet

On the court last season, Thornton averaged 3.4 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.6 assists (though he was usually in foul trouble). He was also considered on the of the Blue Devils’ top defenders.

Thornton was a member of the inaugural NABC Good Works team. He also participated in the Read with the Blue Devils program and visited the Duke Children’s Hospital. He also began working the Students of New Success (SONS) program at CC Spaulding Elementary School. According to goduke.com, here is a little more about the SONS program:

This unique program, which was created to both educate and mentor at-risk males, is integrated into the educational curricula for third through fifth grades. The program also provides students with historic cultural lessons, tutoring and test preparation as well as a safe place for them to share and receive guidance for their struggles at home and in the community.

Here’s what Thornton thought of being a finalist:

“Being named a finalist for this award means a lot to me and my family,” said Thornton. “One of the reasons we chose Duke is the excellence that is required on and off the court. This year I was put in a position to make a difference in some young people’s lives and really enjoyed that opportunity and the time I was able to spend with them.”

Other finalists for the cover are: Liz Brenner (volleyball, basketball, softball and track and field, Oregon), Kimberlyn Duncan (track and field, LSU), Brittney Griner (basketball, Baylor), Loren Shealy (field hockey, UNC), Taylor Thornton (lacrosse, Northwestern), Trey Burke (basketball, Michigan), Kyle Dake (wrestling, Cornell), Khaled Holmes (football, USC) and Drew LeBlanc (ice hockey, St. Cloud State University).

The athletes feature six seniors, two juniors, and two sophomores. Oh and the number one pick in the WNBA Draft (Griner).

The matchups for next season’s ACC-Big Ten Challenge have been announced. ESPN, ESPN2, and ESPNU will cover all of the games. Last year, the two conferences split the challenge, 6-6.

The Duke men’s basketball team will face Michigan on Tuesday, December 3rd at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils are ranked fifth in the ESPN.com preseason top 25, while the Wolverines are ranked ninth. Duke is 5-0 in the challenge at Cameron.

The Blue Devils lead the all-time series 21-8 (have won nine of the last ten). It will be the first time the two teams are meeting in the challenge.

Other games that will be held on December 3rd:

Florida State @ Minnesota, Illinois @ Georgia Tech, number 20 Indiana @ number 8 Syracuse, Notre Dame @ number 25 Iowa, and Penn State @ Pitt.

The rest of the games will be played on December 4th:

Boston College @ Purdue, Maryland @ number 6 Ohio State, Miami @ Nebraska, number 11 North Carolina @ number 3 Michigan State, Northwestern @ NC State, and Wisconsin @ Virginia.

The first round of the NBA playoffs are coming to a close, but let’s take a look at the former Duke men’s basketball players who were not lucky to participate in the playoffs.

The worst team in the NBA was Orlando (20-62) and Josh McRoberts began the season with the Magic, but finished it with Charlotte (the second worst team at 21-61). He averaged just 3.9 points in 16.7 minutes with the Magic, but received more playing time with the Bobcats. McRoberts averaged 9.3 points and 7.2 rebounds in 30.8 minutes.

His teammate was Gerald Henderson, who averaged 15.5 points, 3.7 rebounds, and 2.6 assists per game with Charlotte. In the Bobcats second to last game (a win over the Knicks), Henderson scored 27 points and dished out five assists.

Kyrie drives against KSU via DukeBluePlanet

The Cleveland Cavaliers had a tough season (24-58), but it wasn’t because of Kyrie Irving. He averaged 22.5 points, 5.9 assists, and 3.7 rebounds, as he started all 59 games that he played. However, he committed 3.2 turnovers a game. Irving scored 30+ points 13 times this season.

New Orleans changed from the Hornets to the Pelicans, but the results were the same, another losing season (27-55). It was a rough rookie season for Austin Rivers, who did not play after March 6th due to a fractured right hand. In the games he did play, he averaged 6.2 points. He dished out 2.1 assists, but committed 1.2 turnovers. Rivers finally seemed to adjust to the professional level over his final month.

