Blue 80, White 73
October 25, 2003.
Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The season got underway in full force with perhaps the best Blue-White
game I've ever seen. Usually, these games tend to be very sloppy contests
where the best players often tend to either sleepwalk their way through them
or purposefully stand aside so as to allow lesser players to have their
moment in the sun. (Christian Ast leading all scorers in the 1991 version
of this game comes to mind.) In this game, you had ten players who all had
something to prove, and the result was an exciting game played with a great
degree of intensity. It's rare that you see things like intentional fouls
and full court presses in an intrasquad scrimmage, but the two teams both
wanted to win badly. After the final buzzer, Shavlik Randolph raised his
arms in triumph, as if Duke had just beaten a tough ACC foe.
In this report, I'm going to focus less on actual game action than on the
players themselves. The White team featured Nick Horvath, Shelden Williams,
Luol Deng, Daniel Ewing, and Sean Dockery. The Blue squad countered with
Michael Thompson, Shavlik Randolph, Lee Melchionni, JJ Redick and Chris
Duhon. It would have seemed that the White squad would have a small
advantage since they had three scorers (Williams, Deng & Ewing), whereas
Blue only had Randolph & Redick. The Blue team wound up winning because
Duhon did a masterful job of getting easy shots for his team and because
Thompson & Melchionni stepped up in a big way. However, the White team
rallied behind some excellent defense and shooting, and kept it close all
the way. Duke's bench will feature the best mix of size and experience
that they've had since the 1998 team.
The Blue team took a commanding lead early on, thanks mostly to their
offensive rebounding. Randolph and Thompson really crashed the boards hard,
and Duhon used his quicker body (thanks to dropping about 10 pounds) to snag
some underneath the basket. The halftime score of this 30 minute game was
39-30, Blue, and it was thanks mostly to their post game. Thompson had 9 on
4-5 shooting, including a couple of powerful dunks.
Randolph
powered his way up for 10 and Melchionni drove baseline for some sneaky
baskets. The White team struggled a bit more, and only 3 threes kept them
close. Oddly enough, those threes came from Deng (2) and Williams (1),
while their better-shooting teammates went a collective 0-3 from the floor.
The biggest problem was that Williams had trouble getting open looks and
everyone struggled with rebounding. Deng was 4-5 from the field in the half
but is such a quiet player that you hardly noticed him scoring all those
points. Williams still managed to manufacture 10 points, thanks mostly to
the foul line. Randolph couldn't handle him on the low blocks by himself
and wound up with a lot of fouls (though no one was allowed to foul out of
the game).
In the second half, the White team went on a 13-0 run to take a 43-39
lead. Dockery, Deng and Horvath were doing most of the early damage, as
Nick scored a stunning 13 points in the half, while Deng was scoring and
coming up with steals. The team also did a much better job on the boards.
The Blue team patiently got the ball into Randolph, who responded with 6-8
shooting in the half. Melchionni's long range bombs, Duhon's precision
passing and an absolute dagger from Redick late in the game broke open the
game down the stretch. The fans definitely got their money's worth from
this game. While there is certainly plenty for every player to work on as
individuals and this group is not yet a fully functioning team, it's clear
that the potential here is staggering. Not only does Duke have as much or
more talent in the country from players 1-6, it's clear that players 7-10
will make this team tough as well. That's something you really couldn't say
in recent years. I'm not sure that there's a true superstar in this group,
no All-American lock whose individual stats will leap out at you, but there
are guys who can score, guys who can rebound, and most importantly men who
can play defense. The wild card here is Luol Deng, a player who can do
pretty much anything and everything, meaning that you can plug him into the
lineup in a lot of different ways.
Player By Player:
** Thompson: AM Mayhem last week provided some hints, as did
yesterday's open practice, but this game proved it: Michael Thompson is a
completely different player. He always had a big body and strong shoulders
and could run the court fairly well. However, his lack of flexibility
(especially in his upper body), lack of explosiveness and undeveloped skill
set meant that he wasn't ready for prime time last year. He slowly improved
as the year went on, earning some minutes in the NCAA tournament, but it was
clear that he had a lot of work to do. Thompson is making his own luck now,
after a summer where he worked on his body and his game, thanks to a trip to
Pete Newell's Big Man Camp. With Casey Sanders gone and no new big men in
the program this year (or next year, for that matter), he has a real
opportunity to get some significant playing time off the bench if he's
ready.
