Relive the Duke men’s basketball team’s August trip to China and the United Arab Emirates. Check out The Chronicle’s coverage through our interactive timeline below.
by Samantha Brooks, Multimedia Editor
Duke Goes East
Leave a reply
Monthly Archives: August 2011
Blue Devils plan to utilize hard-won experience, depth
With Saturday’s season opener against Richmond quickly approaching, Duke head coach David Cutcliffe opened his press conference Tuesday reflecting on the team’s summer camp. Starting quarterback Sean Renfree described the team’s theme as “Go to work” and Cutcliffe agreed that the team worked very hard day in and day out this summer.
Unfortunately, the physical nature of summer camp cost the Blue Devils a few players who were expected to contribute this season for Saturday’s opener, notably halfback Josh Snead, who averaged 4.9 yards per carry last season. Highly-touted back Desmond Scott and sophomore Juwan Thompson will share the bulk of the responsibility in the backfield against the Spiders.
Despite having as many as 12 scholarship players held out of practice at some points during camp, Cutcliffe mentioned that the team did not allow the injuries to affect their morale. They showed up willing and ready to work everyday due in large part to the senior leadership of the team.
The head coach rewarded the leaders this week by selecting two offensive captains and two defensive captains for the upcoming season. He chose redshirt senior offensive lineman Kyle Hill and nose tackle Charlie Hatcher, along with senior safety Matt Daniels and Renfree. Cutcliffe praised these four individuals saying that they exemplify the values of the football team he has built. Cutcliffe, who has a special bond with the group that entered Duke with him in 2008, acknowledged that it has been an emotional process watching the seniors grow as football players and as people.
Aside from the senior class, he mentioned two other sources of excitement for this season. First, the team has several returning experienced players on both sides of the ball who have performed at a high level in game situations. Ten of the projected starters on the offensive side of the ball started multiple contests for Duke last year. The defensive side boasts eight returning starters as well. The Blue Devils do not lack depth, though, for the first time in Cutcliffe’s tenure. The team expects about a dozen freshmen and redshirt freshmen to contribute this year.
Cutcliffe also expressed excitement and concerns about the youth on this team. True freshman Jamison Crowder is expected to return kicks for the Blue Devils after turning heads with a 68-yard punt return in the intrasquad scrimmage last week. Fellow freshman wideout Blair Holliday is also expected to play this week.
After Duke fell to Richmond in 2009, they certainly are not writing off the Spiders as a Division I-AA team. Coach Cutcliffe and Renfree both repeatedly stated that this Richmond team is as talented as most of Duke’s opponents this year.
“I don’t see them as a I-AA school,” Renfree said. “They have good talent and experienced players. They’re going to come in here and try to beat us up. They’ll try to prove to people that they can play at a Division I level. If you expect to beat a team like Richmond, you better have everything together, play well and execute.”
Slideshow: Duke completes Friendship Games sweep with win in Dubai
DUBAI — Despite a slow start to the final game of their international tour, the Blue Devils cruised to an easy victory over the United Arab Emirates national team.
Duke outscored its opponent 86-66 to complete an undefeated international tour of China and Dubai. Although a number of the players in the locker room noted a lack of energy in the game, head coach Mike Krzyzewski as well as juniors Ryan Kelly and Andre Dawkins all pointed out the spirited play by junior forward Mason Plumlee, who finished with 17 points and 15 rebounds.
For the complete story of Duke’s last victory, click here.
110825 – Duke in UAE, Friendship Games – Images by Duke Student Publishing Co. Duke Chronicle
Q&A: Joy Cheek, new Duke women’s basketball assistant coach
Earlier this morning, the Duke women’s basketball program announced that Joy Cheek would be returning this season as an assistant coach. Cheek spent the last year playing professionally in the WNBA and overseas after a standout Blue Devil career. She is one of 26 Duke players to ever score more than 1,000 career points and ranks 12th all-time with 679 career rebounds. Cheek spoke with The Chronicle earlier this afternoon to discuss what sparked her decision to become a coach.
The Chronicle: What was behind your decision to rejoin the Duke program as a coach?
Joy Cheek: I always wanted to get into coaching. It was something I wanted to do after I got done playing. I didn’t expect an opportunity to come up as soon as it did, but it was just one I couldn’t pass up. It’s nice to come back to Duke where I played, a place that I love, and I benefited from so much. I just want to see our program continue to do well, and I wanted to add to that however I could.
TC: Since Coach McCallie didn’t recruit you directly [McCallie arrived before Cheek's sophomore year], as a player, what was your relationship like with her?
