November 8, 3013

november 8, 2013the chronicle

ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

ph

oto

illu

str

atio

n b

y e

ric

lin

2 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW The Chronicle

Give Vision. Be Visionary.www.EyeCareAssociatesNC.com

Pay it forward with Eye Care Associates.Buy a complete pair of glasses including frame and lenses,

and a pair will go to someone in need.

Hundreds of new styles and frames special for Back-2-School, so you can get Back-2-Cool!

Assortments starting at $79!

experience the visionary di�erence

Buy a pair, and a pair will go to someone in need

(919) 863-2020www.eyecareassociatesnc.com

*Promotion ends 1/31/14. Valid Rx required, outside Rx welcome. Promotion is for new frame and Rx lenses; not valid on lenses only or on previous purchases. Packages may not be combined with any other insurance discounts, government or private insurance bene�ts, coupons, promotions, special pricing o�ers or other discounts. ©2013 Eye Care Associates - Optometrists.

experience the visionary di�erence

Buy a pair, and a pair will go to someone in need

$100 O�

AnnualFrame

Sale

$99 Exams

Gift of Vision

No insurance,no problem

Still time to use your Flex Spend Account

$100 o� your complete pair of glasses

West Durham / South Square3101 Shannon Road

Southpoint / Renaissance at Southpoint7001-105 Fayetteville Road

North Durham / NCEENT Building4102 N. Roxboro Street

Durham / Duke Eye Center2351 Erwin Road

1, 2, & 3BedroomSpacious

apartments

••••

On dukebus line

••••

PetFriendly

••••

LaundryFacilities

••••

Lease:6 or 12months

••••

Waterfurnished

Something for EveryoneLess than 1 mile to Duke’s West Campus and Medical Center

Erwin Terrace

2716-D Campus Walk Ave.Durham, 27705 Hours: Mon-Fri 9-5 919.383.3830

popl

arm

anor

apar

tmen

ts.c

om

PoplarManor

Holly Hill

hollyhillapartmenthom

es.com

erw

inte

rrac

eapa

rtm

ents

.com

Editor: Daniel CarpManaging Editor: Matt PunBlog Editor: Bobby ColtonPhoto Editor: Eric LinSenior Editors: Andrew Beaton and Ashley MooneyAssociate Editors: Zac Elder, Sarah El-sakr, Ryan Hoerger, Danielle Lazarus, Nick Martin, Danny Nolan, Jay SullivanStaff Writers: Ethan Andrzejewski, Olivia Banks, Madeline Carrington, Grant Costa, Drew Goldstein, Lucas Hubbard, Delaney King, Aaron Kupin, Helen Liljenwall, Brian Mazur, Kelly O’Brien, Kate Pantano, Brian Pester, Brian Pollack, Amrith Ramkumar, Josh Rosen, Kendra Schultz, Alex Serebransky, Ali WellsSpecial thanks to: Chronicle Photo Edi-tor Sophia Palenberg, News Photo Editor Julia May, Recess Photo Editor Eliza Bray, Towerview Photo Editor Jennie Xu, Online Photo Editor Thanh-Ha Nguyen, Editor-in-Chief Danielle Muoio, Managing Editor Sophia Durand

sportsstaff#1 DUKE

PAGE 16

PAGE 16

PAGE 17

PAGE 18

PAGE 18

PAGE 16

PAGE 17

PAGE 17

PAGE 18

RANKING THE ACC

The name of the game for Duke will be speed on both ends. PAGE 3

Off and running

what’sinside

After spending a year away from the game, Andre Dawkins seeks to prove he hasn’t lost a step. PAGE 5

Dawkins returns

Leading by exampleJosh Hairston and Tyler Thorn-ton won’t light up the score-board this year, but they know what their team needs. PAGE 4

Hood’s silent swaggerRodney Hood’s leadership style is just like his game—silent, yet ef-fective. PAGE 10

Meet the freshmen Top recruits join both the men’s and women’s programs. PAGE 5 and PAGE 8

Parker’s pressureTouted as the greatest high school player since LeBron, freshman Jabari Parker could not begin his career with higher expectations. PAGE 11

#15 VIRGINIA TECH PAGE 18

#2 SYRACUSE

PAGE 16 #3 UNC

#4 VIRGINIA

#5 NOTRE DAME

#6 PITTSBURGH

#8 MARYLAND

#7 BC

#9 GT

#10 FSU

#14 CLEMSON

#13 MIAMI

#12 WF

#11 NC STATE

PAGE 18

PAGE 18

PAGE 18

The Chronicle ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 3

men’s basketball TEMPO AND CONDITIONING

PUSHING THE PACE

by Ryan HoergerTHE CHRONICLE

Last season, Duke marketed itself as a physical, gritty team. Although those char-acteristics may still apply to this year’s squad, the name of the game is now speed.

