On Saturday, Jess Foley and the Adelaide Lightning defeated the Logan
  Thunder 79-64.  Jess had 12 points in 21 minutes.  Laura Hodges had
17 points  and 7 rebounds.  In the loss, ex-Wyoming player Emma Langford
had 15  points.
Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=414477884&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1


Mistie Bass and Lyon had a tough test at Lattes Montpellier, but kept
  battling away to break the game open in the fourth quarter for a 70-55 win.
  Mistie had 13 points and 6 rebounds in 32 minutes.
Here is the boxscore:
http://www.basketfrance.com/_livestats/prod/pdf/lsg301513.pdf 


Nolan Smith and Cedevita looked to continue to be the only undefeated team
  in the Adriatic League as they hosted MZT Skopje of Macedonia, holding on to
  their lead with a solid second half performance for a 77-67 win.  Nolan
had 12  points in 22 minutes.  Tomislav Zubcic added 12 points.
Here is the boxscore:
http://www.abaliga.com/game/26/Cedevita-MZT_Skopje_Aerodrom#statistic_FullStatistic


Daniel Ewing and Paris-Levallois had another tough time in a domestic
  league game as they could not keep up with Nanterre in the second half and fell
  94-85.  Daniel had 4 points and 6 rebounds in 31 minutes and Jawad
Williams had  20 points and 6 rebounds.  In the win, Deshaun Thomas, the
58th pick of the San  Antonio Spurs from Ohio State, had 25 points, ex-Rhode
Island player Will  Daniels had 16 points and 6 rebounds, ex-Illinois player
Trent Meachan had 15  points and 6 assists, and ex-Ohio State player Je'Kel
Foster had 10  points.
Here is the boxscore:
http://www.lnb.fr/fr/Pro-A/200009/Resultat-match/8065/Paris-Levallois-Nanterre


On Sunday, Krystal Thomas and Perfumerias got a tougher then expected test
  when they traveled to Zaragoza, but they did enough in the final quarter to win
  77-71.  Krystal had 9 points in 21 minutes.  Shay Murphy had 26
points and  Leonor Rodriguez had 13 points.  In the loss, ex-Minnesota
player Leslie Knight  had 21 points and 10 rebounds.
Here is the boxscore:
http://competiciones.feb.es/estadisticas/Partido.aspx?p=1201789&med=0


Chante Black and Umbertide had a difficult game at Lucca and were
  overwhelmed in the second half in an 88-58 loss.  Chante had 12 points and
8  rebounds in 27 minutes.  In the win, ex-UC Irvine player Naomi Halman
had 28  points and 7 rebounds, ex-Tulsa player Jillian Robbins had 21 points and
11  rebounds, and ex-Kansas State player Megan Mahoney had 16 points and 12
  rebounds.
Here is the boxscore:
http://legabasketfemminile.dataproject-stats.com/Tabellino.asp?IdGara=13911


Marty Pocius made his first start as Zalgiris Kaunas returned to domestic
  league play to beat Pieno Zvaigzdes 83-57.  Marty led his team with 22
points in  25 minutes.  Justin Dentmon added 21 points.
Here is the boxscore:
http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787837&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1


David McClure and Neptunas headed to Belarus for a VTB United League game
  against Minsk, and missed another chance in a winnable game as a late comeback
  left them just short in a 91-90 loss.  David had a quiet 12 minutes as
Valdas  Vasylius led the team with 21 points and 7 rebounds.  In the win,
ex-Oakland  player Keith Benson had 21 points and 8 rebounds and ex-Morehead
State player  Demonte Harper had 14 points.
Here is the boxscore:
http://www.vtb-league.com/en/game/1832.htm#mbt:15-400$t&0=1


DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade returned to Adriatic League play with
  a trip to Slovenia to face Union Olimpija.  They trailed for most of the
game,  but kept fighting and ground out a 62-61 win.  DeMarcus had 5 points
in 25  minutes and Blake Schilb had 16 points.  In the loss, ex-USC player
Alex  Stepheson had 14 points and 9 rebounds.
Here is the boxscore:
http://www.abaliga.com/game/23/Union_Olimpija-Crvena_zvezda_Telekom#statistic_FullStatistic