Lance Thomas was a Pelicans teammate and averaged 2.5 points in 59 games. His best game came in a March 12th loss. He scored 12 points on 3-of-4 shooting and hauled in five rebounds. Thomas was also cleared in an NCAA investigation where he spent nearly $100,000 on jewelry while he was still at Duke.

The Detroit Pistons finished their season at 29-53 and Kyle Singler had a solid rookie season. He averaged 8.8 points and four rebounds over 28 minutes a game. His best game came in a March 22nd loss, when he scored 18 points on 8-of-14 shooting. He also hauled in eight rebounds, five on the offensive side.

Nolan Smith drives against Michigan in NCAA Tournament. Courtesy of DukeBluePlanet

Corey Maggette played in just 18 games with the Pistons and the team is expected to part ways with him. He struggled with staying healthy and finding a spot in the lineup (he was the oldest player on a team trying to go younger).

Nolan Smith played in just 40 games for the 33-49 Portland Trailblazers. He averaged 2.8 points per game. His lone double-digit scoring game in the second half came in a February 2nd win versus Utah (13 points on 5-of-7 shooting).

Elton Brand mostly came off the bench for the 41-41 Dallas Mavericks. He averaged 7.2 points and six rebounds. Brand only scored in double-digits twice over his final 19 games.

My next update will be of the former Blue Devils who were playing in the NBA playoffs. How many will still be playing on teams that are still alive? We shall see.

The rumors turned out to be true: former Duke guard Jon Scheyer IS returning to the team as a special assistant. It was announced by Coach K on Monday.

Ever since Chris Collins took the head coaching job at Northwestern and Nate James slid back onto the coaching staff, the rumors had been swirling about Scheyer‘s return. But he was still playing overseas.

Scheyer‘s duties will include assisting the coaching staff with developing game strategies, breaking down the game film, planning practices, and contributing to staff meetings.

During his playing days, he led the team to two ACC championships and helped guide the Blue Devils to the 2010 National Championship. Plus, he was a fan favorite. In his senior season, he was named a second team All-American and a first team All-ACC member. Scheyer averaged 18.2 points and 4.6 assists per game that season.

All-time, he scored 2,077 points and ranks third all-time in free throws (608) and free throw percentage (.861). Scheyer is fourth in three point field goals (297) and three point field goal attempts (780). He played in 144 consecutive games for the Blue Devils.

Despite the fact that the Duke men’s basketball season has been over for a few weeks, there has still been a lot going on with the team and its players.

*Here is the update on the injury front:

Three players had successful surgery, though only one will be back to play next season. Seth Curry will hopefully be playing in the NBA next season with two healthy legs (unlike his final season at Duke and he still had a successful season). That surgery took place last Monday. Ryan Kelly had surgery on his foot about two weeks ago. Apparently, he was never fully healthy, despite coming back to play late in the season. And who can forget his memorable return against Miami. He said that he shouldn’t have any more problems with the foot in the future. Kelly is once again back in a boot and on crutches.

The current Blue Devil to have surgery is Marshall Plumlee, who has been hampered over the past two seasons with a left foot injury. He will once again be out 12-16 weeks to recover. That means, not alot of offseason working out for the youngest Plumlee. He injured the foot at the end of the preseason and missed the team’s first nine games. It hampered him all season. Duke has yet to see a healthy Plumlee and see what he is truly capable of.

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Quite a few Duke players participated in the ACC Barnstorming Tour, which visiting Kelly‘s high school (Ravenscroft). Players from Duke, North Carolina, NC State, and Wake Forest participated in the event, with Kelly and Curry watching from the bench. The college stars played against the Ravenscroft High School alumni. Mason Plumlee started alongside UNC’s Dexter Strickland, NC State’s Scott Wood and Jay Lewis, and Wake Forest’s CJ Harris. Quinn Cook and Alex Murphy came off the bench, as did Duke alum Nolan Smith. TJ Warren of NC State and Tarheel alums Reggie Bullock and Phil Ford also came off the bench. The ACC stars won 128-86. Players like Wood and Mason were selling off some of their game worn stuff, now that they are no longer held back by NCAA amateurism rules.

On a side note, Kelly‘s younger brother Sean (who is a Duke manager) beat Wood in a halftime three-point contest.

