Duke Blue Planet BLOG

After practice on Friday, Austin Rivers sat down with DukeBluePlanet and shared his thoughts on the season so far, his progression at Duke, the hype that has surrounded his high school/college career and more. Here’s Austin in his words:

It is such a simple statement and kind of vague: “You only live once.” But I have a lot of expectations and dreams. I’d die to achieve them and want to do anything to achieve them. I want to get better and basketball is my life. How can I get better? How I can achieve everything I want to achieve in college and so forth? I just like to go to the gym. It’s what I love to do. It’s how I’ve been raised. My family has always been spread out and I’ve had times where I’ve been alone so I just played basketball. That’s why you’ll see me in there at 2 AM. I don’t sleep that much, I just like to play basketball. It’s what I love to do and I think that love for the game helps me.

I am always doing something with or around the game. I work out constantly, late night and early morning, whatever the case is. When I am away from basketball, I am a totally different guy. On the court, I am a cocky guy and I know I come off like that to a lot of people but that’s just how I am. I like to be aggressive and play my game whether shots are falling or not. I want to keep attacking and having fun and playing with my teammates and loving to win. Off the court, I am pretty quiet and like to settle down. I have a really small circle outside of basketball that I like to be with. And I am a movie buff. That’s what I do in my free time. I watch movies. I have seen thousands of movies. When I am not in the gym working, I like to watch movies and relax.

Growing up around the game has driven me and I have always had a chip on my shoulder just because I’ve been known as my dad’s son. That always propelled me to work harder. Now that I have my own name, I want to keep that going and keep working and not be known just as a great high school or college player. That’s where I get my edge to prove people wrong. I’ll keep working until I do that.

I don’t even really think or care about the hype and expectations though. I look at it like this. I was in high school. I worked hard. I played my game. My team won. Everything has come with that. That’s how I look at it. I am at Duke now. I am trying to play hard and help the team win. Whatever hype comes with that… comes with that. I don’t even worry about the expectations or meeting them. No one can ever meet everyone’s expectations. The only expectations I want to meet are my own which at the end of the day are higher than most people’s anyway, and the expectations of my teammates and team.

I think our team has come along great. We had a totally new team to start the year. Guys were in new positions. People didn’t know each other. In the beginning, we did not want to know each other as much as we do now. We could beat teams on talent. Now, we’ve grown more into a team. When we play together, we actually look pretty scary. I think that’s the biggest thing we’ve accomplished. Looking ahead, we need to keep growing as a team and things will come along for us. Guys are starting to establish themselves. Our bigs are starting to establish themselves down in the paint. Our perimeter is coming along. If we keep doing that, we have a chance to make a run and do big things the rest of the season.

I think I’ve played well all year. I had a stretch of two games where I struggled a little bit and I had to get myself together. I think that happens to every freshman. That’s part of basketball. The biggest thing this season that I’ve been proud for me is bouncing back. That’s what you have to do. I’ve been playing well lately and I have to keep that going.

If you let the game come to you and work hard and give people a chance to help you, I think college can be an easier transition. If you come in and try to do everything yourself and be stubborn, that can make things hard. When you come to college, you should be open to new ideas and ready to learn a lot and be willing to accept failure. I learned pretty quickly you need to come in with an open mind and it helped with the coaches that I have here.

The biggest challenge for me has been adjusting to a whole different game. High school and the NBA are more similar. College is totally different. I am definitely not saying high school and the NBA are alike. But as far as defense goes, it is more of a breakdown game in high school and the NBA. You can break down guys maybe differently than in college where defenses are more packed in and you have zones and the help side and the charge. College is a totally different game than high school.

I am really looking forward to the rest of the season. It is big time now. We are starting to really get into the ACC and we are tied for first. We have the ACC Tournament. That’s what I look forward to – just elevating my game along with that. I need to keep being intense. And when I talk more on the defensive end, I play better on both ends. Every game for the rest of the season is a big game. I just want to elevate my game and try to be even better and help our team win big games. That’s what I look forward to most.

Well, that’s it for now. Hope all is well with our fans out there and thanks for reading.

Follow Austin on Twitter: @austinrivers25

Before heading out to practice on Monday, junior guard Andre Dawkins shared his thoughts on the team’s early start, our freshmen class, his summer, our upcoming trip to China/Dubai and more…

Get up, go to the gym, work out, go to class, go back to the gym and work out some more, go back to my apartment, crash, and get up and do it again the next day.  That’s pretty much been my routine during the week with the season starting early for us.

I am just excited to get going and our trip in August comes at a good time for this team.  It will be a pretty cool first trip outside the country for me.  Seeing China and Dubai is a once-in-a-lifetime experience so I am just looking forward to going over there and competing and trying to win some games but also experiencing life outside the United States for a little while.

