2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team

The 2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team represented Duke University in the 2008–09 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The team's head coach was Mike Krzyzewski, who served for his 29th year. The team played its home games in Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. The Blue Devils captured the ACC Championship by defeating Florida State in the championship game in Atlanta.[1]

2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball
ACC Tournament champions
Coaches vs. Cancer Classic champions
NCAA tournament, Sweet Sixteen
ConferenceAtlantic Coast Conference
Ranking
CoachesNo. 11
APNo. 6
Record30–7 (11–5 ACC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaCameron Indoor Stadium
Seasons
2008–09 ACC men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 2 North Carolina 13 3   .813 34 4   .895
No. 6 Duke 11 5   .688 30 7   .811
No. 12 Wake Forest 11 5   .688 24 7   .774
No. 16 Florida State 10 6   .625 25 10   .714
No. 24 Clemson 9 7   .563 23 9   .719
Boston College 9 7   .563 22 12   .647
Maryland 7 9   .438 21 14   .600
Virginia Tech 7 9   .438 19 15   .559
Miami (FL) 7 9   .438 19 13   .594
NC State 6 10   .375 16 14   .533
Virginia 4 12   .250 10 18   .357
Georgia Tech 2 14   .125 12 19   .387
2009 ACC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

Pre-season

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The 2007–08 Duke Blue Devils finished the season 28–6 (13–3), placed second in the ACC regular season standings, and lost in the second round of the NCAA tournament. Earlier in the season, the squad reached as high as #2 in the Coaches' Poll with only one loss. Some late season losses caused them to finish the regular season ranked #9 in the country and #2 in the Atlantic Coast Conference.[2] Duke then lost in the semifinals in the ACC tournament to the Clemson Tigers.[3] Duke was given a #2 seed in the NCAA tournament. After narrowly defeating #15 Belmont, Duke lost 73–67 to the #7 West Virginia Mountaineers.[4]

Recruiting

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US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Olek Czyz
PF
Reno, Nevada Reno 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (110 kg) Sep 26, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 92
Miles Plumlee
PF
Warsaw, Indiana Christ School (NC) 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) May 1, 2008 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 96
Elliot Williams
SG
Memphis, Tennessee St. George's 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Nov 1, 2007 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout:    Rivals:    247SportsN/A    ESPN grade: 96
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 13   Rivals: 27  ESPN: 23
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Duke Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  • "2008 Duke Basketball Commits". Scout.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  • "ESPN". ESPN.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.
  • "2008 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved December 9, 2008.

On September 26, 2007, forward Olek Czyz committed to Duke University. Czyz is a 6–7 Poland native who has spent the last three years in Reno, Nevada. Both Scout and Rivals.com listed him as the 27th best power forward in the nation. However, Scout.com had him 80th overall, while Rivals.com had him back at 102nd. As a junior at Reno High School, Czyz averaged 18.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, leading Reno to a 24–6 record. In his sophomore year, Olek had a ten-point and six rebound average, while leading his team to a state championship.[5] Other schools to make offers to Czyz were Arizona State, Colorado State, Florida, Kentucky, Louisville, Nevada, Pepperdine, and Washington State.[6]

On the first day of November, the Blue Devils received a commitment from Elliot Williams. The 6–4 shooting guard from Memphis, Tennessee was listed as the number 3 shooting guard in the country by Rivals.com, while Scout.com had him as the number 4 shooting guard and the number 14 overall prospect in the country. Williams spent high school at St. George's where he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds, and six assists per game. In his junior year, Elliot averaged 22 points and six rebounds per contest, while leading his team to a state championship.[5] Williams turned down offers from Clemson, Memphis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Virginia.[7]

Power forward Miles Plumlee, a 6–10 native of Warsaw, Indiana, who attended high school in Arden, North Carolina, committed to the Blue Devils on May 1, 2008. Miles, who is the older brother of 2009 commitment Mason Plumlee, had signed a letter of intent to Stanford University, but after head coach Trent Johnson took the coaching job at Louisiana State, Plumlee requested and was granted a release. Plumlee is rated as the 17th best power forward of the 2008 recruiting class by Scouts.com, while Rivals has him ranked 29th at forward and 101st overall.[8]

Offseason changes

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The only senior Duke lost from their 2007–08 squad was DeMarcus Nelson who graduated. Nelson was projected to go somewhere in the late second round in the 2008 NBA draft,[9] but instead went undrafted.[10] On September 9, 2008, Nelson was signed by the Golden State Warriors.[11]

