While in town last week, Duke all-time scoring leader JJ Redick shared some memories and thoughts on his college experience…
How does our practice facility compare to others you have seen?
JJ: “I actually think this is the nicest practice facility I have ever been in. We just built a new arena in Orlando and have a practice facility attached to it and it’s the best I’ve seen in the NBA but this one at Duke takes the cake. I just really, really wish we had this when I was here.”
How do your experiences with Coach K and memories from Duke help you today five years later in the NBA?
JJ: “There isn’t a day that goes by where I don’t think of Coach K and some lesson he taught me. I impart his wisdom on my daily life, whether it’s how I interact with my teammates, how I prepare to play, mental preparation, physical preparation — there’s so much that goes into being a professional and I wouldn’t have been as prepared going into the NBA if it wasn’t for Coach K.”
Obviously our guys benefit from your visits and the experience and wisdom you can share. How does a visit like this help you as well?
JJ: For me it is fun because I am a Duke fan. When I got done here, I could go back to being a fan. As a fan, it is cool to interact with the current players but it is also great for me to get a little bit of energy from them. Any time I come back here I get a renewed spirit and being around the young bucks certainly helps that.”
You entered Duke as a talented freshman and now are a successful NBA player earning a nice salary. How does that happen?
JJ: When I came to Duke as an 18-year-old freshman, I didn’t really think I was an NBA player. I never assumed that the NBA was in my future. Obviously the coaches here at Duke spent a lot of time with me developing my game, but they also gave me a lot of confidence in myself. Basketball is as much mental as it is physical and my transformation from a pudgy little 18-year-old freshman to National Player of the Year my junior and senior year happened because of the time and work invested in me by the coaching staff here at Duke. I wouldn’t have been a lottery pick if I hadn’t gone to Duke. That’s the bottom line.
You have played for a number of coaches now in your day. What makes Coach K different?
JJ: Coach K is the greatest because he’s the greatest all around. Obviously he knows the game, he knows X’s and O’s and he prepares his teams to play. Right along with that, he’s the ultimate motivator, he’s the ultimate teacher, and as you develop a relationship with him, the ultimate friend. As a player, knowing that your coach always has your back is of the utmost importance. It gives you confidence and security knowing that one of the greatest people and coaches to ever be involved in basketball has your back.
JJ: First of all, I am a sports fan. I enjoy going to live sporting events and I grew up a Duke Basketball fan. Before I came to Duke, I went to a couple of games and since I’ve graduated I’ve been to a couple games. Just watching a game in Cameron — there’s no greater sporting experience. So ultimately, playing here was just surreal at times. I played games for Duke in my backyard growing up pretending that I was in Cameron. The rush that I felt the first time coming through, I’ll always remember that. The great memories that I had here — whether it was beating North Carolina my junior year and having the fans on the court yelling “Our House”, Sean Dockery’s buzzer-beater to beat Virginia Tech, our win against Wake my junior year when we were coming off two losses in a row and they had Chris Paul and were a top-five team — those are the games that immediately stand out in my mind.
JJ and Gerald Henderson with Jeff Capel, Nate James, Chris Collins and Nate James
After a team lunch in Beijing, basketball legend Yao Ming stopped by the team hotel to chat with Coach K. Afterwards, the eight-time NBA All-Star kindly fielded a few questions about the Blue Devils…
How did you get to know about Coach K?
I know he has coached Duke for almost 30 years. He’s definitely the best coach on the world level. I knew his player first — Shane Battier from Duke. So you can look through Shane and find out what Coach K’s personnel is like — Very honorable people, very well-educated, and they treat people with honesty.
Coach K had success here in Beijing at the Olympics and Shane Battier is recognized in China. Do people know about Duke here in China?
I have a personal friend who graduated from Duke. People know Duke. It’s a very good school, it’s a small school but sometimes smaller means good quality. I think Duke has good coaches over there. People there are a little crazy, but it’s a good crazy.
What do you think Duke will learn getting to play basketball in China?
What I’ve learned from traveling the world is you realize how small you are, how tiny you are — whether you are 7’6″ or you are 5’6″. It’s a big world, there’s so many ideas, people, coaches. When you get this chance and you can talk to different countries and people and have a different experience, it will help you. And one day 50 years from now you can see your grandchildren and say, “Hey, I touched every corner of this world.”
Dave McClure played at Duke from 2005 through 2009 and was a part of three ACC championship teams. The Connecticut native recently returned back to the States and Duke after playing professionally in Lithuania this season. We caught up with Dave after he got a workout in at the K Center yesterday…
Hey Dave… what have you been up to lately?