We’ve been doing a lot of running this summer to get ready for these practices and the trip — more than we’ve done in the past.  We’ve been doing a lot.  We were working out with the soccer team for a while on the turf fields.  And then after pretty much every lift, we are out on the court running or out on the track.   We are trying to run pretty much every day.

This off-season, I’ve been working on my whole game, especially developing moves off the dribble.  A lot of my shots last year came off screens so I want score more around the basket and attack the rim.  Coach Capel has talked to me a lot about that this summer.  He wants me to dunk everything so when I am working out now he expects me to dunk when I get to the basket.

The summer’s a good time to hang out and relax too.  Ryan and I moved into a new apartment and when the Finals were going on, we had the guys over for Game 5.  We have a big theater room at our complex we can use.

Ryan’s my guy.  It’s kind of funny because freshman year we weren’t that close and weren’t too sure about being roommates sophomore year.  But in spending more time with each other, we’ve become really good friends and are pretty much inseparable.  It will be fun as older guys this year trying to help the younger guys out.  I think we are both up to the challenge.

Our coaches want the older guys to step up and coach the younger guys along.  Being able to practice this early is good for us and good for the younger guys to get a feel for what practice is like.  For the older guys, we already know so we can help the younger guys out.

The biggest thing for freshmen is just talking — not just on defense but on offense.   I came in and was a quiet guy and that’s how it is for most guys coming out of high school.  They aren’t used to talking and coaching their teammates through.  Once they get that down, they will be fine.

Right now, we are putting in our defensive concepts first.  We are putting in some quick hitters on offense but our main focus is getting everybody on the same page on defense.   Our defense is a little bit hard to grasp at first.

I think coming out of high school, learning to communicate and compete at our level is tough and it takes time coming into a program like Duke.  That’s what we are all about – playing hard and competing and trying to win.  There will be a few times where there is a loose ball and guys aren’t used to diving for those.  Our coaches have to tell them that’s what we do here.  That’s part of the formula for winning games – getting those 50/50 balls.  It’s definitely an adjustment coming out of high school but our new guys want to learn and will pick it up quickly and become great players in our system.  There’s definitely a lot to learn, that’s the same for any freshman.  They do have a lot of talent and it’s a really deep class.   I think they will push the older guys and that will help the whole team become better.

We are a young group but at the same time we do have a lot of experience.  We have some guys who have won ACC championships and some guys who were on the 2010 national championship team.  We also have a lot of depth so it should be a fast-paced game for us and it should be a lot of fun to watch.  This is a completely new team with a new look and a different feel.  Coach has said it a few times.  This is our team now.   Nolan, Kyle, Lance, Zoubs and Jon – Those guys are gone and it’s on us.  Me, Miles, Ryan, Mason, Seth – We are the upperclassmen now and I am excited to be on a team where I have to help my young guys out, as opposed to being a young guy.  I think that’s what I am looking forward to the most.

Thanks for reading Duke fans and we’ll see you on the court pretty soon.  Right now I have to go get ready for practice.

Andre rises for a slam during the team's first practice this past Sunday

Nolan Smith describes a memorable rivalry game in his words

It was February 9, 2011 in Cameron and the first meeting of the season vs. UNC.  The stage was set.  Both teams had one loss in the conference and were in the process of discovering their identity.  It was Duke vs. UNC so all eyes would be on the game.  And this game would live up to the hype.

When I walked into Cameron at 7:00 – two hours before tip – there was a buzz in the gym that felt really special.  As I got my shots up in preparation, I looked down the court and saw Dickie V and Erin Andrews.  The game was finally here and I was ready to be a part of history.  I left the court at about 7:20 with a slight grin on my face because I was ready to play and lead my team.  In the locker room and training room, my teammates were preparing for battle.  They all looked loose and relaxed.  Pregame was right around the corner and I started to hear the students fill the bleachers with excitement and chants.  I put on my warm-ups, tied my shoes tight and took the court at 7:55.

The first thing I did was look at my teammates’ faces.  Then I glanced at the crowd to get some energy.  Lastly, I looked down the court at our rival, UNC, to get it in my head that this is it.  This is the game that you imagine playing in when you sign your letter of intent.  There are so many things that make this rivalry special; the fans, the players, the cities, the universities, the coaches.  Here it was.  9:00 on February 9, 2011.  Duke vs. UNC.  And I was right in the middle of it, fighting for my team, my school and Durham.

The game would start out with UNC jumping on us and taking a comfortable lead into halftime.  They did everything better than us in the first half.

