the chronicle’s 2020-21 men’s basketball preview
november 16 , 2020
HENRY HAGGART/ASSOCIATE PHOTOGRAPHY EDITOR
TOGETHER APART
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2 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
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Struck Gold Jordan Goldwire’s emergence as Duke’s lone senior | PAGE 3
Editor: Evan Kolin Managing Editor: Shane Smith Blog Editor: Jake C. Piazza Assistant Blog Editors: Alex Jackson, Max Rego
No Crazies COVID-19 protocols will keep fans out of Cameron to begin the season. What now? | PAGE 4
Photo Editor: Rebecca Schneid Assistant Photo Editor: Jackson Muraika Associate Editors: Em Adler, Jonathan Browning, Ben Chen, Spencer Levy, Conner McLeod, Glen Morgenstern, Ramona Naseri, Christian Olsen, Cam Polo, Nithin Ragunathan, Derek Saul, Joe Wang
Sophomore studs Wendell Moore Jr. and Matthew Hurt are preparing to take the ACC by storm | PAGE 4
Staff Writers: Langley Barnes, Juliette Clark, Cameron DeChurch, Sonali Harris, Matthew Hawkins, Micah Hurewitz, Brady Kim, Campbell Lawson, Jonathan Levitan, Rosie Li, Sam Mickenberg, Michael Murata, Sasha Richie, Olivia Wivestad
The Pioneer How Gene Banks paved the way for Black players at Duke | PAGE 6
Equality Duke’s program joins the battle for social justice | PAGE 7
Big or small? Should the Blue Devils go small or start a traditional center? | PAGE 9 Joyce Huang | Graphics Designer
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 | 3
LONE SENIOR
Jordan Goldwire’s growth from 3-star to senior leader By Conner McLeod Associate Sports Editor
The old adage “if you think you can, you can” is an easy mantra to say aloud. In practice, though, it’s much easier to hide or quit when the going gets tough. But for point guard Jordan Goldwire, that mindset, as well as an unwavering belief in himself, has propelled him from being the lowestranked member of Duke’s 2017 recruiting class to now leading a championship-caliber team as a senior. Even during the midst of Duke’s one-anddone recruiting era, head coach Mike Krzyzewski continues to seek out talented players that will stay for more than a year to not only develop their own skills, but also help guide younger players in ACC play and the postseason. However, when Duke offered a scholarship to Goldwire, a threestar prospect with low name recognition, Blue Devil nation might have been confused, to say the least. “Everyone’s like, ‘What in the world— where did this kid come from?’,” associate head coach Nate James said. “I think he took that as a challenge. He took that as, ‘I have to show everyone that I do deserve to be here and I’m good enough to wear the uniform.’” Goldwire had a quiet freshman year, averaging only one point per game on a lowly 32.1 percent clip from the field. He wasn’t big or athletic enough to make a scoring impact, and didn’t earn enough playing time to lead any offensive or defensive units, despite his willingness to hustle at all times when he was on the floor. “He was young,” James said. “We had a young group of guys who were inconsistent and [we had] a lot of long talks before and after practice,
Charles York | Associate Photography Editor
Goldwire is ready to lead another young Duke squad as the team’s most experienced returner. watching film to help them get better.” Goldwire clearly took those criticisms to heart entering his sophomore campaign. He showed slow but sure improvements in his jump shot, but where he especially put in the work was in the weight room, going from 172 to 181 pounds in just one season. It might have been easy to get lost in the sea of NBA-ready freshmen eating up key playing time—not to mention the Zion effect—but Goldwire still found a way to make an impact in one of Duke’s best wins of that 2018-19 season. It didn’t matter that Duke was down by 23 points in the second half against Louisville, and it didn’t matter that Goldwire embarrassingly missed a wide-open layup earlier in the contest.
