Maybe I should blame the fans because they did the voting.  However, CBS sports has always been a favorite whipping boy of mine for years.  For the past couple of weeks CBS Sportsline has had a tournament for the greatest tournament teams in history.  The All-Duke team lost out to North Carolina in the elite eight.  The final four is UNC-UCLA and Indiana-Kentucky.  That might be a strong field however, I think Duke got a raw deal and the public voted with their feelings instead of true talent. The real travesty is the Worst Title team poll (1990-present) that they recently put up. Not only did they list 2001 Duke as an option, but they have 9% of the vote. As Duke fans we put up with a lot of shit, however how can the internet sports community possibly think that 2001 Duke in even in the discussion for worst championship teams.  Does everyone forget that 2001 Duke was the only team to beat every team by double digits.  Also coming back from twenty down to Maryland and still winning by double digits.  Come on people, lets get real.  You can hate Duke all you want, but to possibly think that 2001 Duke is a bad championship team is pure bullshit.

If you have voted this way, please do yourself a favor and never watch another college basketball game again.  Don’t even pick up a basketball.

Mike DeCourcy, who writes for The Sporting News, recently wrote an article talking about how Coach K’s experience with Team USA hasn’t benefited Duke much.  While looking at the last two seasons as the basis for his argument you might agree.  However, last season was a great success, besides the bad run down the stretch.  And besides that the future of Duke basketball is looking very bright.  DeCourcy also mentions the transfer of Taylor King, but fails to mention how this opened a scholarship for Miles Plumlee who committed as soon as his release from Stanford was final.  Duke not only has a solid class coming in but 2009 and 2010 could be monster classes for Duke.  

DeCourcy’s writing just goes to show how the sports journalism world loves to beat down a team before giving them a fair shake.  He also writes that Duke no longer expects recruits to come, but fans get overexcited about a commitment.  I was curious when Duke fans never applauded landing a future star.  Apparently, being an elite team means you can’t be excited for whats happening with the future.

Like I said earlier, DeCourcy says a few things about the last two seasons, and the lack of postseason success.  He then goes straight the a little Team USA bashing.

Another bush league article by a journalist who can’t see the big picture.

On Monday, the roster for Team USA was announced to the country.  After three years of interviews and try-outs Mike Krzyzewski was settled on the team that would try to redeem our faith in our national team.  However, until they bring home a gold medal Team USA will still be a laughing stock.  People will still assume that NBA players can’t be team players, and worst of all Coach K might not be looked at as the great coach that he is.

A big concern by most was the lack of role players on the team.  Of course when you see names like Bryant, James, and Anthony you could automatically assume that this team will be built on one man scorers.  However, players like Paul, Redd, Prince, and Williams will be very important to the teams success.

I haven’t anticipated an Olympic event like this since the “Dream Team” in 92.  I just hope that everyone that still thinks that this team will fail, will be ready to apologize to Coach K and the entire team.

Even though it is never good to lose out on a recruit, especially to a rival, sometimes it can be a good thing. Leslie McDonald, who was on Duke’s radar for quite awhile, committed to North Carolina over the weekend. However, since the Blue Devils offered McDonald much has changed. Kenny Boynton has become one of the most sought after recruits in the 2009 class. And many think he is a Duke lean. Duke has also become very interested with two other big time commits in Jamil Wilson and Terrell Vinson. Right now Wilson is a superior player rankings wise to McDonald. The reason Duke never offered either Wilson or Vinson, was because a scholarship offer was taken by McDonald. Instead of withdrawing the offer to McDonald, Duke decided to wait out and see what would happen. Now that the scholarship is open, Duke can offer either Vinson or Wilson. I feed that an offer will be made within the week. Others think that they might start going after Derrick Favor (2009 class), or Brandon Knight (2010 class). However, I think Favor’s in already to deep into recruiting for Duke to jump in. Also he seems to want to go to a program where he is the absolute star and not just a co-contributer. Favors list Clemson, Florida State, Georgia, and Georgia Tech as his favorites. In regards to Brandon Knight, Duke will have a scholarship open after this season and he doesn’t look like a early commitment.

McDonald was a solid player, and would have been a nice addition. However, Duke probably saw the writing on the wall and were prepared with other targets. It will be interesting to see what direction they go with the scholarship now.

As always, Bob Gibbons Tournament Of Champions took place with some of the top high school talent in America in attendance.  Duke recruits and commits had very successful trips to the triangle.

Mason Plumlee, the only commit in the 09 class so far, was a big story all weekend.  Plumlee has been getting more and more exposure since committing to Duke, and is starting to seem like a possible McD’s All-American next year.  Much has been made about his little man skills at the height of 6′10″.  Mason has been saying recently that his main concern is getting stronger before he gets to Duke.  And with a whole year to work, I am really looking forward to see what he looks like in fall 09.

The other focus for Duke fans was the play of AAU teammates Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight.