On Tuesday, Daniel Ewing and Paris-Levallois started their EuroCup campaign
  hosting Valencia of Spain in a Group C game.  The EuroCup is the
second-tier  competition for men's club teams around Europe for those that are
not quite able  to make it into EuroLeague.  The 48 teams in the regular
season are divided in  eight groups of six teams as the ten game double round
robin schedule will  eliminate three teams and move three teams forward to the
next round.  The  competition is regionalized, so groups A through D are
considered the Western  European ones while groups E through H are the Eastern
European ones.  It was a  tough test for the French team, even at home and
they fell 85-68.  Daniel had 10  points in 27 minutes to tie for the team
scoring lead.  In the win, ex-Houston  player Oliver Lafayette had 17
points and 8 assists and Bojan Dubljevic, picked  59th overall by the Minnesota
Timberwolves in the last NBA draft, had 16 points  and 6 rebounds.
Here
is the boxscore:
http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/games/results/showgame?gamecode=7&seasoncode=U2013#!boxscore

Nolan
  Smith and Cedevita Zagreb also started their EuroCup play with a trip to Spain
  to play Bilbao in a Group B game.  They knew that this would be the
toughest  test of the season so far and got off to a solid early start before
letting the  hosts take the lead as their comeback fell short in an 82-77
loss.  Nolan led  his team again, keeping them in the game with 24 points
and 6 assists in 33  minutes.  Goran Suton added 10 points.  In the
loss, ex-NBA player Raul Lopez  had 14 points and Axel Hervelle, who was drafted
52nd in 2005 by the Denver  Nuggets before his rights were later traded to the
Houston Rockets, had 10  points.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/games/results/showgame?gamecode=4#!boxscore


On Wednesday, David McClure and Neptunas had their first EuroCup game as
  they made the trip to Finland to play the Nilan Bisons in Group H.  They
started  off decently, but soon fell behind and spent most of the game trying to
catch up  with a late comeback falling short in a 63-62 loss.  David had 1
point in 19  minutes and Valdas Vasylius had 14 points and 6 rebounds.  In
the win, ex-New  Mexico State player Billy Keys and ex-Cal State Fullerton
player Frank Robinson  had 14 points each, ex-UNC Greensboro player Mikko
Koivisto had 11 points, and  ex-New Mexico State player Justin Hawkins had 10
points.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.eurocupbasketball.com/eurocup/games/results/showgame?gamecode=22&seasoncode=U2013#!boxscore



Mistie Bass and Lyon started the French Cup.  Many countries around
the  world have a second competition that runs alongside their main
league.  France  has a single-elimination tournament incorporating sides
from both the top league  and the divisions below it.  Lyon drew Pays
d'Aix, who are now playing the  second division in France after a poor
performance in the top league last year,  in the first game and rolled to an
81-52 win.  Mistie was only needed for 21  minutes, scoring 20 points and
grabbing 13 rebounds.  In the loss, ex-Temple  player Shenita Landry had 16
points and 9 rebounds.


On Thursday, DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade were finally able to
  make their EuroLeague debut as they hosted Russia's Lokomotiv Kuban in front of
  a reported 19,000 fans.  The team started off slowly but built a lead at
the  half, only to see it slip away in the second half and a dramatic comeback
  attempt fall short in an 87-84 loss.  DeMarcus had 14 points in 29
minutes.   Blake Schilb had 17 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists, Ivan
Radenovic had 14  points, and Charles Jenkins had 11 points.  In the win,
ex-UConn player Marcus  Williams had 23 points and 7 rebounds and ex-Alabama
player Richard Hendrix had  19 points and 9 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?gamecode=12&seasoncode=E2013#!boxscore


On Friday, Marty Pocius and Zalgiris Kaunas started their EuroLeague season
  at home against a familiar foe in his previous team Real Madrid.  As
expected,  the team from Spain was too powerful for them and eased to an 83-63
win.  Marty  had a quiet 7 minutes as he is still in the process of
reintegrating himself  into the team.  Sarunas Jasikevicius had 13
points.  In the win, Nikola Mirotic,  the 23rd pick in the 2011 by the
Houston Rockets before a pair of draft day  trades moved his rights to the
Chicago Bulls, had 18 points, Sergio Llull, the  34th overall pick in 2009 by
the Denver Nuggets before a draft day trade to the  Houston Rockets, had 17
points, and ex-NBA player Rudy Fernandez had 11 points,  6 rebounds, and 9
assists.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?gamecode=6&seasoncode=E2013#!boxscore



Kathleen Scheer and the Sydney University Flames faced a tough test against
  the Bendigo Spirit and fell 77-61.  Kathleen had 5 points in 19
minutes.  In the  win, a pair of ex-Nebraska players did plenty of damage
as Kelsey Griffin had 12  points and 12 rebounds and Chelsea Aubry had 10
points.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=414391403&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