His belief in himself allowed him to stay engaged on the defensive side of the floor, causing havoc with former point guard Tre Jones in the backcourt and helping the Blue Devils make a historic comeback with two crucial steals to end the game. “[Goldwire] is a believer,” James said. “He does believe in himself, and I think a lightbulb went off.” The Norcross, Ga., native finally found his stride during his junior season, when he and Jones combined for 3.3 steals per game, making life absolutely miserable for opposing backcourts game in and game out. Goldwire’s much-improved offensive game—he hit a career-high 35.4 percent of his threes after
connecting on just 18.2 percent of his treys over his first two seasons—allowed him to earn a spot in what would be Duke’s most popular starting lineup. Once a player that opposing teams dared to shoot, Goldwire quickly became a certified threat from deep. This year, as the leading returning player in minutes played, Goldwire will be faced with his biggest task thus far: coming into his own as a leader for one of the deepest teams Krzyzewski has put together. “We got a good group of core guys coming back...and the freshman class is very deep. We can play across the board,” Goldwire said. “We have a lot of confidence. It’s been going well and we’ve been meshing well together.” Most likely, Goldwire will have to share point guard duties with another five-star: incoming freshman Jeremy Roach. Roach has the talent to possibly be the focal point of Duke’s offense, but it will be interesting to see whether Goldwire’s experience during crunch time will influence Krzyzewski to put the ball in his hands. Either way, Goldwire’s tenacity on the defensive side of the ball will keep him on the floor, where he will surely become a mentor for his talented freshman counterpart. “[Goldwire] is a guy who’s got me acclimated here, showing me the ways and showing me how practices go,” Roach said. “He’s been a big part of why I came here and just a big part of my success here.” Based on preseason workouts and scrimmages, it is highly likely that Goldwire and Roach will start in Krzyzewski’s backcourt to begin the season as well. See GOLDWIRE on Page 10
4 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
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NO FANS
CAMERON WITH NO CRAZIES How will Cameron Indoor Stadium look, and feel, this season with no fans in the stands? By Evan Kolin Sports Editor
Derek Saul Sports Features Editor
Forget six feet apart, Duke students packed into Cameron Indoor Stadium don’t even have six inches of space between their sweaty, screaming peers while cheering on the Blue Devils. This presents an obvious problem with COVID-19 cases spiking throughout the country. After not allowing any spectators at its fall sporting events, Duke has extended that policy toward its winter sports. That means for the foreseeable future, there will be nobody jumping up and down and heckling Blue Devil opponents in Cameron Indoor Stadium’s Section 17. So, what does this all mean for a program that prides itself on having arguably the biggest home-court advantage in all of college basketball and for Duke students whose basketball fandom is an integral part of their identity? What’s a student section with no fans? What really sets Cameron Crazies apart from other rabid college basketball fan bases is what happens before tipoff. In order to secure a spot in the student section on game day, Duke students must line up in Krzyzewskiville, the grassy area outside of Cameron Indoor Stadium. This may not sound all that abnormal, but this process often involves sleeping outside in the Durham winter. For the Blue Devil home game against North Carolina, students may sleep outside for
Morales and Vassallo outlined a few different ways they hope to rally the Cameron Crazies despite the unique circumstances, including potential watch parties and trivia contests on Zoom. Cameron Indoor Stadium will also feature some sort of “amplified music and effects.” In terms of coming up with ideas for rallying school spirit during a pandemic, Morales and Vassallo have turned to their counterparts at other ACC schools who are also in charge of their respective student sections. “We all have this group chat now [where] we talk about different ways [to stay involved]. Obviously different schools have different regulations, and some are more lenient than others in terms of fans,” Morales said. “We’ve Eric Wei | Staff Photographer been able to kind of struggle together with all This past March’s win against North Carolina may have been the last game current these schools.” seniors were able to attend as students. No matter the actions line monitors take, Cameron Indoor Stadium will certainly feel weeks on end in a hallowed tradition known as tenting will likely be cancelled given the crowds emptier this year with no fans. The question is tenting. it creates—line monitors will be met with a how this will affect the Blue Devils when they A group of students known as line monitors sort of existential crisis this winter. That does take the floor. is in charge of Krzyzewskiville and the student not mean all hope is lost with regard to rallying section in general. According to their website, spirit for the Blue Devils this season, though co- ‘Develop our own energy’ line monitors “exist to bring students in the head line monitors Hope Morales and Camden Over the past five seasons of conference play, Krzyzewskiville community together to support Vassallo will be faced with challenges that their Duke is 75-9 when playing in Cameron Indoor Duke’s basketball program by facilitating student predecessors never could have imagined. Stadium, a testament to that unique homecourt attendance at home games and monitoring the “Duke basketball and the way that the fans advantage. tenting process for the home UNC game and support the team is such a great tradition at But this season, head coach Mike Krzyzewski other major games.” this university,” Vassallo told The Chronicle. has to prepare his team for a completely different So, with the primary two reasons of their “Our goal is to uphold that tradition in the home environment. existence probably rendered irrelevant this best way that we can, but obviously we have “What we’ll try to do is try to replicate that as fall—there will be no student attendance at limitations surrounding that. So, we’re just home games for the foreseeable future and going to do our best.” See CRAZIES on Page 10
DYNAMIC DUO
Moore, Hurt return as unique 5-star sophomores By Max Rego Assistant Blue Zone Editor
Sometimes, you just need to get your feet under you in order to make the leap. Going into last season, Matthew Hurt and Wendell Moore Jr. were consequential members of another stellar Blue Devil recruiting class tasked with returning Duke to the Final Four. While they never got the chance to prove themselves in the postseason, they added to Blue Devil lore with some memorable moments. Who could forget Moore’s tip-in at the overtime buzzer to vanquish North Carolina in Chapel Hill, capping off a 17-point, 10-rebound performance? And just two days
Simran Prakash | Photography Editor
Moore’s impressive performance at North Carolina was one of his bright spots last year.