Boynton is one of the top players in the 09 class and has had a Duke scholarship offer for awhile now.  Along with Knight, a 2010 recruit, they put on a show at the triangle and made Duke fans even hungrier to see them in a Blue Devils uniform.  Many fans seem to think that Boynton is Duke’s player to lose.  However, we have learned in the past years to never get your hopes up until the ink is dry on the paper.

Hearing about what these three players did in the TOC this past weekend, makes you excited to see what Duke could be in the next few years.  There were also many other players playing that are on the Duke radar, and the amount of talent in high school in the coming years is really outstanding.  Duke looks good going into next year.  However, it could be even better in the next few years.

2008 recruiting is in the bag.  2009 recruiting won’t pick back up till late summer.  Even though these are slow times in Duke nation, the message boards are still hoping because of a news story that came out this week.

Duke University is considering changing a big part of the epi-center of basketball, Cameron Indoor Stadium.  While actually blue prints haven’t been seen, people are still worried about how the addition of luxury suites would affect the nostalgia of CIS.  Cameron has long been the one place that hasn’t tried to keep up with changing times.  While other Universities build million dollar, 20,000 seat arenas, Duke has been quite content on the fact that CIS, which is old, is still the most recognized arena is college and even professional sports.

Many of Duke forums around the Internet had been on fire with people talking up the topic.  Dukereport.com, DBR, and The Devils Den all have a thread on the topic.

The general consensus from the fans.  “Don’t mess with success!”.  I absolutely agree.  While more seats in Cameron, suites or regular, would make it easier for non-students and alumni to go to the game, it would take away from the lure that is Cameron Indoor Stadium.  CIS is apart of what makes Duke basketball so great.  Don’t fix what is not broken.  Stop trying to keep up with other basketball teams.  In case you were wondering, every other basketball team wishes they were us.

We all thought long ago that the 2008 class was all but set.  One elite All-American, and a big man with a lot of potential.  Showing that recruiting in any year is never over till it is over, Duke got a nice surprise with the commitment of Miles Plumlee.  From the time Mason Plumlee committed to Duke, his brother was talked about but was already committed to Stanford.  A coaching change later, and Miles Plumlee will setup shop before his brother even graduates high school.  Duke will welcome Miles to a front court that still has many questions.  There will be a fierce competition for playing time on the inside, with Thomas, Zoubek, Czyz, McClure, and Plumlee.  It should be interesting to see how time is dissed out and what each player will bring to the table.

All Duke fans knew that eventually a team would be able to convince one of the assistant coaches to leave the friendly confines of Durham.  The most likely candidate to succeed Coach K, is going to leave his own mark.  Ex-Duke star and current assistant coach, Johnny Dawkins, will be heading all the way across the country to coach at Stanford.

Duke nation was surprised Saturday morning, because in less than a day, it seemed, Dawkins was offered the job and excepted it.

The entire Duke Internet community was contemplating what this means to the team.  Some think it is a bad thing.  Of course you never like to see a shake up.  And it is hard to let go such a great guy and coach.  However, most realize that the Dawkins is leaving to simply get experience, and then return to take over from Coach K.  I have no doubt that this is the master plan for Duke basketball.  Coach K probably thought it was time, and what a great opportunity for Dawkins to be as far away from Duke.  On the West Coast, Duke will not cast such a big shadow.

The main focus, as far as coaching goes, is how will the bench look.  Wojo and Collins are still here, but what happens next.  Will there be a major shake-up with new faces and a true big man coach.  Or will Wojo move closer to K and they simply hire a big man coach.  There are a lot of scenarios.  This is just another thing to add to Coach K’s to do list.  Which happens to be quite long right now.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times”. This famous line is from the Charles Dickens novel, A Tale Of Two Cities. It is the perfect line to describe the 07/08 Duke basketball team. It was truly a tale of two teams.

Coming into the season their was much to be happy about. They had a great freshmen class, addition by subtraction (Josh McRoberts), and a reinvigorated Coach K. Expectations weren’t overly high, but the fans knew that this team could compete in the ACC.

They came out of the gate strong displaying a new style offense that Duke fans loved to see. Points were being put up at will, and teams were being run out of the gym. After a very emotional Maui Invitational victory, in which Duke got a revenge victory over Marquette, the Blue Devils were on cloud nine. It was all good until a December night when Duke was figuratively punched in the stomach. A very good Pittsburgh team beat the highflying Blue Devils on a last second shot that won the game in overtime. The winning team went into a downward spiral. The losing team learned a valuable lesson, began a long journey that would take them up and down, and all around.

After the New Year, a new Blue Devil team emerged. This team was running on all cylinders and couldn’t be stopped. They were tearing up the ACC, and the nation was taking notice. All of a sudden Duke, which had experienced a new low for Duke basketball the year prior, was number two in the nation and was ready to go up against the North Carolina Tar Heels. This game would put number 2 vs. number 3, and looked to be the game of the year up to this point.

