Posted On: June 25, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Gerald Henderson won’t have to travel very far when he moves into his new place in Charlotte. The Charlotte Bobcats drafted the former Duke Blue Devil with the number 12 overall pick in the 2009 NBA Draft on Thursday night. Henderson was in attendance in New York City during the draft to take it all in.

Some people think it is ironic that Henderson was drafted by the Bobcats since they are headed by two former Tarheels. Michael Jordan and Larry Brown both are in the Bobcats organization and Jordan said after the draft that it is sometimes hard to draft a former Duke player just because he knows how big the rivalry is.

“I think he has a big upside – really athletic,” Brown said. “He has a (natural) position – he’s a legit 2-guard with size and with that athleticism he can cover.”

“I like his physical capabilities and his (willingness) to listen to the coach,” Jordan said. “Last year in the NCAAs there was a lot of talk about him that he couldn’t go to his left. So he immediately started working on his left hand.”

I think the Bobcats are a great fit for Gerald and I hope he continues to improve his game and have a long lasting career in the NBA. Congrats Gerald!

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Category: Former Duke Players

Posted On: June 25, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

Wow, kind of a shocker today when I learned that Elliot Williams has departed the mens basketball team for family medical reasons. It has been said that Elliot’s mom has not been doing good and that Elliot even thought about transferring during the season so he could be closer to her. You can’t fault a kid for wanting to move closer to home when they have a family member with health problems, so we wish the Williams family the best.

Elliot has also said in printed reports that he would be looking at attending Memphis, Vanderbilt, Tennessee or Kentucky. My guess is Memphis, and I sure hope it isn’t Kentucky. Elliot will be seeking a waiver from the NCAA so he will not have sit out the upcoming season and be eligible right away at his new school of choice.

So where does this leave the Blue Devils? Basically with two guards on the roster. Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith are going to have to play a lot of minutes and this really hurts the overall depth for the Blue Devils. This is a huge hit that the Devils will not make up this season as there really isn’t a way to add another top rated player to the roster. Time for someone on the team to really step up!

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Category: Duke Basketball

Posted On: June 4, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Hey everyone, things have been pretty slow as late as they usually do during the summer turn down in the college basketball world. We have a little bit of news today however as ESPN.Com reported that Coack K might coach the Olympic team in the 2012 games.

“I’m going to be with the Olympic team in some capacity,” he said, according to The Raleigh News & Observer. “It’s just that the NBA season hasn’t even ended. I think once the NBA season has ended, I’ll have an even more clear picture of who’s going to go forward, maybe, from the players, how we’re going to do coaching.”

There is no question that the national team’s managing director, Jerry Colangelo would love to have Krzyzewski coach the team. The two are expected to meet in Chicago and talk things over once the NBA Finals have completed.

My personal opinion is that I would rather not have Coack K partake in the 2012 Olympics and concentrate more on Duke Basketball and recruiting. The coaches are missing out on some players that would make a difference. Like going from the Sweet 16 to the Final Four type of players.

What’s your thoughts on the Olympic deal?

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Category: Duke Basketball

Posted On: May 18, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Ouch, is about all I can with John Wall committing to Kentucky. Duke had hoped to receive a committment from Wall who would have stepped right into the starting lineup and played the point guard position for the Blue Devils however, Wall is headed to Kentucky where he is following Jon Calipari.

Sources say the recruitment actually came down to Kentucky and Miami with Duke coming in third. Had the decision been up to Brian Clifton who is Wall’s advisor, he would have chosen Duke. However, Wall wanted to play for Coach Calipari no matter where he was going to be coaching.

Losing out on this recruitment for Wall really hurts the Blue Devils. Wall is the type of player that can make your Sweet 16 team turn into a Final Four team just by being out ther on the floor. Even if it would have only been for one year, it would have been great to see Wall wearing Duke Blue rather than Kentucky Blue…

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Category: Duke Basketball, Duke Basketball Recruiting

Posted On: May 13, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Greg Paulus is going back to his hometown and will enroll in graduate school at Syracuse University. Paulus announced his decision this morning through a teleconference. He said he could not pass up the opportunity to play one year of football for Syracuse and also take classes for broadcast journalism.

Greg was picking between Nebraska and Syracuse and in the end the hometown won. We wish Greg the best as he continues his education and playing career at Syracuse. You were a great leader while at Duke and will always be remembered as a Blue Devil!

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Category: Duke Basketball

Posted On: May 13, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (0)

I have learned that Former Duke point guard Greg Paulus will have a teleconference tomorrow where he will announce his decision on where he will play one year of football. It is down to his hometown Syracuse or out in the Midwest at Nebraska.

Paulus is wanting to take some journalism classes while playing one year at quarterback. I expect him to announce his decision to attend Syracuse because they are his hometownt team and also the University is one of the top rated for Journalism.

The teleconference is scheduled for 10:00 ET Thursday morning so we will know shorly what his plans are.

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Category: Former Duke Players

Posted On: April 27, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (4)

The Duke Blue Devils will probably be without their best player next season as Gerald Henderson announced that he will be entering the NBA Draft but has not hire an agent at this time. However, it is expect that Henderson is shopping around for an agent and will end up signing with one.

“After a lot of thought and discussion with my family and the Duke coaching staff, I have decided to enter the NBA Draft,” said Henderson. “Playing in the NBA has been a goal of mine since a young age and I am thrilled to have the opportunity. My three years at Duke have been a tremendous learning experience and have helped me develop both as a person and as a player.”

I know as a Duke fan I would love to have Gerald back but his stock is so high right now and he more then likely will be a top 10 pick in the June 25th draft. It’s hard to turn down a guranteed contract like he will more than likely receive.

If Henderson chooses to come back for his Senior year, he will need to withdrawl his name before June 16th.

Whatever happens we wish you the best Gerald!

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Category: Duke Basketball

Posted On: April 16, 2009 By: Cliff Comments: (1)

Senior point guard Greg Paulus will be graduating with his degree from Duke in June, however he might not be done in the classroom as he has the opportunity to go to Michigan for graduate school. The school part doesn’t surprise me, however he has also been offered a scholarship by coach Rodriguez to play footbal for one year.

I know that Paulus was the national player of the year for football his senior year in high school but I don’t see how this is a good fit for the Michigan program. Paulus isn’t exactly a speedy guy and I don’t see how he can run Rodriguez’s offense that great. Especially since he hasn’t thrown a football for four years and isn’t in *football shape*.

It will be interesting to see if Greg does indeed go up to Ann Arbor. One thing we know, he will give it is all if he chooses to and we wish him the best!

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Category: Former Duke Players