I got surgery January 6th so the last four months have primarily been rehabbing and strengthening my leg. Our team made the playoffs and I opted not to play just to make sure I was fully healthy. I got back to the States on Thursday and now I am preparing for a strenuous summer. When I go into next year, I have to make sure the injury isn’t even an afterthought.
So let’s tell our Duke fans where you have played since the last time we saw you sporting that blue and white?
I spent all of preseason in 2009 with the guys here playing pickup. Then I went to Austin, TX and played in the D League. I had a successful season with some ups and downs – I started, came off the bench, played 25 minutes a game, had some games where I didn’t play. I learned that in the D League that if a player gets called down at your position, your role may drastically change. With the emphasis the league has on player development I felt like I had big year growth-wise and our team went to the conference finals and lost on a charge call at the buzzer.
This past year, I played in Lithuania — I was signed by a team named Neptunas. We were in Klaipeda, Lithuana – the third largest city there. I got lucky – I was only a two-hour drive from Marty Pocius who I spent four years with here. We got a chance to see each other when our days off matched and overall it was a lot of fun. I learned a lot and got a chance to see places and meet people I’d never get a chance to otherwise. Obviously the injury setbacks were a bit frustrating but I’ve been told I should have a full recovery and even though I was out awhile I still think I grew. I was around the game and it made me want to play even more. I am excited to get back on the saddle.
You mentioned Marty. Any other former Duke players you happened to see in your travels?
Actually right when I got there in preseason, I flew into Lithuania and my flight got delayed in Poland. I ended up traveling for like 30-some hours. After a four-hour ride from the airport to where we lived, I think I got there at 6 AM. I slept until 2 or 3 and then went to the gym to watch the team play. Our coach asked me if I could play so I played. Turned out we were playing a Euroleague team from Poland. As I was warming up and stretching, I saw Daniel Ewing walk in. He comes over and says, “What are you doing in Lithuania?!” He had no clue I was on the team because they had just signed me. Another time, I was eating dinner and watching Marty play and the game ended and I was getting ready to go home and I looked back and the next game coming up was DeMarcus. DeMarcus had come over from France to play another Lithuanian team in our division so I got a chance to see him. Trajan was in Russia so I never got to see him. It’s interesting seeing people when you don’t expect it. Duke is usually the meeting-up place for all of us so when you see somebody out near the Eastern Bloc of Europe it’s quite a shock.
Any interesting stories from hooping over there that would surprise people who don’t get to see much basketball overseas?
The fans are much different. At every game you have designated sections for not only the home fans but also the away fans. Unlike a soccer match where it’s a huge arena and you have the hooligans from each team separated, these guys are only a width of the court away. Things are being thrown, they shoot fireworks off after the game. We were playing in one gym and after the first bucket they threw a box of confetti in the air and we had to stop the game to sweep it. So the ball was tipped and there was a score within the first 10 seconds and then we had to stop the game for three minutes to sweep the confetti off the court. The refs don’t say anything, no one was ejected. It was one of those things you learn to expect.
What are the differences between European basketball and the college ball we are used to seeing here?
I would say a couple big things. The skill level over there is incredible. Against the average college team, you can play off one or two guys so a good defensive team should have the advantage. Over there, they can all shoot the ball and finish around the basket. They might not be as athletic or as tall, but they make up for it with their skill level. Another difference is Lithuanian basketball is much more physical. They will call reach fouls, but as long as you are standing straight up, you can really body someone and the whistle will be swallowed. You have to adapt your game. Big men get pushed all over the place. Guards coming off screens get hedged and will get body contact. You better not get bumped off your driving line because you are not getting the call.
What is something you picked up here that has helped you in the European game?
Something the game lacks a little bit over there is discipline and the knowledge of how to play good team defense and really focus for long periods of time. At the end of practice, when we stop playing games and focus on the small details, you see some brains shutting off. Like we used to say here, it’s all about accountability. You have to be accountable and you have to hold your teammates accountable. When you are tired, you are sucking it up not only for yourself, but your team. That’s something we teach here and it’s not taught there – it’s more expected but doesn’t always happen. Anybody who has been through this program knows that they have left as better communicators with a stronger will to win and greater mental strength.
I understand Marty is doing really well. I heard he is on Sprite bottles and has life size displays in the mall.
