PHOTOS: Jason Williams Rising Stars Clinic

Two-time National Player of the Year Jason Williams hosted a Rising Stars basketball skills clinic today at the Emily K Center in Durham.  Attendees worked on basic basketball fundamentals in addition to an emphasis on academics, sportsmanship, teamwork, conditioning, community involvement and self-discipline.

Maximum one-on-one exposure was offered by J-Will and his staff of various male/female Duke and N.C. Central basketball players, including Jon Scheyer and Lance Thomas.  The first session (9-11:30 a.m.) was for boys and girls in fifth and sixth grade, while the second session (1:00-3:30 p.m.) was for boys and girls in seventh and eighth grade.

On Friday, Jason kicked off his weekend visiting campus, hanging out with the team and playing some pickup with the guys.  The clinic Saturday preceded the Duke/NC Central football matchup at Wallace Wade Stadium.

You’ve spent time this summer and this semester creating flyers for Duke Athletics.  What does that entail?
Basically, I get a chance to use Photoshop, a program that I actually find very interesting.  I’m designing ads for the various teams at the University and I’m getting better with the program.

What has been your favorite piece that you have done?
It’s really fun making the ads especially for teams with players that I know well and am friends with.  It goes back to freshman year when the basketball guys — G, Jon, Zoubs, and me — we all lived with a lot of the football players, some of the girls from the women’s team.  That was our starting round to friendships and it was really fun making ads for the football team.  Or with field hockey, I’m good friends with Sarah Schoffstall, who’s captain of the team, so it’s fun to help them out with the ads and just have fun with it.

How long does it take to do one of these?
It doesn’t really take me that long to make them.  I’ll make one, and then I’ll look at it. Then, I’ll make changes for it.  But, it doesn’t take me more than 20 minutes to make one.  After I look at it and make my changes, it’s probably close to an hour.

Did you develop your Photoshop skills in other art classes or is it something you picked up on your own?
I learned a lot of Photoshop during my freshman year, I had a couple of classes.  From there, I liked the program so I just did trial and error. You know, try things, seeing what works, seeing what didn’t work, basically teaching myself all the different tools it had to offer.  Doing tutorials online helped a lot.

I know you like all kinds of art from Photoshop/graphic design to architecture to drawing.  What’s your favorite?
I like trying different things with Photoshop.  I like trying really tough tutorials that are tedious that take hours to do, and learning through those tutorials.

How much art do you do on the side just for your own enjoyment outside of class?
I’ve tried a lot of crazy things.  I like to try to do above and beyond things that are really tough.  I spend at least two hours a day just messing around with Photoshop because it is so complex.  If someone says they’ve mastered the program, I find that very hard to believe.

Do you ever bring your passion for basketball to your artwork or do you like keeping them separate?
I would like to bring them together and I’m probably going to do that.  I’ve been doing every other sport except ours, so I’m trying to save the best for last.

Kyle is a talented artist too and is really passionate about it.  Do you guys ever talk art?
Yeah, sometimes when Kyle brings his laptop to meals or something like that, we’ll be messing around on our laptops, he’ll see me doing something.  He’ll ask me what I’m doing and I’ll explain to him how I do certain things.  Kyle is really good with Photoshop, so he’ll bounce ideas off of me and tell me certain things that I didn’t know.  There is more than one way to do one thing in that program, so if you’re doing a certain way, then someone might do two other ways that are simpler or more efficient.  We bounce ideas off each other and help each other out.

Do you see yourself having a career in art when you decide to stop playing hoop?  Or is this more of a hobby long term?
Right now, it is more of a hobby, but I can see myself doing something with it because I actually have a passion for it.  It is very fun to me, and doesn’t seem like a job.  It allows me to be creative.  There are no limits to the Photoshop program. Just that idea makes me want to keep learning the program.  Like I said, I doubt anyone knows the program up and down, not even the creators probably.  It’s so complex, that I want to get to know as much of it as possible because Photoshop is basically a part of every ad you see in some shape or form.  I’ll use that or I’ll use Illustrator.  I’m actually very good with Illustrator as well.  I use both programs sometimes to make one finished product.

