Tag Archives: Josh Hairston

Duke commit Semi Ojeleye named Parade Magazine’s Boys Basketball Player of the Year

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Semi Ojeleye is bringing in accolades even before starting his freshman season with the Blue Devils.

Semi Ojeleye was named Parade Magazine's Boy Basketball Player of the Year. (Photo Credit: Andrew Beaton/Chronicle File Photo)

Semi Ojeleye was named Parade Magazine’s Boy Basketball Player of the Year. (Andrew Beaton/Chronicle File Photo)

Parade Magazine gave out its 57th annual Boys Basketball Player of the Year award this week, and Ojeleye was its choice. The Ottawa, Kan. native beat out Kansas commits Andrew Wiggins and Conner Frankamp, Oklahoma State commit Stevie Clark and Arizona signee Andrew Gordon.

Ojeleye averaged more than 38 points, nine rebounds, two assists and two steals per game during his senior year at Ottawa High School, leading the Cyclones to a perfect 25-0 record and a state title.

The magazine lauds both Ojeleye’s considerable talent on the court as well as his talent in the classroom, saying that the 6-foot-6 forward—who is also valedictorian of his high school class—could be “the most impressive winner yet.”

This year, Ojeleye was one of the nation’s most prolific prep scorers, averaging more than 38 points per game for Ottawa High School, located just outside of Kansas City in the basketball-crazy state of Kansas. The 6-foot-6 small forward has signed a letter of intent with Duke—his 4.0 grade-point average and membership in the National Honor Society making him a nice fit at a school known for its blend of academics and basketball excellence.

Duke associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski tweeted out his congratulations to the Blue Devil to be.

Ojeleye will compete for frontcourt time with Josh Hairston, Amile Jefferson, Alex Murphy and fellow freshman Jabari Parker throughout the 2013-14 season.

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 Seth Curry flashback: Curry overcomes injury to topple N.C. State

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Over the next three weeks, The Blue Zone will be counting down the top five performances from each of Duke’s graduating seniors during their collegiate careers. This week, we continue with guard Seth Curry.

No. 2: Curry scores 21 in the second half despite ankle injury to complete comeback over N.C. State.

The date: February 16, 2012

Curry overcame a left ankle injury to score 21 second half points and lead Duke's comeback over N.C. State.

Curry overcame a left ankle injury to score 21 second half points and lead Duke’s comeback over N.C. State.

The game: Duke 78, N.C. State 73

Curry statline: 26 points—21 in the second half—on 9-of-18 shooting to go along with four rebounds and two assists.

The breakdown: No. 4 Duke was in trouble at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Blue Devils were lifeless on offense through the first half against the in-state rival Wolfpack. Duke went to the locker room at halftime trailing by 16 points with Josh Hairston the leading scorer at six points.

Seth Curry struggled to get into a rhythm offensively in the first half due to a left ankle injury he suffered just two minutes into the game. The injury cost Curry almost five minutes on the bench, but the junior guard shook off the discomfort to return to the court. With his ankle plaguing him, Curry shot just 2-for-7 from the field and scored five points in the first half.

Things didn’t get much better for the Blue Devils at the start of the second half. With 11:33 remaining in the game, Duke trailed by 20 points. Then Curry overcame his injury and checked back into the contest.

What happened next was an offensive clinic from the Blue Devil guard. Curry went off for 21 points in the second half on 7-of-11 shooting, including a timely 3-pointer after the final media timeout that brought his team within two points of the Wolfpack.

Curry’s fight combined with 16 Austin Rivers points were enough to help Duke overcome N.C. State and preserve their perfect home record.

The quote: “It was a heroic performance by Seth,” Krzyzewski said. “Seth said, ‘I don’t know if I can go’ [following the injury]…. We’ll see where he is tomorrow.”

Previous Curry performances:

No. 5: Curry leads comeback against North Carolina

No. 4: Curry leads the way as Krzyzewski wins No. 903

No. 3: Curry pours in career-high 31 to defeat Santa Clara

Breaking: Andre Dawkins to return next season, wear No. 34

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Andre Dawkins, who spent the 2012-13 season redshirting, announced via twitter that he will return to Cameron Indoor Stadium next season to play out his remaining college eligibility.

Dawkins took time away from the team this season for personal reasons. He is now ready to move forward with his basketball career.

Though ‘Dre will be back on the floor next season, he will not be wearing his familiar No. 20. Instead, Dawkins will be donning Ryan Kelly’s 34.

Dawkins will join a talented group of wings playing for the Blue Devils next season, including returnee Rasheed Sulaimon, Mississippi State transfer Rodney Hood, and top recruit Jabari Parker.

Known for being a lethal 3-point shooter, Dawkins noted he’ll be a different player than he was in the past.

He will be one of four seniors on the 2013-14 roster, joining Josh Hairston, Tyler Thornton, and Todd Zafirovski.

The key three: Duke basketball vs. Maryland

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Second-seeded Duke basketball will take on seventh-seeded Maryland tonight at 7 p.m. in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals.

The two teams met twice already this season, each team defending its home court.

