2 days ago
Duke Players Who Have Had Successful NBA Careers
It can’t be overstated how great of a college basketball program Duke University has had during Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching reign. With four NCAA Championships and a multitude of conference championships and NCAA Tournament appearances, Duke has had some great college basketball teams and notable college basketball players. Many of these players have gone on to have productive NBA careers. It is obvious that the success of these players is due to their larger-than-life talent, but check out the variety of sports management positions in the business. Here are the best Duke players who have successfully infiltrated the NBA:
- Grant Hill – Grant Hill was an important piece of the Duke championship teams in 1991 and 1992 and as NCAA championship runner-up in 1994. He shared the Rookie of the Year honor with Jason Kidd in the NBA and had six highly productive and successful seasons with the Detroit Pistons. He went on to play for the Orlando Magic, and was never the same after multiple injuries limited his effectiveness. However, he has had a bit of a career resurgence in recent years as a role player with the Phoenix Suns.
- Elton Brand – Elton Brand helped lead Duke to the national title game in 1999. He went on to have a successful NBA career. Initially drafted by the Chicago Bulls, Brand shared the Rookie of the Year award with Steve Francis. He was later traded to the Los Angeles Clippers where he was a two-time All-Star and helped lead the long-suffering franchise to its first playoff berth in nine years.
- Carlos Boozer – Carlos Boozer helped lead Duke to a national title in 2001. Picked in the second round of the 2002 NBA Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers, Boozer is regarded as one of the greatest “steals” in NBA Draft history. Boozer has averaged 15 points and eight rebounds during the course of his career with the Cavaliers, Utah Jazz, and Chicago Bulls.
There many other Duke players that have had varying degrees of success in the NBA. This includes Corey Maggette, Luol Deng, Christian Laettner, Shane Battier, Mike Gminski, Mike Dunleavy, and Johnny Dawkins. It’s obvious that the. With such a distinguished basketball program, it’s only a matter of time before more names are added to this list.
Sources
Bleacher Report (2012)
datebaseBasketball.com (2012)
Amile Chooses Duke
Now that the dust has settled how does the commitment of Amile Jefferson help Duke this coming season?
Well in my opinion in a couple of different ways. At the small forward spot Duke has options now, with Ryan Kelly being more of an outside threat, Amile, who does not lack in outside capability, will more than likely be slasher, getting to the rim and finishing on the break. Like Kelly, Jefferson possesses a high basketball IQ and can be counted on to make the smart play. He is an excellent passer and efficient. His personality should mesh well with Dukes current roster. Duke will probably look to bulk Amile up a bit to deal with the rigors of ACC play, rail thin currently, Duke is an excellent place to strengthen and pack on the muscle. In the short term, versatility is what Amile will bring to the Devils, being able to guard multiple positions as well as rebounding and scoring. He could be that missing piece from last years team. With Mason Plumlee being the offensive focal point of next years team, as he is double teamed Amile as well as Ryan Kelly should benefit.
I’m just happy to see Duke getting a quality player and even more so a quality young man.
Coach K expects the commitment of Amile to pay dividends immediately:
“We are ecstatic about Amile joining us,” Krzyzewski said. “He is a perfect young man for Duke University. His educational background at Friends’ Central School prepared him so well for Duke, and his high school coach prepared him well to play at Duke. He is going to be able to help us right away. He is a winner, they won four straight state titles, and he is an easy guy to play with because he will do anything to help his team win.”
Recruits: Andrew Wiggins, Theo Pinson and Tyus Jones
Little tidbit from Five Star Basketball on Andrew Wiggins, Theo Pinson and Tyus Jones, could the all be Duke bound??
More to Offer…
It’s been like Oprahs favorite things in Durham the past week with everyone getting an offer, first Austin Nichols, then Marcus Lee, now K and Company have offered a scholarship to Allerik Freeman, a 6’3 junior guard, and also Ishmail Wainright a 6’5 small forward. With Olympic commitments coming up soon for the staff it makes sense to cast the nets early and often, and follow-up and hopefully land a few commits soon.
Duke Offers a Pair of PFs
This past week Duke has shaken off the residue of recruiting loses and offered a couple of 2013 PF prospects. The latest Marcus Lee is a 6’9 long and lanky player out of Antioch, California the coaching staff recently watched young Lee at the Nike EYBL. According to Clint Jackson, “Coach K loves Marcus Lee’s defense and thinks he’s versatile enough to guard 3s and 4s. The Duke coach thinks he can make immediate impact.”
Lee has a serious motor and passion for the game and defense, he’s a cleaner, and can take shots from opponents and that would be a great addition to a Duke team who has been suspect on defense.
Duke has also offered 6’8 PF Austin Nichols out of Briarcrest High School in Eads, TN. Nichols would be a nice pick-up for Duke. Fundamentally sound and great at triggering the break off of outlet passing, would be great for the offense Duke hopes to run going forward. He can also finish strong, will have to bulk up a bit as is true of most PF’s coming out of high school but has a frame that should be able to take to muscle well.
Great Article on Duke Recruit Jabari Parker
Very informative and interesting article on the Chicago hoops standout.
Great Video by DukeBluePlanet
What more could you ask for, if this video doesn’t give you goosebumps then nothing will.
Gbinije Possibly Gone
Rumors are all over that Michael Gbinije will likely transfer from Duke, the little used G/F was expected to play a much bigger role at Duke next year. No official word has been handed down so now it’s just a waiting game to an official announcement either way. For what it’s worth I have never seen Gbinije with a smile on his face on the bench, not once this past year. Duke loses depth at the SF/Wing spot and possibly the best pure athlete on the team if the rumors are true. As many questions as there were about this team going into next year, this squad will have to completely overachieve in order to be competitive.
But note that no official announcement has been made, and it’s all just internet chatter for the most part but I can’t remember the last time there was a transfer rumor at Duke that didn’t turn out to be true.
Appears that Mason Plumlee will Remain at Duke..
Sources close to Duke have given word to cbs sports that apparently Duke will announce Mason Plumlee will remain at Duke for his senior season.
College Basketball: No.1 and No. 2 Players Exclusive School Announcements on ESPNU Signing Day Special
College Basketball: No.1 and No. 2 Players Exclusive School Announcements on ESPNU Signing Day Special
On Wednesday, April 11, at 7:30 p.m., ESPNU will air its sixth annual college basketball ESPNU Signing Day Special, hosted by Dari Nowkhah. The 90-minute show will include the exclusive announcements of the No.1 and No. 2 ESPNU 100 high school players, in addition to coaching interviews and analysis of the nation’s top classes from ESPN recruiting analyst Paul Biancardi and Dave Telep.
The top prospect in the ESPNU 100, Nerlens Noel, is considering Georgetown, Kentucky and Syracuse, while No. 2 Shabazz Muhammad is deciding between Duke, Kentucky and UCLA. Both will be in the ESPNU studios in Charlotte, N.C. on Wednesday, along with their Jordan Brand Classic teammates. Other Jordan Brand Classic All-American appearances will be highlighted by undecided No. 7 Anthony Bennett and No. 21 Tony Parker, as well as three ESPNU 100 players who have committed to Arizona.
Throughout the show, ESPNU will speak with top NCAA coaches from around the country, including John Calipari of the recently-crowned National Champion Kentucky Wildcats.
ESPN3 will simulcast ESPNU’s Signing Day Special online. ESPN will air the Jordan Brand Classic on Saturday, April 14, at 7 p.m.