later, in a game largely overshadowed by the preceding victory, it was Hurt’s late rebound and clutch free throws that clinched the win against then-No. 8 Florida State. But it was an overall rocky freshman campaign for the duo. Moore struggled with his outside jumper all year and missed six games due to a hand injury, while Hurt had issues defending the paint and fitting alongside the team’s other big men. After an offseason that defied conventional wisdom, however, both players are now over a year into the Duke experience, mature enough to embrace the spotlight while helping their younger teammates along the way. “Freshmen—they’re a little loose or they’re not as locked in as you would like them to be,” Duke associate head coach Nate James said. “It’s really cool to see a Wendell Moore, and even Matt Hurt, say, ‘Guys, come on, let’s bring it in, everyone huddle up.’” ‘A mindset thing’ For Moore, last season could only be described as a roller coaster. He began the season coming off the bench, seeing his minutes fluctuate depending on the matchup. A 17-point showing on 70 percent shooting against Georgetown in Madison Square Garden looked promising, but Moore simply couldn’t take that next step. The two-time USA Basketball gold medalist went scoreless in consecutive contests in December, making it clear that not every bluechip freshman walks into Cameron Indoor Stadium ready to drop 20-point double-doubles every time out on the floor. Moore has explained throughout this preseason that a lack of confidence was the main thing holding him back last year. The former five-star recruit is someone who tries to let the game come to him, which often fails to happen immediately when transitioning to the
college level. “I think for me it was more of a mindset thing, just getting into my own headspace where I can play the game how I want to play, at my speed, at my pace,” Moore said of his work in the offseason. “Just developing a confidence that I felt like I was missing last season.” Continuing with the roller coaster theme, Moore did display some extremely encouraging signs as the calendar shifted to February. Obviously, there was the unforgettable moment in the Dean Dome, but there was also the 25 points at Wake Forest as well as the 10 points, six rebounds and six assists at home against N.C. State. In both contests, Moore seemed to pick his spots beautifully, knowing when to attack and when to find an open teammate. That’s a strategy that will serve him well, as the Charlotte native has more than enough athleticism and court vision to put pressure on opponents every possession. “Just really keeping everything under control,” Moore said with regard to how he will approach this upcoming season. “I feel like a lot of times [last year] I kind of got sped up and things were going too fast in my mind, so really just having a chance to look at the game and it kind of slows it down for me.”
Henry Haggart | Associate Photography Editor
Hurt shot 39.3 percent from deep last year.
McDonald’s All-American’s ceiling could be. However, in similar fashion to Moore, there were also nights in which Hurt struggled to even stay on the floor, particularly during both battles with North Carolina and a physical road loss to Virginia. In the wake of the cancellation of the ACC and NCAA tournaments, though, Hurt returned home to Rochester, Minn., with a The new Hurt specific goal in mind. Throughout last season, When it comes to Hurt, last season was likely many pundits speculated that Hurt needed to not what he or the Blue Devil coaching staff quite add weight in order to adjust to the physical had in mind. While many expected his perimeter play that defines the ACC. Well, Hurt seemingly marksmanship to be the perfect complement to had the same idea, bulking up to 235 pounds Vernon Carey Jr.’s interior dominance, that type over the summer, 21 pounds heavier than his of high-low combo never fully materialized. listed weight entering last season. At times, the Minnesota native displayed the “I got home around mid-March last year, shooting touch that helped make him the No. took a week or two off since the season ended 10 overall recruit in the country. Performances and just [tried] to focus on eating right, eating such as when Hurt racked up 25 points in 26 a lot and just stay working out and lifting,” Hurt minutes during a New Year’s Eve victory against See SOPHOMORES on Page 11 Boston College showed just how high the former
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‘THIS IS A M From then...
How former Blue Devil star Gene Banks paved the way for future Black players at Duke By Shane Smith Sports Managing Editor
Over the course of a five-year span beginning in 2014, the current state of the Duke men’s basketball program was firmly established. Amidst a flurry of five-star talent arriving (and departing) in Durham, four Black high school prospects, all ranked as the top player in their class, chose to experience college basketball in a Blue Devil uniform. For Jahlil Okafor, Harry Giles, Marvin Bagley III and R.J. Barrett, the road to Cameron Indoor Stadium wasn’t a shocking one, though that path had been paved almost 40 years prior by a Black No. 1 overall recruit from West Philadelphia who also chose the Blue Devils. Gene Banks doesn’t have his jersey retired in Cameron and spent just his senior campaign playing for legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski, but his Duke career ranks as one of the more significant in program history. ‘Divine Intervention’ Kenny Dennard, his close friend and teammate in college, describes Banks as, “like Muhammad Ali to me,” an apt description for the bright and flashy persona of the high school basketball phenom. Blossoming at West Philadelphia High School, Banks rose to the top of a class that included future Hall of Famer Magic Johnson. The man nicknamed “Tinkerbell” was also selected to the first ever McDonald’s All-American team and took home MVP honors in the ensuing exhibition game. Banks could have played for any program in the country and had already taken visits to Notre Dame, Michigan, UCLA, N.C. State and North Carolina. From what the Philadelphia native describes as “divine intervention,” his English teacher urged him to travel to Duke for his final official visit. To get his teacher off his back, Banks obliged and agreed to take a trip to Durham. The Blue Devils were led by a young, laid-back coach named Bill Foster, who took over the program in 1974 to bring it back to national prominence. When Foster first dropped off a recruiting brochure for Banks, the information inside detailed the positives of the school, rather than the basketball program. “His quirks and the things that [Foster] did really caught my attention because of the way he was,” Banks remembers. “Very
