Category Archives: Men’s Basketball

Mason Plumlee pulls out of NBA draft combine

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Today is the start of the NBA Draft Combine, but not even the lone healthy Blue Devil draft hopeful will be participating in drills.

According to ESPN’s Chad Ford, Plumlee will only go through medical testing and conduct interviews.

Others who won’t be doing drills include Lehigh’s C.J. McCollum, Indiana’s Cody Zeller and Syracuse’s Michael Carter-Williams, all of whom are lottery hopefuls.

Though Plumlee won’t be doing drills, Ford did get to see Plumlee in Chicago a few days ago, and came away impressed.

In a piece for ESPN, Ford notes that scouts aren’t in love with Plumlee, but Ford himself is very high on the Duke big man.

Plumlee is 23, and for NBA teams, that’s akin to having an infectious disease. Despite his improvements on the court, scouts have been reluctant to put him back into the top 10. I understand the hesitation because of his age. Virtually every advanced metric says age is a strong predictor of NBA success or failure. But with Plumlee, I’m not so sure.

Mason Plumlee won't be competing in drills at the NBA draft combine today. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Mason Plumlee won’t be competing in drills at the NBA draft combine today. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

For Ford, Plumlee’s biggest asset, just like older brother Miles, is his athleticism.

Athletically, Plumlee is among the top two or three big men in the draft. Nerlens Noel is the only player who clearly looks bouncier. However, there are things Plumlee can do that no other big in this draft can. He has great hands, can catch and finish on the run and plays with power in the post.

Ford notes that Plumlee’s lack of length, uninspiring shot blocking, and “work-in-progress” jumper have scared off teams. Though scouts are afraid, Plumlee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, is not concerned with his client’s draft stock.

Plumlee’s agent, Mark Bartelstein, is fairly certain Plumlee is a top-10 pick, maybe even top-five. Bartelstein is so certain that he’s pulling Plumlee out of the drills portion of the draft combine Thursday.

I’m not sure I see him going that high. I know most of the scouts I talk to don’t. However, Bartelstein has a point. If a team wants an athletic big, how can they really pass on him?

Although he is not participating in drills, Plumlee’s draft stock can improve this weekend based on his interviews with interested teams and the performances of his fellow big men. A lot can change before the draft takes place, as the draft order has yet to even be determined. Plumlee can safely expect to hear his name called in the first round, but what pick is still very much up for debate.

‘Where are they now?’ Duke basketball edition: DeMarcus Nelson

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The Blue Zone will be running a summer series bringing you the latest on some of Duke basketball’s former stars. This week, the Blue Zone takes a look at DeMarcus Nelson.

DeMarcus Nelson played four memorable seasons at Duke from the 2004-05 season through the

DeMarcus Nelson is playing for Red Star Belgrade in the Adriatic League.

DeMarcus Nelson is playing for Red Star Belgrade in the Adriatic League.

2007-08 season, but unlike some other Blue Devil stars, his path didn’t lead him to an extended NBA career.

Nelson’s Duke journey began just before the end of his sophomore year in high school, when he verbally committed to the Blue Devils and head coach Mike Krzyzewski. When Nelson arrived on campus as a freshman, the combo guard was immediately thrown into the rotation, playing nearly 20 minutes per game and even starting a couple. Even though he was a frequent contributor on the court, Nelson was plagued with a ruptured ligament in his right thumb all season. Nelson’s injury problems didn’t improve as a sophomore, as he suffered a hairline fracture of his ankle, limiting him to just 24 games.

As a junior, Nelson finally blossomed, starting 31 of 33 games and averaging a career bests in points, rebounds and assists. His 14.1 points per game led the way for the Blue Devils and his 5.4 rebounds was second to just Josh McRoberts. Nelson improved further his senior year, setting new career-highs in points, rebounds and assists.

Despite his strong defense and proficient shooting from distance, Nelson went undrafted following his senior season, but agreed to a contract with the Golden State Warriors the following September. In 13 games with the Warriors, Nelson averaged 4.1 points and 1.8 rebounds while playing 13.2 minutes. He was waived by Golden State in January, but then played 20 games in the NBA Development League. His strong play for the Austin Toros and Bakersfield Jam did not go unnoticed, as the Chicago Bulls plucked Nelson from the D-League in April. Though he was signed, Nelson never played a minute for the Bulls.

Failing to draw interest from NBA teams, Nelson began his international career. For the next four years Nelson played for three different teams. After playing for Avellino in the Italian League, Nelson came into his own with Cholet in France. Nelson spent two seasons with Cholet, getting better and better as time passed. His second season with Cholet, Nelson had his best year of basketball abroad, scoring 14.5 points per game while also recording greater than three rebounds and three assists. Though he struggled from beyond the arc, Nelson was dominant from 2-point range, hitting 56.3 percent of his attempts. It was Nelson’s big 2011-12 season that attracted the attention of Red Star Belgrade, his current employer.

