October 22, 2005. Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The Blue-White game consisted of two 15-minutes halves, each with a slightly different lineup.  What was interesting is that the two teams were not evenly matched in terms of talent or experience in either half, perhaps as a challenge to the younger players.

In the first game, the White team consisted of what will likely be the starting lineup in Duke’s first game: Shelden Williams at center, Josh McRoberts at big forward, DeMarcus Nelson at wing, JJ Redick at off guard and Sean Dockery at point.  The Blue team featured Eric Boateng at center, Jamal Boykin and Lee Melchionni at forwards, Martynas Pocius at off guard and Greg Paulus at point.

At first, it seemed as though the younger squad was going to hang in there.

Pocius dished to Melch for a score, and then hit 2 foul shots.  When Boykin found Boateng inside over Williams, it was 6-2 in favor of the Blue team.  The White team came back behind McRoberts, who nailed 2 free throws and then stole a pass, swooping in for a thunderous slam.  Pocius drove and dished to Patrick Johnson for a three point play to tie it at 9 with 10:24 left.

The Blue team kept it close for the next five minutes.  Redick hit his first shot to give the white team a lead, but Nelson free throws were met by a Boateng tip-in, and consecutive scores by Dockery were matched by a three from Melch.  But Redick was slowly wearing down Pocius, earning consecutive trips to the foul line to make it 21-14 with under six minutes to go.

Paulus and Boateng sandwiched a Williams hook to keep it within 23-18. But the White team then embarked on a game-ending 24-6 run.  Not surprisingly, Redick was the main instigator of the run.  He fired up consecutive threes that suddenly gave his team a double-digit lead.  Boykin and Melch scored to bring it within 31-22, but the White team threw on a nasty press and the youngsters fell apart.

Redick hit a three on a Nelson feed, and then tossed it to Dockery for a three.  Nelson then intercepted a pass, and tossed it ahead to Dockery; Dock then dished it to McRoberts for a score.  Redick stole another pass and found Dock for yet another three.  Williams finished the flurry with a three point play.

When the smoke cleared, the score was 47-24.  Redick had 17 for the White squad, including 3-4 shooting from long distance and 6-6 from the line.  Williams had 8 points and 6 rebounds, plus blocks on Boykin and Pocius.  McRoberts had 8 points and 6 boards.  Nelson had just 4 points but was very active, collecting  1 rebound, 2 assists and  2 steals.  Dockery was a perfect 4-4 from the floor for 10 points, along with at least 4 assists.

Meanwhile, no one on the Blue team reached double figures.  Lee had 7 points, Boateng 6 (with 6 rebounds, 3 steals, 3 blocks and 5 turnovers), Boykin 4, Pocius 2, Paulus 2 and Johnson 3.  The White team was 14-17 from the line, while Blue only was 3-5.  White shot 14-24, while Blue was 10-25.

Coach K came out at the half and accepted a check on behalf of Duke For Life, a group that sold Duke blue bracelets for the Emily Krzyzewski center.  He then took the floor and recognized the parents of players and students alike (it’s Parents’ weekend).  He also acknowledged the leadership of President Dick Brodhead, thanking him for allowing the grad students to camp out in what was essentially his backyard. K talked about the greatness of the institution, and how everyone involved with it must bring it the honor it deserves. He cracked that this court was historic, seeing as how it was where the “historic credit card commercial was filmed.”   He said that the players would be out for a second half, but the lineups would be switched around a bit, because “this is my game and I can change the rules if I want.”  He followed that by noting that this is what Duke’s opponents think he can do with the refs!

The White team still featured Duke’s two All-Americans in Williams & Redick, along with Nelson.  However, this squad was going a bit smaller, with Paulus and Melchionni in the lineup.  Blue once again had Boateng, Boykin and Pocius, but they added Dockery and McRoberts as well.

The White team led all the way and looked like they were on their way to an easy blow-out with a 34-16 lead, but the Blue team fought back hard and scrapped their way to a 38-30 loss.