On Friday, Kathleen Scheer was inserted into the starting lineup as the Sydney University Flames faced a tough test against a loaded Dandenong Rangers team in the opening game in Sydney's new stadium.  The game was close throughout but the Flames could not maintain a lead in the final quarter as they lost 85-79.  Kathleen responded to getting the start by coming out firing, finishing with 20 points and 7 rebounds to lead her team in 30 minutes before fouling out.  In the win, WNBA player Jenna O'Hea had 29 points, ex-Utah player Leilani Mitchell had 12 points, ex-Notre Dame player Natalie Novosel had 11 points, and ex-Stanford player Kayla Pedersen had 10 points and 6 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=412687762&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

Jess Foley and the Adelaide Lightning had a lead going into the fourth quarter against the Bendigo Spirit, but just could not hold on to it as they lost 65-59.  Jess had 13 points in 30 minutes before fouling out.  Laura Hodges had 12 points and 8 rebounds.  In the win, ex-Oregon player Gabrielle Richards had 16 points and 7 rebounds and ex-Nebraska player Kelsey Griffin had 13 points.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=412687726&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

Mistie Bass and Lyon jumped out to an early lead on Bourges, but could not keep up with the reigning champions as they fell 64-52.  Mistie finished with 15 points in 28 minutes to lead her team.  In the win, ex-WNBA player Emmeline Ndongue had 12 points.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.basketfrance.com/_livestats/prod/pdf/lsg301213.pdf

On Saturday, Chante Black made her debut in Italy with Umbertide as they opened their season.  After having her last overseas season cut short and only a brief stint in the past WNBA season, Chante is getting her latest opportunity to play a full season.  One of Chante's teammates who may be familiar to followers of college basketball is ex-Texas player Ashleigh Fontenette.  In this game, the team took an early lead on Orvieto and ended up winning 71-57.  Being the latest player to join the team, Chante had 8 points and 8 rebounds in 17 minutes.  Ashleigh Fontenette had 21 points and 6 rebounds.  In the loss, ex-UCLA player Darxia Morris had 14 points.

Here is the boxscore:

http://legabasketfemminile.dataproject-stats.com/Tabellino.asp?IdGara=13905

Krystal Thomas and Perfumerias Avenida started their domestic league season against Burgos and eased to a 72-54 win.  Krystal led her team with 12 points and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes as she got the start.  Angelica Robinson had 11 points and 9 rebounds and Shay Murphy and Tamara Abalde had 11 points each.  In the loss, ex-Texas A&M player Adaora Elonu had 11 points.

Here is the boxscore:

http://competiciones.feb.es/estadisticas/Partido.aspx?p=1201783&med=0

Nolan Smith and Cedevita Zagreb had a relatively short away trip in the Adriatic League as they stayed in Croatia to visit Zadar.  They got a pretty good fight, but held on to a 73-66 win.  Nolan had another strong game, scoring 16 points in 25 minutes.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.abaliga.com/game/17/Zadar-Cedevita#statistic_FullStatistic

DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade hosted another team from Serbia in their Adriatic League game as they blasted Radnicki 88-51.  DeMarcus had 4 points in 15 minutes.  Charles Jenkins had 14 points and Blake Schilb had 12 points and 6 assists.  In the loss, recent Villanova graduate Mouphtaou Yarou had 11 points and 14 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.abaliga.com/game/21/Crvena_zvezda_Telekom-Radnicki#statistic_FullStatistic

Daniel Ewing and Paris-Levallois fought hard to stay with Chorale Roanne, but could not overcome their opponents as they lost 82-74.  Daniel had 11 points in 23 minutes before fouling out.  Jawad Williams had 15 points and 8 rebounds.  In the win, ex-Arkansas player Charles Thomas had 21 points and ex-JC player William Gradit had 12 points.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.lnb.fr/fr/Pro-A/200009/Resultat-match/8055/Roanne-Paris-Levallois

On Sunday in Australia while it was still late Saturday in the United States, Jess Foley and the Adelaide Lightning had a strong second half performance to beat the Canberra Capitals 84-73 after a quick turnaround.  Jess had 11 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists in 29 minutes.  Laura Hodges had 15 points and 8 rebounds and Amy Lewis had 10 points.  In the loss, ex-WNBA player Abby Bishop had 20 points and ex-WNBA Jessica Bibby had 11 points.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=412863750&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

Marty Pocius and Zalgiris Kaunas started their season with an easy 100-71 win in the domestic league against Dzukija in Lithuania.  This is Marty's second stint with the club after starting his professional career there.  The club will be looking for a solid performance in the upcoming EuroLeague season while also maintaining their national dominance.  Marty's teammates include ex-Washington player Justin Dentmon, ex-Maryland player Sarunas Jasikevicius, and ex-Arizona player Robertas Javtokas, who was drafted 56th by the San Antonio Spurs in 2001.  In this game, Marty had 12 points in 22 minutes.  Sarunas Jasikevicius had 16 points and 6 assists.

