Fall 2012 ACC Basketball Preview

The Chronicle

CAN THE SENIORSCAN THE SENIORSBRING BACK THAT BRING BACK THAT CHAMPIONSHIP CHAMPIONSHIP FEELING?FEELING?

ARE THE FRESHMEN ARE THE FRESHMEN READY FOR THE READY FOR THE

SPOTLIGHT IN SPOTLIGHT IN CAMERON?CAMERON?

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2 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2012 ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW THE CHRONICLE

Editor: Andrew BeatonManaging Editor: Ashley MooneyBlog Editor: Bobby ColtonPhoto Editor: Elysia SuSenior Editors: Chris Cusack and Tom GierynAssociate Editors: Brady Buck, Daniel Carp, Zac Elder, Jackie Klauberg, Vaishnavi Krishnan, Alex Krinsky, Jacob Levitt, Hunt-er Nisonoff, Paul Pisani, Matt Pun, Mike Schreiner, Steven Slywka, Tim VisutipolStaff Writers: Olivia Banks, Max Horowitz, Karl Kingma, Danielle Lazarus, Nick Martin, Lopa Rahman, Josh Rosen, Jay SullivanSpecial thanks to: Chronicle Photo Edi-tor Chris Dall, News Photo Editor Caroline Rodriguez, Recess Photo Editor Sophia Durand, Editor-in-Chief Yeshwanth Kan-dimalla, Managing Editor Lauren Carroll, Associate Photo Editors Jisoo Yoon and Nicole Savage

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#1 DUKE

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#3 UNC

#2 N.C. STATE

#5 FSU

#4 MIAMI

#6 MARYLAND

#8 GEORGIA TECH

#10 WAKE FOREST

#12 BC

#9 CLEMSON

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RANKING THE ACC

Can Quinn Cook step up as Duke’s floor general? PAGE 3

Point guard play

what’sinside

Looking at the Blue Devils weak performance on the defensive end from last year. PAGE 5

D-FENSE

Leaving his HoodPotentially the best player on Duke’s team this year will spend the year on the side-liens. PAGE 4

Meet the fresmenTop recruits join both the men’s and women’s programs. PAGE 8 and PAGE 11

Worth the wait? After redshirting, Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee get their shot. PAGE 9

The seniorsAfter watching a three seniors in 2009-2010, Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee and Ryan Kelly are ready again. PAGE 10

THE CHRONICLE ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2012 | 3

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CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ/THE CHRONICLE

Quinn Cook has been entrusted with the starting point guard role in his sophomore season.

by Bobby ColtonTHE CHRONICLE

Kendall Marshall had almost as many assists per game as the entire Duke basketball team last season. The North Carolina alumnus and current Phoenix Sun doled out 9.8 assists per game while the entirety of the Duke roster managed just 12.4.

The root of the team’s passing de-ficiencies could be improper person-nel. During the past couple seasons, Duke has employed a number of combo guards to run the offense with-out a true floor general. The list of miscast shooting guards is a long one: Jon Scheyer, Nolan Smith, Seth Curry, Austin Rivers—the list goes on.

The combo guard trend has been around for years in Dur-ham, but last season was a new low—the last time the Blue Dev-ils averaged fewer than 12.4 per game was their 10.5 per game mark in the 1981-1982 season. The 2010-11 edition of Duke bas-ketball managed 14.2 assists per contest, and the 2009-10 club tal-

lied 13.7. After last year’s season ended in the NCAA Tournament’s Round of 64, the signs in-dicating a need for change were plentiful.

Enter Quinn Cook, who has been handed the reins as this year’s starting point guard after lim-ited action in his freshman season. The 6-foot-1 sophomore from Washington, D.C. is Duke’s first true point guard in recent memory with the po-tential to match the production of Chris Duhon, who graduated following the 2003-04 season with a championship ring on his finger.

Head coach Mike Krzyzewski could have given the starting job to standout freshman combo guard Rasheed Sulaimon, who possesses potential as both a lockdown defender and deadly shooter, or junior guard and defensive ace Tyler Thornton. Instead he decided that it is Cook’s time to shine under the bright lights of Cameron Indoor Stadium.

“Point-guard play will be critical for confer-ence play,” Krzyzewski said. “Quinn has been really good.”

Cook knows the magnitude of his assignment. “Being the starting point guard, being named that

position, it’s a lot of expectations, and Coach believes

in me,” Cook said. Entering his freshman season, Cook

did not have the opportunity to show-case his skill set in the offseason. He missed the summer trip to China as well as fall practices with a knee injury, which may have made it difficult for him to break into the rotation by affecting the way his coach and teammates saw him as a fit for the team.

“I don’t think [Krzyzewski] believed in me last year,” Cook said. “I feel as though he believes in me this year, and my team-mates believe in me. Just to have those guys’ confidences is definitely different from last year.”

The program’s support of Cook as the starting point guard is not unwarranted,

SEE COOK ON PAGE 15


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LEAVING HIS HOODMEN’S BASKETBALL RODNEY HOOD

ADDISON CORRIHER/THE CHRONICLE

Although Rodney Hood has to sit this year as a transfer, he will spend valuable time adjusting to Duke’s system this season.

by Brady BuckTHE CHRONICLE

Like it does in most years, Duke has a bevy of talent for the 2012-13 campaign, but arguably the best player on its roster will never set foot on the hardwood this season.

Forced to sit out for a year due to NCAA transfer rules, Rodney Hood, a transfer from Mississippi State, will get his chance to shine for the Blue Devils next year. In the interim, he’ll spend this season practicing against quality competition in Rasheed Sulaimon and Alex Murphy as he adjusts to Duke life and readies for the 2013-14 campaign.

“They are both talented players,” Hood said. “Rasheed is a great driver. And Murph, no offense, but I’ve never had to guard a white boy that has been that athletic.”

Starting for Mississippi State as a freshman last season, Hood lived up to his billing as a consensus top-30 recruit in the class

of 2011. The Meridian, Miss. native garnered All-SEC Fresh-man Team honors after averaging 10.3 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game. Those numbers are even more im-pressive when considering that stopping Hood was usually op-posing SEC defenses’ top priority each night.

“He is a terrific player,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “He is a 6-foot-8 guard. We’d love to have him this year.”

After the conclusion of the Bulldogs’ 2011-12 season, Mis-sissippi State head coach Rick Stansbury announced his retire-ment. Stansbury was the point man in recruiting Hood and convinced the swingman to stay home and play for the Bull-dogs instead of Georgetown, Florida State, Alabama and Lou-isville, among others.

“When [Stansbury] left, other guys that I came into the pro-gram with left,” Hood said. “I was starting from scratch, so I wanted to go elsewhere to compete for a national champion-ship.”

In light of Michael Gbinije’s transfer to Syracuse last spring, Duke was left with a shortage of athletic and versatile wing play-ers, so Krzyzewski quickly jumped at the opportunity to bring an impact slasher to Durham. The Blue Devil coaching staff ag-

gressively immersed itself in the race to land Hood. And on July 1, Krzyzewski finally won the services of the lanky left-hander by beating out Florida State, Memphis and Ohio State in one of the most heated transfer-recruitment battles in recent years.

“I picked Mississippi State because it was close to home,” Hood said. “I wanted my family to see me play, and it was a comfortable decision. Things didn’t work out there, so I picked Duke because I wanted do the opposite—I wanted to get out of my comfort zone this time and be pushed by the best coaches in the country.”

For the first time in his life, Hood moved out of his home state, joining a perennial powerhouse in college basketball. In July, Hood enrolled in summer school and began working out with the team. The transition was a bit difficult at first.

“It was tough at first during the summer,” Hood said. “But I needed to grow up anyway and get away.”

Now, however, the soft-spoken southpaw seems to be much more comfortable.

“He was a little quiet at first,” said Murphy, a redshirt fresh-man who plays against Hood everyday in practice. “But I think he has really come around now. He’s part of the family now.”

The change of scenery is not the only adjustment. The vast-ly different mentality and intensity of the Blue Devil program is another factor he has been forced to adapt to.

“It’s a championship-level culture [at Duke],” Hood said. “I have never been on this type of level. Last year we were good, but we weren’t expected to win. Everything is intense.”

