2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic Champions
ACC Tournament Champions
NCAA Tournament, Sweet Sixteen
Conference Atlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
Coaches #5
AP #6
2008–09 record 30–7 (14–5 ACC)
Head coach Mike Krzyzewski
Assistant coach Chris Collins
Assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski
Assistant coach Nate James
Home arena Cameron Indoor Stadium
Seasons
« 2007–08 2009–10 »
2008–09 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf     Overall
Team W   L   PCT     W   L   PCT
#2 North Carolina 13   3   .813     34   4   .895
#6 Duke† 11   5   .688     30   7   .811
#12 Wake Forest 11   5   .688     24   7   .774
#16 Florida State 10   6   .625     25   10   .714
#24 Clemson 9   7   .563     23   9   .719
Boston College 9   7   .563     22   12   .647
Maryland 7   9   .438     21   14   .600
Virginia Tech 7   9   .438     19   15   .559
Miami 7   9   .438     19   13   .594
North Carolina St 6   10   .375     16   14   .533
Virginia 4   12   .250     10   18   .357
Georgia Tech 2   14   .125     12   19   .387
† ACC Tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Mike Krzyzewski, who served for his 29th year. The team played its home games in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils captured the ACC Championship by defeating Florida State in the championship game in Atlanta.[1]

Contents

Pre-season

The 2007–08 Duke Blue Devils finished the season 28–6 (13–3), placed second in the ACC regular season standings, and lost in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Earlier in the season, the squad reached as high as #2 in the Coaches' Poll with only one loss. Some late season losses caused them to finish the regular season ranked #9 in the country and #2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.[2] Duke then lost in the semifinals in the ACC Tournament to the Clemson Tigers.[3] Duke was given a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. After narrowly defeating #15 Belmont, Duke lost 73–67 to the #7 West Virginia Mountaineers.[4]

Recruiting

Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Olek Czyz
PF		 Reno, Nevada Reno 6 ft 7 in (201 cm) 240 lb (110 kg) Sep 26,
2007 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 92
Miles Plumlee
PF		 Warsaw, Indiana Christ School (NC) 6 ft 10 in (208 cm) 220 lb (100 kg) May 01,
2008 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 96
Elliot Williams
SG		 Memphis, Tennessee St. George's 6 ft 4 in (193 cm) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 01,
2007 
Scout:   Rivals:   ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13   Rivals: 27  ESPN: 23
Note: In many cases, Scout and Rivals may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
In these cases, an average of the two was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.
Sources:

On September 26, 2007, forward Olek Czyz committed to Duke University. Czyz is a 6–7 Poland native who has spent the last three years in Reno, Nevada. Both Scout and Rivals.com listed him as the 27th best power forward in the nation. However, Scout.com had him 80th overall, while Rivals.com had him back at 102nd. As a junior at Reno High School, Czyz averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, leading Reno to a 24–6 record. In his sophomore year, Olek had a ten point and six rebound average, while leading his team to a state championship.[5] Other schools to make offers to Czyz were Arizona State, Colorado State, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Nevada, Pepperdine, and Washington State.[6]

On the first day of November, the Blue Devils received a commitment from Elliot Williams. The 6–4 shooting guard from Memphis, Tennessee was listed as the number 3 shooting guard in the country by Rivals.com, while Scout.com had him as the number 4 shooting guard and the number 14 overall prospect in the country. Williams spent high school at St. George’s where he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game. In his junior year, Elliot averaged 22 points and six rebounds per contest, while leading his team to a state championship.[5] Williams turned down offers from Clemson, Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.[7]

Power forward Miles Plumlee, a 6–10 native of Warsaw, Indiana, who attended high school in Arden, North Carolina, committed to the Blue Devils on May 1, 2008. Miles, who is the older brother of 2009 commitment Mason Plumlee, had signed a letter of intent to Stanford University, but after head coach Trent Johnson took the coaching job at Louisiana State, Plumlee requested and was granted a release. Plumlee is rated as the 17th best power forward of the 2008 recruiting class by Scouts.com, while Rivals has him ranked 29th at forward and 101st overall.[8]

Offseason changes

The only senior Duke lost from their 2007–08 squad was DeMarcus Nelson who graduated. Nelson was projected to go somewhere in the late second round in the 2008 NBA Draft,[9] but instead went undrafted.[10] On September 9, 2008, Nelson was signed by the Golden State Warriors.[11]

