What the heck is going on? It seems like every player on the Blue Devils roster is getting injured. Just the other day, Brian Zoubek had surgery on an ankle injured during a pick up game, and now DeMarcus Nelson has sustained a wrist injury in PanAm Game tryouts. Oh, yeah, and Marty Pocius had surgery recently as well.
Granted, Marty and Brian are expected to be fine by the start of practice in the fall, but still.
We'll be waiting to hear about Nelson
Go Duke.
Sunday, July 15, 2007
Wednesday, July 4, 2007
BlazerMadness?
Granted, this is supposed to be a blog about Duke, but seeing Josh go to a Portland team that we once loved so much only to see them become the JailBlazer TrailGangsters but is now on the rebound, is a thrill.
I don't think Josh could have done better in the draft. He may have wanted to go earlier, but if Josh is going to excel, he's going to do it in a place where he doesn't have to be the number one guy in the middle. After Portland took Greg Oden, the Blazers became a perfect fit for Josh's game, and the fact that Greg and Josh are old friends is a bonus, too. In fact, Greg Oden has been keeping a blog and mentions Josh a few times.
Just don't expect perfect grammar - he only went to one year of college.
I don't think Josh could have done better in the draft. He may have wanted to go earlier, but if Josh is going to excel, he's going to do it in a place where he doesn't have to be the number one guy in the middle. After Portland took Greg Oden, the Blazers became a perfect fit for Josh's game, and the fact that Greg and Josh are old friends is a bonus, too. In fact, Greg Oden has been keeping a blog and mentions Josh a few times.
Just don't expect perfect grammar - he only went to one year of college.
First Look '07
The Blue Devils put on a lot of camps during the summer, and they allowed the campers to sit back the other night and enjoy watching next year's squad scrimmage. Some of the local media were invited. Here's a quick look at what one reporter saw.
Saturday, June 9, 2007
Duke Tops ACC; 8th in Nation
The Duke Blue Devils have, in their three recruits Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler, and Taylor King, the 8th-ranked recruiting class in the nation and the number one incoming class in the ACC.
The ACC is ranked 5th in the nation for incoming talent. The national top 30 recruiting classes can be found here.
Of note, with the addition of Jai Lucas to their roster, Florida is not only the two-time defending national champion, they are also ranked number one for incoming players. That, together with the bizarre turn of events that has Billy Donovan staying, and Florida remains an interesting team for the coming season.
The ACC is ranked 5th in the nation for incoming talent. The national top 30 recruiting classes can be found here.
Of note, with the addition of Jai Lucas to their roster, Florida is not only the two-time defending national champion, they are also ranked number one for incoming players. That, together with the bizarre turn of events that has Billy Donovan staying, and Florida remains an interesting team for the coming season.
Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Duke Football
Duke University is a national contender in nearly every sport it plays. The single exception appears to be football. While I knew this was the case, I was not entirely sure just how unsuccessful the program has been in the last few years, so I did some quick research this morning instead of doing what I'm being paid to do.
Since hiring Ted Roof in December of 2003, the Blue Devils have gone 3-31. What's even more depressing for Duke is that the wins have come in decreasing numbers as the years have progressed. In Roof's first year, they won two games, followed by a single win a in 2005, and last year's record was a tough 0-12. Granted, since the conference expanded, the strength of the football competition has gotten much better, but Duke should at least be keeping pace and winning one or two games. Fortunately for Roof, there is a floor to the number of games you can win, and he's standing on it. Things can't get much worse.
That being said, Duke did announce the signing of current-junior Montel Harris, a 5'9", 198 lb running back from Florida. Montel is a martial arts expert and averaged over 10 yards per carry in high school.
Unfortunately, even with this addition, Duke is looking at what appears to be one of their toughest schedules in years. If the strength of other ACC teams holds constant, Duke's conference schedule is as tough as ever and their non-conference schedule's one weak opponent is Connecticut in the first week. After that, Duke has to play Navy and, gulp, Notre Dame.
To add insult to injury, not only does Tar Heel football own Blue Devil football, UNC will also have Greg Paulus' brother, Mike Paulus at quarterback. Though there was early speculation that Mike might look elsewhere after the UNC coaching staff changes, it looks like he'll be throwing for the Tar Heels in August.
Ouch.
Good luck Duke Blue Devil Football. We'll be keeping an eye on you.
Go Duke.
Since hiring Ted Roof in December of 2003, the Blue Devils have gone 3-31. What's even more depressing for Duke is that the wins have come in decreasing numbers as the years have progressed. In Roof's first year, they won two games, followed by a single win a in 2005, and last year's record was a tough 0-12. Granted, since the conference expanded, the strength of the football competition has gotten much better, but Duke should at least be keeping pace and winning one or two games. Fortunately for Roof, there is a floor to the number of games you can win, and he's standing on it. Things can't get much worse.