Hood has the talent to play at a championship level, with a skill set can be summed up best in one word—smooth. He rare-ly appears to be out of control, and often makes the game look easy both inside and outside. He combines excellent length with springy leaping ability, allowing him to finish in the paint and be a quality defender. Deft midrange and 3-point shooting abilities make him difficult to guard on the perimeter too.

Hood needs all these attributes to keep up at the more rig-orous Duke practices. Playing against Murphy and Sulaimon in practice has raised the level of Hood’s game.

Likewise, the rest of the team has benefited from going against Hood each day in practice.

“Rodney is a tremendous talent,” Sulaimon said. “I’ve learned a lot and I’m going to get better going against him every day in practice. He’s a great scorer and tremendous de-fender, and Duke fans should be very excited about him.”

Squaring off against Hood every day in practice may be more difficult than many of the matchups Duke players will see when facing actual opponents.

“He challenges me, and I challenge him,” Murphy said. “It’s a lot of fun. The best thing about playing against Rodney everyday is I think he is as good of a player as there is in the country.”

Projected by some scouting services to be a first-round NBA draft pick in 2014, Hood will use this redshirt season to get stronger, become a more vocal leader and hone his craft to prepare for his opportunity to help Duke win a national cham-pionship in 2013-14.

“[Sitting out] is going to be frustrating because I’m a com-petitor,” Hood said. “But I have to just prepare for when my time comes.”

“And Murph, no offense, but I’ve never had to guard a white boy

that has been that athletic,” — Rodney Hood on Alex Murphy


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MEN’S BASKETBALL DEFENSE

Fixing the D-by Danny Nolan

THE CHRONICLE

There were a number of reasons why the 2011-12 Duke basketball team struggled to a disappointing finish, and one of them was especially surprising for a team under head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils sported one of the worst defenses in the ACC last season, and also one of the worst by any Krzyzewski-coached squad.

“One of our goals is to be better defensive-ly,” Krzyzewski said. “The history of our pro-gram has been based on sound, good team defense. I don’t think we had that [last year]. I think we beat teams offensively last year. When you don’t have the defense, I think you miss out on a certain toughness and to-getherness that’s only really found by doing things on the defensive end of the court.”

Out of 12 teams in the ACC, Duke al-lowed opponents to shoot the third-best field goal percentage and score the third-most points per game. According to statistics compiled by Ken Pomeroy, the Blue Devils ranked an underwhelming 70th in the na-tion in adjusted defensive efficiency, which measures points allowed per defensive pos-session. The 2011-12 campaign marked the first time since Pomeroy began keeping the statistic in 2003 that Duke ranked outside the top 20. Throughout the previous nine seasons, the Blue Devils’ average rank was ninth. The numbers are hard to stomach, but there is certainly nowhere to go but up.

This year’s team will benefit from the pres-ence of several new players who can serve as

MEN’S BASKETBALL MEET THE REDSHIRTS

Was it worth the wait? by Daniel Carp

THE CHRONICLE

One year after arriving on campus for the first time, Alex Murphy and Marshall Plumlee are finally ready to trade in their redshirts for Duke blue.

Murphy and Plumlee sat out last sea-son to gain a fifth year of NCAA eligibility, and there were times when the Blue Devils missed their pair of redshirt freshmen, es-pecially Murphy. The Blue Devils lacked a true wing player and struggled to defend opponents’ more versatile and athletic for-wards, a role that the 6-foot-8 Murphy ex-pects to fill this season.

“There were a couple of times last year when I wanted to get him off the redshirt thing because we were missing that ele-ment on our team last season,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said.

But after a long season on the bench, Murphy and Plumlee are ready to give their rookie years a second shot—and this time, they’re ready.

“I’m excited and anxious to finally play,” Murphy said. “Now I know that this is it. Now I know that I’m ready to be thrown into the fire. I’m ready to play now. I can’t wait to get things started. I feel really confident coming into this year, and I feel great.”

Murphy planned on redshirting all along after reclassifying from the class of 2012 to the class of 2011 and graduating from high school a year early. Suffering a concussion just before the season was set to begin that forced him to sit out the first few games, Murphy finalized his decision to redshirt just before the team departed for the 2011 Maui Invitational in late Novem-ber. He had played important minutes in

the team’s trip to China and started Duke’s first exhibition game.

Sitting out his first year allowed Murphy to sharpen his skills and adjust to the speed of Di-vision I basketball, but more importantly gave him an additional year under the tutelage of head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“I think it helped me a lot,” Murphy said. “Being here and getting accustomed to the program and practicing against these guys every day last year helped me so much. It was great for me.”

Although Plumlee did not plan on red-shirting when entering college, he wel-comed the chance to learn from Duke’s experienced big men: His older brothers

ELYSIA SU/THE CHRONICLE

Ryan Kelly and the Blue Devils are coming off a season in which they surrendered 68.6 points per game.


Krzyzewski said he was often tempted to un-redshirt Murphy at points last season because of his potential.

SEE DEFENSE ON PAGE 15

SEE REDSHIRTS ON PAGE 15


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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL THE CORE FOUR

Four returning starters set sights on the Final Four


Haley Peters, Elizabeth Williams, Chelsea Gray and Tricia Liston, clockwise from left, combined for 49.3 PPG last year.

by Tom GierynTHE CHRONICLE

Head coach Joanne P. McCallie and her team shared a great deal of disappointment at the team’s heartbreaking loss in the re-gional finals of last year’s NCAA Tourna-ment. But there’s a silver lining as a new season gets underway—nearly all of those disappointed players are back on campus in an effort to make another run at a title.

Duke is the only team from last year’s Elite Eight to return its top five scorers from the previous season, and the top four of those scorers will likely continue to form the core of the starting lineup not just for this season but for 2013-14 as well.

“With all the players that we have back and the variety of people we have, our limits—we don’t have limits,” junior guard Tricia Liston said. “We can pretty much do anything that we put our minds to, and I think that’s just really exciting to have that open door ahead of me for two years.”

The continuity from last season—when guard Chelsea Gray and forwards Haley Peters and Elizabeth Williams started every game and Liston joined the lineup for the second half of the season—will give the talented Duke squad an advantage entering the 2012-13 campaign.

It also helps that each member the quartet brings such different skill sets to the table, both on and off the court.

“We all have a different way of lead-ing and we all have a different way of talking to people, and I think that re-ally helps,” Liston said. “Out of us, you’re bound to find someone that you can talk to and relate to… and actu-ally understand their criticism and their

encouragement.”Williams’ leadership style is the

quietest of the four, but it is hard not to notice her skill set on the court. Despite stress fractures that slowed the genial, laid-back Virgin-ia Beach native at the end of last season and currently have her side-lined, the No. 2 recruit in the class of 2011 still managed to average 14 points and 7.8 rebounds per game, leading the team in both categories.

Liston is similarly soft-spoken but plenty aggressive in finding her long-

range shot. She took nearly twice as many threes as any other player last year, making 57 of her 124 attempts for a remarkable 46-percent clip. In the team’s first exhibi-tion game this season, she led the way with 36 points on 13-of-15 shooting.

Liston’s 12 boards in that game were second only to the 18 rebounds pulled down by Peters, who is in many ways the most noticeable of the group, standing 6-foot-3 and possessing the most in-your-face leadership style.

But in other ways, she blends in, lack-ing a killer attribute like Liston’s 3-point shot, Gray’s slashing ability or Williams’

post game. Peters utilized her versatil-ity, though, to shoot 51 percent from the floor including 44 percent from beyond the arc, averaging 10.8 points and 5.6 re-bounds per game.

She has continued to work on her pe-rimeter game as McCallie has emphasized the importance of multi-positional flex-ibility. Williams said she is continuing to work on her midrange game, and McCallie characterized Liston as a player who fits at every position except center. Gray will con-tinue to see more time off the ball in order to give defenses a different look and allow freshman phenom Alexis Jones to run the point at times.

“I think generally the more that we [work on other positions], the more that we’ll stop caring about position and then whatever five is on the court, it’s just more playing together and position matters less,” Peters said.

Gray’s role will remain constant, though, regardless of what position she plays, because her focused nature makes her a natural floor general.

