North Carolinians love their basketball

If you live in North Carolina and haven’t spent your entire life in a closet, you know how popular college basketball is here.

The NCAA attendance figures released Friday by the NCAA on its official website confirm what you already know.

North Carolina’s average attendance of 20,497 per game trailed only Kentucky. The Tar Heels’ total attendance at all games – home, road and neutral – was 688,940, second only to that of Kansas.

Davidson posted the third-highest attendance improvement as its per-game average ballooned to 6,214 from 3,721. That’s an increase of 2,493 fans per game. Only Southern California and Georgetown showed greater improvement.

In the NCAA tournament, each of Raleigh’s sold-out sessions brought crowds of 19,477 to the RBC Center for the highest attendance marks of any of the eight first- and second-round sites.
Charlotte’s regional at the Bobcats’ home arena had 19,092 fans per session watching North Carolina make its way to the Final Four. That was third best among the four regionals, but the arena was sold out.

The only way Charlotte could have sold more tickets would have been to hold the regionals at Bank of America Stadium.

Come to think of it, if not for the elements, that wouldn’t have been a bad idea.

For a complete list of the NCAA’s basketball attendance figures from 2007-08, click here.

– Ken Tysiac

ACC meetings calm in troubling times

The ACC concluded its spring meetings in Fernandina Beach, Fla., this week with the least amount of fanfare in recent memory.

Why?

The conference’s TV contracts are in place through the end of the 2010-11 academic year. Any serious tinkering with the ACC’s schedules will come when the TV deals expire, so that the conference can maximize the financial payoff of its changes.

(Speaking of TV, the ACC performed well on ESPN in 2007-08. The league had at least one team in five of ESPN’s top 10 rated basketball games, and the second Duke-North Carolina game was ESPN’s highest-rated game ever. In football, Clemson-Florida State was ESPN’s highest-rated game of the season, and Boston College-Virginia Tech was ESPN’s highest-ever rated Thursday night game).

Don’t be fooled by the lack of action on the ACC agenda, though. There are a lot of national issues, particularly in basketball, of paramount concern.

The NCAA is devoting extra enforcement to basketball. The NBA’s age limit has created a lot of potential for improper relationships between agents and players who are essentially forced to go to college for one year.

Allegations of improper payments to O.J. Mayo before he attended Southern California might just be the first revelations of an epidemic.

(Incidentally, Clemson athletics director Terry Don Phillips sure looks fortunate that Tim Floyd turned down his job offer five years ago. Instead, Phillips landed Oliver Purnell, who’s almost universally praised for his program building and integrity. Floyd now is handling a huge mess at USC.)

In basketball and football, players are committing to schools at increasingly earlier ages. Kentucky reportedly recently received a commitment from an eighth-grader.

None of these developments is good for college athletics. No matter how placid things seemed for the ACC this week, these are troubling times for the NCAA.

– Ken Tysiac

Testing the draft could hurt underclassmen

Karl Hicks won’t give names, but said there have been cases when a seemingly benign process turned out badly for underclassmen who entered the NBA draft without an agent.

There’s a theory that juniors in particular can’t hurt themselves when they go through the pre-draft camp and work out with teams that pay to transport them.

But Hicks, the ACC associate commissioner who’s a former Charlotte Bobcats executive, says players can be “typecast” if they enter the draft too soon and struggle in pre-draft workouts.

“There is a downside, actually,” Hicks said Tuesday. “Student-athletes get out there and work out for teams and get painted with a broad brush in terms of what they can and cannot do.”

That particularly makes sense this year. The 2008 draft is considered strong because of an impressive freshman class that includes Kansas State forward Michael Beasley and Memphis guard Derrick Rose.

The 2009 draft is supposed to be weaker. That’s why going through pre-draft activities don’t make sense for a player like North Carolina junior Danny Green.

Next year he will be a better player, and the competition won’t be as strong. But if he makes a bad impression this year, it won’t be easy to erase. – Ken Tysiac

NCAA tournament expansion unlikely

The idea of expanding the NCAA tournament has a fair amount of support from college basketball coaches.

They make the point that 64 of 119 Bowl Subdivision teams (53.8 percent) played in bowl games last season, and two more bowls have been credentialed by the NCAA for 2008.

Meanwhile, 19.1 percent of the 341 Division I men’s basketball teams reached the NCAA tournament.

“Why is it that football can add more bowls and everybody will be pleased and happy,” said Florida State coach Leonard Hamilton, “but basketball can’t add more teams to eliminate this subjective, confusing (selection) process?”

“I really think the field needs to be expanded,” said Wake Forest coach Dino Gaudio.

Problem is, the Division I men’s basketball committee considered expanding the field two years ago but decided against it. The tournament is one of the most successful sporting events ever in the United States.