caring, sarcastic, funny, whimsical. It got my attention because I met a lot of coaches who were pretty serious.” While Duke was a struggling program and didn’t have a strong history of recruiting Black players, it was something about the landscape, the size and the people that led to Banks shocking the college basketball world and committing to the Blue Devils. “There was a small contingent of Blacks there that were very connected with each other,” Banks said. “I liked the diversity of the school. Students come from different ethnicities and different cultures. It was really a school where I felt more comfortable.” Despite winning just two conference games the year prior, Duke was suddenly armed with a new superstar to complement its returning talent, and Banks’ commitment would set the tone for 40-plus years of recruiting success to come. “I thought that was a great thing for Duke and for Bill Foster,” Krzyzewski said this preseason. “That was a big commitment in the late 70s, along with [Jim] Spanarkle, Kenny Dennard, Mike Gminski. For a couple years there, they were one of the top teams.” Claudius “C.B.” Claiborne first integrated the Duke program as the first African-American basketball player in 1966, recruited to Durham by legendary coach and former Blue Devil assistant Chuck Daly. However, Banks was the first high-profile Black athlete in a Duke uniform, attracting attention the moment he arrived on campus. “It all went smoothly. I never felt there was pressure,” Banks said on having that role. “I never thought of it as a responsibility. And Bill Foster was great with that. He allowed me to spread my wings. He allowed me to be articulate. He allowed me to have the stage, and I loved it.” ‘We complemented each other’ Banks arrived in Durham hungry to prove himself, and even in pickup games in the I.M. Building, he sought to dazzle. It was a pickup session there when Banks drove the lane for a big dunk attempt, but was surprisingly met at the rim by Dennard, who successfully defended his rim. The two freshman classmates crashed to the ground and looked at each other before Banks exclaimed, “Yeah! That’s how
you play the game!” It was all smiles as a lifelong friendship blossomed from that competitive spirit on the court. Dennard committed to the Blue Devils the previous November with much less fanfare than Banks, though he was a major contributor immediately as a freshman. The 6-foot8 forward hailed from nearby rural King, N.C., a completely different environment than his star classmate. Dennard’s girlfriend from high school (and eventual wife), Nadine, is Black, and has had a major influence on his life. Dennard was surrounded by racial diversity growing up and was just able to genuinely bond with Banks, who was in a brand new situation entering college. “Race wasn’t a thing for me,” Dennard said. “So when Gene and I hit it off, it was truly a bond of love, camaraderie and playfulness. We complemented each other.” Banks and Dennard were thrust into the starting lineup as the future of Foster’s program, a duo that just wanted to compete and win. “We became so connected—kids from two different backgrounds,” Banks said. “I knew he had the same energy and the same feeling of wanting to win. Kenny fed into that and read that and that’s how we became connected. I love this guy almost close to more than life itself.” ‘The original Brotherhood’ Once the upper level of Cameron Indoor Stadium started filling up for preseason open practices, it was clear that the 1977-78 season would be special for Duke. Along with the newcomers, Spanarkle returned after an all-conference campaign the year prior, as well as Gminski, the reigning ACC Rookie of the Year. The Blue Devils went through growing pains to begin the season, but found their stride toward the end of the year, reaching as high as No. 7 and taking home an ACC championship. Though carrying the burden of youth, Duke rolled all the way to the NCAA Championship Game, ultimately falling to No. 1 Kentucky, but gaining respect as “America’s team,” according to Banks. “The things that I remember most [about the 1978 team] are the camaraderie and how that team grew together and became See BANKS on Page 11
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 | 7
MOVEMENT’ ...To now
Led by Nolan Smith, Henry Coleman III and others, Duke joins the battle for social justice By Jake C. Piazza Blue Zone Editor
It’s been six months since the death of George Floyd. Many Americans have used the days since to advocate for social justice, including Duke men’s basketball players, coaches and others in the program. There are a million reasons to talk about the talent of the 2020-21 Blue Devils. But this offseason, none of those storylines have been what first comes to mind when people think of Duke men’s basketball. Take Henry Coleman III, the No. 54 recruit in the incoming class. His Blue Devil teammates liken his athleticism and towering physical stature to former Duke phenom Zion Williamson, but Coleman has become better known for being powerful in a completely different sense. The Virginia native approached a single microphone during an August Black Lives Matter protest in Krzyzewskiville. He sported a black T-shirt with the words “Black Lives Matter” across the front, accompanied by Duke basketball and Nike logos. In the next two minutes and 30 seconds, Coleman made himself known on campus before he had even notched a minute of playing time in Cameron Indoor Stadium. “This country has had its knee on the necks of AfricanAmericans for too long,” Coleman said at the protest. “This country has put a dagger in our backs and is yet to even acknowledge the dagger, let alone try to pull it out.” As Coleman continued, the entire Duke men’s basketball team came up behind him. When the raw emotion caused Coleman to get choked up, fellow freshmen Jaemyn Brakefield and Mark Williams placed a hand on each of his shoulders, a sign that even though this team had been together for less than a month at the time, unbreakable bonds had already formed. “When those guys came up behind me, it was almost like a security blanket,” Coleman said in an August press conference. “I just felt like those guys around me—they felt the message with me.” Coleman wrote his speech the night before the rally, the same night the NBA opted to not play its scheduled playoff games in the wake of the Jacob Blake shooting. As the professional sports world assessed the best steps to take for social justice, Nolan Smith, Duke men’s basketball’s director of operations, was doing the same. Coleman’s platform for the speech was possible due to