Here is the boxscore:

http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787823&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1

David McClure and Neptunas started their VTB United League season against Azovmash of Ukraine.  This is the second season in the league for the team as they once again compete with top teams from countries all around Eastern Europe.  This was probably one of the more winnable games as they tried to improve their performance from last season, but they fell in overtime 96-86.  David had 2 points in 19 minutes and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 18 points and 9 assists.  In the win, ex-Arizona player Kyryl Natyazhko had 26 points and 8 rebounds, ex-St. Mary's player Daniel Kickert had 20 points and 8 rebounds, and ex-Washington State player Derrick Low had 12 points and 11 assists.  Here is the boxscore:
http://www.vtb-league.com/en/game/1818.htm#mbt:15-400$t&0=1

On Tuesday, Krystal Thomas made her debut for Perfumerias Avenida in the Super Cup in Spain.  After spending last WNBA offseason playing in China, Krystal is back in Europe competing for the Spanish powerhouse based in Salamanca.  Her teammates include recent Florida State graduate Leonor Rodriguez, ex-USC player Shay Murphy, ex-Georgia player Angelica Robinson, ex-Lamar player Tamara Abalde, and ex-WNBA player Marta Fernandez.  After a quick turnaround from the WNBA playoffs, Krystal joined the team against their main league rivals, Rivas Ecopolis.  Krystal is still getting acclimated with the team, so she ended up playing 7 minutes in this game, which went down to the wire.  Shay Murphy hit the three pointer to give the team the lead late and then iced the game away with two free throws to give the team a 62-57 win.  She finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds and Angelica Robinson had 17 points and 7 rebounds.  In the loss, ex-Baylor player Rachel Allison had 14 points and 7 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:
http://competiciones.feb.es/estadisticas/Partido.aspx?p=1204378&med=0

On Wednesday, David McClure and Neptunas played their last Lithuanian League game for a while as their attention will now shift to international competition.  They had a tough time with Lietkabelis, but eventually did enough to hang on to an 84-79 win.  David dished out 5 assists in 20 minutes and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 14 points.  In the loss, ex-Fairfield player Ryan Olander had 28 points and 6 rebounds and ex-Illinois State player Dinma Odiakosa had 16 points and 9 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:
http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787817&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1

Nolan Smith and Cedevita Zagreb continued Adriatic League play as they hosted Krka Novo Mesto from Slovenia.  The team jumped out to a substantial early lead on their opponents and eased to an 83-55 win.  Nolan led his team in scoring again as he finished with 15 points in 25 minutes.  Goran Suton added 14 points.  In the loss, ex-TCU player Zvonko Buljan had 11 points.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.abaliga.com/game/13/Cedevita-Krka#statistic_FullStatistic

DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade were looking for their first Adriatic League win as they finished their trip to Bosnia visiting last year's surprise team Igokea.  The team took the lead in the first quarter and rolled to a 72-52 win.  DeMarcus led his team with 14 points in 24 minutes.  Blake Schilb had 12 points and 6 rebounds and Charles Jenkins had 10 points.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.abaliga.com/game/8/Igokea-Crvena_zvezda_Telekom#statistic_FullStatistic

On Tuesday, David McClure and Neptunas continued to play domestic leagues games as they faced Siauliai.  After a sluggish start, the team controlled the second quarter and ended up rolling to a 91-69 win.  David had 4 points in 17 minutes.  Valdas Vasylius had 19 points and 8 rebounds and Andrew Smith had 11 points.  In the loss, recent Tennessee Tech graduate Jud Dillard had 13 points and 6 rebounds, recent Fairfield graduate Derek Needham had 12 points, and ex-Youngstown State player Vytautas Sulskis had 11 points.

Here is the boxscore:
http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787763&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1

Here is the full video of the game:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jMmzVHSub28

On Friday, Daniel Ewing and Paris-Levallois started their regular season in France and had a solid start against LeMans before falling apart and losing 85-62.  Daniel had 13 points in 31 minutes to lead his team.  Aloysius Anagonye had 12 points and 8 rebounds and Jawad Williams had 11 points and 6 rebounds.  In the win, ex-Gonzaga player J.P. Batista had 15 points and 6 rebounds, Reyshawn Terry beat two former college teammates with 13 points, and ex-Wright State player Vaughn Duggins had 12 points. 