In the locker room, I saw quietly and thought, “We can win this game.”  I thought about Coach Wojo leading his team to a comeback victory during his senior year in Cameron in 1998.  I thought about how great it would feel.  I felt that my team was built and prepared for this, and we were!

The turning point came at halftime.  Players talked, Coach K talked, the staff talked – WE talked.  Then we went out in the second half and did what WE talked about.

The last 20 minutes were special, and not just because I scored a couple of points.  Our team became a team.  We had each others’ backs and were willing to do whatever it took to win, whether it was Kyle playing amazing defense or Ryan, Miles and Mason cleaning up the glass with every rebound, or Seth having ice water in his veins and hitting big shots.  It also could have been every single person on the bench cheering loudly and the Cameron Crazies raising the roof.  Yeah… I think it was all of these things that helped us become a part of history in the greatest rivalry in sports.

We won the game and I wanted to cry because it was truly an amazing night for Duke University and all of my teammates.  After my postgame interview with Erin Andrews, I went over to Rasheed Wallace* and gave him a big hug.  Whenever I see someone whose life was touched by my dad, I feel like it’s a sign my dad is in the building watching my every play.

The postgame speech and bonfire were very special because everything was from the heart and shared by everyone who was fighting with us.  Coach K was emotional and let us know how proud he was, and the students showed their amazing passion and love for us at the bonfire.  The smiles I saw after the game were priceless — A smile from Coach, a student, my sister, my mom, even Curtis (Nolan’s stepdad) smiled (LOL).  These smiles showed what a special night it was.

Well, that’s all I have from a night to remember… Smiles, growth and a rivalry continued.  GO DUKE.

*While serving as an assistant coach for the Washington Bullets, Nolan’s late father Derek coached Rasheed Wallace.

Player diary- Senior co-captain reflects on his Duke career and senior year

My senior year has been mostly what I thought it would be with a couple of differences. It’s been similar to what I had in mind because I thought we’d have a really talented team and we do. I thought we’d win a lot. We’ve been winning. It’s been a little different because there has been some adversity with Kyrie being injured and some of the other things that happen during a season that you don’t expect. Every year that I have been here has been different and my senior year has probably been the most different — different in a good way.

The biggest challenge for me — and it has been good for me and the most exciting — is being a leader of the team. I’ve had to do things that I wouldn’t necessarily have done in the past — saying things to teammates, holding team meetings, saying things in the locker room that in years past I haven’t done. I’ve learned a lot about being a captain from our past team leaders and Coach K.

The thing I like about leading is that things become more unexpected. I don’t know when I am going to have to do or say something. At halftime of the Virginia game, I gave a speech. We were playing alright but there was something with our team that was missing. That was an example of something unexpected — I hadn’t planned that or gone into that game thinking I’d be giving a halftime speech. And that’s what I like about it — as a leader more unexpected things are in the mix and you have to be ready to respond. I don’t like much of anything that is bland and predictable.

Becoming a better leader this year has helped me as a basketball player too. And I’ve definitely gotten closer with Nolan while we’ve been captains. We were good friends to start off this year and really close, but I think we’ve gotten closer in a different way. I feel like Nolan is an extension of me. I don’t think there’s a guy in the country who wants to win besides me as much as Nolan. He’s a fighter and I really respect that about him. Seeing him grow from his freshman year to his senior year and all our memories in that time — We have a bond and a connection that will last forever. That shows how strong of a friendship we have. We’ve been in it together from the beginning.

When I think back to the early days when Nolan and I just got to campus, my expectations I had then have been met. I felt like I’d accomplish a lot here and would be a really good player, but you don’t have an idea how you are going to do it. I’ve won a national championship and that’s something I’d dreamed of doing. The coolest thing I think will be 10 or 15 years from now or towards the end of my basketball career when I really look back at everything. I think it will mean a lot more to me then.

Right now we are focused on the next game and this team. Like I said, I just want to win. To do that, we have to show up every night and battle. I enjoy competing. I guess it just comes from being a kid that always loved to play and never liked to lose. I was always playing with older people so I had to learn how to fight and compete and find ways to win. That’s all I did growing up when I wasn’t in school — play sports. I would approach a game of checkers just the same as a national championship game. It was fun playing against my brother in Oregon, but once I got on the court, it didn’t matter. I just want to walk away with the win any time I compete in something.

To win, you have to pay the price. Coach K talks a lot about being worthy of winning. That means having great habits in practice and just showing up every day willing to do the little things. I’ve had about 45 stitches and some black eyes while at Duke and people ask me why I dive into the stands for balls. It is fun. I love adventure. I love to win. I love Duke. So when I play, nothing will stop me from laying it all on the line. I’d be crazy not to do that. I am playing for a great school, coach and teammates. I walk to practice and see fans out in tents so they can watch us play and playing in Cameron is just a lot of fun. All of those things give me energy and make winning that much more fun. It never gets old.

