Duke Tuesday Tidbits
Not content on just being the next Duke point guard, Kyrie Irving is spending his summer trying to make the under-18 US National team. He’s doing a real good job too, as he is the best player on the court.
“And it’s not even close,” said one observer who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Irving is also spending his summer taking down former Blue Devil point guards in one-on-one. Here’s the recap.
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Joining Irving in the 2011-12 season will be Michael Gbinije. The small forward looks like he will take over for Kyle Singler.
Gbinije (pronounced Ben-ih-jhay) is a different player than Singler, he’s more agile than the senior. He will need to get stronger, especially for him to stand up to the intense ACC grind, but his quickness will allow Coach K to return to a more up tempo game when he arrives in the fall of 2011.
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Remember Taylor King, the three point specialist who was in the same freshman class as Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith who transferred to Villanova? Well, he ‘voluntarily’ left the Villanova team. He’s still at the school, but no longer on the team.
Tuesday Tidbits
Its been a relatively quiet time for the Duke Basketball team. Since winning their fourth National Championship there’s been very little to talk about. Kyle Singler quickly decided to come back, their incoming class was already in place and Coach K just made it clear that he’s not going anywhere. Especially since he made over $4 million dollars for the 2008-09 season.
The seniors they did lose don’t look they will factor in the NBA Draft, but they should end up somewhere. Here’s a talk with one of those seniors, Jon Scheyer.
With the incoming class set, its time to start looking forward to the freshman on the 2011-12 team. Here’s a look at Malcolm Gilbert, a 6-11 defensive force inside.
For the first time in a long time I am actually interested in the Duke Football team, normally I tell people that Duke doesn’t have a football team.
This year is different. David Cutcliffe has turned this program around, the only question is just how far he can go. He is the right coach for this team and his commitment to the school has been proven. When the Tennessee job opened this off season, I thought he was gone, but he stayed in Durham.
Cutcliffe was an assistant coach at U of T for 19 years, but he chose to stay at Duke. Not sure if that says more about the condition of the Tennessee program, or the make of the coach. To find out more about the Duke Football coach, get a preview of a Fox Sports South program about him.
Last years team won 5 games and was poised to go to a bowl, but dropped their last four games. Making a bowl is the next step for the program. They did lose their senior quarterback, but Cutcliffe added one of the best classes at Duke in a long time and the skies is the limit for this program. It would have to be, since they were so bad for so long.
Coach K Interview
The Krzyzewski-to-the-pros talk looks like its been put to rest. This ABC interview has Coach K saying the things that all Duke fans want to hear.
“I’m coaching here [Duke] forever, for as long as I coach.” When asked about the NBA he said, “I’m not going to go to the NBA… not ever.”
When coaches say things like this, everyone takes it with a grain of salt. If you heard John Calipari or Rick Pitino say something like this you’d laugh and then bet your friends how quickly he was leaving his college job.
There are some coaches that you cannot picture leaving their college jobs, Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, Roy Williams, and before this week I would have included Tom Izzo on this list. Although I don’t see Izzo leaving Michigan State without LeBron James in place in Cleveland.
Why would he bother going to Cleveland if the games best player won’t be there? If its about the money, then take the New Jersey Nets job. More about Izzo here.
As for Coach K, If the Lakers job ($40 million/5 years and part ownership) didn’t lure him out of Durham, I can’t see another job that would. If he wants to coach some pros, he should continue to coach the Olympic team. Its a good fit for him and it allows him to do what he truly loves, coach college kids.
How’s This For A Super Conference?
With all the talk about expanding conferences, one conference that’s largely been ignored has been the ACC. Which only makes sense. All the talk is about football schools, and of the Big 6 conferences, the ACC is the least of these.
In fact, its actually more of a basketball conference. So, with everyone trying to figure out exactly where Nebraska is going, why not create a super ACC basketball conference.
Nine teams was perfect for the ACC, everyone played each other twice and a weak team couldn’t hide. Now with the rotation schedule, games like Duke/NC State don’t happen twice a year, and Boston College’s primary partners are Miami & VaTech. What? How does that make sense?