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.lnb.fr/fr/Pro-A/200009/Resultat-match/8048/Paris-Levallois-Le-Mans

On Saturday, DeMarcus Nelson and Red Star Belgrade started their season in the Adriatic League.  This is DeMarcus's second season with the team, making him the first ever American player to play two consecutive seasons with the team.  Their success in the competition, featuring teams from the Balkan region and elsewhere in Eastern Europe, earned them a spot in the season's Euroleague.  As a result of focusing on these leagues in the first part of the season, the team will not join in the Serbian League until later in the season.  With their strong season a year ago, the team was able to bring in several new players including ex-Hofstra player Charles Jenkins, ex-Loyola (Illinois) player Blake Schilb, and ex-Arizona player Ivan Radenovic, who was also teammates with DeMarcus in Ukraine several seasons ago.  In this game, they headed to Bosnia to face Siroki and had a tougher than expected time, not being able to finish a second half comeback and falling 80-79.  DeMarcus had 12 points in 33 minutes as he came alive offensively late in the game to keep his team close.  Blake Schilb had 12 points and 6 rebounds.  In the win, ex-Oakland player Johnathon Jones had 12 points.  

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.abaliga.com/game/7/Siroki_Primorka-Crvena_zvezda_Telekom#statistic_FullStatistic

Kathleen Scheer made her debut with the Sydney University Flames.  After a great season in Australia's regional level State Leagues, Kathleen was finally able to make her debut in the national league after an injury ended her season last year.  Her teammates include ex-Texas player Ashley Gayle.  In this game, the Flames jumped on the Canberra Capitals early and ended up winning 83-68.  Kathleen had 3 points in 14 minutes.  In the loss, ex-WNBA player Jessica Bibby had 22 points and ex-WNBA player Abby Bishop had 10 points and 9 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=411336607&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

Also starting the season in Australia, was Jessica Foley, who is now playing for the Adelaide Lightning to accomodate her medical studies.  Jess's teammates include ex-Troy player Amy Lewis, who is one of Jess's state league teammates to join her on the national level, ex-WNBA player Laura Hodges, ex-Iowa State player Lauren Mansfield, and ex-Florida player Azania Stewart.  In the game, the team held the lead until the West Coast Waves made a late comeback for a 69-65 win.  Jess had 15 points in 32 minutes and Laura Hodges had 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:
http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=411336701&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

On Sunday, David McClure and Neptunas had another game in the Lithuanian League, falling 71-63 to Prienai.  David had 3 points in 15 minutes and Valdas Vasylius had 16 points.  In the win, ex-JC player Arturas Valeika had 11 points and 6 assists.

Here is the boxscore:

http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787773&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1

Nolan Smith and Cedevita Zagreb had their first game in the Adriatic League, making a trip to Serbia to face Mega Vizura and hanging tough for a 72-62 win.  Nolan had 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists in 33 minutes to lead his team and earn the player of the match honors.  Tomislav Zubcic had 14 points and 7 rebounds and Goran Suton had 12 points and 6 rebounds.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.abaliga.com/game/2/Mega_Vizura-Cedevita#statistic_FullStatistic

Kathleen and the Sydney University Flames had a quick turnaround with their next game against the Melbourne Boomers taking place while it was still late Saturday in the United States.  While they took a lead in the first quarter, they could not keep up with their more rested opponents and fell 72-66.  Kathleen had 6 points in 18 minutes.  Ex-Iowa State player Chelsea Poppens had 18 points in the win.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.sportingpulse.com/round_info.cgi?a=MATCH&fixture=411425497&c=1-4478-0-268957-0&pool=-1

Mistie Bass had a short turnaround from the WNBA season as Lyon had their season opener.  Mistie is playing in France again, being one of the most dominant individual performers in the league for several seasons now.  This is her second season with Lyon after they merged with her former team.  Earlier in the summer, it looked like the team might not be allowed to stay in the top league, but they were allowed to stay and will look to have another good season with Mistie there for the entire season instead of being delayed by the WNBA playoffs.  The opening round of the French League had all of the games played in the same Paris gym with Lyon closing the festivities against Arras, building their lead in the second quarter on the way to a 69-51 win.  Mistie had 14 points in 33 minutes.  Ex-James Madison player Dawn Evans had 19 points in the loss.

