Duke has lost games they were never in contention to win. Tonight, Bermuda Bob offers some insight and maybe even a few constructive ideas …
Amile:
The best leader on this team has once again been hurt. Another wonderful season has been interrupted. While I have always suspected that the Nike shoes have some culpability.
There does not seem to be another leader stepping up to replace his voice and performance. Duke does not have anyone to fill his position. Chase Jeter is having another milquetoast season. Harry Giles should have been Red Shirted and proves my point each time out. Marquis Bolden has not returned to the player I saw early on. Javin DeLaurier has gotten a few minutes here and there, but not enough to prove his mettle. Antonio Vrankovic, Jack White and Justin Robinson languish on the Bench, not even being given a chance to contribute.
Grayson:
If you were to listen or read some of the things Grayson has been accused of, you’d think Grayson was the reincarnation of Rasputin. In reality, he is a guy who over-hustles, over-competes, and over-exerts. I won’t postulate on his predilection to trip opponents. I would suggest that it has it’s roots in playground basketball and could be “fixed” with responsible psycho-analysis, but that should have been done “like yesterday” …
Unfortunately, now, anytime that Grayson gets involved in something overly physical, he will be branded the aggressor. I’d petition the Refs to consider that they are there to call the game fairly, not in consideration of his press clippings.
Lastly, I think that the experiment of Grayson being at the Point is not working. It does not allow his best side to shine thru. It also subverts him to Jayson Tatum’s selfishness.
Luke
Luke showed plenty of promise last year, but he was inconsistent. This year, he returned looking more like he had spent the summer with JJ Reddick. Many portals opined on if Luke might become a contender for the ACC MVP. He was consistent from anywhere on the floor, and he played both sides of the Court. Then Jayson Tatum returned to the line-up, and Luke’s performance slacked off. Oh, he still put up nice numbers, but nice doesn’t win games.
Matt
I nicknamed Matt “Cazzie” after Cazzie Russell of the Knicks I grew up with because his shot follow-thru resembled him so much. Matt is now the only Captain and Senior on the Floor. He needs to be more like Amile. He needs to lead.
Matt has become more like Tyler Thornton on Defense, and has lost a bit of his touch from outside the Arc, hitting only 34%. His 41% from the Floor is not up to snuff either. He has played almost as many minutes as Luke, and leads the team in Steals. His offense and leadership is coveted.
The Frosh:
If Coach K was looking for another triumvirate like he enjoyed in 2014-15, then he was kidding himself. Those guys WANTED to play together, and flourished when they were all at full strength. These Frosh – Tatum, Giles, & Bolden – seem to be more of the “Me-My-and-Iverson” mindset.
Tatum is often out of sync and downright selfish, making me recall Austin “Da Black Hole” Rivers, who was a ball hog, hence the nickname. Want proof ??? In the losses against FSU & Louisville, he logged in ZERO Assists, and only 2 Assists in the loss to VaTech !!! Tatum also shares the same predisposition to histrionically complain when things don’t go his way. He is a very talented player, but ought to be playing for a team that needs a single star, not a team who has historically played “team” basketball.
Giles has not returned to any semblance of his reputation and should have never been played in favour of a Red Shirt. He seems to be getting minutes on his supposed reputation from when his knees allowed him to play. I recall someone asking me how a “one-and-done” player could be given a Red Shirt. Giles playing this year is as ridiculous as that question. Giles has said that: “It takes time, especially with a knee. It’s a long process. It getting used to the physicality, the speed of the game.” By his own words, he makes me point. He has no business playing this year, so he should have been Red Shirted from the start. After all, the kid has not played at any level in over 2 years. Why does Coach K feel it incumbent to use a player, who, by his own admission, honestly agrees with me ???
Bolden is a huge question mark for me. I originally was so very pleased with what I saw in him. He boxed-out, he denied the Base Line, and he played both sides of the Court. Since the mysterious cramping he awoke with, he has been nothing of the player I saw and was so impressed with. Since nobody in the Press Corps has the guts to ask for an explanation, I doubt if we will ever know what REALLY happened.
Frank Jackson seems to be trying hard and consistently improving, but his time has been cut due to the return of Jayson Tatum. Frank ought to be given the Point like Derryck Thompson was last year, but then Thornton left because he realized Coach K had recruited someone behind him, and bolted like 3 others in the same situation ahead of him.
The other Frosh – Javin DeLaurier and Jack White have not yet seen any substantive minutes as they join upperclassmen Antonio Vrankovic, Justin Robinson, and Sean Obi on the Bench.
In Conclusion
I have always questioned why Coach K recruits so much potential, but never uses it. I know he needs competent players for practice time, but when he was recruiting them, did he make the fact known to them that they weren’t going to see game time minutes ??? Damn, I’d love to know the answer to that question !!!
Unfortunately, Coach K, and now Coach Capel favour players who struggle each time out and allows others to languish on the Bench. He subverts upperclassmen to Frosh, who, this year, do not have the maturity to win.
Coach Capel unfortunately claimed that: “They’re still not up to speed. When you miss that much time, especially Harry. I’m not sure he’ll be up to speed for us this year and so it’s just trying to get him better each day. Same thing for Bolden. Bolden was out for a while and so look, we need those guys. We need everyone on our team to play their butts off every day.” I could not agree more, Coach, so why aren’t you playing the ENTIRE team … you know, those other guys who have not been injured, but you recruited to wear the Duke uniform ???
If you read my previous article, you get my biggest complaint. The Duke Basketball that I formerly knew did not put so much credence in unproven players. This year proves categorically that waiting, hoping, and wishing for the Frosh to mature into the same caliber as Duke has enjoyed in the past is a failed mindset.
Sure, Coach K looks great to future recruits when they see Frosh playing, but if they are not winning … causing losses … subverting upperclassmen, and spurning the development of upperclassmen into tomorrow’s leaders, then you’ve reduced a storied programme into nothing more than a crap-shoot in a casino.
I have never liked the “one-and-done” … and never will. I find it immoral, unethical, and unfaire to any kid recruited who also expected to fully matriculate. This year’s crop of supposed super-stars got injured and have been ineffective. Jayson Tatum, in particular, seems to be playing only to prove his NBA worth, while Harry Giles can’t fill Amile’s shoes. Marquis Bolden remains a question mark. Frank Jackson will stay and develop into a fine player if given the chance, and does not have to look over his shoulder.
In the re-make of the movie classic “Oceans Eleven” the main characters spend an appreciable amount of time filling slots of members of the team to fulfill each need. One has to wonder if Coach K and Coach Capel do the same thing, or if they simply go after high profile players to boost their team on paper, hoping for the chemistry the 2014-2015 and other previous National Champions had.
Unfortunately, the game is played, by dedicated players, on a Court of wood over half a year.
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