Two days after a second-round loss to West Virginia in the NCAA tournament, Duke basketball received more bad news.
Greg Echenique, a 6-foot-7, 240 pound junior center from St. Benedict Prep in New Jersey, has committed to Rutgers according to Internet reports. This means coach Mike Krzyzewski has lost out on his top targets in the post in three consecutive classes.
First Patrick Patterson chose Kentucky, where he was one of the SEC’s top freshmen until a late-season injury. Then Greg Monroe – regarded by some as the top player in the senior class – committed to Georgetown.
Now Echenique, who attended the Duke-North Carolina game at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this month, has decided to stay close to home. And while Krzyzewski keeps missing on top big guys, rival Roy Williams is loading up on them at North Carolina.
This means that for the foreseeable future, Duke probably will have to keep using the fast-paced, spread-the-floor system it used this season. It means Kyle Singler and Taylor King will need to continue banging against opposing post players on defense while drawing them away from the basket with 3-point shooting on offense.
Duke went 28-6 with that style this season but didn’t prove it can make a deep NCAA tournament run playing its new system. With the way recruiting is going, though, the Blue Devils will get plenty more chances.
– Ken Tysiac
Tuesday, March 25, 2008
Echenique picks Rutgers over Duke
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8 comments:
Wow......Duke lost a 6 foot 7 player.......been there done that, 6foot 7 has not proven to be of much value to Duke. Like they need more slow 6 foot 7 players.
I think it shows quality high school players are learning that Dook is not a school they need or want to attend.
I'm a Carolina fan, but the same things that are being said about Coach K and Duke now, were being said about Dean Smith and Carolina in the late 1980's: poor performance in the NCAA, poor recruiting, resting on past accomplishments, and the game has passed him by. Dean Smith and Carolina responded with some outstanding recruiting classes, a national championship, and multiple trips to the Final Four. I hope that Coach K and Duke don't respond the same way, but it won't surprise me if they do.
We're confusing two things...NBA-prep and successful college basketball in a new era. The idea of going to a serious 4-year college basketball school is less attractive than getting the new 1 year pre-NBA workshop offered by schools featuring next year's top 5 picks (like 2008 K-State, 2007 Ohio State, etc.). What does am 18-year old one year away from making $90 million care about the NCAA past? Do parents advise their college-bound kids to choose a school for what it WAS in the '80s or who their past professors were, rather than how it will serve them TODAY? Duke is not going to help future NBA stars-- only distract them--by asking them to focus on the college game, which is really in their interests. In fact, the college game becomes quite silly if you think about it. Duke's goal is to be a great college basketball program and Coach K is a great COLLEGE basketball coach. These programs don't serve NBA-prospects as well as other schools that lay a red carpet for them just for some attention.
Whats this about Duke losing their post prospects? Another class of 09big man has committed to Duke: 6-11Mason Plumlee. Plus, 7-1 C Brian Zoubek is beginning to learn play big, and Lance Thomas and Kyle Singler use every bit of their 6-8 frames to work the post. These, along with 08 PF Olek Czyz, should allow for a much improved post game for Duke in the near future.