Playing with no true center in the start-ing lineup, the Blue Devils will push the pace on opponents this year, trying to score in transition and applying full court pres-sure in the hopes of generating turnovers.

“We’re going to try to implement a sys-tem that’s personalized for this team,” Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski said at the start of fall practice. “This team’s very athletic. It’s not your conventional team of two big guys, a wing, a shooter and a point guard. It’s not going to be like that. It’s going to be a team that has very good versatility. Guys are going to have to be able to guard multiple posi-tions…and it’ll be a team that uses the full court, both offensively and defensively.”

Blue Devil floor general Quinn Cook will be tasked with controlling the pace of the game at both ends of the court. Krzyzewski lauded the junior’s ball pressure in late Sep-tember, saying that the Washington, D.C., native is in the best shape of his career.

“[Playing fast] is very fun. Coach K has the ultimate trust in me with the ball,” Cook said. “On defense it speeds the offense up. It gets them uncomfortable and not run-

erIc LIN/the chronicle

Duke ramped up its offseason conditioning regiment to prepare for faster play at both ends of the floor.

ning their offense…. They’ll hopefully be so tired, they’ll take plays off and stand up so we can take advantage of that.”

Pushing the tempo and forcing turn-overs with their press should raise the num-ber of possessions per game for Duke. With so much depth across the board, Krzyzewski will have no trouble finding fresh bodies to run onto the court to speed up the game.

“We have so many people who are inter-changeable at different spots, we have guys who are 6-foot-5, 6-foot-6, 6-foot-7 and long,” senior forward Josh Hairston said. “We know that five guys can’t run that hard for 40 minutes, so we’re going to try to throw groups at teams. You could see sometimes this year Coach sub three, four, five at a time to give new looks at teams and just continue to beat teams down throughout the process of 40 minutes.”

But the depth means nothing if players aren’t in good enough shape to run for the duration of their time on the court. Hair-ston, who enters this season listed at 235 pounds after playing at 240 last year, said the team knew summer conditioning would be more intense than in years past.

“We knew it coming into the summer that we were going to be doing a lot run-ning, but we embraced it because we knew we needed it,” Hairston said. “If you come into training camp and preseason already in

shape like we did… you don’t have to focus on it during preseason if you’re already in shape when preseason gets here. So it gives us more time to work on ourselves, work on our games and our meshing.”

The summer workout schedule was gru-eling, with sessions in both the morning and afternoon. On a typical Monday, the team went through some sort of physical condi-

tioning in the morning like swimming or cycling, sometimes followed by yoga. Play-ers then went off to class, returning in the afternoon for more conditioning, usually in the form of either a weight room session or a basketball workout. Every lifting session al-ways culminated with running.

See CONDITIONING, page 15


The University Club, a private fine dining club located in the penthouse suite of the University Tower, is offering SPECIAL Non-Member dining privileges to Duke University students, parents and alumni. Perfect for a meal before or after the game.

Call Shawn Olender at 919.323.4815 to reserve your stunning window tablewith panoramic views of campus! Advance reservations are required,

call ahead for the 2013-2014 season today!

Football & Basketball Home GamesAlumni Reunion Weekend

Graduation Weekend

WELCOME Duke Fans!

men’s basketball SENIOR LEADERSHIP

photo courtesy of duke photography

Seniors Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston are two of Duke’s three captains and the team’s vocal leaders.

Leading by exampleby Danny Nolan

THE CHRONICLE

It’s been a while since head men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski has had a young team.

During the past five seasons, players like Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, Miles Plumlee, Seth Curry, Mason Plum-lee and Ryan Kelly all were captains as upperclassmen and also carried a significant scoring load.

This year’s two senior captains—Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton—average a combined 5.4 points per game for their Duke careers, but that figure is not indicative of what their im-pact on the court will be this season.

“Coach K has had guys as seniors who weren’t the star play-ers,” Hairston said. “We’ve talked to him about it, and we know

that our role on this team is just as important as everybody else’s.”

The dynamic of this year’s Duke team is drastically different than it was a year ago. Flashing back to 2012-13, the Blue Dev-ils’ top three players were its senior captains, accounting for 60 percent of the team’s scoring. This season, with the exception of Rodney Hood, the captains are not expected to light up the scoreboard. Where their influence will be most felt will be be-hind the scenes.

“You need seniors that understand their importance,” Krzyzewski said. “Their importance may not be based on min-utes, starting, number of points, recognition, all of those things that people put as the main reasons that they want to be a part of something.”