Because of that, TV executives and NCAA officials hesitate to tinker with the formula. The only change over the past 23 years has been the addition of one play-in game, which moved the field to 65.

“I can’t speak for the basketball committee at this given point in time,” said ACC commissioner John Swofford, “but they’ve made it clear that (expansion) is not somewhere it intends to go in the immediate future.”

Swofford already has made another sensible argument for ACC coaches and administrators, who are in their spring meetings this week at Fernandina Beach, Fla. They’re upset that the ACC received just four NCAA tournament bids this season despite having the nation’s highest conference ranking in the RPI, which measures winning percentage and strength of schedule.

In a letter sent to the Division I men’s basketball committee, Swofford requested that conference strength be added to the criteria considered for NCAA tournament selection.

“The ACC over the years as it’s been, top to bottom, one of the strongest leagues of all in the country,” said Georgia Tech coach Paul Hewitt. “Actually that letter, I had a chance to look at it, had some things even I didn’t realize.”

Swofford makes the point that the bottom teams in the ACC were strong last season. N.C. State defeated Villanova and Davidson. Virginia won at Arizona.

If the field isn’t going to be expanded, using conference strength as a rallying point probably is the ACC’s next best option. That would be a good spot for the coaches to focus their energy. – Ken Tysiac

Early entries: Beware of cow tongue

Newly hired Duke assistant coach Nate James was served cow tongue as a professional player in Russia.

When he played in Hungary, the food was so bad that he said he found an Italian restaurant and ate spaghetti there every day for six months with former Duke teammate Casey Sanders.
In Japan, he ate rice and noodles for seven months straight.

“You had to get really good with chopsticks,” he said Wednesday as he met with the local media. “If you asked for a knife and a fork, they looked at you sideways.”

James said he has played for eight teams overseas and had well-traveled advice for players considering leaving college early. Sixty-nine underclassmen – including North Carolina’s Danny Green, Wayne Ellington and Ty Lawson – have applied for the draft.

Some won’t sign with agents and will return to school. Some may not be first-round picks and could end up overseas.

Having been there, James said they’re better off staying in school than playing in a cold gym in Bosnia. Overseas, he said, they could end up sleeping on mattresses with springs that poke them in the back.

James taped his own ankles overseas and sometimes had to go to restaurants to get ice to treat minor injuries.

“The money may be good,” James said. “But you may not be happy.”

– Ken Tysiac

James an obvious pick for Duke

If you’re around Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski enough, you’re bound to hear him talk about what a good teammate Nate James was.

James was a two-time captain who gracefully accepted a move out of the starting lineup in 2001 to allow Chris Duhon to add spark to the Blue Devils on offense. James’ willingness to sacrifice his spot as a starter in his senior season helped Duke win an NCAA title.

“Nate's been the guy for five years (including a redshirt year) that just said, ‘What do you want me to do? I'll do it. I love being on this team, and I'll do whatever it takes,’ ” Krzyzewski said the day before Duke defeated Arizona in the NCAA championship game. “It's kind of refreshing. I mean, we need more guys like that.”

That’s why it’s not a surprise that when associate head coach Johnny Dawkins left for Stanford, James joined Duke’s staff. He had been an assistant strength and conditioning coach at Duke before his hiring was announced Tuesday.

Perhaps just as significantly, Krzyzewski announced that both Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins will be promoted to associate head coach. This was an expedient move to preserve continuity.

Wojciechowski has assisted Krzyzewski since 1999, one year before Collins joined the staff. But Collins is older and has previous coaching experience elsewhere.

If Krzyzewski had promoted just one, the other could have been disappointed, understandably so. This move will preserve harmony on the staff as Krzyzewski moves forward without the quiet, confidence presence of Dawkins at his side.

– Ken Tysiac

Plumlee family dynamics pay off for Duke

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski and assistant Chris Collins were careful about how they recruited Miles Plumlee after Stanford released him from his scholarship.

Plumlee, a 6-foot-10 senior at the Christ School in Arden, changed his mind about Stanford after coach Trent Johnson left the school for LSU.

That made him available to the Blue Devils, but Krzyzewski already had a commitment from 6-11 junior Mason Plumlee, Miles' brother. Before offering a scholarship to Miles, Krzyzewski and Collins made sure Mason wouldn't mind playing on the same team as his brother in college.

"Mason's response was, 'Go for it,' said Christ School coach David Gaines.

Miles and Mason were 63-6 together at Christ School with two state championships, so they're comfortable as teammates. Gaines believes both will fit perfectly into the offense Krzyzewski unveiled last season that spreads the floor and requires post players to handle the ball and shoot 3-pointers.

Gaines envisions Miles Plumlee helping Duke immediately because Gaines said he is strong and athletic enough to guard opposing centers. Miles weighs 230 pounds, and Gaines said he could bulk up to 240 by the time his freshman season starts.