Here is the boxscore:

http://www.ffbb.com/_livestats/prod/pdf/lsg300513.pdf

This article is the first in a series that will run throughout the global basketball season covering former Duke Basketball players (from both the men's and women's teams) who are now playing basketball outside of the United States.  Each of their games will be covered, including their statistics, as well as notable performances by their teammates and opponents as many of them will be familiar names to followers of college and pro basketball in America.  Also, given the sometimes unfamiliar format of basketball competitions around the world, the context of all of these games will be explained.

Daniel Ewing was the first player to get his season started with his team playing their first competitive game on Wednesday.  After playing for teams in a variety of European countries over the past few years, Daniel opted to sign in France with Paris-Levallois.  The team had a disappointing regular season in France, but hope to bounce back and play well in European competition, where they will participate in the EuroCup, which is the second level international competition for teams in Europe who did not make in into EuroLeague.  Daniel's teammates include a pair of familiar faces, former UNC duo Sean May and Jawad Williams.  Also on the team are ex-Michigan State player Aloysius Anagonye and ex-Furman player Maleye Ndoye.  As the defending champions of the French Cup tournament, Daniel and Paris-Levallois participated in the season-opening Match des Champions with surprise French champions Nanterre.  The team built a solid lead going into halftime only to let Nanterre close the gap before hanging on to an 81-72 win to start the season on a winning note.  Daniel finished with 13 points in 28 minutes and Sean May had 18 points and 8 rebounds.  In the loss, ex-Georgia player Travis Leslie had 17 points and 8 rebounds, ex-Rhode Island player Will Daniels had 17 points, and ex-Illinois player Trent Meacham had 12 points and 7 rebounds.  Here is the boxscore:
http://www.lnb.fr/fr/Pro-A/200009/Resultat-match/8042/Nanterre-Paris-Levallois

David McClure started his season on Thursday as his team kicked off the league in Lithuania.  David is playing for Neptunas again this year as his overseas career has been spent entirely in Lithuania.  With the team's unprecedented success last season, they tried to maintain their core of players including David.  In addition to the local Lithuanian league, the team will compete in the VTB United League which features teams from multiple countries in Eastern Europe as well as the EuroCup.  The crowded upcoming schedule is why the team is going to play multiple domestic league games early in the season to clear space in the next few months.  David's teammates include ex-Butler player Andrew Smith, ex-Old Dominion player Valdas Vasylius, and ex-American University player Arvydas Eitutavicius.  In their season opener, they rolled to a 96-69 win over Dzukija.  David had 5 points in 15 minutes.  Valdas Vasylius had 11 points and Andrew Smith had 10 points.  In the loss, ex-DII player James Lewis had 11 points. 

Here is the boxscore:
http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787759&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1

Here is the full video of the game:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92yi0BBzviI

David and Neptunas continued to get domestic league games out of the way as they were at Lietuvos Rytas on Saturday.  They struggled early against the traditional powerhouse, but did narrow the final gap as they lost 87-78.  David had a quiet 10 minutes off the bench.  Valdas Vasylius had 13 points and Arvydas Eitutavicius had 10 points.  

Here is the boxscore:

http://lkl.lt/lt/top/rungtynes/?game_id=2787761&season_id=87901#mbt:73-400$t&0=1

Nolan Smith played his first competitive overseas game on Sunday.  After two seasons in the NBA, Nolan has signed with Cedevita Zagreb in Croatia.  The team is looking to have a stronger season, appointing the national team coach Jasmin Repesa.  Some of Nolan's teammates include ex-Michigan State player Goran Suton, 2012 Toronto Raptors 56th overall pick Tomislav Zubcic, and recent Ohio graduate Ivo Baltic.  Their first game kicked off the season in Croatia, part of a three game Super Cup between the senior and two youth teams of Cedevita Zagreb and Cibona Zagreb in honor of the late Drazen Petrovic.  Ironically, both teams will not be spending the early part of the season in the domestic league as they will instead be focused on the EuroCup and the Adriatic League, which features clubs from multiple countries in the Balkans.  In this game, Cedevita Zagreb was trying to prevent being swept and did just that after taking a lead in the second quarter on their way to an 82-61 win.  Nolan marked his debut with 8 points and 7 assists in 35 minutes.  Tomislav Zubcic had 16 points.  Ex-UNLV player Jerel Blassingame had 10 points in the loss.