Since the 2008-09 season, Duke teams are an impressive 33-1 in November, with the lone loss coming to No. 2 Ohio State during the 2011-12 campaign. Production from the team’s seniors were a big reason for that success. With a young-er team and a schedule that includes matchups with three top-10 teams in the next month, it will be hard for the Blue Devils to continue their early-season success.

Hairston and Thornton are no strangers to what it takes to win basketball games. During their tenure, they’ve seen teams capable of going all the way and teams that have greatly under-achieved. Their play on the court may not make a consistent impact, but contributing to a winning effort in a sidekick role is nothing new for the senior duo.

“We’ve always done it,” Hairston said. “It’s something we’ve done throughout our careers together playing basketball. Even back in AAU, we were never really the superstars in our class but we always won, and that’s what attracted people to us.”

Hairston, only recently named as the team’s third captain, leads with his energy. He’s the player that pumps up the Cam-eron Crazies before tipoff; the man that jumps up and down af-ter every major play; the guy who constantly seeks to encourage his teammates to play better. All of these roles come naturally to someone who exudes confidence.

“I’ve always let my emotions—especially on the basketball

See SENIORS, page 15

“I probably get in Jabari’s face more than anybody, because I want him to be great.”Tyler ThornTonDuke senior captain


2701 Pickett Road, Durham, NC 27705919.490.8000 • 800.474.0258

www.forestduke.org

FORESTTheat DUKE

21 Years of Excellence

1992-2013

Duke Mens ACC ATLANTANA:Layout 1 10/25/12 1:08 PM Page 1

Here’s to anotHer great year!

Nationally known for outstanding, innovative retirement living. Particularly known for complimentary door-to-door

transportation to Cameron Indoor Stadium.

AVOID. . .

2812 erwin road durham nc 919-383-4747 noshfood.com

HUNGERWHILE CAMPING

NOSH DELIVERS ON POINTS

THE RETURNmen’s basketball ANDRE DAWKINS

Dawkins’ sweet shooting stroke poised for a comeback

by Andrew BeatonTHE CHRONICLE

Andre Dawkins spent a year away from the basketball team. He redshirted, but he didn’t practice. He wasn’t a part of the team picture. He watched home games from the bleachers behind the team’s bench. He played golf. He got out of shape. He finished his undergradu-ate degree. He cleared his head.

As little as the understated Dawkins likes to talk about his time off, there’s one thing he doesn’t shy away from: He’s a 3-point shooter. When he tweeted his return to the basketball team, he said he was changing his number from 20 to 34 in honor of one of the NBA’s best ever shooters, Ray Allen. And on the court, his shooting is what will get him min-utes for the Blue Devils.

“A lot of my success in this game is going to be based off the way I shoot the ball,” Dawkins said. “The big thing for me is keeping that strength a strength. For me that’s shooting, and that’s why I work so hard on it—to be the best shooter.”

Sometimes the ease in Dawkins’ stroke is obvious. At the beginning of his junior season, he led the Blue Devils past Michigan State at Madison Square Garden with 26 points on 6-of-10 shooting from beyond the arc. Later that year, he hit 6-of-9 3-pointers—in only 21 minutes—to help Duke beat No. 15 Florida State on the road.

More than two-thirds of his made baskets as a Blue Devil have been 3-pointers, connect-

ing on more than 40 percent of his attempts.But shooters have hot streaks and cold

streaks, and he finished his junior season frigid. In the final six contests, including the team’s one-and-done loss to 15th-seeded Lehigh in the NCAA tournament, he made

photo courtesy of duke photography

After redshirting last season, graduate stu-dent Andre Dawkins will bring his smooth 3-point shot back to the Blue Devils.

See DAWKINS, page 14

men’s basketball FRESH FACES IN DUKE BLUE

Jones and Ojeleye turning heads early

by Bobby ColtonTHE CHRONICLE

Two players who have never played a single minute of Duke basketball are already making headlines before the season even starts. No, not Jabari Parker and Rodney Hood. The two players are freshmen Matt Jones and Semi Ojeleye.

The Blue Devils’ 2013 recruiting class drew high marks coming into the sea-son, but that was mostly due to Parker,

who was ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 player in the class. Jones and Ojeleye were much less ballyhooed upon arriv-ing on campus, ranked 36th and 40th, respectively. Adding a consensus star and two less-heralded players is nothing new for Duke, however.

“The three guys that we had come in this year kind of remind myself of

JuLIa May/the chronicle

Freshmen Semi Ojeleye and Matt Jones have a chance to make an impact off the bench for the Blue Devils.