Joe Alleva, the Duke Athletics Director, interviewed for the athletics director job at Louisiana State on April 1, and was offered for the position on April 3. After 10 years as Duke's athletics director, Alleva took the job and is scheduled to start on July 1.[12] At Duke a twelve-person committee, assembled by Duke President, Richard H. Brodhead, searched for a new athletics director. Joe Alleva said in an interview that he would do anything to help in the search.[13] On May 30, Brodhead announced that the Duke had hired former Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White.[14] Coach Mike Krzyzewski said the White "is one of the most respected people in intercollegiate athletics" and brings " wealth of experience and is someone who people admire".[15]

Duke forward Taylor King decided to transfer to Villanova University in April 2008.[16] As a freshman at Duke, King played in all 34 games, averaging 5.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He had 43 three-pointers that season, putting him eighth all-time against Duke freshmen. When announcing his transfer, King told reporters "Nothing against Duke, but it's time for a change. I needed to explore other places. Villanova is a true family atmosphere where everyone's got each other's back." Per NCAA regulations, King will have to sit out a season.[17]

On April 26, associate head coach Johnny Dawkins announced that he would be leaving the Blue Devils, to take over the head coaching spot at Stanford. Dawkins was a member of the 1986 Duke team that lost in the finals to Louisville. After nine seasons in the NBA, Dawkins was hired as an assistant coach during the 1998–99 season. Two years later he was promoted to associate head coach, a job he's held for nine years.[18]

It was announced on May 5, that Nate James would replace Johnny Dawkins as an assistant coach. James was a captain on the 2000-01 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team that won a national championship. After turning pro, James played in the Philippines, France, Hungary, Japan and Holland. In 2004, James participated in the training camp of the Philadelphia 76ers, but did not make it onto the team. During the winter of 2007–2008, he was hired to oversee operations at the Duke's new practice facility.[19]

Roster

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown High School
Olek Czyz 13 F 6–7 240 Freshman Reno, Nevada Reno
Jordan Davidson 41 G 6–1 180 Senior Melbourne, Arkansas Blair Academy (NJ)
Gerald Henderson, Jr. 15 G 6–4 210 Junior Merion, Pennsylvania Episcopal Academy
Steve Johnson 51 F 6–5 195 Sophomore Colorado Springs, Colorado Cheyenne Mountain
David McClure 14 F 6–6 200 Senior Ridgefield, Connecticut Trinity Catholic
Greg Paulus 3 G 6–1 185 Senior Syracuse, New York Christian Brothers
Miles Plumlee 21 F 6–10 220 Freshman Warsaw, Indiana Christ School (NC)
Martynas Pocius 5 G/F 6–5 190 Junior Vilnius, Lithuania Holderness School (NH)
Jon Scheyer 30 G 6–5 180 Junior Northbrook, Illinois Glenbrook North
Kyle Singler 12 F 6–8 220 Sophomore Medford, Oregon South Medford
Nolan Smith 2 G 6–2 180 Sophomore Upper Marlboro, Maryland Oak Hill Academy (VA)
Lance Thomas 42 F 6–8 220 Junior Scotch Plains, New Jersey St. Benedict's Prep
Elliot Williams 20 G 6–4 180 Freshman Memphis, Tennessee St. George's
Brian Zoubek 55 C 7–1 260 Junior Haddonfield, New Jersey Haddonfield Memorial

Rankings

See also: 2008-09 NCAA Division I men's basketball rankings
Poll Preseason
Oct 31[20]		 Week 1
Nov 17[21]		 Week 2
Nov 24[22]		 Week 3
Dec 1[23]		 Week 4
Dec 8[24]		 Week 5
Dec 15[25]		 Week 6
Dec 22[26]		 Week 7
Dec 29[27]		 Week 8
Jan 5[28]		 Week 9
Jan 12[29]		 Week 10
Jan 19[30]		 Week 11
Jan 26[31]		 Week 12
Feb 2[32]		 Week 13
Feb 9[33]		 Week 14
Feb 16[34]		 Week 15
Feb 23[35]		 Week 16
Mar 2[36]		 Week 17
Mar 9[37]		 Week 18 Final
AP 8 10 7 4 7 6 5 5 2 3 2 1 4 6 9 7 7 9 6
Coaches 5 5 5 4 7 6 5 5 2 2 2 1 3 5 9 7 7 8 5

