d

OVERVIEW

I’m really excited about this year’s team.  It’s really my first team that has a great balance of seniors, juniors, sophomore and freshmen.  We are a huge team – As big a team as there will be in the country.  We have a lot of athletes and its fun to play with a team like that.  I think the sky’s the limit for our team.  We can do some really big things this year.

My goal is to win every time I step on the floor.   Ever since I came to Duke, I’ve dreamed about winning a national championship, I’ve dreamed about winning ACC championships, I’ve dreamed about playing in and winning big games.  That is what I am looking to do to end my career here.  I am going to go out fighting.

I also want to be real with myself and how people view our team, how they view me.  Everywhere I read, not many people pick us to win the conference.  That’s given me some motivation throughout the summer and fall.  Whether it’s people saying I am not a good point guard or our team will struggle without a true point guard, that stuff just motivates me and should really get our team going.

THE FRESHMEN

All three bring some different things.  Ryan can really shoot the ball and has a high IQ for basketball.  Andre can really shoot it and he’s a big-time scorer and athlete.  He has some big things ahead of him.  Mason is a really talented, versatile player with a great IQ.  He can score, he can pass, and he’s as long as anybody.

TEAM CHEMISTRY

The older guys, our seniors and juniors, we’ve been through a lot together.   As a team, we’re really a tight group.  The one thing that helps is six or seven of us live in the same apartment complex so we can go over to each other’s house a lot and hang out off the court.  I’ve done that every year I’ve been here, but this year we’ve been able to do a lot more.

THE FRONTCOURT

With our size, rebounding should be a strength, and we should be a really tough team to keep off the boards.  Defensively, we should be able to protect our paint and keep people out of it.  For myself or Nolan or whoever is guarding the ball on the perimeter, it gives us a lot of confidence knowing that if someone gets by us, there’s going to be three 6’10” guys waiting to do something.  It gives confidence to the guys guarding the ball.  We should be long and get a lot of deflections.

Offensively, we will have a presence inside.  We’re tall for our positions.  If I am playing point guard, I’ll have a height advantage at 6’5” over my guy so I can take him in the post sometimes.  Kyle is on the wing at 6’8” – Not many 6’8” guys can run the wing so it gives him an advantage.  Having so much length and a lot of bigs, you create mismatches all over the floor and you get some easy buckets where you aren’t just relying on the 3 or jump shots.

THE BACKCOURT

Going into my senior year, I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be in the point guard role.   I feel like that’s where I can be at my best for my team and myself.  It’s a great situation and I am going to do everything I can to make the most of it.  I just want to make the other guys better on our team.  If I am bringing it up, I will look to just kick it ahead.  We have so many talented guys.  When I am off the ball, I’ll become a scorer and a playmaker.

Obviously, we really need to be in top shape and be as strong as ever.  I know I am going to play a lot of minutes.  Nolan and I have been working out since the summer and he’s my guy, he’s my guy.  We’ll be in there until the end.  This year, we’ve been playing the best we’ve ever played together.  We’ve been reading each other really well.  We’re going to need to have complete trust on the court.  Dre is in a unique situation coming in late and he’s been working his butt off trying to get in shape too.  He’s really been working.  Between the three of us and Kyle, I think it’s a great perimeter.  You don’t need five guys on the perimeter.  The four of us is as great a backcourt as there is in the country.  We just need to stay out of foul trouble and play smart.  We can’t turn the ball over.

SENIOR YEAR

I will try to make myself enjoy practice once in a while because I know I will miss them one day, but there’s nothing like our games.  I can’t believe it’s my last year.  From the first game when we play each other to the last game we play at home and I hope there’s nine games after that, I am just going to cherish every time I step on the floor.