See FRESHMEN, page 14


SkewerS Bar and Grill your HeadquarterS for

duke BaSketBallGameS

Come wearinG your duke Gear and Get 20% off

your Bill

kitchen open late Sun - wedS 11am to 2amtHurS - Sat 11am to 3am

WOmen’s basketball RETURNING EXPERIENCE

Duke’s 5 returning starters eyeing a Final Four runby Aaron Kupin

THE CHRONICLE

Everybody’s back.The starting five that led Duke to the Elite

Eight last season all return with hopes of cap-turing the national championship trophy that has always eluded the Blue Devils. With 93.7 percent of the team’s scoring returning from last season, Duke will not have to spend time at the beginning of the season worrying about developing chemistry amongst its core.

“We’re a few steps ahead of where we might have been in years past,” senior forward Haley Peters said. “You can tell in practice when Coach is emphasizing certain points it’s things that we’ve heard before, and so it’s not like were learning it for the first time.”

Many believed that Duke could have gone all the way last year if not for the season-ending injury to All-American point guard Chelsea Gray that forced her to miss the last 11 games of the regular season and the ACC and NCAA tournaments. Gray dislocated her kneecap in a contest against Wake Forest.

She was averaging 12.6 points per game along with 5.4 assists as well as making a school-record 37 straight free throws. She was possi-bly having one of the best individual seasons in school history before she was sidelined.

“Chelsea is the most versatile guard in the country—bar none,” McCallie said. “There’s nobody that can take somebody off the bounce and then shoot that three and then create like Chelsea can.... Having Chelsea off the floor is an enormous loss.”

Alexis Jones was forced to take over the point guard position due to Gray’s injury last year and really step up her game and role as a leader despite her inexperience.

The ACC tournament MVP averaged 9.4 points per game and 4.5 assists prior to Gray’s ailment and then raised her offensive input to 13.8 points per game and 6.1 assists after Gray’s injury. A crafty and attacking guard, Jones will look to benefit greatly playing along-side Gray once again in an offense geared to-wards scoring points in transition.

“Lex was just a freshman. Freshmen take a while to come along,” McCallie said. “I dont

have any doubt that Chelsea can mentor Lex and Lex can show Chelsea some things that she’s developed. They can exchange on them, but more than that on the court they can just play off each other, and make it special.”

Also returning is one of the nation’s best shooters in Tricia Liston. She hit 80 3-pointers last year to break the school record as well as totaling six games with 20 points or more.

Liston will play an integral role in a three-

guard offense that will test her versatility and see her, Jones, and Gray all trade off taking the ball up the court.

“Tricia’s gonna play one and two, two and one. She developed that last year with her con-ditioning,” McCallie said. “At one point it was just shooting mostly off the pass, coming off screens. Now she’s all over the place—coming off screens, putting the ball on the floor, [and] posting up.”

Junior center Elizabeth Williams and se-nior forward Haley Peters round out the starting lineup. Williams recorded six double-doubles and a block in every game last year, ranking eighth nationally with 3.0 blocks a game. Peters averaged 7.6 rebounds per game last year while also posing as a threat from beyond the arc, shooting 47.4 percent on 3-pointers.

In addition, having all five starters return will allow Duke’s top-rated freshmen to devel-op at a comfortable pace and learn under the guidance of the accomplished players ahead of them. Freshmen Kendall McCravey-Cooper and Oderah Chidom will look to thrive off the bench and provide needed support in the paint.

“Our post group is very deep this year,” McCallie said. “If teams are going to double and triple [Elizabeth] as they have in the past, they’re gonna find that they’re gonna miss a lot of O-boards that are gonna be picked up by people like Kendall Cooper and Oderah Chidom.”

Coming into the season ranked No. 2 in the country, there is no question that if this starting five is excited for the road ahead.

“We’re all just ready and happy to come back and play,” Jones said.

thaNh-ha NguyeN/the chronicle

With all five returning starters and 93.7 percent of its scoring back from a season ago, it won’t take long for Duke to find its groove on the court.


Pomodoro ItalianKitchenL

putting the love back into the kitchen

Catering AvailableBig or Small Parties

Open 7 days a week for lunch and dinner

Check out our menu online at www.pomodoroitaliankitchen.com

919-382-29151811 Hillandale Rd.Durham, NC 27705

(919) 304-1500107 East Center St.Mebane, NC 27302

DRINK SPECIALS

Mondays $3 House margarita, $2.75 Bottle Domestic Beer

Tuesdays: $3 House Magarita, $4 House Martini

Wednesdays: $2.25 Coors Light Bottles, $4 Red Sangria

Thursdays: $2 House Margarita, $4 Peach Sangria

Fridays: $3 Blue Moon Draft,$5 House Martini

Saturdays: $4 Drink of the Day, $3 Italian Margarita

Sundays: $4 Bloody Marys,$5 Mimosas

“Appy Hours” 1/2 price appetizers at the bar

Mon. & Sat. 4pm-6pm

WOmen’s basketball POINT-COUNTERPOINT

Is a Final Four finally in store for McCallie’s Blue Devils?With all five starters back, this is the Blue Devils’ time

by Jay SullivanTHE CHRONICLE

There is little excuse for Joanne P. McCallie and the Blue Devils should they not make the Final Four of this season’s NCAA tournament. This team has all the pieces of a national championship contender—experience, talent at every posi-tion, a deep bench and the drive to succeed—and that is pre-cisely why Duke will make the Final Four come April.