“Being a leader, getting everybody in-volved first and then eventually looking for my shot,” Gray said.

The 5-foot-11 Californian’s distributing instincts were on full display last year, when she led the ACC by dishing out 6.1 assists per game as Duke’s primary point guard.

But not all is rosy for this group of re-turning talent for McCallie. The head coach emphasized that while her group can score with the best teams in the nation, they will have to focus on improving their defense. And the injury bug that bit the Blue Devils

SEE THE CORE FOUR ON PAGE 14

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Can McCallie make the Final Four?WOMEN’S BASKETBALL POINT-COUNTERPOINT

Battle-tested Blue Devils ready for the leapby Steven Slywka

THE CHRONICLE

The past three years, the Blue Devils’ sea-son has ended just one game short of a trip to the Final Four. But every season there was an excuse. In 2010, then-freshman Brittney Griner led Baylor to an improbable comeback in the closing minutes to send Duke home early. In 2011, after an unfortunate draw, head coach Joanne P. McCallie’s squad ran into Geno Auriemma and then-No. 1 Connecticut one round too early. And in 2012, numerous injuries finally caught up to the Blue Devils as the shorthanded team fell to Stanford.

This year’s team, however, has no more

excuses. With four returning starters, Duke re-turns its entire core, leaving little doubt that this is McCallie’s most talented group ever. The team is battle-hard-ened and should be motivated by three years of heartbreak. With this combination of talent and experience, expect to see the Blue Devils in New Orleans come April playing for their first-ever national champi-onship.

National rankings al-ready consider Duke to be a favorite for the Final Four. The

Blue Devils began the season ranked No. 3 in the AP preseason poll and were picked to win the ACC. The rankings are a testament to the talent McCallie has brought to Durham, in-cluding arguably one of the best inside-outside combinations in the country in point guard Chelsea Gray and center Elizabeth Williams.

One of the keys to any deep postseason run is a talented floor general, and Gray

gives McCallie one of the best in the na-tion. She led the ACC by far with 6.1 assists per game last season as a soph-omore, and enters the new campaign as Duke’s undisputed leader.

Williams provides Gray with a tal-ented option down low, after a fresh-man season in which she averaged 14 points and eight rebounds per game

and was named the consensus National Fresh-man of the Year. She also showed off highlight-reel skills on the defensive end of the floor, for which she was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year.

This deadly combination of inside and out-side play creates matchup nightmares for any opposing defense. These problems are fur-ther magnified by the contributions of Duke’s supporting cast. Juniors Haley Peters and Tri-cia Liston play their roles to perfection. Liston shot 46 percent from behind the arc last sea-son, and her sharpshooting helps spread the floor, opening up passing lanes for Gray and space for Williams down low. The 6-foot-3 Pe-ters uses her mix of size and athleticism to

Duke is too injured to make the necessary late run

by Karl KingmaTHE CHRONICLE

The Blue Devils will not lack talent this season, especially on the offensive end, but talent alone will not suffice. Scoring abil-ity will not mask the myriad injury issues and defensive strug-gles that will ultimately preclude Duke from reaching the Final Four for the first time under head coach Joanne P. McCallie.

Just as they were last year, injuries have to be a primary concern for McCallie. Five of McCallie’s 12 scholarship players —juniors Richa Jackson and Chloe Wells, sophomores Amber Henson and Elizabeth Williams, and freshman Katie Heckman —will miss at least part of the season. Heckman, the team’s sec-ond-tallest player, will miss the entire season after tearing her ACL. Jackson, Wells—who started all ten games at point guard last season before being suspended from school—and former top-10 recruit Henson will all likely miss multiple games, and Henson is living proof that no timetable is ever certain. Com-plications from Henson’s knee surgery last year have length-ened her recovery process.

Most troublingly, McCallie also announced that there is no timetable for the return of Virginia Beach native Williams.

“Elizabeth is a work in progress recovering from her stress fracture,” McCallie said. “[She is] still not in practice yet.”

Williams, considered by many to be the most talented play-er on Duke’s roster, has been plagued by the stress fracture in her leg since last March. An entire summer of rehab has appar-ently not gotten the All-American back to playing condition. Typically, a stress fracture can take four to 12 weeks to heal, but seven months later Williams cannot practice, much less con-tribute in a game. Without the 6-foot-3 sophomore, Duke will suffer on both sides of the ball.

Even for the injury-free Duke players, there is a need for im-provement. Worrisome lapses in defensive consistency could cost the Blue Devils down the road, especially in March’s single-elimination format.

“We have got to be better defensively,” McCallie said. “There’s some shot-contesting issues that have been a problem for us. Rebounding-wise we are not nearly as dominant as we need to be, so there’s a lot of issues of improvement we need to look at as a team.”

The same issues with closing out shooters and rebound-ing that plagued Duke in their loss to the scout team in the blue-white scrimmage could cost them games that matter in the future.

“As a coach, you’re really concerned about defense and re-bounding because I think we have been subpar in those areas,” McCallie said. “When we played the [scout team], that’s why we lost. That game should have been a 20-point win for us.”

The Blue Devils could avoid perennial powerhouse teams like Baylor and Connecticut by securing a high seed in the tournament, but there are still plenty of threats in the field.

Fifth-ranked Maryland will prove a stout conference oppo-nent, and is also the type of team that could knock the Blue Devils out in the Elite Eight. If Duke does not address its de-fensive concerns, expect junior forward and prolific scorer Alyssa Thomas to make the Blue Devils pay. Thomas, an AP preseason All-American, led the ACC in scoring last year with 17.2 points per game.

The list goes on. Skylar Diggins will be a force for Muffet McGraw’s Notre Dame, and Stanford will be looking to reach its sixth-consecutive Final Four behind star forward Chiney

SEE POINT ON PAGE 14

SEE COUNTERPOINT ON PAGE 14

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL MEET THE FRESHMEN

McCallie brings in another top recruiting class

ELYSIA SU AND CAROLINE RODRIGUEZ/THE CHRONICLE

Alexis Jones, ranked the No. 3 recruit in her class, joins Sierra Moore and an injured Katie Heckmann as McCallie’s freshmen this year.

by Jay SullivanTHE CHRONICLE

With nagging injuries sidelining Amber Henson and Elizabeth Williams, head coach Joanne P. McCallie will have to rely on her incoming freshman class to play cru-cial minutes early this season. This year’s new group, the class of 2012, features the guard tandem of Alexis Jones and Sierra Moore along with post player Katie Heckman.

Jones, a native of Irvine, Texas, is ranked No. 3 in her class according to ESPN and second among point guards. Her athleticism, offensive potential and skilled on-ball defense have earned her the first spot off the bench for the Blue Devils.

In Duke’s second exhibition game against Queens, Jones had 22 points and nine assists including several difficult passes in the paint. Jones has remained positive about the promise of the coming season and her improvement over time.

“I’m just getting used to my teammates,” she said. “I feel like the more we practice together, the harder we practice, it helps me get comfortable to where when we play games I get more comfortable and play my game.”

McCallie has played Jones off the bench so far this season to maximize her effort and production on the court.

“I think Alexis is a very talented guard. She’s got great speed and quickness,” McCallie said. “She’s got a savvy about the game and interesting passing ability. She’s got to learn, like all freshmen, about how to go hard on every possession and be consistent with that, so that’s going to be a process going forward.”

Moore, a wing player from Hanover, Pa. also saw extensive minutes during exhibition play. Moore ranks No. 49 in the class of 2012. At 5-foot-11, Moore will be able to guard multiple positions on the court and contribute on the offensive end with solid mid-range shooting.

“Sierra is not really a guard, she’s more of a three-four play-er. But I love her physical game, her body, her strength [and] her ability to rebound,” McCallie said. “She’s not going to be the biggest or tallest person on the floor sometimes but she’s very aggressive to the ball, and I’m hoping she can really help us out in that area.”

After playing in Europe during the summer with Duke,

Moore feels confident in her ability to play a significant role for the Blue Dev-ils.

“We had an advantage over freshman in past years, but it was a bigger transi-tion,” Moore said. “It wasn’t anything I wasn’t expecting and [it gave us] time to get to know the team.”