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» Continue reading “Duke Men’s Basketball News and Notes”

One night after the women held their end of season awards banquet, the Duke men’s basketball team held their own.

The men went 30-6 overall and a perfect 16-0 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. They won the Battle4Atlantis title in the early season tournament and made it to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Tournament (losing to eventual champion Louisville).

Via DukeBluePlanet

The trio of seniors: Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly, and Mason Plumlee were named the team’s MVP. In their careers, they went 124-23, won four in-season tournament titles, won the ACC title twice, and won the 2010 NCAA Championship (though Curry was a transfer redshirt that season). This past season, the trio averaged 47.5 points and 17.8 rebounds.

Plumlee racked up the awards on Friday night, as he was also named the Top Scholar Athlete and the Iron Duke (the player with the most minutes with 1,248). He also had the top field goal percentage (59.9%) and best rebounding average. Plumlee is a Capital One first team Academic All-American and a second team All-American. In his final season, he averaged a double-double: 17.1 points and ten rebounds.

Curry won the Pagliuca Family Coach’s Award (overall improvement) and was also honored as the player with the best free throw percentage (80.9%). He led the team in scoring at 17.5 points per game and was named a second team All-American. He was second in the ACC in three pointers made (95) and three point field goal percentage (43.8%). He scored twenty points a career-high 18 times. He finally had surgery after the season ended so he’ll have two healthy legs for the start of his NBA career (hopefully).

Kelly was named the team’s top Defensive Player, despite missing 13 games with another foot injury (which he recently had surgery on). He averaged 1.6 blocks per game and took nine charges. He also averaged 12.9 points per game. One of the most memorable games came on his first game back from the foot injury, March 2nd at home against Miami. He scored a career-high 36 points on 10-of-14 shooting, including 7-of-9 from outside.

Other players were honored besides the three seniors.

Josh Hairston received the True Blue Award for taking a team-high 20 charges, while Tyler Thornton won the Glenn E. “Ted” Mann Award as the bench player contributing most to team morale. Quinn Cook earned the Most Assists Award, as he finished second in the ACC with 5.3 assists per game. He was also a third team All-ACC selection. He averaged 11.7 points and 3.8 rebounds per game. Cook also had a 2.4:1 assist to turnover ratio.

Rumors are swirling that former Duke men’s basketball great Jon Scheyer will be returning soon to the Durham campus to take Nate James‘ spot as a special assistant. James became the Blue Devils’ newest assistant coach after Chris Collins was named the new head coach at Northwestern during the most recent NCAA Tournament.

The Blue Devils won the 2010 National Championship with Scheyer leading the charge at guard. A serious eye injury kept him from playing in the NBA, though he did play for Houston in the D-League. Last year, he played for Maccabi Tel-Aviv in Israel and this year played in Spain. He was asked two weeks ago to talk about his relationship with Collins and about his ability as a head coach. He also joked about talking to Coach K:

 

“It’ll be interested to see what happens with that… [long pause] I just got off the phone with Coach K and he offered me the position,” Scheyer joked at the time.

But it seems it may not be a joke at all, as rumors are out there that a deal is close. He was also one of the most respected players at Duke, so it would be great to see him back at Cameron, even if it is roaming the sidelines.

Former Duke men’s basketball player Shane Battier was named the Magic Johnson Award winner. The award is given to the NBA player that shows excellence both on the court and with the media and fans. It is voted on by members of the Pro Basketball Writers Association.

Battier with the trophy via @DukeBluePlanet (Twitter)

Battier is the fifth former Blue Devil to win this award, joining Grant Hill (who won it twice in 2004-2005 and 2007-2008), Elton Brand (2005-2006), and Luol Deng (2006-2007).

In 70 games with the Miami Heat (who lead the Eastern Conference standings), Battier is averaging 6.5 points and 2.3 rebounds in 24 minutes. He is shooting 42.5% from three point range (which is a career-best). The Heat have the best record in the NBA at 61-16.

Here is what Battier tweeted following the announcement:

“Really proud of being selected as the recipient of the Magic Johnson Award. Magic was a hero of mine growing up. Great group of winners too.”