To give some perspective, last year the Blue Devils managed to earn an ACC tournament title and an Elite Eight appear-ance against a No. 1-seeded Notre Dame squad—all without the player who set the tone for the team every game, then-ju-

nior guard Chelsea Gray, who was sidelined with a knee injury.Losing Gray may have been one of the best things to hap-

pen to this year’s Duke squad. Without Gray as a consistent presence on the court, then-freshman guard Alexis Jones be-gan to take a leadership role for the team, performing above the expectations even McCallie had set for her. The injury gave the rookie a chance to grow as a player and distributor of the ball.

With both players healthy, this team looks to have one of the best guard combinations in the country. McCallie had remarked that Jones and Gray had just been getting used to playing together around the time of Gray’s injury. Even with Gray still not back to 100 percent, her finesse in dishing assists and her experience complement the quickness and defensive intensity of Jones well.

Under the basket, the Blue Devils will have an advantage in the paint with formidable center Elizabeth Williams, who has recorded a block in every game in her collegiate career pa-trolling the paint. Williams’ counterpart, Haley Peters, adds a versatile, aggressive element to Williams’ finesse game. Peters’ prolific shooting from the midrange will help stretch the de-fense and give Williams space in the paint. The pair can match up with any frontcourt in college basketball especially now that former Baylor center Brittney Griner no longer poses a threat to Duke’s success.

Williams and Peters will be joined by a pair of freshmen, Oderah Chidom and Kendall McCravey-Cooper, along with the now-healthy Amber Henson, who have each shown sparks

� e new-look ACC will give Duke a di� cult path to March

See POINT, page 15

by Amrith RamkumarTHE CHRONICLE

Duke has gotten close to the Final Four but failed to make it each of the past four seasons—this is why it will be five.

First, the Blue Devils have a brutal schedule—Duke will face seven teams ranked in the preseason AP Poll’s top 12 and will play No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 12 North Carolina twice in conference play and likely play either the Tar Heels or the Irish a third time or No. 8 Maryland a second time in the ACC tour-nament, bringing the total to at least 10 difficult games on the schedule, not counting any potential upset bids by teams not ranked in the top 15.

Although almost every top team has a difficult nonconfer-ence schedule, Duke’s demanding ACC schedule could pre-vent the team from reaching its goal. The Blue Devils might not be able to get a strong No. 1 seed or a favorable location for their NCAA Regional if they falter in conference play and the other top teams in the country dominate their respective conferences.

No. 1 Connecticut will almost certainly roll through the AAC if they can last through two matchups with No. 5 Lou-isville. No. 4 Tennessee could easily maintain an impressive SEC record if they best No. 7 Kentucky, and No. 3 Stanford will likely control the Pac-12 if it can hold up against upstart No. 9 California. Thus, Duke could very conceivably have another difficult road to the Final Four if they are once again in a re-gion with a difficult location and another top-five team.

Secondly, although two-time All-American Chelsea Gray will likely be back close to 100 percent by the time ACC play rolls around, it is possible that Gray’s return to full strength could mean that her backcourt-mate Alexis Jones will be less explosive without the ball in her hands as much. Jones is one of the most dangerous players in the country in transition but will

JuLIa duNN/the chronicle

The ability of point guard Alexis Jones to mesh with Chel-sea Gray after her return from injury could make or break this year’s Duke team.

See COUNTERPOINT, page 15



Freshmen Oderah Chidom and Kendall McCravey-Cooper developed a close friendship growing up in California.

WOmen’s basketball FRESHMEN

Freshman post players rely on California roots

by Brian MazurTHE CHRONICLE

With established chemistry on the court and a strong friendship off the court, two highly-touted freshman moved across the country together with hopes of guiding Duke to its first national championship.

Top recruits Kendall McCravey-Cooper and Oderah Chi-dom arrived at Duke during the summer and have been working hard, adjusting to playing the game at the next level and finding roles on one of the nation’s best squads.

“Right now, the team is really good, and I am just learn-ing from all of the players,” Chidom said. “All of the things I am learning from the upperclassmen are just amazing.”

Although the two are easing into life at Duke, they do not have to become familiar with each other.

Chidom and McCravey-Cooper, who are both Califor-nia natives, garnered McDonald’s All-America accolades in high school. Even though they hail from different parts of the Golden State, the game of basketball has helped build a strong relationship between the two 6-foot-4 forwards.