As her fellow freshmen have focused on improving on the court, Heckman has been forced to find ways to help her teammates while still injured. Heckmann tore her ACL as a junior in high school and required another surgery that took place Thursday.

“Definitely bringing energy, being

loud, cheering on my teammates,” she said. “But also going and seeing if some-one’s not hustling or something, and calling them out on it, because coach has really been stressing that. We have to sustain excellence within our team, so if there’s five of us on the sidelines, we have that many more eyes to see and that many more people that can go up to a teammate and be like, ‘Hey, pull it together.’”

When Heckman’s health improves, her 6-foot-4 frame and intensity on the court can be her greatest contribution to the Blue Devils.

“I’m just going out there trying to do

my best always, working hard, posting up and playing defense,” she said.

Injuries to several upperclassmen have put pressure on this year’s fresh-man class to produce on the court early and often. McCallie has been impressed, however, with their effort and contribu-tions to the team.

“They’re doing great. Freshman can do no wrong in my opinion. They just got to play hard,” McCallie said. “Both Lex and Sierra are so coachable, and they listen. They do everything you ask, and they try hard. All I can say is that I’m thrilled with them and we’ve just got to continue to get the most out of them.”


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by Andrew BeatonTHE CHRONICLE

During the 2010 national cham-pionship season, then-seniors Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek and Jon Scheyer practiced every day against a team including three newbies: a pair of freshmen and a transfer player ineligible to appear in games. Dur-ing their first years at Duke, Ryan Kelly, Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry earned their stripes on the second unit—known as the “blue” team—which matched up against the trio of senior leaders in practice.

“When you’re seniors going against freshmen, you end up beating up on them a little bit,” Scheyer said. “I think they had some growing pains as freshmen. Practices were kind of games for Seth. Ryan and Mason were going against Zoubs and Lance everyday. They certainly grew a lot.”

Thomas, Zoubek and Scheyer were bounced from the NCAA Tourna-ment’s first round as freshmen, only to win it all in their final season. After the Blue Devils lost in the round of 64 again last year, the core of the 2009-2010 blue team has been entrusted with executing what they saw a trio of seniors lead three seasons ago: mak-ing March memorable again.

“The three of us did something unbelievable—won a national cham-pionship,” Kelly said. “Then we had some experience of some disap-pointments. We’ve had some ups and downs, and going through those things together has put us in a posi-tion in our senior year to be leaders.”

Curry, Kelly and Plumlee are the top scorers and minute-getters re-turning from last season, all having averaged double-digit points for the first time in their Duke careers.

But it was not always so easy for the trio—Kelly and Plumlee combined to

play just 20 minutes per game in their first season on campus. The former did not get on the floor in the team’s national championship victory and the latter did not step onto the floor until December after beginning the season injured.

“Mason would be so stubborn with me, but in a good way,” Scheyer said. “That will make him such a good player for the rest of his career.”

Curry was not allowed to play at all following a season in which he played nearly every minute of every game at Liberty University and scored 20.2 points per game.

“We’ve built friendship and camara-derie on the court and off because we’ve been through a lot of hard times—them not playing as much as they wanted to at times and me not playing at all [in 2009-2010,]” Curry said. “Just playing on the blue team—the second team with Ryan and Mason—helped us a lot. I had the luxury of being able to run that blue team a lot.”

Three years later, Curry, Kelly and Plumlee have taken the place of the 2010 seniors as the leaders of the first unit “white” team. Kelly’s current frame would overpower his fresh-man one. Plumlee’s current post re-potoire seemingly expands game by game, and Curry’s experience on the perimeter has grown beyond that of a spot-up shooter.

But as their roles have grown, so have the expectations placed upon them. Curry was a captain last season and the two forwards earned that role this year. And after recording 12 double-doubles last season, Plumlee could have been a first-round pick in the 2012 NBA Draft had he chosen to go that route.

But he had two reasons to come back for his senior season: avenging last year’s finish and playing one more

season with Curry and Kelly.“If you don’t like the people here,

you wouldn’t come back…. Lik-ing the people is one of the biggest things,” Plumlee said. “[But winning] is what you’ll remember.”

And head coach Mike Krzyzewski has made no effort to take the pres-sure off Plumlee, saying that as he goes, so go the Blue Devils.

“I think he is one of the best play-ers in the United States,” Krzyze-wski said. “He having that type of year will be key for us. I’m very anxious to see how that will turn out.”

Curry is setting similarly high goals for himself despite being hampered by a leg in-jury in the preseason. His first priority is winning a second championship, and part of that is being “the best guard in the ACC and the best senior guard in the nation.”

The hope for reaching those expectations rests on what was started three years ago on the blue team and the familiarity that has developed since then. They know each other’s games and say the chemistry they have built in that time is more valuable than any amount of talent.

“I think experience is some-thing you can’t really point to in a box score,” Plumlee said.

There is something else about these seniors that can’t be put in a box score—their camaraderie as they prepare to begin their final seasons at Duke.

“We can help each other get off a little bit. Pause,” Plumlee said amid chuckles from Kelly. “You know what I mean, though. We have an understanding for each other’s games.”

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CENTERSPREAD BY ELYSIA SU


by Tom GierynTHE CHRONICLE

Rasheed Sulaimon has known for years that he wanted to play college bas-ketball for Duke. Amile Jefferson made a last-minute decision to commit to the Blue Devils after head coach Mike Krzyzewski became a late entry into his recruiting process. Sulaimon is a soft-spoken 6-foot-4 Texan with excellent size for a guard. Jefferson is a vocal 6-foot-8 forward from Philadelphia who will

need to continue adding muscle to compete at the collegiate level.

And yet, as the pair of freshmen join the Duke roster this season, it is their similarities that could prove critical to re-orienting a team that disappointed last year.

Both attended prestigious, academically demanding high

schools and excelled in the class-room. Jefferson carried a 3.4 GPA at Friends Central High School in Phila-delphia, and Sulaimon earned Na-tional Honor Society recognition for his 3.6 GPA at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in Houston.

Both drew praise from their high school coaches for being “ground-ed” even as talented young players around the country spend increas-ing amounts of time absorbing their own hype.

“From a high school standpoint for a player [he’s had] all the success you could have,” said Josh Polykoff, who coached Jefferson at Friends Central before accepting an assis-tant coaching position this season at Pennsylvania. “He’s won state cham-pionships, league championships, All-American. He was the big man on campus in high school at Friends

Central. Yet he still is unbelievably grounded, unbelievably humble, just a good kid.”

Wayne Jones, who coached Sulaimon at Strake Jesuit, gave an eerily similar de-scription of his former pupil.

“In today’s culture, the better you are a basketball player, the more standoffish you are, but that’s not what [Sulaimon] is,” Jones said. “We consider him to be an ‘old-school’ individual. He’s ground-ed. He works extremely hard. He’s a ‘yes sir, no sir, yes coach, no coach’ type of individual.”

Those sorts of qualities are needed for a Duke program that struggled last year to find leadership and cohesion. Even though Jefferson and Sulaimon are rookies, they will have an immediate impact in the locker room.

“Sometimes I’ll be outside on the perimeter, or sometimes I’ll be playing down low inside, but one thing I’ll always be doing is playing hard,” Jefferson said. “I think that’s not going to change no matter what coach asks me to do.”

Their skill sets will also prepare them to contribute on the court right away. As Seth Curry has struggled through injuries in the preseason, Sulaimon has stepped up to take his place among the starting five in practice. He stole head-lines in the team’s first preseason game with 18 points in the first half against Western Washington.

One of the smartest players in his class and one of the most prepared to transition to the college game, Sulaimon brings a readiness to contribute on both ends of the floor. Ranked as the No. 12 recruit in the class of 2012 by ESPN, he has the ball skills to penetrate and shoot-ing range out to the 3-point line. And he has the quickness and length to match up with smaller guards or taller forwards on defense.

“[He is] probably the most cerebral basketball player that I’ve ever coached,” Jones said. “Not only will he know where he goes, but he’s going to know where

everyone else goes, and he’s going to know everything that the defense is go-ing to do, and every counter that can be done to that.”

Sulaimon informed Jones after trans-ferring to Strake Jesuit that his ultimate goal was to attend Duke. Sulaimon could not resist Krzyzewski’s offer once the head coach visited Houston.