Schedule

Date Time Opponent# Rank# Site TV Result Record
Sat, Oct 18* 1:00 p.m. Blue/White Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC
(Scrimmage)		  White 97–74, Blue 79–70 
Exhibition
Sat, Oct 25* 1:00 p.m. Virginia Union Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC W 114–50 
Wed, Nov 05* 7:00 p.m. Lenoir-Rhyne Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC W 95–42 
Regular Season
Mon, Nov 10* 7:00 p.m. Presbyterian #8 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC
(Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic)		 ESPNU W 80–49  1–0
Tue, Nov 11* 9:05 p.m. vs. Georgia Southern #8 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC
(Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic)		 ESPNU W 97–54  2–0
Sun, Nov 16* 4:30 p.m. Rhode Island #8 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC ESPNU W 82–79  3–0
Thu, Nov 20* 7:00 p.m. Southern Illinois #10 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic)		 ESPN2 W 83–58  4–0
Fri, Nov 21* 7:30 p.m. vs. Michigan #10 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic)		 ESPN2 W 71–56  5–0
Sun, Nov 23* 1:00 p.m. Montana #10 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC FSNS/NESN W 78–58  6–0
Fri, Nov 28* 3:00 p.m. Duquesne #7 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC ESPN W 95–72  7–0
Tue, Dec 02* 9:00 p.m. at #9 Purdue #4 Mackey Arena • West Lafayette, IN
(ACC – Big Ten Challenge)		 ESPN W 76–60  8–0
Sat, Dec 06* 3:30 p.m. at Michigan #4 Crisler Arena • Ann Arbor, MI ESPN L 81–73  8–1
Wed, Dec 17* 7:30 p.m. UNC Asheville #6 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC ESPN2 W 99–56  9–1
Sat, Dec 20* 2:00 p.m. vs. #7 Xavier #6 Izod Center • East Rutherford, NJ CBS W 82–64  10–1
Wed, Dec 31* 4:00 p.m. Loyola, Md #5 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC ESPN2 W 92–51  11–1
Sun, Jan 04 7:45 p.m. Virginia Tech #5 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC FSN W 69–44  12–1 (1–0)
Wed, Jan 07* 7:00 p.m. Davidson #2 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC ESPN W 79–67  13–1 (1–0)
Sat, Jan 10 2:00 p.m. at Florida State #2 Donald L. Tucker Center • Tallahassee, FL ESPN W 66–58  14–1 (2–0)
Wed, Jan 14 7:00 p.m. at Georgia Tech #2 Alexander Memorial Coliseum • Atlanta, GA ESPN W 70–56  15–1 (3–0)
Sat, Jan 17* 1:30 p.m. #12 Georgetown #2 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC CBS W 76–67  16–1 (3–0)
Tue, Jan 20 8:00 p.m. NC State #2 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC Raycom W 73–56  17–1 (4–0)
Sat, Jan 24 12:00 p.m. Maryland #2 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC
(Duke–Maryland rivalry)		 ESPN W 85–44  18–1 (5–0)
Wed, Jan 28 7:00 p.m. at #4 Wake Forest #1 LJVM Coliseum • Winston-Salem, NC ESPN L 68–70  18–2 (5–1)
Sun, Feb 1 2:00 p.m. Virginia #1 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC ESPN W 79–54  19–2 (6–1)
Wed, Feb 4 9:00 p.m. at #10 Clemson #3 Littlejohn Coliseum • Clemson, SC ESPN L 47–74  19–3 (6–2)
Sat, Feb 07 1:30 p.m. Miami (FL) #3 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC Raycom W 78–75 (OT)  20–3 (7–2)
Thu, Feb 12 9:00 p.m. #3 North Carolina #6 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC
(Carolina–Duke rivalry)		 Raycom L 87–101  20–4 (7–3)
Sun, Feb 15 5:30 p.m. at Boston College #6 Conte Forum • Chestnut Hill, MA FSN L 74–80  20–5 (7–4)
Thu, Feb 19 7:00 p.m. at St. John's #9 Madison Square Garden • New York, NY
(Aeropostale Classic)		 ESPN W 76–69  21–5 (7–4)
Sun, Feb 22 7:45 p.m. #8 Wake Forest #9 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC FSN W 101–91  22–5 (8–4)
Wed, Feb 25 9:00 p.m. at Maryland #7 Comcast Center • College Park, MD ESPN W 78–67  23–5 (9–4)
Sat, Feb 28 3:30 p.m. at Virginia Tech #7 Cassell Coliseum • Blacksburg, VA ABC W 72–65  24–5 (10–4)
Tue, Mar 3 8:00 p.m. #24 Florida State #7 Cameron Indoor Stadium • Durham, NC Raycom W 84–81  25–5 (11–4)
Sun, Mar 8 4:00 p.m. at #2 North Carolina #7 Dean E. Smith Center • Chapel Hill, NC
(Carolina–Duke rivalry)		 CBS L 71–79  25–6 (11–5)
ACC Tournament
Fri, Mar 13 9:30 p.m. vs. Boston College #9 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA Raycom/ESPN2 W 66–65  26–6 (12–5)
Sat, Mar 14 3:30 p.m. vs. Maryland #9 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA Raycom/ESPN2 W 67–61  27–6 (13–5)
Sun, Mar 15 1:00 p.m. vs. #22 Florida State #9 Georgia Dome • Atlanta, GA Raycom/ESPN2 W 79–69  28–6 (14–5)
NCAA Tournament
Thurs, Mar 19 9:40 p.m. vs. #(15) Binghamton #5 (2) Greensboro Coliseum • Greensboro, NC
(NCAA Tournament First Round – East Region #2 vs. #15)		 CBS W 86–62  29–6 (14–5)
Sat, Mar 21 8:15 p.m. vs. #(7) Texas #5 (2) Greensboro Coliseum • Greensboro, NC
(NCAA Tournament Second Round – East Region #2 vs. #7)		 CBS W 74–69  30–6 (14–5)
Thurs., Mar 27 10:08 p.m. vs. #12 (3) Villanova #5 (2) TD Banknorth Garden • Boston
(NCAA Tournament Sweet Sixteen – East Region #2 vs. #3)		 CBS L 77–54  30–7 (14–5)
*Non-Conference Game. #Rankings from Coaches' Poll. All times are in Eastern Time [38].