In their last two years of high school, the two played on California Storm Team Taurasi, one of the nation’s top women’s travel teams. They followed in the foot-steps of current Blue Devil senior guard and two-time All-American Chelsea Gray, who also played for the Storm in high school.

“On the court, we just read each other really well,” Chi-dom said. “We have a chemistry that is already established.”

But as their relationship on the court solidified, Mc-Cravey-Cooper and Chidom became better friends off the court, and the two decided to attend Duke together.

“She is my best friend, my sister,” McCravey-Cooper said. “A lot of people say that, but she is really something special to me.”

The two made the transition to Duke this summer and have been adjusting to playing the game at the next level. It has been a smooth transition so far for the new Blue Devils, but there is still a lot of work to be done before the team opens the season Nov. 10 in their home state of California.

Both players admit that going through strength and conditioning has been the biggest change, admitting that their high school teams did not emphasize hitting the weight room as much Duke does.

The style of play is also different, as players at the col-legiate level are much taller, bigger and faster. But the team’s youngest players are pushing forward, with Chidom awarded the Iron Blue Devil Belt for her outstanding per-formance in offseason workouts.

“Coming from high school, we did not do weights or anything like that,” McCravey-Cooper said. “I came from a high school where all of the girls were 5-foot-8 or shorter, so I think playing with girls my height and my size is going to help a lot.”

She also adds that playing with veteran post players Elizabeth Williams and Haley Peters has helped her im-prove game and ease transition onto the team. Compared to their older teammates, the team’s youngest players had more time to practice with the already-established squad this summer, as new NCAA regulations allowed for extra practice time.

All of this has propelled the freshman twin towers off to a solid start. Through the team’s first two exhibition games, McCravey-Cooper is averaging 7.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Chidom, who had a breakout 17-point performance against Coker College, is averaging 13 points and 4.5 rebounds.

“We are really impressed with the transition they have made. Kendall [McCravey-Cooper] and Oderah Chidom have really blended in beautifully with the team,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “They are playing very hard and improving every day.”

There is no better way for Chidom and McCravey-Cooper to open the season than playing back where it all started in their home state—for Chidom, just 10 minutes from her hometown.

“My entire high school [team] will be there, my entire family will be there, so it will be fun to see a Duke cheering section, ” Chidom said.


TOP QUALITY MERCHANDISE. EXCELLENT CUSTOMER SERVICE.Providing you with the largest selection of officially licensed Duke apparel, gifts andsouvenirs, we are your headquarters for the largest selection of everything Duke!

Upper Level, Bryan Center, West CampusPhone: 919.684.2344

Academic Year Store Hours:Monday - Wednesday: 8:30am - 7pm

Thursday & Friday: 8:30am - 8pmSaturday: 9am - 6pm | Sunday: 11am - 4pm

www.shopdukestores.duke.edu

Department of Duke University Stores®

Where Real Duke Fans Shop!

For your shopping convenience, we will be open extended hours on Saturday, November 9, from 9am - 8pm.


THE DRIVE FOR FIVEHood leads Blue Devils with silent swagger

by Andrew BeatonTHE CHRONICLE

Unable to play or travel with the team last year after transferring from Mississippi State, Rodney Hood felt like he was imprisoned.

Now he’s free, preparing to play his first real game in more than a year and a half.

But on the court, he doesn’t celebrate like someone who just got out from behind bars, albeit figuratively. On a team with animated players who bump shoulders, pump fists and thump chests, Hood carries himself with a si-lent swagger that stands out more than any of his teammates’ emphatic gestures.

“That’s his demeanor, his swagger on the court,” junior Quinn Cook said. “He’ll let us do the talking for him. I call him the silent assassin because he doesn’t do any talking.”

As an on-the-court assassin, Hood has many methods of execution. At 6-foot-8, he has the body of a forward. He can play with his back to the basket, and he’s just as big as the team’s two starting post players, Amile Jefferson and Jabari Parker.

With the ball in his hands, though, he’s a lengthy wing player. In his freshman year at Mississippi State, he averaged 1.5 threes per game. On the perimeter, his athletic frame inevitably presents mismatches with opposing guards.

Now he just has to live up to his ‘silent assassin’ billing.

“I love that name. Hopefully I can be that ev-ery time out,” Hood said.

Don’t mistake Hood’s quiet cha-risma with a lack of leadership. Fresh-man Semi Ojeleye said Hood leads by example, “staying late, being there early, hitting big-time shots.”

Those are the reasons why he’s one of the team’s captains, despite being with the team for only one season—a season in which he wasn’t allowed to play.

