Bob Green, diehard Duke fan, consummate tailgater.
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
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
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