Duke needs to get its player stronger in offseason and better condition program to help from being wore down late in season during tournament time, i dont think coach K has a clue on how to coach post player are feed ball into post. he needs to get some assistant who used be were forwards are centers to help coach the big men, Zoubek should be domindate if the right coach get a hold of him and get him in shape and light a fire under his butt. midrange, midrange coach, you have that in Henderson, singler, Thomas. Sheyer, smith, use these guys to help on offense, stop all at that 3 point shooting some of it is ill advised and not even open looks, Carolina, Ucla, memhis, Lousville, Texas, Kansas, all these team make Duke look like punk players, and an punk coach. I hate to say it but coach K your system look so telegraph and easy to play agains, its been the same thing for past few years, dribble penetration thats killing Duke, and then Duke overplaying and teams goes back door, If coach K the best coach in college then why has he figured that out, remember you dont have to have top all americans players to get the job done. look at Davidson, and why did we sleep on Stephen Curry, these the type players Duke needs, determine players and players with strong will power to win, and mentally tough. Its not about size all the time but the heart and character, Duke players hasn't shown that, and Duke has enough Depth and talent to go deep in tournament but for some reason the team Duke hase for last few seasons get rattles and start to panic in game when it get close even when theres 15 min left on clock. Then they take ill advise shot, loses focus turn bal over, like Demarcus neslon he was senior, he was supposed to step up been here 4 years no excuse, he was supposed to be confident and determine, coach K needs to stop pacifying these guys and get back to lighting a fire under someone when they only score 2 points or 5 pts or have a bad game and playing all eratic, thats where good coaches take over and push them boys to be great players. Im tired of turning on the TV and hearing how good Carolina and Haynesborough is and how he competes every play and his will to win. Coach K you might as well admitt it Roy Williams is a better coach, he knows how to coach post players and his team is athelectic and competes agains the big east and sec with those team with big atheletic players. Coack K you overplay with your pressure defense a lot, look at type players you have in game, need to realize when Zoubek comes in game you need to play zone, then he can play longer, change up your defense according to personel you have on the floor, even i can see that watching the game play more zone agains those penetrating team if you cant stop it, all it does is get your forwards in foul trouble when you try play man to man pressure all the time, all your players cant play that way. it wears them out on offensse, Roy Willams is a much better coach, he had a high powered offense at Kansas, now he has one in Carolina, and he recruits players to play in that style, and how did we sleep on Stephen Curry, there are a lot of great players out there in state of north and South Carolina. Duke needs to find these atheletic players, quit concentrating on these Mcdonald all americans all the time, those players have pressure on them when they come to college a lot of time and some of them end up being a wash and bust and dont perform up to there potential, example Greg Newton, Shavlik Randolph, Ricky Price, Shawn Dockery, Beard, I can keep going. He has to realize Mcdonald All Americans is only 25 players get selected, supposed to be the best, but there is 50 states and i know there is more than 25 great players out there, a lot of these players dont have the money to attend these AAu tournament, or the sponsors, thats why there is a lot of hidden talent at the small school nobody knowes about, and these are the players who has something to prove so they are going to perform better for you, because they dont have that all american name on them, and sometimes these turn out to be better draft picks, and better future players, look at Charles oakley, Ben Wallace, scottie Pippen, Steve nash, John Stockton, John Starks, Roger Bell, We need to find these type players to add to the mix with the all american guys we recruit.
REPOSTING: MAKE SURE COACH K READS THIS SOMEONE PASS THIS ALONG.
Duke needs to get its player stronger in offseason and better condition program to help from being wore down late in season during tournament time, i dont think coach K has a clue on how to coach post player are feed ball into post. he needs to get some assistant who used be forwards are centers and who didn't attend Duke to help coach the big men, Zoubek should be dominating if the right coach gets a hold of him and get him in shape and light a fire under his butt. midrange, midrange coach, you have that in Henderson, singler, Thomas. Sheyer, smith, use these guys to help on offense, stop all at that 3 point shooting some of it is ill advised and not even open looks, Carolina, Ucla, memhis, Lousville, Texas, Kansas, all these team make Duke look like punk players, and an punk coach. I hate to say it but coach K your system look so telegraph and easy to play against, its been the same thing for past few years, dribble penetration thats killing Duke, and then Duke overplaying and teams goes back door, If coach K the best coach in college then why hasnt he figured that out, remember