Where is the Duke mystique?
By: Gregory Beaton
Issue date: 10/16/07 Section: Column
Last update: 10/16/07 at 7:11 AM EST
Last update: 10/16/07 at 7:11 AM EST
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Finally, Duke fans have more to look forward to than fried Snickers bars at Wallace Wade Stadium.
Unfortunately, the optimism about the start of the season was muted somewhat when word spread Saturday that Duke's top 2008 recruit, 6-foot-10 center Greg Monroe, had committed to Georgetown after taking in the Hoyas' Midnight Madness festivities.
Monroe choosing Georgetown over Duke this weekend is not exactly a doomsday scenario for Coach K's program, as some have suggested. It is, however, a reason for concern.
The Blue Devils still have eight McDonald's All-Americans on their roster and still have enough talent to compete against (and beat) every team in the ACC this side of North Carolina. Monroe would have been a nice complementary piece to a Duke team that could make a legitimate run at a national championship next year, assuming Kyle Singler and Gerald Henderson don't turn pro. But he still would have been just a freshman, and his reported desire to turn pro quickly would not have meshed well with the vision of Duke's program.
Still, the fact that the third top post recruit in as many years turned down Krzyzewski's offer-without even taking his official visit to Durham-is troubling, especially after a 22-11 season that was Duke's worst in a decade.
This string of recruits who have chosen to take their services elsewhere is concerning for two reasons. First, Duke could use a brawny big man to fill the role that Shelden Williams, Carlos Boozer and Elton Brand played on the program's best teams of the past decade. Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas will have a tough time containing the likes of Tyler Hansbrough and N.C. State's Brandon Costner. Having Patrick Patterson this year or Monroe next year would have made a difference, allowing Zoubek more time to develop and Thomas to shift back to his more comfortable position off the block.
Second, there are image issues that could have effects lasting beyond the next couple of years. There used to be an adage in college basketball that said, "Duke doesn't recruit, it selects." The Blue Devils are still a powerful force on the recruiting trail, but it's not the same it once was.
Viewing Comments 1 - 10 of 15
Erik J. Meadows
posted 10/16/07 @ 10:30 AM EST
Wow, the season hasn't even started yet and you're already packing it in and accepting second place in the league? Last time I checked, Carolina doesn't have Antawn Jamison or Phil Ford on their roster. (Continued…)
Bob E. Knight
posted 10/16/07 @ 11:14 AM EST
Second place in the ACC? I think that's pretty optimistic for a team that is small AND slow.
Whence the Duke mystique? I would suggest that it is lurking in the shadows of the Team USA quest to return to Olympic glory, not to mention coaching glory. (Continued…)
w
posted 10/16/07 @ 11:17 AM EST
ya'll are gonna be hangin' on to your ankles for dear life.
rah rah, carolina-lina!
Mike
posted 10/16/07 @ 12:19 PM EST
Well this article is a bit short sited, which, given the instant gratification of today's society, is not surprising. It is well established that 22-11 is not typical Duke, but lots of teams would love to have that record. (Continued…)
byrdman EE '95
posted 10/16/07 @ 12:49 PM EST
Errr.... Maybe Monroe didn't want 88 professors to despise him because he wasn't part of the race/class/sex junta.
alum06
posted 10/16/07 @ 2:20 PM EST
As an alum, articles like this are why people hate Duke. This perpeuates the idea of Duke students being fair weather fans that know nothing about basketball. (Continued…)
Rookie
posted 10/16/07 @ 3:42 PM EST
Sheer idiocy. How in the heck does the writer know what Wright, Patterson, and Monroe concluded? Fact is he does not have a clue as to what influenced their decisions. (Continued…)
Wags
posted 10/16/07 @ 11:27 PM EST
How old are you? Even if you are a senior at Duke, I've seen more games live in Cameron than you could have watched on TV before college. To swing the death knell on Duke basketball, based on the outcome of one recruit's decision is as irresponsible as it is ignorant. (Continued…)
Tim
posted 10/18/07 @ 2:39 PM EST
As a Duke grad and someone who has followed ACC basketball since the 70's, I think it's obvious that Duke basketball is in a slow decline. The facts are there for all to see: K is getting older, recruits are less personally aware of Duke's past runs, and IMO K hasn't sufficiently adapted his recruiting strategy to compensate. (Continued…)
al
posted 10/19/07 @ 11:51 AM EST
True but this is the stuff that they could kick you out of Hogwarts (Duke) for. They don't respect honest or realistic opinions there.
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