the work of Smith in setting up the Krzyzewskiville protest. At the protest, Smith took the microphone first and talked about the importance of making sure that “this is not a moment, this is a movement.” While that August afternoon may have been Smith’s most visible act of social justice, he made himself busy over the following few months as well. Since that day, Smith has been on numerous talk shows spreading his message, organized additional protests in the community and was at the forefront of voter registration efforts. “We have a lot of amazing fans that get it, that see it, that want the same thing that we all want as a country. We love y’all,” Smith said on an @DukeNBA Twitter live. “And to the people that don’t get it, guess what? We still love y’all. We just hope that you listen sooner rather than later, because love wins.” Smith’s activism is showing no signs of stopping. At the beginning of November, he partnered with Vote Riders to issue a Twitter video educating North Carolina residents how to make sure their votes were counted. He earned the nickname “People’s Champ” during his playing days at Duke, but ironically the nickname fits him even better in this new chapter of his life. He’s been recognized two separate times for his community leadership, being named the Tar Heel of the Month for October by the Raleigh News and Observer and a George H.W. Bush Point of Lights Inspiration recipient. But Smith surely isn’t the only Duke coach to put a spotlight on the social justice movement. In June, Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski put out a Twitter video that caught the attention of the entire country. Krzyzewski stood in a dimly lit room, wearing a United States Olympic team polo, as he spoke. “Black Lives Matter. Say it. Can’t you say it? Black Lives Matter. We should be saying it everyday,” Krzyzewski said. “It’s not political. This is not a political statement. It’s a human right’s statement.” That short video blew up not just on social media but across national news outlets, becoming the official Duke men’s basketball Twitter account’s most-viewed video ever. The 73-year-old even partook in a growing social media trend, as Boston Celtics forward and former Duke star Jayson Tatum challenged Krzyzewski to be a part of his “starting five,” a movement
started by When We All Vote. The premise of the challenge was that once Krzyzewski registered to vote, he would be a part of Tatum’s starting five, but then Krzyzewski had to get five other people to be a part of his own. The West Point graduate bent the rules for the greater good, challenging the entire Duke Brotherhood to be a part of his starting five. In addition to Coleman, Smith and Krzyzewski, a number of other players and coaches on the roster have been outspoken in advocating for racial equality, leading to one new addition to Duke’s jerseys. Below the number on every players’ jersey is the word “Equality,” and it will remain there for the entire season. “I believe [equality is] what we all are striving for,” associate head coach Nate James said in a recent press conference. “We want to live the American dream, have an opportunity to achieve whatever amount of success and opportunities that the next man has.” “Equality—I think everyone will understand it, and I think if you don’t understand someone’s acts [supporting] equality you have to take a long look in the mirror and do some self-reflection.” It’s been a true team effort pushing for equality, with other players such as senior Mike Buckmire and sophomore Wendell Moore Jr. taking on significant roles as social justice advocates as well. Although the start of the college basketball season is less than two weeks away, it’s clear that social justice will still be on the forefront for every member of the Duke men’s basketball program. But that’s nothing new in the world of sports. Professional athletes have long been at the forefront of social justice movements, but this latest chapter is seeing college athletes be more vocal than ever before. My parents told me always just to use my platform,” Coleman said. “I built this platform. They always tell me, ‘You wouldn’t build a house and not sleep in it,’ and so I just have to use this platform to continue to talk.”
8 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
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MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 | 9
DUELING COLUMNISTS
Should Duke play small or traditional? Coach K must go against the norm without true center If Duke wants to compete for its first ACC regular season title in more than a decade, it is absolutely necessary for head coach Mike Krzyzewski to wholly embrace small ball lineups. Now, I don’t want you to think this is Derek Saul a very original idea from me. In fact, associate head coach Nate James recently suggested that the starting lineup would be 6-foot-1 guard Jeremy Roach, 6-foot-2 guard Jordan Goldwire, 6-foot-5 forward Wendell Moore Jr., and 6-foot-9 forwards Matthew Hurt and Jalen Johnson. But after three years of watching Krzyzewski give consistent minutes to the likes of Marques Bolden, Javin DeLaurier and Jack White over someone who could actually contribute offensively, I’m skeptical that this willingness to go small will stick. Specifically, I am worried about Krzyzewski leaning too heavily on high-flying 7-foot freshman center Mark Williams and bruising 6-foot-9 graduate transfer forward Patrick Tapé. Williams is Duke’s first athletic 7-footer since the Plumlee brothers graduated (sorry, Antonio Vrankovic), and Tapé was a solid contributor inside during his three-year career at Columbia.