Yeah. He is literally a national star. He played incredibly on the national team this year. Out of the 12 or 14 guys on the national team, I think maybe only three or four of them stayed local and the rest traveled throughout Europe and played in different countries. So, the fact that Marty played so well and then stayed local really made him a national icon. Even people rooting for other teams love Marty. He is on billboards. He is, as you said, on Sprite bottles. You go into a Foot Locker and there’s a hundred foot stencil of Marty turning the corner in a game. I had kind of seen it around and then I went to dinner with him and it was like we were back here at Duke in our heyday except in this case with an entire country of people. You could feel all the eyes on Marty. I am so happy for him because it couldn’t happen to a better guy.
You played pickup today. How did that go?
It went well. The coaches got us. It was Coach Wojo, Nate and Coach Spatola versus me and a couple of a managers. There’s something to be said for camaraderie and knowing how to play together. We started out pretty even and by the third quarter they were working like a machine out there. They knew exactly where they were going to go. And it didn’t hurt that Wojo didn’t miss an open 3. He reminds me of a European player. If you give him the opportunity, he will hurt you.
Here you did a little bit of everything. You played some at the 3 and 4 and were a defensive stopper. What’s your game like these days?
I am kind of playing as a point-small forward. If I get a rebound, I push it myself. I was able to go coast-to-coast often while I was there and draw a lot of fouls. I am really coming off a lot of pick-and-rolls. Before I got injured, our offense primarily revolved around me coming around a ball screen and making a read whether it was a pass or shot. The more I did it, the more comfortable I became. When I first got there, my coach had to tell me, “We need you to do this.” Marty had thankfully given him the heads-up. He told him there was a lot they could get out of me. Previously, I had been comfortable making the pass and disappearing a little bit because it had been so long since I was a primary guy. It was the first time where I had to play for 40 minutes on both sides of the court for every single play where normally it was every possession on defense and I could get a rest on offense at times. I had to be in even better shape, I had to treat my body even better. I found myself eating healthier, stretching more. I felt great. It was very unfortunate I got the injury because I felt like I was really settling in and finding my groove. I think next year for sure will be that time.
I saw you working with Jose and just saw you chatting with Coach K. You played pickup. What’s it like to come back here and re-connect with everyone?
After high school, this is what I consider home. I had an incredible time while I was here, everybody is amazing here. Everyone is always willing to help and is genuinely concerned with how you are doing. You get that sense of family and of being home. Every single time I come back I feel like there are more advances here. We continue to separate ourselves as the elite place in the country. This time I come back and the training room is unbelievable. When I was in Lithuania they gave me the resources and I got paid to use a local workout facility but I was on my own. Here you have that safety net of family members that you can ask. You are not by yourself. You have teammates who are always willing to workout. You have people who are always willing to help you out. That’s the biggest thing I notice coming back — Being around people that love the game and are willing to help you out. It’s really a great feeling.
What do you miss most about Duke?
It’s going to sound cliché, but being a part of something bigger than yourself. You need to live like a man and treat yourself and everyone else with respect because you are not just on your own. It feels good to know you are representing something bigger than yourself.
Lastly, what are your short and long term hoops plans?
I think it’s going to be dependent upon my body and also opportunities. The biggest thing I am pleased with from this year is now there are no doubts. I know I can make a career out of this. How long my body will last I don’t know. When I am finished I would love to get into coaching. This year with a few of our coaching woes and not being able to play and also living with an American who has a good sense of the game, I really saw the coaching side more. My roommate and I talked more basketball than I’ve ever talked in my entire life. We would breakdown everything even if it would never be implemented. I need to get the playing itch out of my system first. I can’t say how long it will last. As of now I honestly feel like the sky is the limit and I am going to keep going until I feel otherwise. I love where I am at right now and just feel thankful and blessed that I am able to keep doing this.
Dave cuts the nets down after winning the 2009 ACC Tournament
And of course we have to throw in this clip before we go:
Coach K discusses Kyle and Nolan before their Senior Night in Cameron
COACH K ON KYLE
When you first started recruiting Kyle back in high school, what was your vision for him as a player?
Well I knew right away that Kyle would be a special player. He not only had talent but he had a spirit that’s just uncommon, and when you get the two together, it’s “cant-miss.” And 120 wins later I think it’s proven to be true — a national championship, a kid who’s a warrior, never afraid. You always feel good knowing that he’s on your side to start a ball game.
Can you talk about how Kyle has grown on and off the court in his four years?
First of all, on the court, he was an inside player in high school. He’s had to see the game differently, playing the four early on with Zoubek’s injuries. He did that well but in the last couple of years he has played primarily on the perimeter and his game’s evolved where he is an All-American type player and a guy who will be a very good NBA player. He’s somebody who comes to play every night and plays every play hard. Off the court, I think he has grown from being a good young man to being a great man. He has certainly represented Duke well. He has been a good student, he has been a good guy, humble and not above any of the students here. He has not let any notoriety go to his head. On the contrary, he is at times too humble and too much “one of the guys.”