Here are your three keys to tonight’s action:

Alex Len scored 19 points in Maryland's 83-81 victory against Duke in College Park. Mason Plumlee scored just four points in the game. (Photo Credit: Melissa Yeo/The Chronicle).

Can Duke cool down Dez Wells?

Dez Wells has been a man on fire lately, averaging 17.8 PPG during his last five contests. The 6-foot-5 swingman owns a height advantage over all of Duke’s perimeter players and could spent a large portion of the game being defended by Tyler Thornton, who may get the starting nod again after starting the team’s regular season finale against North Carolina. When the two teams met at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Wells scored Maryland’s first seven points of the game while being guarded by Rasheed Sulaimon, who was subsequently subbed out of the game. How did ‘Sheed respond? Coming back in and scoring 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting, holding Wells to just six more points the rest of the way as he ended the night 5-of-13 from the field. It will be intriguing to see how Coach K utilizes Sulaimon and Thornton against Wells, who has found his groove offensively.

Plumlee vs. Len

When Duke won 84-64 at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Mason Plumlee won the battle against 7-foot-1 phenom Alex Len, scoring 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. He limited Len to just eight points in that game. But the meeting in College Park, when the Terrapins won 83-81, was a completely different story as Len held Plumlee to a season-low four points on 2-of-7 shooting, fouling out by the game’s end. It’s important to note, though, that Ryan Kelly was absent for both of those meetings, still dealing with his foot injury. Kelly’s absence allowed the Terrapins to double-team Plumlee more as Josh Hairston and Amile Jefferson aren’t true offensive threats. Because Kelly is such a deft perimeter shooter—making 53.1% from beyond the arc this year—he creates space in the paint for Plumlee on the offensive end. On the defensive end, Kelly is a smart help defender who stands at 6-foot-11 and blocks 1.6 shots per game, which could be key in helping stop Len.

The fatigue factor

When Duke lost to Maryland in College Park, the Terrapins had three more days of rest than Duke did. This time around, the Blue Devils have a big advantage as they have been off since their regular-season finale against North Carolina, receiving a bye in the ACC Tournament’s first round. Maryland, by contrast, had to play a grueling game against Wake Forest yesterday. The Terrapins haven’t had to play on short rest all season—they’ve had at least two days of rest for every game.

 

Duke basketball 2012-2013 player review: Josh Hairston

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With the regular season in the books and tournament season right around the corner, The Blue Zone will review the seasons of all the Blue Devils, beginning with the freshmen Tuesday and ending with the seniors Thursday.

Hairston filled in admirably during Ryan Kelly's absence.

Josh Hairston

Season breakdown: Hairston and freshman Amile Jefferson comprised the forward tandem tasked with filling the big shoes of Ryan Kelly after Kelly suffered a foot injury Jan. 8 against Clemson. Prior to Kelly’s injury, Hairston had contributed admirably as a role player, and was rewarded with the first two starts after Kelly’s injury. But the development and emergence of Jefferson as a viable option at the four for Duke ate into Hairston’s minutes and opportunities as the season wore on—Jefferson temporarily replaced Hairston in the starting lineup, though Hairston regained his spot just before Kelly came back.

Although the minutes available have decreased due to Kelly’s return, the competition for court action between Hairston and Jefferson has remained a fierce battle. In recent games, it appears Hairston has the inside track on the majority of that run-time, as he recorded 32 minutes in Duke’s last three games (with Kelly back in the lineup) compared to Jefferson’s seven. Hairston notched double-digits in scoring twice this season, with back-to-back 11-point performances against Maryland and Virginia Tech. He also battled through an arm infection resulting from a cut and stitches, and took to wearing a shooting sleeve to provide it extra protection.

Role for the rest of the season: Why does Hairston hold the edge over Jefferson? Defense and perimeter shooting. Hairston has proven himself a capable defender, with a knack for sliding over to draw charges on opponents attacking the basket. He leads the team in drawn charges. With a more solid frame than the lanky freshman, Hairston is better-suited to guard big, punishing bodies down low, and has the athletic ability to hang with quicker forwards as well. The only problem with Hairston as a defender in the NCAA Tournament is that he could be matched up with much taller forwards who could be hard for the 6-foot-7 Hairston to contest.

Hairston is known for his 15-foot jumper, even if he may not hit it all the time, but his willingness to take it has the potential to open up opposing defenses. Jefferson hasn’t shown any aggression as a shooter this year. Come tournament time, look for Hairston to continue to get the bulk of the minutes that will be divided between him and Jefferson.

Results relative to expectations: While the numbers don’t look significantly different from last year’s stats, Hairston developed a lot this year. Jefferson’s expanded role on the team took away from Hairston’s opportunities, so his numbers are across-the-board less than we expected of him, but his defensive presence and energy provided a big boost for the team in ways that didn’t make it into the box score. A productive postseason campaign could give Hairston the edge at becoming Duke’s starting forward in 2013-14. The Blue Devils have no traditional post players in this recruiting class while Kelly and Plumlee will leave due to graduation.

In case you missed it, we’ve already reviewed: Rasheed Sulaimon, Amile Jefferson, Alex Murphy, Marshall Plumlee