“A lot of coaches... just tell you what you want to hear. But one thing I really appreciated from him is he told me he liked me as a player but he went straight to the things I could improve on,” Sulai-mon said. “I knew no matter if I’m play-ing great or if I’m playing bad, he’s go-ing to tell me the truth.”

Jefferson ranked just below Sulaimon on many expert lists, typically appearing in the low-20s with his length and feel for the game. He possesses superior ball skills to most forwards but will need to add bulk to play inside and improve his shooting on the perimeter.

“He’s just unbelievably skilled,” Polykoff said. “He’s 6-foot-9, very long and wiry, although I know he’s gained some muscle since he’s been at Duke. He can handle the ball, he can finish at the rim with both hands, he can move his feet. All the stuff you don’t really see from a 6-9 player, he can do.”

Both Sulaimon and Jefferson come from big families—each has five siblings including four sisters—and have been heavily influenced by their parents. Now they will join a different sort of family in Durham, and they are excited to do so.

“I have been working for my whole life for this, and just to have the op-portunity to wear this jersey and to represent so many fans out there across America and to represent the history of Duke basketball and to represent the greatest coach in college basketball, it’s just such a tremendous honor and a blessing,” Sulaimon said.

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WOMEN’S BASKETBALL CHLOE’S COMEBACK

by Nick MartinTHE CHRONICLE

Everyone deserves a second chance. Take for example former Duke basket-ball player Lindsay Harding sat out the entire 2004-2005 season due to a viola-tion of team rules and later became just the second women’s basketball player to have her jersey retired in the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Duke’s Chloe Wells is determined to make the same type of comeback after her suspen-sion from Duke for the 2011-2012 Spring se-mester for a violation of University policy.

Wells, now a junior guard for the Blue Devils, was an important part of Duke’s campaign last year, averaging 10.4 points in just 10 games, putting her in the top five on the team in scoring average. Her suc-cess was cut short by her suspension, which hurt a Blue Devil team that lost a strong de-fender and vocal leader.

But Wells did not take her semester of in-dependence to relax or take a break from the grueling life of a Division I athlete. Wells used her time to work even harder, both as a player and a person.

“I got a job. I started learning how real life works when you get out of college,” Wells said.

But Wells’ time was not just devoted to her job. She knew there would be a spot on the team for her in the fall, and she was determined not to waste any time earning that spot.

“Every day I was in the gym running or do-ing something to stay active,” Wells said.

And her efforts did not go unnoticed by her coach.

“She worked so hard away from us, where we don’t even see her,” head coach Joanne P.

McCallie said.Between her job and the hours spent in

gym, either practicing or working out, Wells made sure not to lose touch with the one group of people that supported her through-out the suspension—her teammates.

“My teammates came over at least once or twice a week. Sometimes we’d watch shows together. They kept me in the loop,” Wells said. “I watched all their games on TV and I came to all their games that were at home. I wrote to them, told them what they were do-ing wrong.”

Being off the team certainly did not mean being out of their lives. This allowed Wells to have the extra motivation to push

harder and finally have the opportunity to be around the people she played and thrived with once more.

There is another side to Wells’ comeback story, one not immediately visible when she steps back into action at Cameron Indoor Sta-dium. This is how Wells changed as a person, not a basketball player. A word to sum it all up—maturation.

“With my time, I reflected a lot, and I realized how I got in that position and how to work not to get back in that position,” Wells said.

But that does not mean those changes were easy.

“She’s matured so much as a person. I’m

so proud of Chloe,” McCallie said. “She’s been through a lot of adversity. She’s come back strong. I think she’s come back a much better person.”

Part of that maturation came from learn-ing what she had to lose.

“I have a whole bunch of privileges that I don’t want to ever forfeit again,” Wells said. “I want to make sure I do the right things, even when nobody’s looking.”

McCallie has recently cited the lack of on-court leadership as an issue, and Wells’ return seems to be coming at just the right time. Al-though she remains sidelined at the moment with a leg injury, McCallie is anxious to have her guard back.

“I’ve really missed coaching her on the floor,” McCallie said. “She’s a vocal kid, she plays very scrappy and that’s been hard, to miss her.”

Now that Wells has matured and improved both as a player and a person, the question remains: What can be expected of her this year? She has yet to return to practice because of the injury, but McCallie maintains her ea-gerness of Wells’ return, as she will certainly look to her to continue last season’s offensive success.

“Whenever she gets back she’ll be playing, she’s a pistol. She’s a competitor and she’ll get her way in. She’ll help us defensively, she’ll help us run the point and push the ball. She can score,” McCallie said. “She’ll be hungry, and I think that’s her greatest asset coming back.”

Wells will be looking to use this season to prove her coach right, as well as make up for lost time with her teammates.

“I’m just ready to give all that I have to them, since I made a mistake that took myself out of the picture,” Wells said.

Wells returns after last year’s suspension


Chloe Wells is back this year after being suspended from the University last Spring.


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attack the basket relentlessly off the dribble and draw double teams away from Williams.

Despite all this talent, the key to a sustained run in March for the Blue Devils will be health. Their season was derailed last year after the team lost Chloe Wells to suspension and Am-ber Henson and Richa Jackson to injuries dur-ing the winter. The injury bug has continued to bite into this season. The team has already

lost freshman center Katie Heckman for the season with a torn ACL. Jackson and Henson are both recovering from their injuries and are not expected to return until December. Most importantly, Williams apparently has not completely recovered from the stress fracture that she suffered in March. There is currently no timetable for Williams’ return.

Fortunately for Duke and its doctors, the season schedule has dealt the team a favorable hand. While the Blue Devils usually have one of the top non-conference schedules in the

country each year, this season’s slate lacks any marquee opponents early on. Before Janu-ary, Duke will only play two teams likely to be ranked, current No. 13 California and No. 22 Georgia Tech. This should give Williams, Jack-son and Henson ample time to rest, so they can hopefully return at full strength when the schedule heats up after year end.

The Blue Devils must get back to full health by January to be able to earn a No. 1 seed in March. A top seed would allow them to avoid the top two teams in the country, Baylor and Connecticut, until the Final Four. Late-season slipups likely cost Duke its shot at a top seed last year, and avoiding these will make for a much easier road to New Orleans in 2013.

The Blue Devils have no reason not to be in New Orleans. They’ve run out of excuses. Overcoming the adversity of early-season inju-ries will play a critical role in Duke’s march to the Final Four, but there is simply too much talent and too much experience on the ros-ter to fall short again this season. It’s time for Duke to take the next step, and you can count on seeing this team in the Final Four.

Ogwumike and a slew of talented perim-eter players. Up-and-coming programs like Georgia, Penn State and Kentucky will also be threats to Duke in the postseason.

The Blue Devils have been highly ranked in preseason polls many times since McCallie’s arrival, but have yet to get past the Elite Eight. Junior Haley Peters, for one, has not forgotten the disappointment of last season’s finish.

“We want to be champions in our con-ference and make it to the Final Four,” Pe-ters said. “That’s obviously everyone’s goal. Not getting [to the Final Four] makes it so you can’t be satisfied. Coming up short leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”

Unfortunately for her and her team-mates, injuries, lackluster defense and a deep, talented field will prevent Duke from turning the tide this year.

last season has returned to pester the team at the beginning of this year, so much so that McCallie refused to make projections about the team’s potential.

“Based on the injuries we’ve had, I just don’t think about that,” McCallie said. “I might have thought about that if we were perfectly healthy right now, but—man, we’ve worked hard...and we’ve got a start-ing five out.”

When pressed, though, she acknowl-edged how special her current group of tal-ent could be if it coalesces.

“If we ever have that crescendo where it all comes together, we will all know it,” she said, pausing. “We will all know it.”

POINT from page 7


Elizabeth Williams and Chelsea Gray have the potential to form one of the nation’s most dangerous inside-outside tandems.

COUNTERPOINT from page 7

THE CORE FOUR from page 6


Haley Peters averaged 10.8 points per game last season while also grabbing 5.6 rebounds.


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though, as he has the skills to back it up. “[I’m] somebody who’s pass-first, who gets other guys

involved, takes the pressure off the defense with his ability to make open shots as well, and just a leader,” the point guard said.