Kyle made the uncommon decision to return for his senior year following a Final Four MVP honor and national title. How has that decision impacted him?
Well, I think Kyle has learned a lot his senior year by being one of the leaders of the team. It’s spontaneous, something you have to do in an instant — whether it’s something you say, something you do to bring the team together. You have to make sure that the standards that you want to play with are upheld. And he has high standards and it is your responsibility to lead in a moment’s notice. You can’t wait until you get to the huddle. Somebody on the court has to be doing that. However, his main leadership is how he plays every play. He sets a constant example to his teammates that he will pay whatever price has to be paid to be good. He has done that for the whole four years.
Did it surprise you that Kyle decided to come back?
It didn’t surprise me that Kyle wanted to come back for his senior year. I think he loves Duke, he loves the education, the life experience that you only get when you’re in college and especially at a school like this. He recognized that. And plus he was still growing as a player and that is just who he is. It didn’t surprise me and I’m glad that he made that decision. And it was what he wanted to do, we told him all along that it was whatever he wanted to do. There was no pressure coming back and when he did make the decision I asked him how he felt and he told me, “I felt good, this is what I thought I should do and I just wanted to take time to make sure of it.”
What’s down the road for Kyle?
He is always going to be a good man, a Duke man, a Duke graduate and good things will happen to him. You can see he has a pure heart. You will always want Kyle on your team whether it is a basketball team, a business team, a family team. But I think he will play basketball for a long time, he will be a really good NBA player because the very first thing he can do is compete — compete at the highest level. At a little over 6’8” and almost 225-230 lbs. he can guard 2s and 3s. And in the pros he will actually have an easier time shooting the ball because he will be a third option or fourth option and he will get open shots. But he will come to play every night and he has the type of spirit that championship teams want.
COACH K ON NOLAN
Nolan’s smile and personality always stand out when you are around him. How has that great personality impacted Duke?
Nolan is very unique, a lot of people like him. And they like him for who he is, not just for what he does. Some athletes are liked in a very false way because of their notoriety. Nolan is liked and respected because he is a genuine person. I don’t think anybody in my 31 years at Duke has had the impact that he has had on the students here. He has interacted with the students for his entire four years. He has made them feel even more connected than the Cameron Crazies normally feel. It seems that throughout the country everybody knows Nolan and everybody wants him to be his or her friend. He has that magnetic personality and I’m proud of him for actually growing in that. I don’t know if he would expect me to say this but he has not only matured into a good man, he’s very sophisticated and he knows how to handle every situation and he handles it well without making anybody in the situation feel less. Any situation that he’s involved in, people feel more and that is a gift.
Can you talk about how he is able to balance his personality off the court versus his slightly different persona on the court?
He has a lot of fun, he has a great sense of humor, he loves life and he loves people. When he is on the court he still has that personality where he is having fun. He is competing but he is not afraid. I think his confidence level and who he has become as a player has grown dramatically. It’s just grown like crazy over the past two years to where in his senior year he is truly one of the top players in the country — first-team All-American and somebody who should be considered for National Player of the Year honors.
Can you talk about his role as a mentor on the team? It seems like he has really embraced that.
I think he likes being a big brother. With he and his sister, he is the little brother. The relationships that he has developed with past teammates are like brother-to-brother. Whether it be Michael Beasley, Ty Lawson, Brandon Jennings — a number of players. He enjoys that but I think he enjoys even more being an older brother. And a few of the guys, Josh and Tyler, have played on DC Assault, which is the team he played on so he has known them for a long time. So it is almost like he is continuing that process of mentoring.
The tragic story of the loss of Nolan’s dad at a young age has been well documented. Can you share your thoughts on how that has impacted his life while he’s been at Duke?
I don’t know how I can feel what he felt in losing his father at such a young age — his young age and his father’s young age in an episode that you would never envision happening. I think he’s handled that extremely well primarily because of his mother. His mother is really one of the great people I have met over the years with a pure heart and Monica has never wavered in her love and her support of her two youngsters. I think a huge thing that came about in this was when it became more public. ESPN did a feature on him a couple of years ago and they did a beautiful story. I didn’t know if he knew that it was on. I called him and said, “Did you know this feature was on, are you ok?” I was worried about it knocking him right back. And he said, “No coach I feel good.” And I said, “Come in, let’s talk about it.” It was almost a relief that somebody else told the story and he did not have to tell the painful part of the story and could just move on and celebrate his dad’s life, which he did. And, ironically, when we won the national title we were in Indianapolis. There were some amazing dots that were connected that really helped Nolan be at peace with what has happened in his life.
