Kyrie Irving probably spoke a bit prematurely regarding IMG Academy Class of 2011 forward DeAndre Daniels and Duke.
IMG Academy director of basketball Andy Borman said this morning that Daniels is considering the Blue Devils and will visit for Duke’s banquet on April 15.
But Borman said Daniels hasn’t committed to Duke and hasn’t even been offered a scholarship, although that might change when Daniels visits Durham.
During a teleconference with reporters Thursday to discuss Irving’s decision to enter the NBA draft after one season as a Blue Devils guard, Irving said he thought Duke had five freshmen entering the program next season with the addition of Daniels.
Borman – who played for Duke from 1999 to 2004 - said he isn’t sure what Daniels said to Irving. Borman characterized Daniels as “extremely interested” in Duke, but not committed.
“As of now, DeAndre has not committed, nor has he offered,” Borman said.
Daniels, a 6-foot-8 forward rated the No. 35 player in the Class of 2011 by scout.com, has rescinded a commitment to Texas, but still is considering the Longhorns along with Duke, Kansas, Florida and other schools.
In the fall, Duke signed guards Austin Rivers and Quinn Cook, forward Michael Gbinije and center Marshall Plumlee in the Class of 2011. Irving’s departure opens up an extra scholarship for the Blue Devils; they have 11 of their 13 scholarship slots filled for 2011-12.
Ken Tysiac
Friday, April 8, 2011
Thursday, April 7, 2011
If Irving is right, Daniels may soon be a Devil
If Kyrie Irving’s comments during a telephone conference with reporters this afternoon are any indication, Class of 2011 forward DeAndre Daniels may soon be committed to the Blue Devils.
During a conference scheduled to discuss Irving’s decision to enter the NBA draft, Irving was asked if he had given thought to how good Duke might have been next season if he had decided to return.
“That’s something I’ve thought about considerably because of the talent that we’ll have next year,” Irving said. “I think this year’s team was really special and I think next year’s team would be really special if I were to return.
“I think we have about five recruits coming in with the addition of DeAndre Daniels. That’s five recruits. So it would be really special, so that would give me a chance to lead the team. . . .If I were to return, it would be a really special team.”
Daniels, a 6-foot-8 forward rated No. 35 in the nation by scout.com, has not announced a commitment. He has opened up his recruiting after rescinding an earlier commitment to Texas.
If Daniels does choose Duke, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Andy Borman, the basketball director at IMG in Bradenton, Fla., played for Duke from 1999 to 2004.
IMG basketball operations director Greg Spatola is the brother of Duke director of basketball operations Chris Spatola, who is married to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s daughter, Jamie.
Efforts to reach Borman for comment on whether Daniels has committed to Duke were not immediately successful.
Duke already has signed Austin Rivers, Marshall Plumlee, Michael Gbinije and Quinn Cook in the Class of 2011.
Ken Tysiac
During a conference scheduled to discuss Irving’s decision to enter the NBA draft, Irving was asked if he had given thought to how good Duke might have been next season if he had decided to return.
“That’s something I’ve thought about considerably because of the talent that we’ll have next year,” Irving said. “I think this year’s team was really special and I think next year’s team would be really special if I were to return.
“I think we have about five recruits coming in with the addition of DeAndre Daniels. That’s five recruits. So it would be really special, so that would give me a chance to lead the team. . . .If I were to return, it would be a really special team.”
Daniels, a 6-foot-8 forward rated No. 35 in the nation by scout.com, has not announced a commitment. He has opened up his recruiting after rescinding an earlier commitment to Texas.
If Daniels does choose Duke, it wouldn’t be a surprise. Andy Borman, the basketball director at IMG in Bradenton, Fla., played for Duke from 1999 to 2004.
IMG basketball operations director Greg Spatola is the brother of Duke director of basketball operations Chris Spatola, who is married to Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski’s daughter, Jamie.
Efforts to reach Borman for comment on whether Daniels has committed to Duke were not immediately successful.
Duke already has signed Austin Rivers, Marshall Plumlee, Michael Gbinije and Quinn Cook in the Class of 2011.
Ken Tysiac
Friday, March 4, 2011
VIDEO: Tar Heel commitment J.P. Tokoto
Wisconsin high school player J.P. Tokoto committed to play college basketball at North Carolina late Thursday night. Here's a video with highlights of Tokoto from an AAU tournament last summer:
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Wisconsin wing Tokoto picks Tar Heels
Ritchie Davis, Tokoto’s club coach with the Wisconsin Playground Warriors, confirmed that Tokoto had spoken to North Carolina
Tokoto is a 6-foot-6, 190-pound wing who’s rated the 32nd-best player in the nation by ESPN.
He joins point guard Marcus Paige of Marion , Iowa , in the Class of 2012 for North Carolina
Ken Tysiac
Tuesday, March 1, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Q&A with Duke signee Austin Rivers
Winter Park, Fla., senior guard Austin Rivers, a Duke signee who's ranked the No. 1 player in the Class of 2011, was selected Tuesday to play in the 2011 Jordan Brand Classic, scheduled for April 16 at Charlotte's Time Warner Cable Arena.
In an exclusive telephone interview, he talked about his goals for the Jordan Brand and McDonald's All-America games, his plans for improvement, and the effect his father, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, has had on him:
Q: You’ll be playing in some postseason all-star games here soon. What do you want to do in them?