Both Tapé and Williams come with some baggage, however. Neither player stretches the floor, as Tapé attempted one 3-pointer while at Columbia and Williams does not project as a spot-up threat. Also, Tapé has not played in a real game in 21 months after sitting out last season to preserve his eligibility, while Williams has a history of injuries, not a good sign for someone of his frame. “[Tape’s experience is translating], but I would tell you it’s slightly a little bit different than you may think because Patrick didn’t play last year, so he sat out,” James said Nov. 12. “Also, Mark, who went to IMG [Academy]—he had some tendinitis issues, so he missed a great deal of the season. So, you have two big guys who are new, who are learning and developing unlike a typical grad-transfer player in Patrick. With Mark, he’s just this 7-footer who’s still trying to figure out how to use all of his tools, and because of the level of play at his previous high school before transferring to IMG–the speed, the athleticism, the physicality of each and every practice–those two guys are learning a lot.” My insistence on going small has less to do with the effectiveness of Tapé and Williams, See POINT on Page 10
Blue Devils need a paint job, and Mark’s the man The preseason never fails to give Duke fans funny ideas. Some of them induce “ha-ha” laughter, but the vast majority of them cause laughter of the more disturbing “stop tickling me, it hurts” variety. With do-it-all center Vernon Carey Jr. out the door, some say that it’s time for Duke to go Glen Morgenstern small. Unfortunately, this myth definitely belongs in the latter funny camp. Even worse, this seems to be coming from the Duke coaching staff. Associate head coach Nate James told the press last week that a current starting lineup would be composed of Jordan Goldwire, Jeremy Roach, Wendell Moore Jr., Jalen Johnson and Matthew Hurt—all of whom are 6-foot9 or shorter. If head coach Mike Krzyzewski does opt for a small-ball lineup, he might fall prey to the bug that has doomed many small ball teams: the shooters can’t defend, and the defenders can’t shoot. The most puzzling feature of the lineup as it stands now is that it includes only one capable shooter: Matthew Hurt, who would supposedly play the center position. Last year, Hurt made 39.3 percent of his 3-point attempts, while Moore only shot 21.1 percent from long range. Jordan Goldwire shot 35.4 percent from beyond the arc, but mostly because all of his attempts were wide
open (this in turn is because he only made three of his 25 attempts two years ago). Freshmen Jalen Johnson and Jeremy Roach are elite playmakers but no long-distance wizards. Now, should Coach K replace his playmakers with freshman guard DJ Steward or the sweetshooting Joey Baker? Absolutely not. Moore is basically an untouchable piece of the lineup and replacing Roach eliminates the only shot-creating guard the Blue Devils have. Additionally, removing Goldwire or Roach in favor of Steward or Baker would belie a defensive death wish. And then there’s the case of the missing post defense. Hurt can’t defend centers, but it’s not his fault—he’s a classic stretch four with brilliant shooting touch but little defensive prowess. While he might have bulked up 20-plus pounds this offseason, he’s still 35 pounds lighter than Carey was last year and will struggle to deal with taller and stronger post players like North Carolina’s Garrison Brooks, Virginia’s Jay Huff and Louisville’s Malik Williams. It is certainly odd that the Duke staff has spurned 7-footer Mark Williams, the obvious replacement for Carey. Sure, Williams has holes in his game—he can’t shoot and he can’t defend the perimeter. But if Coach K surrounds him with See COUNTERPOINT on Page 11
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GOLDWIRE FROM PAGE 3 “It’s fun playing with [Goldwire],” Roach said. “He can bring it up, I can bring it up. He can defend full court, I can defend full court. So it’s really just a fast-paced game when we’re in the game together. That’s my type of game, so I’m ready to play with him.” If Goldwire can continue to exponentially improve his offensive skill set as he’s done in the past, the one-two punch of him and Roach may be difficult to guard this season. What’s certain, however, is that Goldwire’s tendency to suffocate ball-handlers before they even reach half court will rub off on his backcourt mate, which could result in another year of a Duke team thriving off opposing team’s turnovers. “He is definitely one of the toughest defenders I’ve played against,” Roach said of going against Goldwire in practice throughout the preseason. “I’m just trying to pick up on the little techniques that he does to make him
such a great defender.” Goldwire’s journey in Durham has been anything but perfect. However, the development and hard work he has shown over the past three years is any coach’s dream, and it shows in the way Krzyzewski has increased his trust in the now-senior point guard every year. His journey isn’t done, however. He still has work to do in his senior campaign. But if Goldwire has proven anything since he put on a Blue Devil jersey for the first time, it’s that he believes in himself so much that everyone else is forced to believe in him as well. So far, believing in Goldwire has paid off for everyone involved. “We’re going to need [Goldwire] to have a great year this year, pushing Jeremy,” James said. “You’ve got to get that right away, because as soon as things tip off, it’s full steam ahead. I think when we have every player looking out for the name on the front and not the name on the back, that’s when you have a true sign of being a team and being together.”