Summer has arrived as evidenced by the 90 degree weather I am currently enjoying in Tidewater.  I woke up this morning and said to myself, “I need to write something for CrazieTalk.Net,” so I sat down at my keyboard with a cup of hot coffee, which quickly transitioned to a cold beer (hmm, several cold beers) and I knocked out the following rambling thoughts:

Starting with Lacrosse is a must due to Duke winning the National Championship this past Memorial Day Weekend.  Congratulations are in order to the Lacrosse team!  Most Valuable Player Brendan Foster was simply amazing as he dominated play at the X.

Lacrosse is a game I still do not fully understand, but it is extremely exciting so I've made a personal commitment to a) gain a clearer understanding of the rules and strategies, and b) take my grandson Zeke to a game next spring at Duke.  The play-offs this season were fantastic and by the time Duke had secured their second National Championship, with a 16-10 victory over the Syracuse Orange, I had chewed my fingernails to the point my cuticles were bleeding.  Ugh, disgusting...

Summertime means basketball recruiting is in full swing and Duke is currently pursuing a 2014 class that has the potential to be epic.  Shooting guard Grayson Allen has committed.  Allen is ranked number 39 by Scout.com and is purported to be an outstanding shooter with well above average athleticism.

Duke is pursuing and in great shape with center Jahlil Okafor and point guard Tyus Jones who Scout.com ranks as the number one and number two players respectively in their class.  Moreover, small forward Justise Winslow, the number nine ranked player is a top target.  Where this becomes really interesting is Okafor and Jones have long said they desire to attend the same college and in a recent interview Winslow communicated it would be great for all three to play together.  Wow!  Let it be Duke.

Winslow is from Houston, Texas a city which has been very kind to Duke in recent years providing us Rasheed Sulaimon and Matt Jones.  Some previous greater Houston area players include Daniel Ewing and for folks like myself who are a little long in the tooth – 1976 Olympic Gold Medalist Tate Armstrong.

These so called package deals rarely become reality as players end up heading off to the school which best meets their individual needs; however, Jones and Okafor have been consistently talking up playing together for quite a while and Duke is considered the favorite to land the duo.

Additionally, Duke is keeping a close watch on small forward Stanley Johnson, and power forwards Kevon Looney and Trey Lyles.  As I previously stated, 2014 could be an epic recruiting class for Coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Duke Blue Devils.  Nobody knows how it will play out, but following the process will be a lot of fun.

It must be time to discuss some football!

Just like the basketball staff, Coach Cutcliffe and crew are working hard recruiting 2014 players while simultaneously preparing for the 2013 season, which kicks-off at 4 pm on August 31 with the North Carolina Central University Eagles.

Eleven 2014 players have announced their verbal commitment to Duke including 4-Star (ESPN) linebacker Zavier Carmichael and 3-Star (Scout) athlete Johnathan Lloyd.  Lloyd was recruited by Duke to play quarterback.  Other notables are 3-Star (Scout) cornerback Alonzo Saxton and 3-Star (Scout) linebacker Tinashe Bere.

Duke is in hot pursuit of a multitude of recruits including: Kendall Joseph (linebacker), Avery Edwards (tight end), Josh Cabrera (wide receiver), Nico Pierre (quarterback), Harrison Phillips (defensive end) and many, many more.

Turning to this coming season, Duke will be looking to build off of last year’s Belk Bowl appearance.  Three year starting quarterback Sean Renfree and record setting wide receiver Conner Vernon are gone from the roster so the torch is passed to a new cadre of players to step into the limelight and continue the resurrection of Duke football.

Quarterback Anthony Boone, wide receiver Jamison Crowder and running backs Josh Snead and Jela Duncan are poised to be the offensive stars this coming year.  Another guy to keep your eye on is sophomore running back Shaquille Powell who turned in the single most impressive run from scrimmage in the Spring Game.

Moreover, multiple position player Brandon Connette is a guy who could explode in 2013.  Mostly underappreciated by Duke fans, Connette has scored 18 touchdowns in two seasons.

On defense, cornerback Ross Cockrell and defensive end Kenny Anunike will be the leaders.  However, the big story line has to be the return of injured players who missed all or most of last season due to injury.  Players such as Kelby Brown, Jamal Bruce and Corbin McCarthy will need to make an impact if Duke is going to improve on a defense that yielded over 440 yards and 36 points per game in 2012.

With no Florida State, Clemson or Stanford on the schedule, Duke has an opportunity to secure a winning season for the first time since 1994 and participate in back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history.  It’ll come down to winning the games we are supposed to win and playing strong on the road.  Three very winnable games are road games: Memphis, Virginia and Wake Forest.

That’s all for now folks!  See you at Tailgate.