Duke continued its great success and took over the Dean Dome, and got some much needed revenge from Chapel Hill. The entire Blue Devil nation was on top of the world. No one could put them down. This Blue Devils team seemed destined for greatness.

After the North Carolina game, Duke rolled off two more ACC wins. Everything was perfect until they traveled to Wake Forest, after this lose Duke would never be the same. Duke lost their second in a row to Miami. They would win their next four going into a rematch with the Tar Heels. This time the tables were turned, and all the greatness that was there before was gone. Duke was humiliated for the second time in a row on their senior night.

The post-season was much of the same heartbreak for Duke. After winning their first round game in the ACC tournament Duke fell to Clemson in the second round. There would be no third shot at the Tar Heels and Duke would limp into the tournament with a #2 seed.

What was supposed to be an easy first round game against Belmont, turned into a real life nightmare. Belmont was just minutes away from the biggest upset in NCAA tournament history. Instead a hero emerged, and the next great Blue Devil just might have had his coming out party. Unfortunately, no one could save Duke in their second round game against West Virginia, and all the hopes of a final four appearance were over. Duke season ended on a sour note. However, this team was a huge overachievement. Inexperience and lack of an inside game was what eventually done Duke in. Each player had their own special impact on the season. Here is a review of some of the players that made this season a success, and yet a disappointment.

DeMarcus Nelson
Nelson came into his senior year with a purpose. Battling injuries his whole career, he was a little known player around the country. This would be the breakout year everyone hoped from him. The senior captain of this inexperienced team, was the guiding light all year long. He received much deserved rewards, and finally showed everyone what he was capable of. Unfortunately, for Nelson his last few games, and the most important, were his worse all season. He not only didn’t show up, but was a huge liability for the team. In the end, Nelson had a disappointing career considering what he was expected to do. But Nelson will be remembered as the typical Duke Blue Devil, always striving to be the best, and we wish him the best of luck.

Greg Paulus
The much maligned point guard needed a good year to get back in the good graces of the fans. I think this season was exactly what he needed. He showed tremendous leadership and really developed his offensive and defensive game. His shot is becoming very deadly, and single handedly won a few games for the Blue Devils this season. Greg will no doubt be the lone captain next year. Everyone will be expecting big things out of the senior point guard.

Kyle Singler
Singler was one of the most heralded recruits in the class and he gave Duke a little more scoring depth. Singler is truly everything we expected, and gave us a lot to be happy about. Singler experienced much the same post-season as Nelson did. The definition of the “freshmen wall” was no better exampled then with the end to the season Singler had. However, Singler should be that much better next year. He will be looked as a scoring leader for the team.

Gerald Henderson
The most athletic member of the Blue Devils was one of the most improved. Henderson showed flashes of brilliance that every Duke fan loved to see. And best of all he will be returning for another year. Henderson’s big coming out party was the Belmont game were he took over, and one the game single handedly one the game. The only thing I look for him to improve on is his outside shot. If he is more consistent with that, he will be unstoppable.

Jon Scheyer
The big story all year was the Scheyer would be giving up his starting role and have to come off the bench. Apparently, being a starter isn’t really that important. Scheyer played the third most minutes on the team, and was one of the most consistent. Scheyer was the absolute best sixth man in college basketball in my opinion. Everything he does makes you smile, and knowing that he is going to be here for two more years is really exciting to think about.

Lance Thomas
He showed some improvement, but in the end Thomas could never be the inside guy that Duke needed. He usually is facing the other teams biggest and toughest players, and can never seem to get into the game offensively. It will be interesting to see what his role will be next season.

This season left us with a lot of hope for what is coming up next. Some say it was a disappointment, others think that this team were leaps and bounds better than they should be. I think they set the groundwork for the future. The question is, will it be next year or two years from now? A lot will be expected from Duke next year. I for one am counting the days till November.

Scout.com has came out with an updated top 100 for the class of 2009. The big topic today for Duke fans was how high Mason Plumlee. He is now ranked #20, and well ahead of many talented players. There has been talk of Mason showing some serious stuff lately. Of course some are giving the usual excuse, of his ranking going up because he committed to Duke. Either way it is nice to see Mason getting some recognition for his great play, and I am sure every Duke fan is excited to see what he will do in a Duke uniform. Kenny Boynton and Leslie McDonald, the two guards Duke is after, are ranked #7 and #23 respectively. Derrick Favors, who has been probably the most talked about on every Duke forum, is ranked the number one player and is quickly gaining national recognition. I see him ending his high school career in this exact spot. The only question is will he end his high school career with a commitment to Duke? We can only hope.

This class looks so much better than 2008. I have been bringing it up a lot lately ever since I watched the McDonald All-American game. The talent is really solid, and I think that this will be a lot closer to the 2006 and 2007 classes that produced the finest freshmen college basketball has ever seen. College basketball 2008 will of course be exciting, but 2009 looks like it could be another huge year for the freshmen.