Cook joked about the difference between him and last year’s pair of combo guards who shared the ball-handling duties, Curry and Rivers.

“I don’t have the height like Seth and Austin have, so I was kind of forced to be a point guard all my life,” he said. “For me, just being a point guard all my life, [I’m] able to get everybody the ball.”

What Cook might not realize is his statistical superior-ity to Curry and Rivers as a point guard. On the surface, the sophomore’s 1.9 assists per game last season were un-impressive and another contributor to Duke’s mediocre assist total. When probed further however, Cook is sta-tistically the best facilitator since the days of Duhon and Jason Williams.

Extrapolated over 40 minutes—Cook averaged just

11.7 minutes last season—Cook had 6.5 helpers per game, the highest figure since Duhon’s senior campaign and a figure higher than the one Williams posted in his final season at Duke.

Cook, like Duhon and Williams before him, has the luxury of a coach who knows a thing or two about point guard play, having been one himself and having coached the world’s best passers at the 2012 Olympic Games in London.

“I talked to [Krzyzewski] a lot this summer. One thing he tells me about [Team USA point guards] Chris Paul and Deron Williams is they’re tough. They brought it every day,” Cook said. “To be a leader, to be the point guard, I’ve got to be tough. I have to bring it everyday.”

Cook has the talent, he has the trust of his teammates and his coach, and he has a year of experience and knowl-edge. Now he has to go out when the season tips off Nov. 9 against Georgia State and prove that he can translate his potential into performance.

“That’s one of my goals—just to be where they’re at. I feel like I can do that with the skills... that I have,” Cook said.

true small forwards. Last season, Duke struggled to defend forwards with perimeter abilities. There were a number of games where 6-foot-1 point guard Tyler Thornton was forced to guard small forwards who were sometimes up to seven inches taller. Now, Krzyzewski can turn to 6-foot-8 Alex Mur-phy, 6-foot-8 Amile Jefferson and 6-foot-4 Rasheed Sulaimon.

“We have much more length on our team this year,” Krzyzewski said. “I don’t think we’re a particularly fast team. I’m not saying we’re slow either, but we’re pretty long.”

These three newcomers have the size to provide exactly what Duke needs on the perimeter. Other defensive im-provement could come from consistency between point guards Thornton and Quinn Cook, who will play in a more defined rotation this season.

“Our point guard play, our on-the-ball defense is going to be better,” Krzyzewski said. “If we can limit second shots, keep people out of our paint, and not give up open threes—we want to be an outstanding halfcourt defensive team.”

Of course, the concern not only lies on the perimeter, but also in the interior. Duke’s rebounding will need to im-prove over its subpar performance last season. According to Pomeroy, Duke allowed opponents to rebound 32 percent of their missed shots, ranking 165th in the country.

Given the height advantage Duke has over many teams in with 6-foot-11 Ryan Kelly and 6-foot-10 Mason Plumlee, the Blue Devils should be able to compete at a higher level on the boards. Even in the team’s two exhibition games, against West-ern Washington and Winston-Salem State, opponents grabbed 18 and 19 offensive rebounds, respectively. If Duke wants to compete in the ACC, this is a problem that must be fixed.

In a lot of ways, this Blue Devil team is similar to many other past squads: good shooting, good chemistry and, of course, good coaching. But an essential element that was missing a year ago was good defense, and with more length on the pe-rimeter and experience in the post, Duke has taken a step in the right direction.

Miles and Mason, along with Ryan Kelly and Josh Hairston. Standing at 6-foot-11, the youngest Plumlee called the de-

cision to redshirt a “mutual feeling” between him and the Blue Devil coaching staff.

“I just think it was the timing. We were very confident in my brothers as well as Ryan Kelly playing the post,” Plumlee said. “At my stage in my development, it just seemed best for me to take a year to get better and learn from them.”

Aside from experience, the redshirt season paid large divi-dends physically for both Murphy and Plumlee, who are now prepared to take on bigger and faster competition at the col-lege level. Murphy is in the best shape of his career and put on enough muscle to enter the year at 220 pounds. He expects to make an instant impact as a key member of the Blue Devils’ rotation after starting both exhibition games.

Duke fans will have to wait a little longer to see Plumlee take the court for the first time. He is currently nursing a stress fracture in his left foot and is out indefinitely. Plum-lee also mentioned the strides he made physically during the offseason and noted that having Murphy redshirting with him made the process easier for them both.

“We definitely got closer,” Plumlee said. “Working a whole year by yourself can be hard. It was nice to have someone to work with and against. We really pushed each other to make one another better.”

Now, with the experience of redshirting behind them, Murphy and Plumlee can serve as mentors to Duke’s cur-rent freshmen, Rasheed Sulaimon and Amile Jefferson. Rodney Hood—the Mississippi State transfer who will have to sit out the season per NCAA rules—will go through a similar experience this year of improving in practice and in the weight room while waiting for the chance to play.

Although staying off the court for an entire year may have been the most difficult thing they have ever done, this year Murphy and Plumlee are out to prove that in the end it was all worth the wait.

“There were definitely days in practice or games that I watched when I thought I could have been out there help-ing,” Murphy said. “But I think that at the end of the day, looking where I’m at now to start the season, I’m definitely reassured that redshirting was the right decision for me.”

DEFENSE from page 5

REDSHIRTS from page 3 COOK from page 3

“There were defi nitely days in practice or

games that I watched when I thought I

could have been out there helping, ” — Alex Murphy on redshirting


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N.C. STATE#1

SFPF

SGPG

C

Scott Wood Led the ACC with 95 3-pointers last yearC.J. Leslie Finished strong last season, dominating ACC playRichard Howell Can he stay out of foul trouble?Rodney Purvis Best freshman in the conference?Lorenzo Brown Led the ACC in steals, 2nd in assists

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Tyler Lewis will get key minutes in the backcourt

LAST YEAROVERALL: 24-13ACC: 9-7

THE COACHMARK GOTTFRIED

2ND YEAR AT NCSTCAREER: 302-167THE HOME COURTRBC CENTER

WOLFPACK

by Brady BuckTHE CHRONICLE

After an impressive late-season run last year, the Wolfpack are expected to challenge Triangle rivals Duke and North Carolina for the ACC crown, as well as contend for a na-tional title. On paper, N.C. State is arguably the best team in the ACC, with a wealth of talent highlighted by returning starters C.J. Leslie and Lorenzo Brown, who were both preseason first-team All-ACC selections. The two veterans will get plenty of help from the conference’s best crop of freshman—com-bo guard Rodney Purvis, small forward T.J. Warren and point guard Tyler Lewis.

Leslie will be the go-to guy offensively. Widely considered the most athletic player

in the ACC, the 6-foot-9 hybrid forward was a monster down the stretch last season, av-eraging 14.7 points and 7.3 rebounds per game on the year. A heady floor general with above-average athleticism, Brown was disciplined and effective last season, tally-ing 12.7 points and 6.3 assists per game. Senior forward Scott Wood is the team’s best shooter, shooting nearly 41 percent from 3-point range in 2011-12. After av-eraging 10.8 points and 9.2 rebounds last season, bruising 6-foot-8 big man Richard Howell gives the team another tough in-side presence.

The newcomers will add scoring produc-tion of their own from the outset. Purvis, a dynamic 6-foot-3 slasher, will be difficult

for any defender to stay in front of. Warren at 6-foot-8 has great size and versatility with the ability to consis-tently connect from long-range. Backing up Brown, Lewis should be a reliable facilitator off the bench.One thing that needs to go right:

Leslie consistently brings it every night, plays to his talent level and establishes himself as a leader.One thing that could go wrong:

Whether or not Purvis buys into the team concept and jives with the rest of the squad could ultimately be the difference between a Final Four run and a first-weekend NCAA Tour-nament flameout for the Wolfpack.

