Coach Collins on the Clemson game, Chicago, start of ACC
I hope everyone had a great Holiday season! It was nice for our players and staff to get a little bit of a break at Christmas to spend time with our families. The season is long, so for our guys to be able to go home, enjoy Christmas and get their bodies refreshed for the conference season is always a good thing. We’ve had a hectic schedule since we’ve been back. Having the chance to play 2 games before we had to face Clemson in our ACC opener was a great thing for our team. Once you get started with the season, players get in a rhythm of playing games every couple of games. So, we needed the Long Beach State and Penn games to get our game legs back heading into the ACC. I thought our guys responded really well in those 2 games and it was great preparation for what we were facing with Clemson.
Everyone, from players to coaches to managers, was really excited about starting the ACC. There is always a different level of intensity and energy when you get into league play. I know people say it all the time, but it really doesn’t matter what the teams’ records are at the time when you play them. Every game is a physical and mental battle, and you have to put together a full 40 minutes in order to win. The Clemson game was a very important one for us because we wanted to get off to a great start in the ACC. In order to be a team that challenges to win the conference, you have to be able to take care of your home court. Clemson is one of the most talented teams in the ACC and we knew that we were going to have to play a great game to win. Plus, the last time we played them we lost by 27 points, so none of the players had to be reminded of their potential. We played some of the best defense we have played all year that night as Clemson only had 12 points at halftime. Every guy that we had out there was battling on every possession. As a staff, that’s all we could ever ask of our guys. After they made a run at the start of the 2nd half, we were able to get back on track and finish off the game for a terrific win.
Earlier this week, we were able to head to Chicago to play Iowa State at the United Center in a homecoming game for Jon Scheyer and Coach K. We try to get each of our guys an opportunity to play close to home at least once during their time at Duke. This was Jon’s chance to show off his team in front of all of his family and friends. It was also a special trip for me. I grew up in Chicago as well and spent 3 years as a Chicago Bulls ballboy when my dad was the head coach. Going back and being in that arena always bring back special memories for me of where I came from and how I got to where I am today. It was great to see a lot of familiar faces. We even had two of our former guys, Luol Deng and Sean Dockery there to cheer us on. To see Jon go out there and play such an incredible game was amazing. He has been playing great basketball so far this season, but it is not always easy playing in your hometown. There are so many added distractions with tickets and people wanting to see you, that it is easy to get out of your normal game routine. However, it showed Jon’s maturity and experience to be able to go out and play one of the best games of his career. It made for an incredible night! We were able to get a good win over a quality opponent in Iowa State.
There is no time for us to sit back and relax, as we head out to Atlanta today to face Georgia Tech. It is our first road ACC game and a very important one. Georgia Tech has a lot of talent and one of the best frontlines in the country. They are athletic and physical and we will need to continue to play at a high level if we want to be successful. Hopefully our guys will continue to get better and improve as a group. We still believe that we have alot of room to grow as a team. The journey has been fun so far, but we have a long way to go!
Take care,
Coach Collins
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