Coach K and Coach Cutcliffe spoke to Duke students and held a Q&A in the Great Hall on October 15th. Attendees were offered free food and beverage, and encouraged to attend our Blue-White Scrimmage and the Duke-Miami football game on Saturday…
Archive for October, 2008
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Duke Holds First Practice
October 15, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under Center of the Universe
| Blue Devils Hold First Practice |
| Written by Dave Bradley |
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The 2008-09 campaign officially got underway on Friday as Duke met with the media beginning at 3:30 and then hit the hardwood for a 5 PM practice open to the public in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
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In the News
Players Sound Off
I’m excited about competing for a national championship. I think that we have the tools to do something big like that. We’re going to work hard and see what happens.“
Gerald Henderson
“I’m very excited. I had a big summer getting ready for this year. Taking it very seriously, getting stronger and quicker, working on my ego. I come back and DeMarcus is gone. I feel like defensively, that’s my spot to step in and go against every team’s best player and shut them down. I feel like Coach K has a lot of confidence in me. I have a year under my belt and I’m just ready to go and attack that national championship.”
Nolan Smith
“I’m most excited about being an experienced team. We’ve been through it before, and getting a chance to what we’ve wanted to do for the last two years. Obviously for us, what we do in March and playing April is a big thing for us. Going into this year, the whole season is a build-up to then. We’re not going to put a lot of pressure on each game, we’re going to have fun, playing the right way, and we’re excited to do that.”
Jon Scheyer
“We want to get redemption and move forward. I think that will say a lot about the guys on our team, our class of 2010. We’re holding our guys accountable and making sure we’re doing what we have to do. There’s no excuses. We have to make sure that this year and the year after that are years that we win. We can’t go off what Duke has done in the past. We have to set our own goals and put our own stamp on it.”
Lance Thomas
“It’s another opportunity for us. We’ve been through this the last two years and we have another chance to do it. This is my last season. It’s a great opportunity, it’s a great chance to have everything that you want to happen. This is our opportunity to get it. It’s most exciting to have the guys come back. We have three freshmen coming in that are really good and can help us out. So having that type of excitement and enthusiasm that they’re going to bring along with the different set of skills that they have, it’s exciting to kind of mix and match and see what we can do.”
Greg Paulus
“I think this year is going to be a great season, just because we have a lot of older guys, a lot of guys with experience, who have been through the fire, been tested a lot. Gerald, Jon, and Greg are going to lead us. From a personal standpoint, knock on wood, this is the first time I have been healthy going into the season for a couple of years now and I’m excited to just have everybody get in the mix and see what we can do.”
Dave McClure
“I’m unbelievably excited. I think we got a real shot this year. We got all of the pieces to do something great and I’m just trying to fit my role on the team.”
Miles Plumlee “It’s a new season and it’s fresh. We’ve got a new group of guys, it’s my second year so I’m more confident. I feel like it’s just a new season and I’m very excited.”
Kyle Singler
“I definitely have a little chip on my shoulder. The main thing is overcoming injuries and leaving that behind me because that what’s had me really off for a year. I haven’t really played real basketball in a long time so I’m looking forward to it this year.”
Marty Pocius
“I think that the really important thing is that we got a lot of older guys now, a lot of guys who know how to get it done. They’ve been here a few years, had the experience, gone through some tough times and know what it takes to put together a whole season.”
Brian Zoubek
Coach K Quotes
“We’re very excited about starting. We’re healthy, had a good preseason and I think you can sense from the kids that we have a really good group. We’re ready to get going. I like our guys a lot and how they’ve prepared. We’re really anxious to coach them. I’m very excited about starting off.”
“We have a lot of depth on the perimeter. We are going to try and use that. We want to become a very good defensive team. With 40 minute games and the depth we have we should be a fresh defensive until all the time. That is one of my goals, defense and rebounding. We will have fresh people. We should never play tired minutes.”
“I need to be who I was with those guys there (at the Olympics). No matter what else other people are counting number of victories, counting number of NCAA titles, counting how many times we did go to the Sweet 16 and it wasn’t that big deal. Now that we didn’t and it is big. Don’t go along with that. Just play, just do it, and that is what I am going to do. I hope that message gets across to my team that we are playing for right now, and we are going to try to be as good as we can possibly be.”
“There are more people capable of being captain. I think you would only read something positive into that. Last year, one captain was what you needed and what was deserved, but this year, these three kids are what we need, and they deserve it.”
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LT’s Shares His Passion for Art
October 14, 2008
Posted by Lance Thomas under On Campus
My passion for art developed in elementary school. I had a circle of about four friends and we would go home and try to draw something difficult to show off at recess the next day. If we didn’t compete like that, I am not sure I ever would have taken drawing so seriously. While it is more of a hobby for me now, I could see myself doing something on the side down the road like bringing my skills to an art museum.
At Duke, I’ve taken a lot of art-related courses but it all started with a drawing class taught by Professor Merrill Shatzman. We worked together so well that semester that I requested her as my advisor. She has an amazing art background and continues to help me realize and develop my artistic skills. She actually helped to expand and enhance my drawing as well by introducing me to different tools since I was strictly a “pencil” guy. I can now use charcoal and I’m starting to take more diverse art classes that allow me to explore all of my artistic abilities. Without Professor Shatzman, I would never challenged myself to gain new knowledge.