You made a model of Cameron last year for class.  Tell us how that turned out.
It was great.  I used this program called Maya with Professor Raquel Salvatella.  She was amazing with it, especially the way she taught it.  It was very easy to follow and the program is based off of shapes.  You have full range of motion where you could see it form any perspective you want.  You could see under it, inside of it, top, left, right, so it allows you to emulate the shapes and you can manipulate it any way you want.  If you have a really creative eye, you can make anything you want, I mean anything.  I basically did the whole gym and it came out very well.  I was very happy with the finished product and I definitely recommend the program for anyone who is interested in art.  Like I said, art eliminates boundaries on your ideas.  I love to express freely what I think.  It’s not like someone says, “do this and do it this exact way.”  You have free range of thought and it’s amazing.

A sample of the flyers Lance produced using Photoshop:

PHOTOS: DBP Pre-Season Video Shoot

When we launched DukeBluePlanet.com at the start of the 2008 season, we also began a new tradition with the production of our first annual hype video introducing the squad for that season.  Our guys have had fun with it and we enjoy adding another element to all the hype, excitement, and fanfare that comes with the start of every Duke Basketball season.

This past Thursday, we headed over to Duke’s Central Campus courts to film this year’s version.  With the sun setting and nightfall moving in, we were able to get some dramatic footage and closeup shots of the guys taking it back to their roots hooping on an outdoor court.  “This brings me back, this is how I grew up playing” said LT.  “I could stay out here all night,” added Nolan.  Mother nature might be a Duke fan because it couldn’t have been a more clear, calm evening.

In addition to taking the video outside, we’re adding an even more unique twist to this year’s video thanks to Duke senior Mike Posner.  A rising star in the music industry as a singer, song-writer and producer and a friend of several of our players, Posner is creating a custom track for the video.  Or as he tweeted to Lance, Jon and Nolan during the week, “you guys are gonna look like such champions to this music”, “Wojo told me if the song i do 4 u guys is dope enough I get to run point”, “I hope you guys know how to dunk to the most EPIC music ever”, and “im still amped of Wojo calling me dude. My nickname used to be Wojo. Straight hits.”

Posner dropped by during the shoot and played some 1-on-1 with Nolan after we wrapped up.  With concerts every weekend all over America and his next mixtape set to drop October 29th, the Michigan native might be the busiest Blue Devil on campus.

Keep an eye out for the debut of this season’s hype video, and Posner’s “epic” track, at Countdown to Craziness.  You can check out the 2008 and 2009 versions of our Hype video below.

Three new TV spots for ESPNU’s brand campaign debuted this week on the ESPN networks.  All three spots were filmed on Duke’s campus with the Blue Devils, Texas and Florida featured.

Duke – student tour guide escorts prospective students around campus, citing school landmarks and their affiliation with former Duke basketball players, such as Christian, Grant, Shane, JJ and C-Booz.

Florida – features two University of Florida fans posing as UF band members, in an attempt to get in to a Gators football game.

Texas – a Texas student is caught trying to steal the Longhorn’s steer, “Bevo.”

Here’s the Duke spot, with a number of Duke legends getting recognized by a Cameron Crazie-turned campus tour guide.  Check it out to learn where Carlos Boozer used to walk with a backpack full of lead weights….

The ball is dropping on another season of Duke Basketball and we’re ringing in the New Year in style.  The fun begins and the season kicks off officially on October 16th at the first-ever Countdown to Craziness presented by the U.S. Army ROTC.  Festivities for the event begin at 5:30 PM in Krzyzewskiville with live music, games and face painting.  The doors to Cameron Indoor Stadium open at 6:30 with the next hour and half filled with exciting new videos, the unveiling of our 2009-10 team poster, and performances by Duke University Improv and other local/campus groups.

8:00 is the official start of the new year and we will then introduce the 2009-10 Blue Devils.  Following the player and team introduction, the annual Blue-White scrimmage will tip off around 8:15 with engaging entertainment during stop action including presentations of the Crazies Choice Awards (more info to follow on those).  Following the scrimmage, the Blue Devils will show off their high-flying aerial talents with a dunk contest to close out the evening in Cameron.  A concert will follow for the Crazies in Krzyzewskiville.

However, the celebration doesn’t stop Friday.  On Saturday morning, we will host a Duke Basketball Open House with doors opening at 9:00 AM.  The event will feature a player autograph session beginning at 10:00 in Cameron’s Hall of Honor and fans will be invited to watch our first official team practice of the year beginning around noon.  Also, remember your cameras because unique photo stations will be available on Coach K Court.  Our Open House is free and open to the public.

We can’t wait to celebrate the new year with our fans on October 16-17.  Mark your calendars for what promises to be a unique and fun-filled weekend for the Blue Devils!