Joe Alleva, the Duke Athletics Director, interviewed for the athletics director job at Louisiana State on April 1, and was offered for the position on April 3. After 10 years as Duke's athletics director, Alleva took the job and is scheduled to start on July 1.[12] At Duke a twelve-person committee, assembled by Duke President, Richard H. Brodhead, searched for a new athletics director. Joe Alleva said in an interview that he would do anything to help in the search.[13] On May 30, Brodhead announced that the Duke had hired former Notre Dame athletics director Kevin White.[14] Coach Mike Krzyzewski said the White "is one of the most respected people in intercollegiate athletics" and brings " wealth of experience and is someone who people admire".[15]

Duke forward Taylor King decided to transfer to Villanova University in April 2008.[16] As a freshman at Duke, King played in all 34 games, averaging 5.9 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. He had 43 three-pointers that season, putting him eighth all-time against Duke freshmen. When announcing his transfer, King told reporters "Nothing against Duke, but it's time for a change. I needed to explore other places. Villanova is a true family atmosphere where everyone's got each other's back." Per NCAA regulations, King will have to sit out a season.[17]

On April 26, associate head coach Johnny Dawkins announced that he would be leaving the Blue Devils, to take over the head coaching spot at Stanford. Dawkins was a member of the 1986 Duke team that lost in the finals to Louisville. After nine seasons in the NBA, Dawkins was hired as an assistant coach during the 1998–99 season. Two years later he was promoted to associate head coach, a job he's held for nine years.[18]

It was announced on May 5, that Nate James would replace Johnny Dawkins as an assistant coach. James was a captain on the 2000-01 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team that won a national championship. After turning pro, James played in the Philippines, France, Hungary, Japan and the Netherlands. In 2004, James participated in the training camp of the Philadelphia 76ers, but did not make it onto the team. During the winter of 2007–2008, he was hired to oversee operations at the Duke's new practice facility.[19]

Roster

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Smith (2), McClure (14), Zoubek (55), and Pocius (5) set up an offensive set vs. Michigan at the 2k Sports Classic Final (2008-11-21)
 
Zoubek (55) grabs a rebound at Michigan (2008-12-06)
2008–09 Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
F 13 Olek Czyz 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Fr Reno Reno, NV
G 41 Jordan Davidson 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Sr Blair Academy Melbourne, AR
G 15 Gerald Henderson Jr. 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr Episcopal Academy Merion, PA
F 51 Steve Johnson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Cheyenne Mountain Colorado Springs, CO
F 14 David McClure 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr Trinity Catholic Ridgefield, CT
G 3 Greg Paulus 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Sr Christian Brothers Syracuse, NY
F 21 Miles Plumlee 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Fr Christ School Warsaw, IN
G/F 5 Martynas Pocius 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr Holderness School Vilnius, Lithuania
G 30 Jon Scheyer 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Glenbrook North Northbrook, IL
F 12 Kyle Singler 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) So South Medford Medford, OR
F 2 Nolan Smith 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 180 lb (82 kg) So Oak Hill Academy (VA) Upper Marlboro, MD
F 42 Lance Thomas 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr St. Benedict's Prep Scotch Plains, NJ
G 20 Elliot Williams 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr St. George's Memphis, TN
C 55 Brian Zoubek 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 260 lb (118 kg) Jr Haddonfield Memorial Haddonfield, NJ
Head coach

Mike Krzyzewski

Assistant coach(es)

Chris Collins
Steve Wojciechowski
Nate James


Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Rankings

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Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
Week
PollPre
Oct 31[20]
1
Nov 17[21]
2
Nov 24[22]
3
Dec 1[23]
4
Dec 8[24]
5
Dec 15[25]
6
Dec 22[26]
7
Dec 29[27]
8
Jan 5[28]
9
Jan 12[29]
10
Jan 19[30]
11
Jan 26[31]
12
Feb 2[32]
13
Feb 9[33]
14
Feb 16[34]
15
Feb 23[35]
16
Mar 2[36]
17
Mar 9[37]
18Final
AP81074765523214697796N/A
Coaches555476552221359778511