White started with a 6-0 run as Nelson earned a three point play and Redick hit a layup, along with a free throw from Williams.  After a Pocius drive, Nelson hit a three to make it 9-2.  Dockery kept his team within shouting distance at first, nailing a jumper and scoring on a drive.  Pocius pulled up for a 15’ jumper to make it 11-8 in the early going.

White then ripped off an 11-0 run, featuring a short fadeaway jumper from JJ, a Melch dunk and three, and a stunning 27’ three from JJ that surprised everyone else on the court.  They continued to pad their lead, going on a 12-6 run that ripped the game open.  This run was highlighted by a couple of threes by Lee and the fact that JJ actually missed a free throw.

Boykin helped lead the never-say-die charge.  First he hit Dockery for a layup, then he nailed 2 freebies and scored on a tip-in.  After a Nelson foul shot, Dockery scored on a high-arcing floater over Williams.  Shelden hit 2 big free throws to make it 37-24, but Pocius hit a 15’ jumper and Dock scored on a drive to make it 37-28.  Blue had their chances to come closer, but didn’t score again until the final seconds, when Boateng tossed in a shot.

Melchionni sizzled here, scoring 13 points on perfect 4-4 shooting.  Nelson had 11 points, going 6-9 from the foul line. 

Redick had 10 points, though he shot just 1-3 from three.  Williams had 4 points (all on free throws) and Paulus did not score.  The White team again did most of their work on the foul line, shooting 15-21.  From the floor, they were 9-18.

The Blue team was a solid 14-30 from the floor, though they hit no threes.

Blue also was just 2-4 from the foul line, with Dock missing 2 important foul shots at the end.  The youngsters had problems keeping up with their crafty elders, as Boateng picked up 3 fouls, Boykin 4 and Pocius 3.  Turnovers were also an issue, as Blue coughed it up 12 times (with 7 steals by White).

Some player comments:

** Williams: Shelden had plenty of looks at the basket in game 1, but his hooks kept falling just short.  Boateng did a nice job of bothering him just enough to disrupt him a bit.  In game 2, he didn’t get many touches as the guards were torching the Blue team.  Defensively, he was usual stellar self.  In addition to back-to-back blocks in the first game, he stuffed a McRoberts attempt in game 2. After having the ball stripped by Boateng, he returned the favor a few plays later.  It didn’t help that he was being doubled by Boateng and McRoberts in the second game, but that added attention aided his teammates.  Down the stretch of a closer game two, his teammates went out of their way to get him the ball.

** McRoberts:  After watching him throw down a series of dunks in warm-ups, it was clear that Josh is a superior athlete.  It’s also clear that he’s still in the process of meshing his considerable talent with the present personnel.  Josh is a powerful rebounder who gets good position, and loves attacking the rim.  He’s a pretty good defender who had a bit of trouble attacking Shelden in the second game, though he did do well to deny him the ball.  In the first game, he scored on a steal & dunk, some free throws, a long jumper and finishing on a break—that’s excellent versatility.  One senses that as he gets more comfortable with the team, he could put up some big numbers—especially as the fourth scoring option.  He’s known for his passing touch, and he simply needs to figure out exactly where Redick and Williams want the ball.  There’s no question that he’ll get plenty of attempts as teams will extend defenses out on Redick and double-team Williams inside.

** Nelson: Markie is much more polished and self-assured at both ends of the floor this season.  He was everywhere on defense, especially in the first game when he was tipping passes and ripping down boards.  In the second game, he relentlessly attacked the rim, combining for 13 free throw attempts in the two games.  Nelson is clearly ready to contribute in a big way at both ends of the floor and clearly looks to be a starter.

** Redick: He started quietly, but was just biding his time.  What impressed me most about JJ on this afternoon was not his shooting (50% from three), nor his ability to get to the foul line (9-10), but rather his playmaking.  In particular, he concentrated on setting up Dockery in the first game and Nelson & Melchionni in the second; in all, he had 7 assists against just 1 turnover.  It’s clear that he’s ready to get started, though it’s worth noting that he was being guarded by frosh Pocius most of the time.