At first glance, Hood’s captaincy stands out next to his co-captains: Ty-ler Thornton and Josh Hairston, both seniors. But unlike last season, when seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee led the team in scor-ing, this year’s most veteran players won’t do that. Hood may ultimately prove to be the team’s go-to scor-ing option and the only captain to play more than 30 minutes per game, giving the team con-sistent on-the-court leadership.

Part of being a captain means being more vocal, and as Cook noted, “Coach tries to get him out of his comfort zone, talking more.”

Thornton said Hood was quiet last year but is now “far past that.”

And when the team needed somebody to speak, trailing by four points to Division II Drury at halftime of their last exhibi-tion game, he spoke. Naturally, the hushed Hood wouldn’t say exactly what he said to his teammates.

“I’m not a hollering type guy, but I always say what needs to be said. At halftime, I said what needed to be said,” Hood said. “I can’t repeat it.”

It would be too much to attribute Duke’s eventual 16-point victory to whatever was said at halftime. It wouldn’t be too much to credit Hood with leading the Blue Devils in their comeback, scoring a game-high 21 points, dishing four assists and playing with an intensity that’s expected in March, not exhibition season.

The important takeaway: Rodney leads, and his teammates follow.

“He doesn’t have too much to say, but when he does talk it’s important, and he gets his message across,” Thornton said.

His message against Drury was that the team was playing with a lack of energy,

something that needed to change in the second half.

Hood isn’t always so stern, though. When he’s not in game

mode, he’s not quite the ‘silent assassin.’

“Off the court he’s not cool,” said Cook, who along

with Marshall Plumlee lives with Hood. “He talks too

much.”A smiling Hood said

Plumlee and Cook are

good roommates, except when Marshall stays up playing

video games all night.The topic Hood can’t stop

yammering about in their apart-ment: Monta Ellis, the Dallas Mavericks guard who averaged 19.2 points per game last season

for the Milwaukee Bucks. Hood, a Meridian, Miss. native, said he began

loving the game because of Ellis, who hails from Jackson, Miss.

“Monta is my boy. I try to let it be known,” Hood said.

game. On the perimeter, his athletic frame inevitably presents mismatches with opposing guards.

Now he just has to live up to his ‘silent assassin’ billing.

“I love that name. Hopefully I can be that ev-ery time out,” Hood said.

Don’t mistake Hood’s quiet cha-risma with a lack of leadership. Fresh-man Semi Ojeleye said Hood leads by example, “staying late, being there early, hitting big-time shots.”

Those are the reasons why he’s one of the team’s captains, despite being with the team for only one season—a season in which he wasn’t allowed to play.

At first glance, Hood’s captaincy stands out next to his co-captains: Ty-ler Thornton and Josh Hairston, both seniors. But unlike last season, when seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee led the team in scor-ing, this year’s most veteran players won’t do that. Hood may ultimately prove to be the team’s go-to scor-ing option and the only captain to play more than 30 minutes per game, giving the team con-sistent on-the-court

his message across,” Thornton said.His message against Drury was that the

team was playing with a lack of energy, something that needed to change in the second half.

Hood isn’t always so stern, though. When he’s not in game

mode, he’s not quite the ‘silent assassin.’

“Off the court he’s not cool,” said Cook, who along

with Marshall Plumlee lives with Hood. “He talks too

much.”A smiling Hood said

Plumlee and Cook are

good roommates, except when Marshall stays up playing

video games all night.The topic Hood can’t stop

yammering about in their apart-ment: Monta Ellis, the Dallas Mavericks guard who averaged 19.2 points per game last season

for the Milwaukee Bucks. Hood, a Meridian, Miss. native, said he began

loving the game because of Ellis, who hails from Jackson, Miss.

“Monta is my boy. I try to let it be known,” Hood said.


THE DRIVE FOR FIVEHighest expectations for freshman Parker

by Daniel CarpTHE CHRONICLE

Duke has 12 scholarship players on its ac-tive roster. Six of those were named McDon-ald’s All-Americans in high school. But just one was touted as the greatest high school bas-ketball player since LeBron James on the cover of Sports Illustrated long before he ever played a minute of college basketball.

There are many reasons why freshman Jabari Parker stands out from the pack as he enters his first season at the collegiate level. His rare combination of size and athleticism at 6-foot-8 makes him a lethal course on the hardwood. Off the court, Parker may be the highest-profile Mormon basketball player ever to play the game.

But most importantly, it appears that the Blue Devils’ chances at a fifth national title rest squarely on his 18-year-old shoulders.

“He’s an amazingly talented player,” sophomore forward Amile Jefferson said. “Some things he does on the court are just unbelievable.”