His role is not complex. He must be able to catch the ball cleanly (still
a work in progress), go up smoothly to the basket (much better) and finish
strongly (high marks here). Big Mike doesn't have a lot of lift in his
legs, but he definitely got up high enough to flush several excellent passes
from Chris Duhon. Chris was concentrating on feeding his big men inside and
got them plenty of open looks. However, Mike went hard to the offensive
boards, and though he tipped a few that he should have just grabbed, his
aggressiveness was outstanding as he had a couple of rebound baskets. One
was a three point play. He also hit a 15' jumper on a dish from a driving
Duhon. Thompson also helped keep Shelden Williams under control (8 shots, 4
turnovers). Lastly, Mike ran the court rather nicely, scoring in transition
on yet another Duhon pass.
Thus far, Mike has proven that he can be a very solid reserve. His
confidence is way up and it looks like the game has slowed down considerably
for him. Last year, it was obvious that he was thinking way too much on the
court, worrying about the right decision to make. Now, it looks like his
training has simplified the game for him as he relies on a few steady
moves. This means that he no longer is bringing the ball down, trying to
dribble it too much, or just plain turning it over. If he can do this in
live game action, Michael will be able to pick up around ten minutes a
game. Furthermore, Duke will be able to worry less about foul trouble to
their big men, something that has plagued them for years.
** Randolph: Speaking of players trying to prove something, Shav
battled hard against Shelden all night. While Shav had some trouble with
Shelden's power, Shav's skill level gave Shelden fits as well. It was clear
that Shav was a whole lot hard to move out of the post thanks to his
increased bulk. And while Shav did hit a couple of jumpers, he did most of
his work down low. He had some tremendous dunks thanks to superb Duhon
passes, but he definitely put himself in the right place at the right time.
Most of the Blue team passed well and Shav was no exception. Randolph also
ruled the defensive boards, using positioning and strength to sweep away 10
rebounds. He used timing to block 3 shots and made both Horvath and
Williams work hard for their points. Shav ran the court well, though
perhaps a step behind Williams. Still, that was ameliorated by the fact
that he never gave up on plays and always seemed to know where to go and
when the ball was coming to him, like on a finish on an alley-oop and
another finish on a fancy behind the back pass from Duhon.
There's no question that he's improved enough on the defensive end to
start, and he's ready to become a big-time scorer. He will still have
problems with very quick players, which is why he won't be at wing. Quick
players with good handles can go by him, which shouldn't apply to most power
forwards in the country. On the other hand, even the toughest power players
will have trouble dealing with his timing and increased size. His superior
outside shooting touch, solid handle (he drove to the basket a couple of
times), rebounding and good floor sense will make him a tough opponent. He
must continue to play defense with his feet instead of his hands, and learn
when and when not to foul. Randolph had 6 in this game, and that was more
as a result of being slightly out of position than simply being overpowered.
** Melchionni: The most overlooked member of the Super Six, Lee
quietly goes about his business and raises eyebrows. A skinny player last
year with limited athletic gifts, he nonetheless would play all-out given
any chance at some playing time. Confident to the point of being brazen, he
hustled, hit big shots and never showed an ounce of fear. He displayed a
perfect team-first attitude and understood his role, but at the same time he
wanted to play and contribute. This summer, he transformed his body and
became a leaner, stronger, & quicker player. He's still not going to
overwhelm anyone with his strength or quickness, but Lee gets the job done.
In practice, he's had the unenviable task of guarding Luol Deng and he was
assigned to Daniel Ewing for much of the Blue-White game. In both
instances, he's acquitted himself quite well, forcing both into having to
make some very tough shots. Offensively, he is shooting his threeball with
confidence and was 2-5 in the game. More impressive was the way he attacked
the rim, going baseline on one play and exploding for a dunk as Deng,
Horvath and Williams all looked on with amazement. Lee had a well-timed
tip-in on another play, continuing his squads dominance on the offensive
glass. He played the passing lanes like a Duke wing should, was unselfish
with the ball, and proved in general to be a vital cog in the team's win.
Lee will get minutes this year. While Deng, Redick and Ewing will get the
lion's share of playing time at the 2 and 3, Lee can step in when the team
needs more size, if there's foul trouble, or someone simply isn't playing
well. He plays very well in the halfcourt sets, moves well without the ball
and is simply solid all-around. While he likely won't ever be a
double-digit scorer at Duke, he looks like a potential future leader and
steady four-year guy who can be a program anchor.