For this project, I wanted to learn how to use Photoshop on my computer. Professor Shatzman gave me a couple of books on Photoshop so I did some reading before testing out the software. I didn’t have much of a background but I was able to experiment with the program and learn all of the program’s intricacies with help.
Since I was working with Professor Shatzman in an independent study setting, I was able to propose the direction for my project. I was initially going to do a couple of posters of the team as a whole. After several meetings, Professor Shatzman proposed that it would be nice to tie in a few individual posters of the guys which I thought was a great idea. I would meet with her every week to get feedback and make sure that I was going in the right direction.
We decided that I would create some motivational pictures and graphics that might inspire my teammates to want to keep working hard. I had a lot of fun executing this concept. I sorted through a lot of pictures of our guys and learned how I could incorporate them together using Photoshop. Professor Shatzman told me that she was proud of the individual posters and my progress with a new artistic platform. I haven’t shown my teammates yet so I am excited about them seeing it for the first time in Blue Planet magazine.
This was the first time I was able to really merge my passion for art and basketball in the classroom. I’ve already starting thinking about my next project which will hopefully involve freehand drawing of the team imported into Photoshop.
Thanks for checking out my work! I look forward to sharing additional projects in the future. Also, thanks again to Professor Shatzman for helping me take my passion for art to the next level.
-LT
PROFESSOR SHATZMAN ON LANCE’S PROJECT…
“It has been a true pleasure to work with Lance on this project, as his independent study served as the perfect way for him to combine his passion for basketball with his artistic abilities. The independent study format worked well in developing and focusing in on his specific theme and the different ways that he could create these motivational portraits. Lance’s project offered him the chance to expand his artistic horizons visually, technically and conceptually, challenging him to use new tools, expand upon the concept of portraiture and to dedicate his project to his passion of basketball and his team. Even more exciting was the sense of personal growth that he achieved, for his results were excellent and his dedication to the project unending. Additionally, he was able to combine the design skills he has learned in his courses with his continually expanding knowledge of digital tools, making each portrait unique and capturing the intensity of his teammates. We learned together, as Lance’s enthusiasm and passion for his project was inspiring to me!”
“It has been a true pleasure to work with Lance on this project, as his independent study served as the perfect way for him to combine his passion for basketball with his artistic abilities. The independent study format worked well in developing and focusing in on his specific theme and the different ways that he could create these motivational portraits. Lance’s project offered him the chance to expand his artistic horizons visually, technically and conceptually, challenging him to use new tools, expand upon the concept of portraiture and to dedicate his project to his passion of basketball and his team. Even more exciting was the sense of personal growth that he achieved, for his results were excellent and his dedication to the project unending. Additionally, he was able to combine the design skills he has learned in his courses with his continually expanding knowledge of digital tools, making each portrait unique and capturing the intensity of his teammates. We learned together, as Lance’s enthusiasm and passion for his project was inspiring to me!”
Lance Thomas is a Junior in Trinity College of Arts & Sciences. Lance is working towards a major in Visual Arts and has completed four art classes to date. He’s currently enrolled in two additional art classes this semester — Virtual Form and Space & The Aegean Bronze Age.
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Women’s Soccer vs. Georgia
October 11, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under In Their Shoes
Jordan Davidson and Dave McClure are your hosts as Duke Women’s Soccer takes on Georgia at Koskinen Stadium.
(Filmed by Jordan Davidson & Dave McClure)
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Elton & Converse Roll Out the Brand-New EB1
October 10, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under NBA Devils
Elton Brand opens the 2008-09 NBA season with a new team, new contract and new shoe. The shoe, called the EB1, drops November 11th and makes Elton one of only a handful of big men in the league with his own custom shoe. The two-time NBA All-Star is proud that his new shoe will be affordable, retailing for $65 and sold exclusively at Converse.com and J.C. Penney. “The price point was important to me because I remember growing up I couldn’t afford Jordans unless I got them on sale,” said Elton. “But we saved up and we wanted them because they were the best. Now, especially with the economic state, you can now afford a nice pair of kicks that has all the technology of a $120 shoe.” The 1999 National Player of the Year is also pleased to partner with Nike-owned Converse. Stated Brand, “Converse has a 100-year tradition. They’ve had so many great players from many eras. From Dr. J, Larry Bird, Magic… To have your own shoe is an honor in itself.”
Video: Elton on the EB1…
Converse on the EB1…
“A court-ready sneaker inspired by Elton Brand, an athlete who loves the game enough to play it with the dedication and respect it deserves: bold not flashy, smart yet humble, strong not overpowering. The shoe’s lightweight materials and construction provide a comfortable fit while the midfoot strap locks down the foot for reliable support and stability. Leather upper, rubber outsole.”
Elton on His Converse Logo…
“I had the most input on the logo. The D was for my Mom Daisy, of course. Dunbar Heights was where I played basketball; it’s the public housing where I grew up, and where we played everyday for fun. We just played for love. Duke Basketball… the logo means alot.”
Elton poses in Dime Magazine with his new shoe. The EB1 features a custom Elton Brand logo on the front that incorporates his initials, the letter D, and a pitchfork (representing his high school team nickname, the Red Devils and his college squad, the Blue Devils). The back of his left shoe has the No. 4 on the heel and the right shoe’s heel has the No. 2, representing his jersey number.