What’s next for Nolan after his Duke career is over?
Nolan is going to be a really good pro player. But he will get involved in a bunch of other things because he is such a people person. You hear that expression “people person” but he takes it to the highest level. He has told me, “Coach, I love Duke, Duke has made me so much better in every way.” And that personality, with a Duke education, and the people he has become friends with over the four years he has been here, will put him in select company in whatever he does when he is not playing basketball.
Lastly, can you talk about Kyle and Nolan in the bigger picture and how unique they are in this day and age of college basketball?
Two guys like this don’t come around very often. You are talking about two guys who have been a part of teams averaging 30 wins a year for four years, winning a national championship, winning conference championships. The 120 wins, or above, wherever they finish, that will rank them as high as almost anybody in college basketball. Certainly it puts them in the upper echelon here at Duke. That is crazy success especially at this level and with the spotlight on our program the way it has been. You are talking about two very special players and very, very special young men.
Details on our stellar freshmen Tyler, Josh and Kyrie
1. THE TRIO = KYRIE, TYLER, JOSH
Kyrie Irving started calling our freshman class “The Trio” because they were always together. The name has stuck. Around campus, you will typically see Kyrie, Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston together.
2. TY & JOSH GO WAY BACK…
Tyler and Josh became close friends on the AAU circuit, playing ball for DC Assault. Says Josh about hooping with Tyler on the same AAU squad, “It was just like clockwork when we got out on the floor — he knew where I was going and I knew where he was going. It was special.”
3. …AND HELPED RECRUIT KYRIE.
Once Ty, Josh and Andre were all committed to Duke, they turned their attention to recruiting one of the top prep stars in the USA at the time, Kyrie. “We were all over it,” Josh said. “I’m not going to take all the credit, but Andre, Tyler and I were all over Kyrie at NBA camp. So we were doing a little recruiting of our own.”
4. DRE WOULD’VE MADE IT FOUR
Andre Dawkins was originally a member of our class of 2014 and has always been close with the group. Now, with a year of experience under his belt, he’s looking out for Josh, Ty and Kyrie. “We were running sprints,” Josh stated, “and he told me to come over and run with him. He said, ‘I want you to stick with me.’ I’ve never been pushed like that. It’s a great experience.”
5. NOLAN KEEPS AN EYE OUT
Nolan ran with the DC Assault AAU team too so he has known Josh and Tyler for awhile. Kyrie quickly developed a bond with the 2010 NCAA South Region MVP as well on his official visit. “Nolan has just taken all three of us under his wing,” said Kyrie. “He’s taken care of us. That’s what I really need my freshman year.”
6. THEY TOURED CAMPUS BY BIKE
“The Trio” arrived on campus for the second semester of summer school so they had time to adjust to college life before a busy fall semester. To help familiarize themselves with campus, they took advantage of a Duke program that allows students to borrow bikes and went on frequent evening bike rides.
7. FRIENDSHIP TAKES STRESS OFF
To unwind, “The Trio” likes to play video games, utilize their Nerf weapons on unsuspecting teammates and watch movies (especially Disney movies — they’ve watched almost all of them). Kyrie says the group’s overall camaraderie helps relieve the pressure and tension of freshman year life.
8. THEY LIKE TO DANCE
Kyrie brought a passion for dancing and a variety of dance moves to “The Trio” and Ty and Josh have caught on. “He has all the moves,” said Josh. “Any song that comes on Kyrie can dance to it… I didn’t dance much until I got around him. Now I am right there with him.”
WHY DUKE…
Tyler: “Coach K and all the assistants are great coaches and I wanted to learn from them. One of my goals, after my playing days are over, is to be a coach one day. So it behooves me to learn from Coach K . He’s the kind of guy who looks after his ex-players. I saw that as an opportunity to get what I wanted.”
Josh: “I chose Duke mainly because it is Duke. You can’t say no to Duke. When Coach K called me for the first time I nearly dropped the phone — I was so excited. When I got down here it felt like home right away and I knew this was the place I wanted to be.”
Kyrie: “The decision to come to Duke was the best decision of my life. I get the best education and the best coach coaching me. It was mainly Coach K and Coach Collins recruiting me — I feel like I can go and talk to those two about anything. And when I came on my official visit, it felt like home and the place for me… There’s a brotherhood here.”