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Glier, Ray (2009-03-16). "Duke Lifts a Trophy and Puffs Out Its Chest". The New York Times. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/16/sports/ncaabasketball/16men.html?ref=sports. Retrieved 2010-04-22. 
  2. ^ "Atlantic Coast Conference Standings 2007–2008". ESPN. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/confstandings?confID=2. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  3. ^ "55th Annual ACC Men's Basketball Tournament". Atlantic Coast Conference. 2008-03-16. http://www.theacc.com/sports/m-baskbl/acc-mtournament-central-2008.html. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  4. ^ "2008 NCAA Tournament Scores & Results". CollegeSports-Fans.com. http://www.collegesports-fans.com/ncaa-tournament/2007-tourney-teams.html. Retrieved 2008-04-19. 
  5. ^ a b Duke Media Relations, WRAL Duke Basketball Lands Two Signees in 2008–2009 Recruiting Class. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  6. ^ Scouts.com Olek Czyz Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  7. ^ Scouts.com Elliot Williams Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  8. ^ Ryan Craig, WRAL Duke adds power forward to '08 class Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  9. ^ Staff Reports, The News and Observer King headed to Villanova Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
  10. ^ "2008 NBA Draft Prospects: By School/Country." ESPN Draft Tracker. ESPN.com. Retrieved on July 14, 2008.
  11. ^ Hoops World Warriors sign three undrafted rookies Retrieved on 2008-09-09.
  12. ^ Dave Nathan, WRAL Duke's Alleva Wanted New Challenge, Found it at LSU Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  13. ^ Dave Nathan, WRAL Duke Hopes to Select AD by End of Summer Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  14. ^ Ken Tysiac, The Charlotte Observer Duke lures new AD from Notre Dame Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  15. ^ Bill Cole, Winston-Salem Journal White leaves Notre Dame for Duke Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  16. ^ WRAL King to leave Duke Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
  17. ^ Jeff Fox DeMarcus Nelson: NBA Draft Profile Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
  18. ^ WRAL Duke's Dawkins to Coach at Stanford Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
  19. ^ Luciana Chavez, The News and Observer James to join Duke bench Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  20. ^ "2008–09 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – Preseason". Associated Press. 2008-10-31. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/rankings?pollId=1&seasonYear=2009&weekNumber=1&seasonType=2. Retrieved 2008-11-01. 
  21. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week1
  22. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week2
  23. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week3
  24. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week4
  25. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week5
  26. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week6
  27. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week7
  28. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week8
  29. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week9
  30. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week10
  31. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week11
  32. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week12
  33. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week13
  34. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week14
  35. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week15
  36. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week16
  37. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week17
  38. ^ "[1]." GoDuke.com. Retrieved on October 12, 2008.