Since making the move from France to the Adriatic League and Red Star Belgrade, Nelson’s production has slipped a bit. Despite playing the same amount of minutes, Nelson is averaging 8.8 points over 47 games thus far this season for the Red Star, down from the double-digit scoring he averaged in two seasons in France. However, Nelson has been improving in the Euro Cup games, raising his scoring, rebounding, assist and steal numbers in those 11 games.

Still just 27 years old and finding success abroad, the door has yet to close on Nelson’s NBA career. A number of players, including Nelson’s former Blue Devil teammate Shavlik Randolph, have received NBA contracts after years of playing overseas.

Gerald Henderson returns to campus to get his degree

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Gerald Henderson took his talents to the NBA after his junior season in which he scored 16.5 points per game and snagged 4.9 rebounds per contest for the Blue Devils. Now, four years later and less than a week after Duke’s Class of 2013 graduated, Henderson is back in Durham to pursue his diploma.

Duke Blue Planet broke the news of Henderson’s return to college with this instagram photo of Henderson with his backpack. During his time at Duke, Henderson majored in psychology and was pursuing a certificate in markets and management studies.

1st day of class. After averaging 15.5 PPG in the NBA, @ghjunior09 is back chasing that Duke degree.

Henderson has blossomed into a valuable NBA commodity over the past two seasons, averaging more than 15 points in both seasons and starting 113 of the 123 games he played. Henderson is due for a pay raise this offseason when he becomes a restricted free agent. He is expected to draw interest from teams looking for a scoring punch from the backcourt.

Josh Hairston undergoes surgery on injured right thumb

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Josh Hairston underwent surgery on his right thumb and will miss 6-8 weeks. Photo by Melissa Yeo/The Chronicle File Photo

Josh Hairston underwent surgery on his right thumb and will miss 6-8 weeks. Photo by Melissa Yeo/The Chronicle File Photo

Rising senior forward Josh Hairston underwent surgery on his injured right thumb Tuesday and is expected to miss 6-8 weeks of action.

Hairston averaged 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds in 12.7 minutes per game last season. He will be counted on to play a bigger role for the Blue Devils in the 2013-14 season with forwards Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly leaving for the NBA.

Hairston joins fellow big man Marshall Plumlee—who also had offseason surgery—on the sidelines. That leaves Amile Jefferson as the only healthy Duke low post player as of now.

Duke basketball alumnus Kyle Singler named to All-Rookie second team

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Duke had two former players drafted in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, but neither Austin Rivers nor Miles Plumlee was honored Tuesday with All-Rookie team selections.

Kyle Singler was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team after averaging 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds during his first season in the league.

Kyle Singler was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team after averaging 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds during his first season in the league.

Instead, it was the 33rd overall selection in the 2011 draft who received hardware. Kyle Singler was named to the NBA All-Rookie second team after averaging 8.8 points and 4.0 rebounds during his first season with the Detroit Pistons. Singler played in all 82 games for the Pistons, starting 74 of them.

Duke associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski tweeted out his congratulations to Singler for his accomplishment.

Singler was a rookie this season after spending the lockout-shortened 2011 season playing in Spain first for Lucentum, then later for Real Madrid. Singler is under contract with Detroit for the next two seasons and is expected to be an important part of the Pistons’ rebuilding efforts.

Singler was joined on the All-Rookie second team by teammate Andre Drummond (UConn), Jonas Valanciunas (Lithuania), Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (Kentucky) and Tyler Zeller (North Carolina).

Andrew Wiggins picks Kansas

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Ending arguably the most highly anticipated recruitment in recent memory, Andrew Wiggins committed to Kansas this afternoon.

Duke basketball will play Kansas in November’s Champions Classic in Chicago, the hometown of Duke’s top recruit Jabari Parker.

Wiggins, the No. 1 recruit in the nation according to ESPN, was also considering Florida State, Kentucky and North Carolina. Wiggins did not hold a press conference and signed with classmates, family and friends. The 6-foot-7 swingman’s recruitment has been extremely private throughout as experts struggled to get info on which way he was leaning.

Although Wiggins may be the most highly touted recruit in the country—and that hype only grew with his late decision date—Parker got some praise on Twitter today from Sports Illustrated senior writer Pete Thamel:

Wiggins joins a stacked Kansas recruiting class that also has: Joel Embiid (No. 6 recruit in the nation), Wayne Selden (No. 14), Conner Frankamp (No. 46) and Brannen Greene (No. 47).