JC: She and I had a really good relationship. When she came I was a sophomore, but I’ve always been pretty vocal so if I had questions, if I had an issue… we always looked to each other. So we had a really good relationship when I was at Duke and she coached me.
TC: What new qualities do you think you’ll bring to the Duke program as a coach?
JC: I’m the only coach on our staff who is a graduate of Duke and played here… Coach P came from Michigan State. So with that, especially with recruiting, I’ll be able to sell our school and sell Coach P. I mean, I understand Coach P after having played under her, but I think that’s going to be a big thing, selling our university and selling our program, and knowing firsthand. I think that’s an added plus. And also, playing professionally, Coach [Al] Brown is an expert with the WNBA… but I can bring a playing aspect because I made it to that level, playing professionally in the WNBA, and also overseas. We’re going to have players on our team [at Duke] who have a greater chance than I ever had to make it to the WNBA. I can help them along with way with their workouts, scheduling, how you have to be prepared for everything, how training camp works, your focus towards the game, because as well as playing well to help your team you’re also auditioning for your next gig, whatever it is after college, whether that is off the court or on the court, and I’ve had a chance to do both. That’s what I hope to bring to the team, it’s my experience professionally and then from a recruiting standpoint.
TC: Does your decision to begin coaching mean you’re effectively retiring as a player?
JC: Yeah, this is a full-time position, so I’m not longer playing basketball.
TC: So you have no plans to return to professional basketball as a player?
JC: No, not at all.
TC: What will be your specific role as a recruiter?
JC: It’s full court. I mean, it’s all recruiting. I can’t say anything, especially since I don’t know much myself, but September is a time we can make phone calls, reach out to players, we’ll see them on campus, they’ll work out at practices. We’ll have players come in for their official visits, or unofficial visits, all those types of things. I mean, there’s a bunch of things you can do recruiting-wise that take place in the fall. So, [recruiting will] be the first, and the biggest, thing…. Then, practices will start and then we’ll get to games, but there’s still some recruiting mixed in with that, so it’s coming really quickly.
TC: You’ll be back at Duke coaching some of your old teammates. How do you expect your relationship with them to change?
JC: It’s not uncomfortable at all. I’m comfortable with them and I hope they’ll be comfortable with me. I’m not here to, you know, lay into them and yell at them and scream at them because that’s not the type of player I was. Since as a player, as a teammate, I wasn’t like that. I won’t be that type of coach, but sometimes I’ll probably be commanding of them. It is different from being a player and a teammate than being a coach. There’s a line that’s drawn, but I’m here for them. I’m here to help our players be better players and to help our program, so however that needs to be done, that’s my job. So there’s no longer a teammate relationship but a player-coach relationship. I think it’ll be fine; I don’t think that’s a hard transition.
Trisha Stafford-Odom bolts to UNC
Trisha Stafford-Odom has a new job, but her new job isn’t very far away.
Although it had been rumored for a couple weeks now, it can now be confirmed that the now former Duke women’s basketball assistant coach has left for a similar position at North Carolina. According to The Herald-Sun, she resigned yesterday.
It appears, however, that this had been in the works for some time, with the 40-year-old coach expressing discontent via her Twitter account, @CaliTSO. On August 16 she tweeted,”Even at the last hour, SOME PEOPLE don’t change.” Later that day, she said, “Ultimatums force decisions. #smh.”
On August 19 she finally tweeted, “Oh yeah… I still have a voice. Unlike others, I just TRULY choose 2 take the HIGH ROAD!” After that final comment, the speculation on message boards blogs developed that she had left for North Carolina, although there was no confirmation until this week.
Stafford-Odom worked at Duke from 2009-2011, and prior to that worked at UCLA since 2005. She established herself in that time as an excellent recruiter and was an instrumental part of bringing in the top recruiting classes that Duke has collected in the past couple seasons that include Chelsea Gray and Elizabeth Williams.
According to the Herald-Sun, Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie said through a team spokesman that she has no comment on the departure.
Duke vs. Michigan State part of ESPN’s Tip-Off Marathon
The Blue Devils’ third game of the 2011-12 season will be broadcast on ESPN as one of the premier games in ESPN’s annual Tip-Off Marathon.
Duke will play the Spartans at 7 p.m. EST on Nov. 15 in the State Farm Champions Classic, a four-team showcase featuring the Blue Devils, Kansas, Kentucky and Michigan State.
The game is also likely to be Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski’s first chance at breaking Bob Knight’s all-time Div. I coaching wins record. Krzyzewski currently has 900 total wins, just two short of Knight’s record.