CRAZIES FROM PAGE 4
Courtesy of Reagan Lunn/Duke Athletics
Goldwire has served as an impactful mentor for freshman Jeremy Roach (above).
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10 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
that kind of reach a broad community. But I think that small groups of people are kind of forming together and building really strong connections.” Schilling did admit that it’s easier for her as a freshman since she “kind of [doesn’t] know what [she’s] missing” and has three years at Duke ahead of her. For current seniors, this was supposed to be it: the final year of their Cameron Crazie and Section 17 experience. Of course, fan attendance later in the season hasn’t been ruled out, though rising COVID-19 cases across the country and a cautious approach by Duke doesn’t make the prospect of that seem very optimistic. Nevertheless, if March’s win against North Carolina was the last game current seniors were able to watch as students inside Cameron Indoor Stadium, at least it was a good send-off. “It’s really just heartbreaking, but at least we went out watching a [win] against UNC,” senior The Crazies themselves and two-time tenter Cole Honeycutt wrote in a Of course, arguably those most affected by message to The Chronicle. “I wouldn’t trade my the current situation are the Crazies themselves, time as a Cameron Crazie for the world.” and the impact goes far beyond simply not being able to watch the team play in person. Krzyzewskiville is more than just the location of tent city every spring semester—it’s a central FROM PAGE 9 part of the Duke community. From forming close bonds during tenting to the annual concert prior to the home North Carolina game, but even more to do with maximizing Hurt Krzyzewskiville is where many Duke students and Johnson’s unique talents. A frontcourt create their fondest memories. consisting of two 6-foot-9 players who can Replacing that is a near impossible task. But score at every level could be unstoppable, and I by now, students have gotten used to adjusting believe playing Williams or Tapé with the lethal to the current environment as best they can, a duo of Hurt and Johnson will only slow the skill Coach K has to instill into his team on the Blue Devils down. court as well. The writing is on the wall that Duke must “I think that this year, even though there abandon the concept of relying on a traditional aren’t a lot of the normal experiences, I think center, a strategy that has slowed the Blue Devils that in some ways it’s kind of bringing people down previously. It’s only a matter of whether closer,” freshman Anna Schilling said. “It is hard Krzyzewski and his coaching staff stay true to their to replace some of these really fun experiences commitment of positionless basketball.
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well as we possibly can,” Krzyzewski said Nov. 11 at Operation ACC of how not having the typical Cameron Indoor environment will affect Duke. “We’ve already had one scrimmage where we’ve piped in sound and tried to have our guys get accustomed to a certain environment.” Fake crowd noise was a huge part of the NBA’s Orlando bubble, with many college football teams utilizing it as well, in an attempt to replicate the game-day experience. What Krzyzewski won’t stand for, however, is cardboard cutouts. While the cardboard cutout has been a staple across the world of sports ever since the Korea Baseball Organization started play in May, don’t expect to see any paper faces inside Cameron
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Indoor Stadium this season. “Our people, instead of putting cutouts, they’re gonna celebrate the Cameron Crazies,” Krzyzewski said on a radio interview with ESPNU Nov. 12. “They’re gonna celebrate our band, they’re gonna celebrate different things as a group picture and different things that they could do. “Not just tarp it—it’s gonna look great, and it wouldn’t look that way if we just had cutouts…. For Cameron, I’m not big on [cutouts].” Even with the artificial noise and whatever plan Duke has in terms of celebrating its Crazies, it still won’t fully make up for the energy those Crazies bring on a nightly basis in support of their team. For that, it’s up to the players to bring their own energy to the floor. “Being able to develop our own energy and enthusiasm among ourselves is a huge key for us this year,” junior forward Joey Baker said. “And honestly this team, from what I’ve seen so far, we bring it every day.”