NORTH CAROLINA#3

SFPF

SGPG

C

Dexter Strickland Lockdown defenderJames Michael McAdoo Best scorerJoel James Burly freshman bruiserReggie Bullock Sharp shooterMarcus Paige Natural passer

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Leslie McDonald returns from ACL tear


THE COACHROY WILLIAMS

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North Carolina

by Karl KingmaTHE CHRONICLE

Despite having four starters selected in the first round of the 2012 NBA Draft, North Carolina will count on a talented but unproven roster to try and repeat last season’s Elite Eight run. Reggie Bullock, a gifted scorer who shot 38.2 percent from beyond the arc, is the Tar Heels’ lone returning starter. Williams will have another excellent long-range option in Leslie McDonald, who missed last season with a torn ACL after leading North Carolina in 3-point shooting two years ago.

Down low, sophomore James Michael McAdoo passed up a chance to turn pro after his freshman season, and has the talent to dramatically increase his pro-duction from last year’s 6.1 points and 3.9 boards per game. Desmond Hubert, a 6-foot-9 sophomore who played fewer than five minutes per game last year, may also earn a chance to assume a larg-er role.

Incoming phenom point guard Marcus Paige will offer healthy competition for in-cumbent Dexter Strickland, who averaged 7.5 points per game before suffering an ACL injury of his own Jan. 19. The fresh-man Paige boasts excellent range and ball handling ability, and his skills give him a legitimate shot to start as a true freshman. Sophomore and Greensboro native P.J. Hairston, an excellent free-throw shooter with a capacity for streaky scoring, should only add to the backcourt depth.

North Carolina has also ushers in a bevy of new frontcourt talent. Four-star power for-wards Brice Johnson and Joel James add size,

strength and power to Williams’ roster, and high-flying wing J.P. Tokoto’s explosive ath-leticism makes for many highlight-reel plays.

The loss of four NBA first-round picks will undoubtedly set the Tar Heels back, but Williams’ squad has plenty of talent if young players and veterans returning from injury can perform up to their potential.One thing that needs to go right:

After turning down the chance to play professionally, James Michael McAdoo makes a noteworthy impact for the Tar Heels this season. One thing that could go wrong:

North Carolina’s unproven leadership, becomes problematic in big games down the road.

SFPF

Dexter Strickland Lockdown defenderJames Michael McAdoo Best scorer

THE PLAYERS


THE COACHROY WILLIAMS

10TH YEAR AT UNCCAREER: 675-169THE HOME COURTDEAN E. SMITH CENTER

North Carolina


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by Daniel CarpTHE CHRONICLE

Returning four of its five starters from last year, many think the Hurricanes could be one of the ACC’s dark horses this season. The cen-terpiece to Miami’s offense is the frontcourt, featuring seniors Reggie Johnson and Kenny Kadji. Standing at 6-foot-10 and 292 pounds, Johnson has the potential to be one of the most dominant big men in the ACC this year after spending part of his junior season recov-ering from surgery on his right knee. Johnson led the Hurricanes to a stunning 78-74 over-time victory against Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium last season, showing his potential with with 27 points and 12 rebounds.

But Miami’s X-factor will undoubtedly be forward Kenny Kadji, who averaged 11.7 points per game and was the team’s most accurate 3-point shooter in his first season with the Hurricanes after transferring from Florida. With an imposing 6-foot-11 frame, Kadji poses a matchup problem and can score from anywhere on the floor. After losing more than 20 pounds this offseason, the senior from Douala, Cameroon has the potential for a breakout season and could be one of the ACC’s budding stars.

In the backcourt, Durand Scott will miss Miami’s first three games of the year after being suspended by the NCAA for receiving impermissible benefits. When Scott returns

to the Hurricanes’ lineup, the team’s leading scorer in 2011 should make an instant impact. Scott’s teammates have raved about the senior shooting guard’s improvement during the off-season, and if he can make an impact Miami will have a legitimate inside-outside threat with Scott, Johnson and Kadji. Junior small forward Rion Brown, who is the only new addition to the Hurricanes’ starting five this season, has a soft touch from outside and could be a threat from 3-point range as well.One thing that needs to go right:

As evidenced by its 5-4 record last season with Johnson sidelined, Miami has to stay healthy to compete in the ACC this year.One thing that could go wrong:

Struggles at the free-throw line could doom the Hurricanes in late in games—Miami shot just 12-of-21 from the charity stripe in a two-point exhibition loss to Divi-sion II Saint Leo last Friday.

SFPF

SGPG

C

Rion Brown Sharpshooter at 6-foot-6Kenny Kadji Dual inside-outside threatReggie Johnson BIG in every senseDurand Scott Leading scorer last yearShane Larkin Nifty floor general

THE PLAYERS

BENCH G Trey McKinney Jones, F Julian Gamble


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FSU#5

by Lopa RahmanTHE CHRONICLE

Defending ACC tournament champion Florida State is ranked No. 25 to start the year, the only ranked squad in the conference outside of the Triangle. The Seminoles will look different this season from the team that defeated Duke in last year’s ACC tournament, as six seniors depart, including three starters and team leaders such as point guard Luke Loucks and 26-year-old, 6-foot-11 Air Force veteran Bernard James.

Hamilton will look to tough senior guard Michael Snaer, a preseason All-ACC pick and the lone return-ing starter on the squad, for leadership and clutch play after he averaged 14.0 points per game last season, shot 40 percent from beyond the arc and played lockdown defense on the perimeter. They will also rely on junior Okaro White to utilize his length and athleticism to improve on his 7.7 point per game output last season. The forward led the team in its first outing—an exhibi-tion game against Lincoln Memorial—with 19 points.

An additional returning player expected to make waves this season is junior guard Ian Miller, who aver-aged 10.3 points per game in his sophomore season and projects to improve as a shooter.

Two freshmen projected to make an impact early on are Boris Bojanovsky and Aaron Thomas. Bojanovsky—the tallest player in school history at 7-foot-3—is a cen-ter who should provide a strong presence in the paint. Thomas, a shooting guard, scored 12 points against Lincoln Memorial and should receive minutes in the backcourt from the get-go. Although the Seminoles are certainly not devoid of talent, they have their work cut out for them against the perennial ACC powerhouses.One thing that needs to go right:

Ranked fifth in the country in field-goal percent-age defense in 2011-12, Florida State continues to play stifling defense this season to build on last year’s suc-cess.One thing that could go wrong:

The losses of Deividas Dulkys, James and Luke Loucks cripple the Seminoles on offense.

SFPF

SGPG

C

Terry Whisnant Stepping into a much bigger role this yearOkaro White Has all the physical tools to become a starKiel Turpin 7-foot JuCo transfer has big shoes to fillMichael Snaer Top guard in the ACC?Ian Miller Needs to be more consistent shooting

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Tallest player in FSU history joins the roster


THE COACHLEONARD HAMILTON

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MARYLAND#7

by Josh RosenTHE CHRONICLE

Turgeon struggled last year in his first sea-son at Maryland with just nine scholarship players. The team lacked not only talent but also experience, often relying on freshmen to play critical minutes for an energetic but turnover-prone squad.

Help is on the way for the Terrapins, though, as talented transfer Dezmine Wells was recently granted permission to play this season after having been expelled from Xavier due to a sexual assault charge which was later thrown out by a grand jury. Wells and a pair of incoming freshmen—center Shaquille Cleare and sharpshooter Jake Layman—will bolster a Maryland ros-

ter that lost star point guard Terrell Stoglin and swingman Mychal Parker to season-long suspensions.

If the Terrapins were to reach their potential, though, they will need their returning players to step up in a big way. Look for junior guard Pe’Shon Howard, who averaged 6.5 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.7 assists last season, to play a ma-jor role. The athletic guard was a major force on the defensive end for Maryland last season, though his season was cut short due to an ACL tear in his right knee.

In addition to the play of Howard, Maryland’s success will rest heavily on last year’s ACC All-Freshman team selec-

tion Nick Faust, and 7-foot-1 sophomore center Alex Len, who last year posted the ninth-highest block total in the ACC despite playing just 22 games due to NCAA infractions.One thing that needs to go right:

Howard returns to his pre-injury form and sev-eral other players step into larger roles to replace Ter-rell Stoglin’s 20 points per game from last year. One thing that could go wrong:

Maryland ranked 317th in the nation in assists last year with just 10.6 per game, and the Terrapins were also poor at taking care of the ball. The loss of point guard Stoglin only worsens these issues.