** Redick: JJ had one big problem in this game: Luol Deng's long
arms. Deng played suffocating defense on Redick all night, limiting JJ's
open looks and forcing him to rush shots. The fact that the White team was
able to hold him to just 4 three point attempts was one of the biggest keys
to winning the game. They never let JJ get comfortable or find any kind of
rhythm. That said, Redick is a gamer and never quits. He's been working
hard on using a fake on the baseline to open up a 10' fadeaway jumper.
Driving on Deng, he used that move to get him to fly over and sank the
shot. Most importantly, with the game on the line in the final minute of
the game, Duhon found him for a dagger of a three point shot that
essentially snuffed out the White team's hopes. After keeping him under
control for 29 minutes, they let him get away for just a second and it
killed them. It must also be noted that Melchionni was able to get some of
his open looks because of the attention paid to JJ.
Redick had very little room to shoot, and so put the ball on the deck
quite a bit. This resulted in 3 turnovers (including a charge), but he also
did a nice job of finding his teammates, including both Randolph and
Melchionni. JJ is a scorer supreme, but he's no selfish gunner. The fact
that he's had to face Dahntay Jones and Luol Deng in consecutive Blue-White
matchups shows the respect that his own teammates have for him, placing the
top defender on the team on him.
** Duhon: As good as his teammates were, it was Chris who set them
all up. Chris is never going to be a consistent double-digit scorer and may
not even hit a lot of threes this year...but he doesn't necessarily have
to. Instead, he should play to his strengths, which he has obviously been
honing. Increasing his quickness has meant that he will get more rebounds,
more steals and start the break with greater ease. He dominated Sean
Dockery at both ends and was dropping pinpoint passes all over the court.
And they just weren't easy skip passes for threes, but deliveries like a
forward bounce pass for a dunk, a couple of behind the back passes on the
break, and precise diagonal passes to the post. A key to Duke's success
this year will be in working from the inside out. Duhon should look to
either Randolph or Williams first and get them as many touches as possible.
After that, things will open up nicely for Deng to drive, Redick/Ewing to
shoot or even for himself to take it to the hole. His only three of the
game rimmed out, but he did a nice job going to the basket, hitting one of
those floaters of his. He even blocked a couple of shots as he attacked
Dockery on defense.
Duhon doesn't have to be a superstar this year, but rather the team's
catalyst. While Duke has a lot of scorers, very few players can generate
their own offense on a regular basis. It's up to Duhon to get the ball into
the post, penetrate on pitch out to open shooters, and play suffocating
defense on opposing point guards. His on-ball defense will be crucial for a
team still finding its way in its off-ball defense.
** Horvath: I was joking the other day that Nick obviously had made
some kind of devilish deal as a freshman when he hit that game-winning bank
shot against DePaul, because his shot has looked just plain ugly ever
since. Well, shut my mouth, because Nick absolutely lit up the Blue team
with his torrid outside shooting. Granted, he got plenty of open looks as
Blue stayed at home on Williams as much as possible, but he still had to
make the shots. Furthermore, he also scored on a couple of stickbacks and a
sweet left-handed hookshot with a man on him. I hadn't seen that particular
shot before from him, but it was an effective move. He was outquicked to
the ball by Randolph on the rebounding end and had trouble stopping either
man defensively, though he did take a charge. Still, it was an impressive
and heady showing overall, proving that he can definitely help this year.
Part of that is due to his tremendous upper-body strength, which actually
made his shot look a lot steadier. Instead of tiring as the game went on, he
actually kept getting better. With Randolph expected to have a big year, it
may be tough for Nick to get a lot of minutes, but his experience, savvy and
willingness to crash the boards will make him a perfect spot player. Don't
be stunned if Coach K even decides to platoon his squad, with 4 or even 5
subs coming in at certain times. A second five of Horvath, Thompson,
Melchionni, Ewing and Dockery will be able to score inside, shoot threes,
defend and rebound quite well, especially in the halfcourt. This group
wouldn't play big minutes, but they could play very effective minutes.
** Williams: Shelden had to work very hard for his 16 points and 13
boards, dealing with constant double-teams. He rarely had any space to work
with but kept plugging away, drawing several fouls. In the second half, he
powered his way up to several baskets and dominated the boards. This was one
of the biggest key's to White's second half comeback. By taking away Blue's
second shot opportunities, he gave his team a chance. Still, the
double-teams took a toll as he turned the ball over 4 times.
Shelden was the best player at the open practice, relying on his footwork
to score instead of power. He couldn't move Thompson, his primary practice
partner, so instead employed a series of spin moves and dropsteps to score.