A: Most importantly, win. Everything is more fun and enjoyable when you win. So just, go in there, play hard and win. I think to have fun. . .and strengthen relationships with my friends. A lot of guys [I know] are going to be there. It’s always nice to kick back and relax and hang out with players that are in similar situations that you are. It will be nice to go there, see some guys, compete and play basketball. Hopefully I can just do my thing and come away with a win.
Q: What are your goals between now and when you come to Duke? I guess you’re probably coming in the summer?
A: Just to continue to get better, improve on my skills and just keep developing and getting stronger. That’s my main focus right now, to strengthen my skills and my body.
Q: Any particular skills you feel you need to work on?
A: I’ll say my mid-range as far as, I have a really nice three-ball and a really nice handle where I can get into the paint and finish or dunk on someone or something like that. I think mid-range is always a lost art of the game, so it’s always nice to have everything. I really do have a strong mid-range, but it’s just to work on everything, really, and get ready to have a defensive mind set. With Duke, they pick up a lot of times fullcourt man and Coach K and those [coaches] emphasize defense. That’s one thing I want to get better on.
Q: How much of an influence has your father had on you? You seem to understand the game extremely well. How much is he a part of that?
A: He’s a big part of it. I’ve been around the game my whole life, so I’ve gotten to see and meet and talk to a lot of different NBA players and see how their lives are and how they live. And I grew up around my Dad, who knows the game as well as anybody. He’s always taught me right from wrong as far as basketball, what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do. I think just having him in my corner my whole life has been a benefit playing basketball.
Q: You scored 46 points in a game as a high school sophomore? Is that right? How did you do it?
A: I’ve always been a scorer. I’ve always been a great scorer. That’s one thing I’ve always had confidence in myself as far as me thinking I’m better than anybody. I’ve always had a mind set where I’ve always felt you need more than one person to guard me. Especially now that I’m a lot better than I was back then. They basically just played man, and it was just one on one. And that’s not going to work out too well. I got hot. And things got going and shots started falling.
Q: Is that the most you’ve ever scored?
A: Last year, I think I scored 47 against somebody. I’ve scored 40 a lot of times. I think I’ve scored 40 four times this year and five times last year. I think 47 is my high in a high school game.
Q: How did international play [on the USA under-18 select team] help you?
A: That was actually one of the best experiences I’ve had playing basketball, just getting a taste of what it’s like over there [in international basketball]. It’s really similar. The only difference is, you’ve got to be a lot more focused on the defensive end because they take their time to get shots up and they’re really smart basketball players. They’re not as athletic as us over here so what they rely on is their IQ. So you really have to be focused on is the defensive end, which is fun.
Ken Tysiac
In an exclusive telephone interview, he talked about his goals for the Jordan Brand and McDonald's All-America games, his plans for improvement, and the effect his father, Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers, has had on him:
Q: You’ll be playing in some postseason all-star games here soon. What do you want to do in them?
A: Most importantly, win. Everything is more fun and enjoyable when you win. So just, go in there, play hard and win. I think to have fun. . .and strengthen relationships with my friends. A lot of guys [I know] are going to be there. It’s always nice to kick back and relax and hang out with players that are in similar situations that you are. It will be nice to go there, see some guys, compete and play basketball. Hopefully I can just do my thing and come away with a win.
Q: What are your goals between now and when you come to Duke? I guess you’re probably coming in the summer?
A: Just to continue to get better, improve on my skills and just keep developing and getting stronger. That’s my main focus right now, to strengthen my skills and my body.
Q: Any particular skills you feel you need to work on?
A: I’ll say my mid-range as far as, I have a really nice three-ball and a really nice handle where I can get into the paint and finish or dunk on someone or something like that. I think mid-range is always a lost art of the game, so it’s always nice to have everything. I really do have a strong mid-range, but it’s just to work on everything, really, and get ready to have a defensive mind set. With Duke, they pick up a lot of times fullcourt man and Coach K and those [coaches] emphasize defense. That’s one thing I want to get better on.
Q: How much of an influence has your father had on you? You seem to understand the game extremely well. How much is he a part of that?
A: He’s a big part of it. I’ve been around the game my whole life, so I’ve gotten to see and meet and talk to a lot of different NBA players and see how their lives are and how they live. And I grew up around my Dad, who knows the game as well as anybody. He’s always taught me right from wrong as far as basketball, what to say and what not to say, what to do and what not to do. I think just having him in my corner my whole life has been a benefit playing basketball.
Q: You scored 46 points in a game as a high school sophomore? Is that right? How did you do it?
A: I’ve always been a scorer. I’ve always been a great scorer. That’s one thing I’ve always had confidence in myself as far as me thinking I’m better than anybody. I’ve always had a mind set where I’ve always felt you need more than one person to guard me. Especially now that I’m a lot better than I was back then. They basically just played man, and it was just one on one. And that’s not going to work out too well. I got hot. And things got going and shots started falling.
Q: Is that the most you’ve ever scored?
A: Last year, I think I scored 47 against somebody. I’ve scored 40 a lot of times. I think I’ve scored 40 four times this year and five times last year. I think 47 is my high in a high school game.
Q: How did international play [on the USA under-18 select team] help you?
A: That was actually one of the best experiences I’ve had playing basketball, just getting a taste of what it’s like over there [in international basketball]. It’s really similar. The only difference is, you’ve got to be a lot more focused on the defensive end because they take their time to get shots up and they’re really smart basketball players. They’re not as athletic as us over here so what they rely on is their IQ. So you really have to be focused on is the defensive end, which is fun.
Ken Tysiac
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