SFPF

SGPG

C

Dezmine Wells Key transfer and focal point on offenseJames Padgett Physical senior and tough on the boardsAlex Len 7-foot-1 athlete with the potential for stardomNick Faust Leading returning scorer with 8.9 PPGPe’Shon Howard Will be asked to score more this year

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Top recruits Shaquille Cleare and Charles Mitchell


THE COACHMARK TURGEON

2ND YEAR AT MARYLAND

CAREER: 267-174THE HOME COURTCOMCAST CENTER

MARYLAND

SFPF

SGPG

C

Justin Anderson Freshman scorerAkil Mitchell Improved with experienceMike Tobey Tall freshman bodyJoe Harris Sharpshooter, best scorerJontel Evans Elite defender in the ACC

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Evan Nolte has size and touch

LAST YEAR Read Steven Slywka’sOVERALL: 22-10 full preview ACC: 9-7 online

#7 Virginia

SFPF

SGPG

C

K.J. McDaniels Has the body at 6-foot-6Milton Jennings Must improve shotDevin Booker Best scorer on the teamT.J. Sapp Sophomore steps into big roleRod Hall Another unproven second year

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Top recruit Jaron Blossomgame

LAST YEAR Read Olivia Banks’OVERALL: 16-15 full preview ACC: 8-8 online

#9 Clemson

SFPF

SGPG

C

Jarell Eddie Athletic 6-foot-7 swingmanC.J. Barksdale Must earn his minutesCadarian Raines Senior post presenceRobert Brown Soph. earns bigger roleErick Green 15.8 PPG, 2.8 APG last year

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Lack of depth could be killer

LAST YEAR Read Jay Sullivan’sOVERALL: 16-17 full preview ACC: 4-12 online

#11 Virginia Tech

SFPF

SGPG

C

Jason Morris Must improve offensivelyKammeon Hosley 59% FG last yearDaniel Miller Space filler at 6-foot-11Brandon Reed Needs to hone his shotMfon Udofia Needs to limit turnovers

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Julian Royal, freshmen wait their turn

LAST YEAR Read Nick Martin’s OVERALL: 11-20 full preview ACC: 4-12 online

#8 Georgia Tech

SFPF

SGPG

C

Arnaud Adala Moto One of 7 freshmenTravis McKie 16.1 PPG, 7.0 RPGTyler Cavanaugh Another first yearC.J. Harris 16.7 PPG, key to the offenseCodi Miller-McIntyre Top freshman

THE PLAYERS

BENCH Dominated by freshman class

LAST YEAR Read Matt Pun’sOVERALL: 13-18 full preview

ACC: 4-12 online

#10 Wake Forest

SFPF

SGPG

C

Patrick Heckmann Not afraid to shootRyan Anderson 11.2 PPG last yearDennis Clifford 7-foot post presenceLonnie Jackson 39.6 FG% last yearJordan Daniels Soph. floor general

THE PLAYERS

BENCH What bench? Eagles lack depth

LAST YEAR Read Lopa Rahman’sOVERALL: 9-22 full preview ACC: 4-12 online

#12 Boston College#12 Boston College


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DUKE vs KENTUCKYATLANTA, GA. • NOVEMBER 13 GEORGIA DOME

DUKE vs OHIO STATEDURHAM, NC. • NOVEMBER 28 CAMERON INDOOR STADIUM

by Jackie KlaubergTHE CHRONICLE

Head Coach: John Calipari2011-2012 Record: 38-2

With one of the top recruiting classes in the nation, Kentucky, the 2012 NCAA na-tional champions, is out to prove again that teams can rebuild year after year around players likely to be one-and-done. The Wild-cats were ranked No. 3 in both the AP poll and the USA Today Coaches Poll entering the 2012-2013 season. Nine of the team’s 13 players are either sophomores or freshmen, but do not be fooled by the team’s youth.

Standout 6-foot-10 freshman and the No. 1 recruit in the 2012 class accord-ing to ESPN, Nerlens Noel, scored 15 points in his first exhibition contest as a Wildcat. Noel, a forward from Ever-ett, Mass., is hard to miss on the floor. Not only does his flattop give him a few extra inches, putting him well over seven feet, but his athleticism, jumping ability and sheer length make him a daunting presence for op-ponents. Noel not only has outstand-ing shot-blocking ability, but is also praised for his coachability.

Other notable classmates of Noel’s in-clude two other consensus top-10 recruits, 6-foot-4 guard Archie Goodwin and 6-foot-7 wing Alex Poythress, who was the subject of some controversy in Durham during his recruitment when Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski made a potentially illegal phone call to the Tennessee native.

Willie Cauley-Stein, a 7-foot forward

ranked inside the top 40, rounds out yet an-other standout recruiting class for Calipari. The lone returner from last year’s crop of freshmen—6-foot-10 Kyle Wiltjer, who shot 43 percent from beyond the arc—will add a dangerous presence inside and out for Kentucky. Sophomore Ryan Harrow, a slick 6-foot-2 point guard, will be eligible to take the reins of the offense this season after transferring from N.C. State.

Talent will not be an issue for the latest version of Calipari’s constantly changing roster, but depth might be. Calipari is used to having at least a couple of veteran play-ers to join his usual crop of elite freshmen,

but this year, sophomore Wiltjer is his only returning contributor.One thing that needs to go right:

All the young guns develop from a talented group of individu-

als into a cohesive team. Calipari has a knack for reconstructing Wildcat teams each year despite building them around outstanding fresh-men simply stopping through on their way to the NBA.One thing that could go wrong:

The recruiting class proves not to be talented enough to overcome the

lack of veteran experience. Calipari’s class of 2012 is

not as stacked as some of his past classes, so there is not as much room for error.

by Vaishnavi KrishnanTHE CHRONICLE

Head Coach: Thad Matta2011-2012 Record: 31-8

Outlook: With the early departure of Jared Sullinger and the loss of starter Wil-liam Buford, preseason No. 4 Ohio State has to make up for the loss in point pro-duction. Ohio State was also spectacular on defense and on the offensive glass, and Sullinger’s departure will have con-sequences on both of those aspects as well.

Most of the pressure to fill that void will fall on 6-foot-7 combo forward De-shaun Thomas. Thomas is the lead-ing returning scorer from last sea-son at 15.1 points per game, and he showed flashes last season suggesting he is capable of taking over Sullinger’s role in the post and as a defensive re-bounder.

Thomas will get his assists from fellow junior Aaron Craft, one of the smartest point guards and best on-ball defend-ers in the nation. Beyond Craft and Thomas, Matta will count on a sophomore class that was one of the top recruiting classes in 2011. Sophomore Shannon Scott will serve as Craft’s backup at the point, providing speed and a strong defensive game but needing improvement over his 28 percent shoot-

ing performance last season. The start-ing frontcourt will feature two of Scott’s classmates—6-foot-10 center Amir Wil-liams, who visited Duke during his re-cruitment, and 6-foot-8 LaQuinton Ross, who will need to work on his defense but has a smooth outside stroke. The final member of that recruiting class, Sam Thompson, saw minutes in all 39 games last year and will look to contribute off the bench. Known for his athleticism and length, he can earn big minutes if he lives up to his rebounding ability.

The sole freshman addition for Matta will be shooting guard Amedeo Della Valle, who took a circuitous route from the Ital-ian U-18 national team through a year at an Ohio high school to the Buckeyes. He was recruited for his ability to hit the three

and his 6-foot-5 frame. If Della Valle can help manufacture

points for the Buckeyes, that will take some of the pressure off the Ohio State veterans.

One thing that needs to go right:

The talented sophomore class steps into larger roles, giving the

Buckeyes enough offensive fire-power to support their strong defense.

One thing that could go wrong: With just one senior, this year’s Ohio State team is young, and the variety of young players counted on

in key roles fail to live up to expectations.

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Thomas willget his assists from fellow junior Aaron Craft, one of thesmartest point guards and best on-ball defend-ers in the nation. BeyondCraft and Thomas, Matta will count on a sophomore class that was one of the top recruiting classes in 2011.Sophomore Shannon Scott will serve as Craft’s backup at the point, providing speed and a strong defensive game but needing improvement over his 28 percent shoot-

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Documents

Fall 2012 ACC Basketball Preview