After a year where he struggled at both ends of the floor at times, he's
finally figured out what he can do. Shelden is learning when to use his
power and when to use quickness and deception. He is a superior offensive
rebounder (7 in this game), matching Shav's abilities on the defensive end.
Shelden's shotblocking instincts (3 in the BW game) will allow him to play
well against most centers in the country. He can also spot up and hit a
jumper, as he demonstrated in this game, though that will obviously not be
his usual M.O. Williams is not that versatile a player, nor should he seek
to become one. Instead, he should hone the considerable talents that he has
as the team's post anchor. If he can become a reliable low-post scorer and
defender, then everything else will follow for Duke.
** Deng: Right now, Luol doesn't have a lot of plays run for him
in the offense. He just plays and makes things up as he goes along. After
missing a shot early on, he nailed two threes and effortlessly drove into
the lane, hitting a short jumper that will soon be his trademark. With his
long arms and somewhat unconventional dribble, he's a very tough matchup for
pretty much anyone. Unselfish to a fault, he had a few turnovers simply
from overpassing. His ability to drive with either hand and hit soft
jumpers is the final piece of Duke's offensive puzzle, giving them a
mid-range option who can also slash to the hoop. He is very thin (but wiry)
and doesn't attack the basket as hard as he could at times, occasionally
settling for floaters. As he becomes stronger and gets more comfortable,
that will change. His defense is suffocating, and his combination of size
and quickness will allow him to guard all kinds of players. His long arms
make him very difficult to shoot over, and his lateral quickness makes him
difficult to drive on. Redick had to reach deep into his bag of tricks in
order to just get open once or twice. Deng is a good rebounder whose lack
of strength will inhibit him at times, but his speed will enable to be
effective on the offensive boards.
Deng will be called upon to do different things in different games. He
may be required to score a lot against certain opponents. Luol might need
to concentrate on stopping a superstar scorer, or attack the basket against
a team with a weakness at wing. Some teams will force him to prove that he
can hit the jumper with consistency, and others will try to play him
physically. There may even be times when he moves over to 4 when Duke
decides to go small, which will present its own challenges. Deng will have
all sorts of opportunities but not a lot of pressure, which is a perfect
setup for a player of his ability and mindset.
** Ewing: Dan had a really tough night, with many of his shots just
rimming out. His jumper just wasn't falling, though he hit a couple of
threes in the second half that helped rally his team. Melchionni played him
tough, forcing him to take awkward, off balance shots. Still, he had to
take those shots because he was his team's top gun. The Blue team went
all-out to stop him, and it worked. When Melchionni wasn't glued to him,
Duhon tried to strip him of the ball. Fortunately, Ewing will have Redick
to help him out.
The relationship between those two players will be crucial for the team.
One could sense a small amount of tension between the two on the floor. Not
dissension as such, but the natural competitiveness players feel when they
are equally matched and are playing for the same spot. This year, it's
clear that they're working hard on helping to set each other up by passing
out to them when defenses collapse. Ewing is an excellent passer and
team-first guy who found Redick several times in the open practice, and
Redick reciprocated. Ewing is also one of the team's best leapers, and is a
constant target of alley-oop passes. The one thing he could have done more
of in the Blue-White game was take more mid-range jump shots.
** Dockery: Sean is a player who is still trying to find himself.
Accustomed to blowing by quicker players in high school, he found that
method no longer worked against well-coached players who moved their feet.
As a result, he was often out of control and tossed up ugly looking
one-handed shots. The staff has been working with him to trust his jump
shot and are encouraging him to shoot between 14 feet and just beyond the
three point line. His mechanics are now much smoother and he's consciously
reining in a bit of his wildness while he still plays ballhawk at the other
end. Still, there are times when he freelances a bit too much and shoots
instead of looking for other scorers. His defense, quickness and ability to
make things happen will get him minutes, but he's going to have to prove
that he can run the team the way Duhon does if he wants extended playing
time. If nothing else, he will continue to be a terror on defense and a
player who can definitely go to the hole. Dockery is definitely a
significant part of the eight man rotation, but how much time he earns is up
to him.
** The Walk-ons: The seniors, Means and Borman, had the greatest
impact. Borman had an assist and Means a rebound as they provided a few
credible minutes for the starters.
** Other Notes: A laryngitis-stricken Coach K had a few words at
the half, encouraging the fans to get behind this team. Cameron was not
full, though most of the lower level was packed, with the exception of the
corners next to the grad student section.
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