Right now, I feel like the best basketball experiences I will ever have in my life will be at Duke. I don’t know what the NBA is like because I haven’t been there, but I don’t think basketball will ever be better for me than it is right now as a player at Duke. It is just a really cool experience going to the different arenas while you are in college and playing for a school that you are a part of. I don’t think I will be able to experience something like this again. That’s one of the reasons I came back to school — to feel all that again. It’s just really cool. I don’t think I will ever be on another team as close as the teams I’ve been on at Duke. When you are in college you are playing for your team and your school and your coaches.

I would do anything for Coach K and it’s just fun playing for a coach like that. It’s extremely unique. There aren’t many players and coaches in any sport that share that kind of bond. When I was first recruited by Coach, I wouldn’t say I was nervous, but I didn’t really know who he was or the right things to say. Over the years, I’ve become comfortable being myself and saying what I have to say. One of the things I respect most about Coach is that he really enjoys and respects who you are. He knows every player is different and he enjoys finding out what makes each person unique. As long as you are a good person, he will respect you and really try to understand who you are as a player and person. He really listens to you and especially the seniors because they are the most involved with the team. I’ve gotten to know Coach well over the years. I feel like he trusts me to the max. I think we just have a mutual agreement and understanding with one another. He knows what he expects of me and I do too. You want to play so well for him and I hope when this is all over he remembers me as a winner, one of the better Duke players of all time and a guy who has been successful on and off the court.

But there’s a long way to go before then and we have so much we need to do and want to do. Looking ahead, I am most looking forward to the unexpected. That’s one of the things in life I like the most — the unexpected. I don’t really know what to expect these last three months. I am also looking forward to seeing our team come closer together. We came closer together against NC State in our first ACC road win. Whenever you win on the road, it really helps a team come closer together. Seeing last year’s team come together was just really special. You don’t really see something like that very often. Hopefully as our season progresses, we will see this team come together like that, and really learn how to win as a team and fight.

I just feel really fortunate to be in this position. I have such a great family back in Oregon. I love Duke. I love the people here. If I were to do it again, I’d make the same decision to return for my senior year. If you enjoy what you are doing in school, why wouldn’t you come back? The NBA isn’t going anywhere and it’s a different deal. I’ve always wanted to be a pro player playing against the best in the world but It’s a business, everything has a price. You can’t put a price on the things you experience in your senior year as a Duke Basketball player.

The national title in the words of Nolan Smith

When that last shot went up, I glanced and had to look away.  If it was going in, I didn’t want to see it.  I waited for the crowd’s reaction and turned to the Duke fans.  I looked at that sea of blue and I saw their arms go up.

Yessir!!  My teammates and coaches were so excited.  My mom and my family out there, I saw tears coming down their faces knowing how special it was for father and son to win in the same city.  That means everything to me.

Looking back on that moment, I think about how hard it was to do it and the work that we put in to get it done… All the hard labor that we put in during the summertime to become a together team and win a championship.

Our team was so close, mainly because we did things off the court — really starting with the workouts in the summertime with the ROTC.  That was something that none of us had done and was very challenging.  It really taught us a lot about fighting for one another and being a unit, being as one on the court.  We took that from there and we won on and off the court all year long.

We knew it’s really not the way you start, it’s the way you finish.  Everybody did everything they could to stay fresh, stay in great shape all year, because we didn’t want to get tired down the stretch.  We started this year off losing a tough game to NC State, on the road to Georgia Tech…we knew that together we were going to have to get better from there and we did.

We had the best seniors and they led us from day one.  One of our standards was one that Lance said, and that was “have a final mentality.”  When he said that, from that day forward, we just played with that mentality.

Our experience definitely helped us throughout this season.  When games got tight and we were down, we found a way to get a win.  To give you an example—the Miami game—we were down 12 at halftime but kept after it.  We’re a tough team and we stayed poised all year long.  That showed in the NCAA Tournament versus teams like Baylor in their hometown and Butler in their hometown.

When you look around at other programs and teams throughout the years, you ask, “Well, who won it?”   I can look at the different programs that I follow and I can call myself a winner.  We can all call ourselves winners.  I definitely feel honored I’ll be mixed with some of the great players and teams ever here at Duke.

It still feels unreal, you know?  I’m trying to soak it all in.  Going to the White House, the Governor’s House, everything we’ve had the opportunity to do…It’s been very exciting.

When I go to the mall, go out to eat, get gas at the gas station…I’m always getting love.  A lot of fans are coming up to me and saying thanks, and I just thank them back.