If Plumlee is on the floor with Kyle Singler, he could relieve some of the pounding Singler takes in the post. Scout.com rates Plumlee as the nation's No. 58 senior.

"Miles is more than likely to have a big impact up there right away," Gaines said.

The boys' attitude toward continuing to play together pleased their parents, Perky and Leslie Plumlee of Warsaw, Ind. Mason has "played up" on Miles' team since they were small boys in YMCA basketball.

As their sons matured into highly regarded prospects, the Plumlees noticed that there were many brothers in college basketball playing for different teams. But recently, the Plumlees noticed that the brothers appreciate each other more.

Mason will explain that Miles is more athletic. Miles tells people that Mason is a better playmaker.

"They've discovered really in the last year or so that they really do like playing together," Perky Plumlee said.

The Duke coaches' sensitivity to that family dynamic helped them land another much-needed frontcourt recruit this week. And with a third brother, 6-10 freshman Marshall Plumlee, also at Christ School it could pay off down the road, too. -- Ken Tysiac

Duke should hire outside the family

A story in Tuesday’s Raleigh News & Observer mentioned that there are several former Duke players with coaching experience who could join Duke’s staff now that associate head coach Johnny Dawkins has left to coach Stanford.

David Henderson, Robert Brickey, Quin Snyder, Nate James and Chris Carrawell all are mentioned as possible additions to coach Mike Krzyzewski’s staff.

Loyal though he is to his former players, Krzyzewski ought to resist the urge to hire any of them. He should hire somebody who doesn’t have connections to Duke.

Remaining assistants Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski are former Duke players, as is Dawkins. Collins and Wojciechowski are highly respected, and it’s great to have some assistants on your staff with intimate understanding of your system to teach it to your players.

It’s also good to have a respected adviser trained in another system. A diversity of ideas, backgrounds and expertise benefits any workplace.

Duke basketball is no exception.

One of the most welcome developments for the Blue Devils in 2007-08 came when Krzyzewski brought a bunch of different strategies back to Durham after working with Team USA last summer.

Krzyzewski incorporated some of Phoenix Suns coach Mike D’Antoni’s schemes on offense to spread the floor and take advantage of Duke’s athletic ability and shooting skills. At times, Krzyzewski used Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim’s zone defense.

Exposure to those different concepts made Duke better. Having a voice from outside the Duke program around on a daily basis also would improve the Blue Devils.

– Ken Tysiac

Green declaring for NBA draft makes no sense

Junior forward Danny Green has always had an uncanny knack for making North Carolina coach Roy Williams’ hair stand on end.

The last time we saw them together on the basketball court, Williams was furious with Green for a lane violation against Kansas in the NCAA semifinals.

Williams accepts Green’s lack of judgment because his pure ability can spark North Carolina, as it did in comebacks against Kansas and Clemson, and in a win at Duke.

But now Green has made a questionable decision by entering the NBA draft without hiring an agent. If he withdraws from the draft by June 16 and doesn’t sign with an agent, he can return to school. He joins sophomore guards Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington, who also aren’t hiring an agent, as an early entry from the Tar Heels.

That move makes some sense for Lawson and Ellington, who appear to have a shot at being first-round picks. Green does not, especially in a draft as strong as this one. There’s probably no harm in him attending the predraft camp if he’s invited, and working out for NBA teams.

But he isn’t likely to benefit, either. Green ought to stay in school, get his degree and enter next year’s draft when the competition will be weaker. When he tests the waters against the talent in this draft, he’s likely to get soaked.

– Ken Tysiac

Stanford a good fit for Dawkins

Stanford is the perfect job for former Duke associate head coach Johnny Dawkins, who will be formally introduced as head coach there Monday.

Dawkins is a classy, dignified coach who belongs at a school with a strong basketball tradition and an outstanding academic profile. He’s somewhat reserved and shy, so working with the media and public will be an adjustment for him, but there’s little doubt that he has the ability to coach and particularly develop players.

His departure leaves Duke in an unusual position of flux. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is preparing to spend the summer coaching the U.S. Olympic team, and already the school is without an athletics director.

(As an aside, it’s interesting how the dominoes fell here. Athletics director Joe Alleva left Duke for LSU, then hired Trent Johnson from Stanford as LSU’s basketball coach. That opened the Stanford position for Dawkins).

The most logical move for Krzyzewski in terms of replacing Dawkins would be to promote one of his two other longtime assistants and then hire a less experienced coach. Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski both are highly respected and have assisted Krzyzewski for more than six years.

Problem is, it will be difficult to promote one without disappointing the other. So Krzyzewski will have his hands full during a summer when he’s coaching the Olympic team and it’s also imperative to make progress in recruiting for a program that’s aching for a quality big man.

– Ken Tysiac