--Bob Green

So here we are, it’s the end of November and we are facing our last regular season opponent of the year. How fun is that to say? Not “our last opponent”, but our last REGULAR SEASON opponent! That’s right, boys and girls; Duke is going bowling this year. Where we are off to is a discussion for another day, and should be known by the end of this weekend, so let’s talk about the state of affairs that is the Duke football program as it now stands.

As fans, we have LOVED this season, culminating in the joy that was Jamison Crowder’s TD catch to beat the Tarheels and finally being able to ring the Victory Bell. Since that game though, Duke has faced tough times.  Two blowout losses to Florida State and Clemson dampened the mood a bit, and the tough loss to a Georgia Tech team that we couldn’t stop from moving the ball has put us in the throes of a 3 game losing streak. November has not been a kind month to the football team traditionally; Coach Cutcliffe has only one win under his belt, that was against UVA in 2010. He has often spoke of how November defines the season, and to a large extent that is true since it was the last month of play and the one we remember.

So does the current skid mean that Duke is back to its old ways? Not one bit. It is simply a sign that we still have lots of improvement left to work on, but to know we are bowling is the proof we are getting there. Look at the teams we lost to in our current streak.

·         Florida State…at Florida State. Sheesh…they are on a talent level that is astronomically different than our own. Unfortunately we picked the worst of days to play flatly as well; all aspects of our game were off that afternoon. But still, we did score, and forced 4 turnovers, so there’s that.

·         Clemson…at home. As with FSU, they are just on a different plane than the Blue Devils. There is a reason both teams are or have been in the top 10. Still, we put up 20, and once again forced turnovers. Hell, the only team that has beaten them this year is FSU!

·         Georgia Tech…wish we had played them in September before they fired Al Groh! But they took action and fixed their defensive woes. They play the option better than anyone in the country..hell even the camera guy can’t figure out where the ball is. And to top it off, they basically played a perfect game, and that’s hard for any team to do. It also makes it damn near impossible for another team to beat them. Still, we played a really great first half…we were in that game until late in the third quarter.

And now we have Miami. A team that is really much like Duke. On the field, they have more talent than we do, but they’ve proven they are vulnerable. We’ve proven we are pretty good at exploiting vulnerabilities. The question is, will we make them pay like we’ve done against Wake and UNC, or will we be unable to turn their problems into our points like we did against FSU and Clemson? We will find out soon enough.

Win or lose, Duke is on a better path. The future is here for our football team; all the effort that Ted Roof’s and Coach Cut’s recruits have put into improving what happens on the field is paying off. We are playing better, we are recruiting better, we are filling more of the stands. It’s pain and progress, but at least “progress” is now truly in the mix.

Let’s Go Duke!!!!
---Chris Wagner (CameronBornAndBred)

After being drubbed 48-7 by Florida State and 56-20 by Clemson in back-to-back games, I've read comments on various Duke message boards communicating a desire not to advance to the ACCCG in Charlotte on December 1st.  The basic attitude appears to be something along the lines of, "Why should we root for an outcome that will result in another drubbing at the hands of Florida State or Clemson?"

Pure poppycock!

Every Duke fan should be looking for a victory over Georgia Tech in order to set-up a Coastal Division Championship showdown with Miami on November 24 in Wallace Wade Stadium. 
Every Duke fan should relish the opportunity to beat Miami to get another chance at the Seminoles or Tigers. Who knows? We might actually beat them. Stranger things have happened in sports over the years.
It wouldn't bother me to face off against Florida State (or Clemson) in Charlotte and then have to face Stanford again in the Sun Bowl.  What's the worst possible outcome?  We lose!  Any Duke Football fan worth their salt isn't afraid of losing.

What's the best possible outcome?  We win and advance to the Orange Bowl in Miami. I like oranges.  With the appearance in the Orange Bowl (or the Sun Bowl), we grab the attention of some 4* and 5* recruits who can actually read and write that decide to commit to Duke, which improves the program.  Yes, the program.  The ACCCG and the Bowl Game are not solely about this year, they are about building the future of the program.
However, the ACCCG and Bowl Game are not solely about the future.  They are equally about this year.  How can any Duke fan deny Conner Vernon, Sean Renfree, Lee Butler, Desmond Scott, Brian Moore, Walt Canty or any of the other seniors the opportunity to head to Charlotte and experience playing in a Championship Game!
It's bye week and we need to rest, heal and prepare for the Yellow Jackets.

Go Duke! Beat Georgia Tech!  Go Duke!  Beat Miami!

--Bob Green