Schedule

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Date
time, TV
Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
city, state
Sat, Oct 18*
1:00 p.m.
Blue/White
Scrimmage
Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
Exhibition
Sat, Oct 25*
1:00 p.m.
Virginia Union W 114–50 
Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
Wed, Nov 05*
7:00 p.m.
Lenoir-Rhyne W 95–42 
Cameron Indoor Stadium 
Durham, NC
Regular Season
Mon, Nov 10*
7:00 p.m., ESPNU
No. 8 Presbyterian
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
W 80–49  1–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Tue, Nov 11*
9:05 p.m., ESPNU
No. 8 Georgia Southern
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
W 97–54  2–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Nov 16*
4:30 p.m., ESPNU
No. 8 Rhode Island W 82–79  3–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Thu, Nov 20*
7:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 10 vs. Southern Illinois
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
W 83–58  4–0
Madison Square Garden (9,440)
New York, NY
Fri, Nov 21*
7:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 10 vs. Michigan
Coaches Vs. Cancer Classic
W 71–56  5–0
Madison Square Garden (12,543)
New York, NY
Sun, Nov 23*
1:00 p.m., FSNS/NESN
No. 10 Montana W 78–58  6–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Fri, Nov 28*
3:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 Duquesne W 95–72  7–0
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Tue, Dec 02*
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 at No. 9 Purdue
ACC – Big Ten Challenge
W 76–60  8–0
Mackey Arena (14,123)
West Lafayette, IN
Sat, Dec 06*
3:30 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 at Michigan L 73–81  8–1
Crisler Arena (13,751)
Ann Arbor, MI
Wed, Dec 17*
7:30 p.m., ESPN2
No. 6 UNC Asheville W 99–56  9–1
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Dec 20*
2:00 p.m., CBS
No. 6 vs. No. 7 Xavier W 82–64  10–1
Izod Center (14,818)
East Rutherford, NJ
Wed, Dec 31*
4:00 p.m., ESPN2
No. 5 Loyola, Md W 92–51  11–1
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Jan 04
7:45 p.m., FSN
No. 5 Virginia Tech W 69–44  12–1
(1–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 07*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Davidson W 79–67  13–1
(1–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Jan 10
2:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 at Florida State W 66–58  14–1
(2–0)
Donald L. Tucker Center (12,100)
Tallahassee, FL
Wed, Jan 14
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 3 at Georgia Tech W 70–56  15–1
(3–0)
Alexander Memorial Coliseum (9,035)
Atlanta, GA
Sat, Jan 17*
1:30 p.m., CBS
No. 3 No. 13 Georgetown W 76–67  16–1
(3–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Tue, Jan 20
8:00 p.m., ESPN2/Raycom
No. 2 NC State W 73–56  17–1
(4–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sat, Jan 24
12:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 2 Maryland
Duke–Maryland rivalry
W 85–44  18–1
(5–0)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Jan 28
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 1 at No. 6 Wake Forest L 68–70  18–2
(5–1)
LJVM Coliseum (14,665)
Winston-Salem, NC
Sun, Feb 1
2:00 p.m., FSN/ESPN3
No. 1 Virginia W 79–54  19–2
(6–1)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Feb 4
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 4 at No. 10 Clemson L 47–74  19–3
(6–2)
Littlejohn Coliseum (10,000)
Clemson, SC
Sat, Feb 07
1:30 p.m., Raycom
No. 4 Miami (FL) W 78–75 OT 20–3
(7–2)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Thu, Feb 12
9:00 p.m., ESPN/Raycom
No. 6 No. 3 North Carolina
Carolina–Duke rivalry
L 87–101  20–4
(7–3)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Feb 15
5:30 p.m., FSN
No. 6 at Boston College L 74–80  20–5
(7–4)
Conte Forum (8,606)
Chestnut Hill, MA
Thu, Feb 19*
7:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 9 at St. John's
Aeropostale Classic
W 76–69  21–5
(7–4)
Madison Square Garden (13,800)
New York, NY
Sun, Feb 22
7:45 p.m., FSN
No. 9 No. 8 Wake Forest W 101–91  22–5
(8–4)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Wed, Feb 25
9:00 p.m., ESPN
No. 7 at Maryland W 78–67  23–5
(9–4)
Comcast Center (17,950)
College Park, MD
Sat, Feb 28
3:30 p.m., ABC
No. 7 at Virginia Tech W 72–65  24–5
(10–4)
Cassell Coliseum (9,847)
Blacksburg, VA
Tue, Mar 3
8:00 p.m., Raycom
No. 7 No. 24 Florida State W 84–81  25–5
(11–4)
Cameron Indoor Stadium (9,314)
Durham, NC
Sun, Mar 8
4:00 p.m., CBS
No. 7 at No. 2 North Carolina
Carolina–Duke rivalry
L 71–79  25–6
(11–5)
Dean E. Smith Center (21,750)
Chapel Hill, NC
ACC Tournament
Fri, Mar 13
9:30 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2
No. 9 vs. Boston College W 66–65  26–6
Georgia Dome (26,352)
Atlanta, GA
Sat, Mar 14
3:30 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2
No. 9 vs. Maryland W 67–61  27–6
Georgia Dome (26,352)
Atlanta, GA
Sun, Mar 15
1:00 p.m., Raycom/ESPN2
No. 9 vs. No. 22 Florida State W 79–69  28–6
Georgia Dome (26,352)
Atlanta, GA
NCAA tournament
Thurs, Mar 19
9:40 p.m., CBS
No. 6 (2) vs. No. (15) Binghamton
First Round
W 86–62  29–6
Greensboro Coliseum (20,001)
Greensboro, NC
Sat, Mar 21
8:15 p.m., CBS
No. 6 (2) vs. No. (7) Texas
Second Round
W 74–69  30–6
Greensboro Coliseum (22,479)
Greensboro, NC
Thurs., Mar 27
10:08 p.m., CBS
No. 6 (2) vs. No. 11 (3) Villanova
Sweet Sixteen
L 54–77  30–7
TD Banknorth Garden (18,831)
Boston, MA
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
All times are in Eastern Time[38].