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BANKS FROM PAGE 6 one big brotherhood,” Dennard said. “It was the original “Brotherhood,” if you ask me, before Coach K.” One of the lasting images from that season came after Duke’s closely-fought NCAA semifinal win against Notre Dame, when NBC’s cameras found Banks and Dennard sharing an emotional hug. The two kids from different worlds who just wanted to win were changing the landscape of Duke basketball. While the Blue Devils failed to make the Final Four over Banks’ next three seasons, their star forward continued his upward trajectory. All-ACC performances in his sophomore and junior campaigns led to his lone season under Krzyzewski, during which Banks took home All-American honors as a senior and edged conference legends Ralph Sampson and James Worthy for the scoring title. Though a late-season wrist injury would take a hit to Banks’ NBA Draft stock, the San Antonio Spurs selected him with the 28th overall pick. In the state of college basketball today, a No. 1 overall recruit with similar success would be a surefire lottery pick after their freshman season, and, while that was extremely rare in the 70s and early 80s, Banks did think about leaving after his freshman and junior campaigns to start his professional career. Ultimately, he never seriously considered abandoning the fun he was having in school. “I was not going to leave Duke,” Banks said. “I thought I made a commitment to finish this thing out and that was my main objective, let alone trying to get my degree as well.” Today, we’ve seen how far the Duke program has come since first welcoming Claiborne, Banks and other Black pioneers. The 2020-21 squad has done everything from
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a Black Lives Matter protest to organizing an increased effort to vote. The Blue Devils will also have “Equality” written on the back of their uniforms throughout the season. “I commend Coach K, I commend Nolan Smith and all the people involved,” Banks said. “I commend those players. It’s the most amazing thing from a high profile institution like Duke to make that stance. I’m almost in tears seeing that effort and that commitment.” Before Duke’s run to the 1978 title game, the Blue Devils rarely found themselves on national television, but sending the program back into the sport’s spotlight allowed Black excellence in a Duke uniform to be seen on a national stage. “TV was not yet big then. TV became big in the mid-80s with ESPN and that,” Krzyzewski said. “But it helped our university a lot during that time, just like the kids who have played for me once TV hit have helped this university in that regard with a number of African-American players that we’ve had who are amazing guys and outstanding players also.” Banks remembers standing in front of the Duke Chapel before his career began, telling himself and his family that he would help Duke become a national power. Not only did Banks achieve that, but he also takes pride in the fact that the Blue Devils who followed him—such as Vince Taylor, Johnny Dawkins and Grant Hill—watched him play at Duke on TV and started taking an interest in their future home. “With getting young Black men looking at [Duke] and saying, ‘If he can make it there then I can do it’—I’m very proud of that,” Banks said. Blue Devil fans will be treated to another spectacle of freshman talent this year with Jalen Johnson, Jeremy Roach and company, young African Americans who will share the same floor as their pioneer “Tinkerbell” did 40 years ago.
SOPHOMORES FROM PAGE 4 said. “I got with our strength coach, Coach [William Stephens]—three, four times a week we lifted.” With a different body comes a different playing style, and Hurt is envisioning himself having more of an impact down on the block this year. The sophomore still has the same smooth jumper, but it’s obvious that the 2020-21 season will see a more varied skill set from Hurt. “A knock on me was [the fact that] I was a little lighter guarding the four—people would try to take advantage of me down low,” Hurt said. “I feel like this year, especially on defense but also on offense, just attacking it, being stronger with the ball, taking contact and finishing over taller defenders.” A new era of leaders The end of the 2019-2020 season saw the end of an era for the Blue Devils. All four captains departed, as Jack White, Justin Robinson and Javin DeLaurier saw their collegiate eligibilities expire and Tre Jones decided to take his talents to the NBA. In their void, fresh voices are needed, a development that begs for Moore and Hurt to take another kind of leap. If Duke is to be a true contender this season, it will need its sophomore duo to take that next step from a leadership perspective, and it appears they’re doing their best to follow in the footsteps of previous Blue Devil leaders. “Last year we had three great seniors in Jack, J-Rob and Javin, helping me out through practice, what practice was going to look like once the season starts and just everything around campus,” Hurt said. “For this year, I’m just trying to do the same thing as last year, trying to help [the freshmen] get to class, what coach likes, what to do off the court [and] how to handle the academics.” The coaching staff has started to take notice. For Moore in particular, the change started
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020 | 11
with consistent conversations over the summer regarding social injustices, and it has now translated into a new role within the program as well as the NCAA, with the forward being named as one of the 11 student-athletes on the NABC Player Coalition. “Normally, guys like Wendell, they’re only around for a year,” James said. “But now to see a talented player come back—now he’s becoming a man, he’s a sophomore. You hear the voice [and] all the things we try to instill in him as coaches.” All in all, both Moore and Hurt are ready to return to the floor and change the narrative after last season. While this year’s team projects to be one characterized by depth and balance, if crucial experience is needed, expect Duke’s sophomore tandem to take center stage.
COUNTERPOINT FROM PAGE 9 capable scorers like Johnson and Hurt, Williams won’t have to do any of those things. The Blue Devils should play Roach and Moore at guard, while going big with Johnson, Hurt and Williams at forward and center. On both ends, Williams can take traditional big man duties. On offense, he’ll focus on setting picks to open up space for the scorers and finishing off missed shots. On defense, he can clean up the boards and be the rim protector that Hurt can’t. This will free up Johnson and Hurt to focus on their forte: playmaking and scoring. I hope Coach K doesn’t fall for the usual preseason nonsensical blabber and abandon the traditional, rim-protecting post man. But if Coach K does doubt himself, perhaps the Marvelettes could offer the music-loving head coach a guiding question: Please Mister Postman, look and see; is there defense in your bag for me?
12 | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2020
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