That being said, Duke did announce the signing of current-junior Montel Harris, a 5'9", 198 lb running back from Florida. Montel is a martial arts expert and averaged over 10 yards per carry in high school.
Unfortunately, even with this addition, Duke is looking at what appears to be one of their toughest schedules in years. If the strength of other ACC teams holds constant, Duke's conference schedule is as tough as ever and their non-conference schedule's one weak opponent is Connecticut in the first week. After that, Duke has to play Navy and, gulp, Notre Dame.
To add insult to injury, not only does Tar Heel football own Blue Devil football, UNC will also have Greg Paulus' brother, Mike Paulus at quarterback. Though there was early speculation that Mike might look elsewhere after the UNC coaching staff changes, it looks like he'll be throwing for the Tar Heels in August.
Ouch.
Good luck Duke Blue Devil Football. We'll be keeping an eye on you.
Go Duke.
Kentucky it is...
Patrick Patterson officially signed with Kentucky a week ago. For a moment, I was disappointed, and then I realized: Duke's going to be tough next year. I don't know why I've had such a tempered view of how good they could be. Kyle Singer, Taylor King, and Nolan Smith to augment the phenomenal Gerald Henderson,David McClure, Lance Thomas, Demarcus Nelson and Greg Paulus. Oh, and despite his freshman year performance, the Blue Devil coaching staff is very up on Brian Zoubek's potential. Chris Collins referenced Aaron Gray as a big man who was terribly awkward as a freshman but developed into a supreme low-post player in his junior and senior seasons.
And I've got to say I'm a HUGE David McClure fan. Old school Duke, that kid is. As well as Marty Pocius. Marty just needs to spend the summer with Coach Wojo and learn to play some D. With his spark off the bench AND not being a defensive liability, Duke becomes seriously deep from top to bottom.
Go Duke
And I've got to say I'm a HUGE David McClure fan. Old school Duke, that kid is. As well as Marty Pocius. Marty just needs to spend the summer with Coach Wojo and learn to play some D. With his spark off the bench AND not being a defensive liability, Duke becomes seriously deep from top to bottom.
Go Duke
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
D-Day
Well, we're here. Patrick Patterson announces today what school he has decided to sign with. He has waited until virtually the last possible moment to decide, and we'll all find out later this afternoon.
Jai Lucas, the other top unsigned recruit, signed with Florida a couple of days ago and much has been made of how Lucas wants to play with Patterson, if not the other way around. While Duke made the cut to the final three schools, Kentucky being the third, essentially no one is giving the Blue Devils a chance at landing Patterson.
Here at Dukemadness we like to be hopeful, yet realistic. To be honest, we've grown tired of the recruiting saga, and while we're holding out hope for Patterson to give the Blue Devils a much-needed inside presence next year, we're mainly happy to not have to chase down false leads as to his decision as we have been doing for the last 3 months.
Without Patterson, the feisty but short Lance Thomas and the tall but gangly and travel-prone (and let's face it, white; perhaps the whitest since Shawn Bradley) Brian Zoubek are the best the Devils have for pulling down boards and posting up. Unless, of course, Coach K decides to change Taylor King's game to a more traditional four. And that probably won't happen, nor, probably, should it.
So, Patrick, if you're not going to pick Duke (and please, please do) then will you at least go to Kentucky? Florida has had their run. It's been a good one. And if you head down there, intent on an education and therefore likely staying for more than a single season, Florida just may be in the hunt for another national title in a couple of years, and that's just boring.
Go Duke.
Jai Lucas, the other top unsigned recruit, signed with Florida a couple of days ago and much has been made of how Lucas wants to play with Patterson, if not the other way around. While Duke made the cut to the final three schools, Kentucky being the third, essentially no one is giving the Blue Devils a chance at landing Patterson.
Here at Dukemadness we like to be hopeful, yet realistic. To be honest, we've grown tired of the recruiting saga, and while we're holding out hope for Patterson to give the Blue Devils a much-needed inside presence next year, we're mainly happy to not have to chase down false leads as to his decision as we have been doing for the last 3 months.
Without Patterson, the feisty but short Lance Thomas and the tall but gangly and travel-prone (and let's face it, white; perhaps the whitest since Shawn Bradley) Brian Zoubek are the best the Devils have for pulling down boards and posting up. Unless, of course, Coach K decides to change Taylor King's game to a more traditional four. And that probably won't happen, nor, probably, should it.
So, Patrick, if you're not going to pick Duke (and please, please do) then will you at least go to Kentucky? Florida has had their run. It's been a good one. And if you head down there, intent on an education and therefore likely staying for more than a single season, Florida just may be in the hunt for another national title in a couple of years, and that's just boring.
Go Duke.
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