** Dockery: Dock had an excellent showing in both halves.  Playing with the heavy hitters in the first game, he picked his spots and wound up as the second-leading scorer, all while containing Paulus and dishing to his teammates.  In the second game, he was called on to be more of a scorer, and responded by hitting 6 of his 9 shots, mostly off the dribble.  His teardrop floater, once a wild-looking shot, has now been honed to perfection.  Scoring over Shelden with that shot was a big play.  Sean looked in control and is another certain starter, along with JJ, Shelden and (most likely) Josh.  The only negative were his combined 4 turnovers; his opponents were throwing on a fair amount of pressure, and he must learn to adjust because he’ll be seeing plenty of that this year.

** Boateng: Many Duke fans have been curious as to what Boateng would bring to the table, both as a freshman and in his overall career.  The first thing one notices is that he has excellent size.  It’s clear he needs to work on his upper body a bit, but Eric has wide shoulders, a solid frame in general and plenty of strength right now.  He has said that the pick-up games have been the most intense basketball he’s every played, and it’s obvious that his lack of experience at this level of play is his biggest weakness.  The good news is that although he at times seemed confused on the court, he never backed down and was always at least aggressive at both ends of the floor.  Having to defend an All-American the entire game was certainly an unenviable task, but when Boateng was on the block, he never hesitated to try and take it up.  His pet move right now is a baby hook right near the basket, and he shows pretty nice touch with it.  One would like to see him finish a bit stronger, but that will come.  The biggest positive is that he’s a surprisingly fluid athlete for such a big man, and he already has good feet.  Duke has a dearth of post players this year, and so Eric has an enormous opportunity for playing time.  I would certainly feel comfortable putting him in a game for 5 or 10 minutes, asking him to concentrate on defense and rebounding, and finishing when open.

** Boykin: Jamal is a hustle guy, a glue guy; the sort that the home fans love and opposing fans despise.  At one point late in the comeback of the second game, he forced a turnover on Redick as he edged him toward the sideline, and dramatically pointed in the direction of his team before the ref signaled it.  The key for him at the moment is absorbing all of the information he’s receiving and being able to read game action enough to read it.  It seems that right now the game is just a bit too quick for him, and while he’s trying like crazy, he sometimes makes the wrong decision.  That said, he has a smooth 15’ jumper that he likes taking off the dribble, he can attack the basket, and goes after the ball as though his life depended on it.  This is another player who will probably see 5-10 minutes a game, and will be asked to come in and make hustle plays, pressure the ball, and pass.

** Melchionni: Lee was very sharp and took advantage of his opportunities.  That is, he was often left open and wasn’t shy about shooting.  He also moved well without the ball and finished off cuts nicely.  Lee was very happy to play on JJ’s team in game two, because Boykin and Pocius were trying to key in on JJ so much that Lee could do whatever he wanted.  What’s nice is that he took advantage of his opportunities.

** Pocius: Marty is a fiery, scrappy player who was a bit out of his league against Redick.  One could see Pocius breathing hard as Redick ran him ragged through screen after screen.  Still, Pocius kept fighting and attacking the basket.  For those who have never seen him and have an image of him as a pure-shooting gunner, that’s not his game at all.  Pocius is very athletic and a great leaper; he was throwing down nasty dunks in pre-game as well.  He can shoot the three, but he would rather drive and either finish or dish off.  Some have compared him to Manu Ginobli, but he’s not at that level yet, even if their games are similar.  It’s not clear how much run Marty will get this year, given that Lee will get a lot of perimeter minutes.  Certainly, one could see Pocius playing at wing on offense and guarding a two on defense, though he’s going to have learn better defensive positioning in order to do so.

** Paulus: Greg brings a lot of accolades to the table, and you could see flashes of his ability.  His ability to penetrate, find the open man and his overall floor vision are already at a high level.  He’s scrappy and loves going after the ball.  He certainly gave Dockery some defensive problems in that he forced most of Dock’s turnovers, but on the other hand, Dock was able to score fairly easily.  Greg will play a lot as Dock’s backup, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see them play together at times.  Paulus was a big-time scorer in high school and he can certainly hit the jumper and finish drives.  I think it’ll be easier to get a grip on what he can do against a live opponent.

** Johnson: Pat finished a three point play nicely and grabbed a steal.

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