So....Duke is young and inexperienced?????

Question

That's the excuse I keep hearing from Duke fans. Ummm....Isn't Ohio State young? How about Texas? How about.....THE TARHEELS. UNC starts 3 freshmen and a sophomore, and yet they won the ACC regular and tourney crowns. They have a #1 seed, and are picked by many to win it all....So, given the fact that young, inexperienced teams are doing great, can Duke fans just admit that their young players are simply NOT VERY GOOD, and aren't going to magically improve next season.....

Answer 1

Very good point.......totally lost on Dookies looking for an excuse for the team's performance this year, but good point.

Coack K quite possibly has recruited a group that play great individually, but will never gel as a team. (Very common with Duke)

Coach K is good at recruiting big ego players with talent. He fails miserably at making them play as a team. Individuals come in...improve by mere playing time and leave individuals. He doesn't do much inbetween except coach individuals.

Answer 2

They are young and inexperienced, but these guys are not the typical Duke players. They're just not as good. I think Paulus is one of the worst Duke guards I've seen in years. He's the worst I can remember. McRoberts just reminds me of a slightly fatter Laettner.

To address the guy who wrote a 10 page novella about Duke...they won't be vyying for any number one seeds next year with this crew. Sorry to burst that bubble. Parity is tightening up in the NCAA's and they're going to have to do a lot better than this current bunch of yahoos if they're going to become elite in the near future.

Something else that caught my attention was when VCU started to come back, not too far into the first half, the announcers started saying that Duke looked winded. Huh! Poor conditioning this year?

Answer 3

1: I have to disagree. Their young players are going to be good, but they won't have their uniforms hung in Cameron Indoor. We have lots of potential and Duke will get better. Next season they'll have something more to play for.

2: Duke is a basketball TEAM. They don't have the outstanding players like they had in JJ Redick and Sheldon Williams last season. It's hard to have a TEAM that is mostly freshman and sophomores.

You sound like a bandwagon fan who likes to sprinkle you're crappy ways to diss on Duke all over Yahoo.

Duke>unc

Answer 4

I'm not sure why I'm bothering to answer your question, since you're obviously a Duke hater, but here goes.

Yes, Duke is profoundly young. Considerably moreso than Ohio St. or UNC. UNC has seniors Reyshawn Terry and Wes Miller in the rotation, along with junior Quentin Thomas. Additionally, UNC's sophomores had to play much more significant leadership roles on last year's team. Guys like Ginyard, Green, Frasor, and, of course, Hansbrough, played key roles on the 2006 Heels - Tyler's being most prominent. None of Duke's sophomores had anything near as significant a role as Hansbrough did for the Heels last year.

Ohio State has Ron Lewis and Ivan Harris, both seniors, and Jamar Butler, Matt Terwilliger, and Othello Hunter, all juniors. All five are in the playing rotation and provide upperclass leadership.

Texas is comparable to Duke's youth, with no juniors and seniors playing significant roles. Remember, though, that Texas, while playing very well of late, has 9 losses on the season. (Today's was Duke's 12th.) Texas lost to Michigan State, Gonzaga, Tennessee, Oklahoma St., Villanova, Kansas St, Texas A&M, and then twice to Kansas. Those Kansas games are their only losses since early February, because their young players have picked up their game, and Durant, especially, has been a monster.

Which goes to the other factor in your question. You listed three teams you also considered young. But the youth on those teams have lottery picks among them, whenever they decide to come out. While I'm happy with Duke's freshman class, none of them were the caliber of recruit, are not the caliber of player currently, and wouldn't be drafted as highly as Oden, Durant, Wright, or maybe even Lawson, Ellington, Cook, or Conley. (Time will tell on that second group.)

Still, I imagine that few teams wouldn't be glad to add Jon Scheyer or Gerald Henderson to their rosters. Zoubek and Thomas may come around, too. Again, time will tell.

One other factor - Duke's bringing in a very good class next year. That'll be three good classes in a row. Kyle Singler is the star of the class, and one of the best HS seniors in the nation. Taylor King can shoot with the best of them. Nolan Smith is a very quick and smooth combo guard. All should step right into Duke's rotation next year and help out.

So, enjoy your March Madness at Duke's expense this year, because next year, expect to see them back in the top 10 and vying for a #1 seed. If Carolina can hold on to Wright, Hansbrough, and Lawson (whom I hear has stopped going to class...), then there should be some great battles next year in the ACC.

Answer 5

DOOK SUX! Sorry I had to get that off my chest. This is the 3rd panty waste recruiting class that dook has had in a row. All you hear about in the preseason is how good K's recruits are. A few more years of these sub par classes and the dark ages will be upon dook. Yes, K's back ain't getting no better these days. Face it dook fans your not elite anymore, NCSU gives the heels a better game than you wimps do. It kind of makes you wonder how these softies keep getting in the Mcdonalds all amerian game.

Face it guys youth ain't got nothing to do with it, talent has alot to do with it. At least you get to keep those losers all 4 yrs. Because the pros don't want none of them. And they were talking about McRoberts going in the top ten of the draft last year, K really helped him out by talking him in to coming back to school. Can it be that K's self serving, media whore ways are beginning to catch up with him.

The only bad thing about dook losing last night is I don't get to watch them get beat up on Saturday!

Answer 6

Regarless of the talent on Duke's team this year I think Coach K did a fantastic job of coaching his less talented team. (and I am not even a Duke Fan)

Answer 7

Duke has DeMarcus Nelson and a bunch of worthless white guys.

'Nuff said.

Answer 8

i agree with you. duke lost......that's just the way it is. it's not just because their team is young it because this year the team just didn't cut it. i saw the end of their game today. very close.
peace

Answer 9

They are just a bunch of soft wimps who fold readily when they don't get wide open looks and massive bias from the officials.

Way to go VCU!!

Answer 10

great go unc!!! **** duke and bc. go gtown!!