Since the ACC is already ruined with 12 teams lets just bump it up to 16 teams.
First, dump BC, Miami and Florida State, that puts at back that 9. And keeps people from having to make the trip to Boston and Florida, it also keeps the ACC tournament from ever being held in one of those far away locations.
Now we have seven to add.
Lets start raiding the Big East first and take Georgetown and Louisville. The Hoyas make a perfect match for Maryland and it would quickly become an intense rivalry. Imagine the hell that the Maryland students would unleash on G’Town.
Louisville has already changed conferences once in the last five years, why not another change. Both G’Town and Louisville have rich basketball traditions (and National Championships) and big name coaches. Sounds like a perfect match for the ACC.
The SEC is next and lets hit them up for their big dog. The University of Kentucky. We already have two kinds of blue, why not add a third? Besides adding another of the top 5 all-time programs; twice a year Louisville and Kentucky would play each other. How’s this sound for a Sunday night double-header on ESPN, Lousiville/Kentucky followed by Duke/UNC?
Next, lets take Memphis from Conference USA. The conference is normally described during the season as Memphis and everyone else. They stand out in the small pond of C-USA, like a sunken galleon in a roadside ditch. Quick, name another coach of a Conference USA team. Yeah, I know, me either. Even though they are on probation, they would make another fine addition to the rich tradition of the new ACC. Don’t get all high and mighty about ACC teams on probation (see. Jim Valvano).
We are now at 13 teams and have some choices to make. Do we add more big name teams? Villanova, Pitt or Tennessee. Do we raid more mid-majors for their best teams? Temple, Xavier or Butler. Do we take the best of the smaller conferences? ODU, Murrey State, Davidson, Charlotte, Eastern and Western Kentucky, Richmond, Radford or Winthrop.
Villanova and Pitt from the Big East would add another pair of power teams, as well as in state rivalry. Something this conference is accustomed to. Tennessee is another good match, especially when you look at it from the Woman’s side of the ball.
Xavier and Butler are strong mid-majors and if they want to play with the big dogs, I say we let them. Temple is another good choice; a rich tradition (6th most wins ever) and another major market. Philly is close enough to NY to draw all the ACC fans that live there for away games.
That leaves a whole bunch of elite teams among the single-bid conferences. Why would they want to leave the relative safety of the small conferences? How about stacks and stacks of cash? Cash is normally a good motivator. Sure these teams would get pummeled for a while, but they most of them have local fan bases and traditions in winning (either recent or past). Plus every conference needs some one at the bottom.
I know its a pipe dream, but if you want to create Super Conferences, here’s one for you, the new ACC.
Northern
Georgetown
Kentucky
Louisville
Maryland
Temple
Virginia
Virginia Tech
Xavier
Southern
Clemson
Duke
Georgia Tech
Memphis
NC State
Tennesse
UNC
Wake Forest
As for the schedule, each team gets three home & away rivalries. And then play each of the other twelve teams once. That’s 18 conference games.
Then instead of the silly double-by the Big East currently has, only the top 12 teams go to the conference tournament and the four best teams get a single-by.
Going by last years tourney teams, you would have 11 teams in the NCAAs. Not including UNC (NIT), Memphis (probation) or VaTech (the eternally screwed).
You want to build a super conference, try creating one with a richer tradition, more championships or better rivalries than this one.
Mens Lacrosse Wins First Title
The Duke Men’s Lacrosse team became the second Duke team to win a National Championship this year with a thrilling 6-5 overtime win over an unranked Notre Dame team in Baltimore on Monday afternoon.
The game winner came from CJ Costabile just five seconds into overtime. The long pole sophomore won the overtime face-off and then ran straight towards the Notre Dame goal. The defenders looked unsure what to do, wondering if he was going to pass, but he kept going and let it fly, putting it under the crossbar to give Duke the victory.
The victory gave the Duke Blue Devils their 12th NCAA National Championship in five different sports. Women’s golf (5 titles, most recent 2007); Men’s Basketball (4 titles, most recent 2010); Men’s soccer (1 title, 1986); Women’s tennis (1 title, 2009) and now Men’s lacrosse (1 title, 2010).