you dont have to have top all americans players to get the job done. look at Davidson, and why did we sleep on Stephen Curry, these the type players Duke needs, determine players and players with strong will power to win, and mentally tough. Its not about size all the time but the heart and character, Duke players hasn't shown that, and Duke has enough Depth and talent to go deep in tournament but for some reason the team Duke had for last few seasons get rattles and start to panic in games when it get close even when theres 15 min left on clock. Then they take ill advise shot, loses focus turn ball over, like Demarcus neslon he was senior, he was supposed to step up been here 4 years no excuse, he was supposed to be confident and determine, he sucked and his playing sucked. Coach should have lit a fire under his tale, coach K needs to stop pacifying these guys and get back to lighting a fire under someone when they only score 2 points or 5 pts or have a bad game and playing all eratic, and throwing the ball away, thats where good coaches take over and push them boys to be great players. Im tired of turning on the TV and hearing how good Carolina and Haynesborough is and how he competes every play and his will to win. Coach K you might as well admitt it Roy Williams is a better coach, he knows how to coach post players and his team is athelectic and competes against the big east and sec with those team with big atheletic players. Coack K you overplay too much with your pressure defense a lot, look at the type of players you have in game sometimes. He needs to realize when Zoubek comes in game you need to play zone, then he can play longer, change up your defense according to personel you have on the floor, even i can see that watching the game play more zone against those penetrating team if you cant stop it, all it does is get your forwards in foul trouble when you try playing man to man pressure all the time, all your players cant play that way. it wears them out on offensse, Roy Willams is a much better coach, he had a high powered offense at Kansas, now he has one in Carolina, and he recruits players to play in that style, and how did we sleep on Stephen Curry, there are a lot of great players out there in state of north and South Carolina. Duke needs to find these atheletic players, quit concentrating on these Mcdonald all americans all the time, those players have pressure on them when they come to college a lot of time and some of them end up being a wash and bust and dont perform up to there potential, example Greg Newton, Shavlik Randolph, Ricky Price, Shawn Dockery, Beard, I can keep going. He has to realize Mcdonald All Americans is only 25 players get selected, supposed to be the best, but there is 50 states and i know there is more than 25 great players out there, a lot of these players dont have the money to attend these AAu tournament, or the sponsors, thats why there is a lot of hidden talent at the small school nobody knowes about, and these are the players who has something to prove so they are going to perform better for you, because they dont have that all american name on them, and sometimes these turn out to be better draft picks, and better future players, look at Charles oakley, Ben Wallace, scottie Pippen, Steve nash, John Stockton, John Starks, Roger Bell, We need to find these type players to add to the mix with the all american guys we recruit. And please work on the free throw shooting in offseason, it looks ridiculous and pathetic to see Mcdonald all americans players at free throw line and cant hit a simple free throw, when you have supposed to be the best coach in college basketball. Its sucks and look pitiful when you cant get your players to be good free throw shooters, and last point i want to make. Im tired of seeing all the former Duke players on the bench as assistant coaches it dont look good, and it dont gives hopes to players coming to Duke cause they are going to think this is what they have to look forward to after they career at Duke is returning to Duke bench to be assistant under coach K, its pathetic and look pacifying. Im tire of seeing Wo JO, and Chris collins, and now Nate James is back as a what conditioning coach, give me a break, go overseas and play ball, keep trying to make it in NBA or law firm or something. Johnny Dawkins is ok, he's ok at least he did play about 10 years in NBA. but Wo Jo, and Chris is not good assistanst, and this is one of the reason, Duke has fallen off and free throw shooting sucks and we cant go deep in tournament. If you look at Roy Willams bench, he got former head coaches on their as assistant, the guy used to be a florida State cant think of his name. Coach K you need better assistants, those guys was good college players and ok when they played but they are not coaches just because they played for you. need to bring in Chip England to help these guys with free throw and shooting, and bring in Giminski to help these guys in post, its time to upgrade and bring in some help.
I think you guys should stop worrying...it was just posted on Scout that Duke is heavily pursuing Derrick Favors, a beast, and that he is listening. Already said he wants to be on ESPN as much as possible. They also just visited Terrell Vinson yesterday and are hitting up DaShonte Riley next. If Favors leaves GA and comes to Durham, its a wrap. Looks like K figured out the one and dones are what it takes to win.
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