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Glier, Ray (March 16, 2009). "Duke Lifts a Trophy and Puffs Out Its Chest". The New York Times. Retrieved April 22, 2010.
  2. ^ "Atlantic Coast Conference Standings 2007–2008". ESPN. Archived from the original on January 21, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  3. ^ "55th Annual ACC men's basketball tournament". Atlantic Coast Conference. 16 March 2008. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008. Retrieved 19 April 2008.
  4. ^ "2008 NCAA Tournament Scores & Results". CollegeSports-Fans.com. Archived from the original on April 15, 2008. Retrieved April 19, 2008.
  5. ^ a b Duke Media Relations, WRAL Duke Basketball Lands Two Signees in 2008–2009 Recruiting Class. Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  6. ^ Scouts.com Olek Czyz Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  7. ^ Scouts.com Elliot Williams Retrieved on 2008-04-18.
  8. ^ Ryan Craig, WRAL Duke adds power forward to '08 class Retrieved on 2008-05-02.
  9. ^ Staff Reports, The News and Observer King headed to Villanova Archived 2008-04-19 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
  10. ^ "2008 NBA Draft Prospects: By School/Country." ESPN Draft Tracker. ESPN.com. Retrieved on July 14, 2008.
  11. ^ Hoops World Warriors sign three undrafted rookies Retrieved on 2008-09-09.
  12. ^ Dave Nathan, WRAL Duke's Alleva Wanted New Challenge, Found it at LSU Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  13. ^ Dave Nathan, WRAL Duke Hopes to Select AD by End of Summer Retrieved on 2008-05-09.
  14. ^ Ken Tysiac, The Charlotte Observer Duke lures new AD from Notre Dame Archived 2008-06-04 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  15. ^ Bill Cole, Winston-Salem Journal White leaves Notre Dame for Duke Retrieved on 2008-06-01.
  16. ^ WRAL King to leave Duke[permanent dead link] Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
  17. ^ Jeff Fox DeMarcus Nelson: NBA Draft Profile Archived 2008-05-01 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-04-29.
  18. ^ WRAL Duke's Dawkins to Coach at Stanford Retrieved on 2008-04-27.
  19. ^ Luciana Chavez, The News and Observer James to join Duke bench Archived 2008-05-08 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved on 2008-05-06.
  20. ^ "2008–09 NCAA Men's Basketball Rankings – Preseason". Associated Press. October 31, 2008. Retrieved November 1, 2008.
  21. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week1
  22. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week2
  23. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week3
  24. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week4
  25. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week5
  26. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week6
  27. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week7
  28. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week8
  29. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week9
  30. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week10
  31. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week11
  32. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week12
  33. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week13
  34. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week14
  35. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week15
  36. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week16
  37. ^ 2008–09 AP Men's Basketball Rankings – Week17
  38. ^ "[1]." GoDuke.com. Retrieved on October 12, 2008