Parker is no stranger to being in the spot-light. Playing in Chicago—a city which puts its high school basketball stars under the mi-croscope—Parker was subjected to a media circus at every one of his games. He thrived in these conditions, leading his Simeon Career Academy squad to four consecutive state titles and finished with a career record of 118-15 in four seasons. He was just the second player in Illinois basketball history to start for four con-secutive state championship teams.

That experience could not have been better preparation for the two themes that drive Duke’s basketball program: pressure and success.

“It simulates it a little bit, but it’s not quite there,” Parker said. “Especially playing for a big-time program like Duke, it’s something special. You find the significance when you’re out there, and hopefully I’ll get it when I play my first game Friday.”

A walking matchup problem on the offen-sive end and able to guard all five positions on the floor on defense, Parker is one of the main reasons why this year’s Duke team will have a different complexion than last year’s squad. Parker will be a piece of one of the most ath-letic—albeit undersized—frontcourts in the country. Playing alongside Jefferson in the post, the size and rebounding abilities of Parker and 6-foot-8 forward Rodney Hood will make up for the Blue Devils’ lack of size down low.

With this athleticism comes the Blue Devils’ ability to push the ball in transition and defend with full-court pressure, something that head

coach Mike Krzyzewski’s Duke teams have rarely done since winning a national champi-onship in 2000-01.

“Jabari Parker has got a skill level that you just don’t see that often. I would put him on the Grant Hill level of being able to do mul-tiple things,” said Jay Bilas, ESPN college bas-ketball analyst and a former player and coach at Duke. “Posting up, he can play with his back to the basket, he can play facing it—he’s really, really impressive. I’m going to be interested to see how Coach K uses him throughout the course of the year.”

But Duke’s history with highly-touted fresh-men has been a difficult one as of late. Three seasons ago, Kyrie Irving came to the Blue Devils as the No. 3 ranked player in his recruit-ing class. Irving singlehandedly altered Duke’s playing style, but a foot injury sidelined him for most of the year and forced the Blue Dev-ils to reinvent themselves. Only reaching the Sweet 16 that season, Duke was ultimately left with questions of what could have been.

After Irving departed for the NBA and was the top overall selection by the Cleveland Cavaliers, combo guard Austin Rivers came to Duke, also ranked third in his class. Rivers led the Blue Devils to an up-and-down season that culminated in an upset to 15th-seeded Lehigh in the squad’s first NCAA tournament game. In a season where locker-room tensions re-portedly ran high with the freshman star, Duke fans widely consider Rivers’ one-year tenure in Durham to be a disappointment.

With Parker now set to start his freshman campaign ranked No. 2 in his class behind Kansas freshman Andrew Wiggins, many be-lieve he, too, will be a one-and-done at the col-lege level. Even his Duke teammates acknowl-edge the possibility that Parker’s time as a Blue Devil could be fleeting.

“A lot of us probably figure that we won’t be around him for too long—probably for just this season,” said senior forward Josh Hairston, who often guards Parker in practice. “Even in the summer when he was here, I told that I was going to push him.... I try to push him as much as I can and make him work.”

Although Parker said decisions about his NBA future will be made at the last minute, the combination of his calm demeanor and killer instinct on the basketball court should be well worth the price of admission this season.

“Whether he is a one-year and that’s it or not—Jabari is really good. And he’s a team player, and he’s a champion,” Krzyzewski said. “To have four state championships in the state of Illinois is incredible.... It’s beyond belief, and that’s who this kid is.”



it’s

COAT SWAP time ya’ll!

*qualifying jackets only

20% off a new coat*

Coats will be donated toOrange Congregations

in Mission

Bring in a gentlyused coat, receive

November 7th–10th

North Carolina’s Outdoor Expertswww.GreatOutdoorProvision.com

Eastgate Shopping Center 1800 E Franklin St 919-933-6148Weekdays: 10a–9p Saturday: 10a–6p Sunday: 1–6p

WOmen’s basketball DUKE’S DYNAMIC DUO

by Brian MazurTHE CHRONICLE

In football, the saying is that if you have two quarterbacks, you really have none.

Nothing could be further from the truth for Duke this year. In Chelsea Gray and Alexis Jones, the Blue Devils have two decorated point guards who are both more than capable of quarterbacking the team to victory.

Gray, a senior, is a two-time All-Amer-ican who is returning from a knee injury that cost her the final portion of last sea-son. During her absence, Jones, now a sophomore, picked up the slack, earning the ACC tournament MVP and leading the team on its NCAA tournament run to the Elite Eight.

After her devastating injury, Gray made the transition from being the star point guard and running the offense to essen-tially being another coach. She was con-stantly advising Jones and helping her to improve both the mental and physical parts of her game. Gray made great efforts to ensure that Jones was on the same page as the coaching staff, showing her the nu-ances of how the system is run.

“After I went down I just kept talking to [Alexis], and her and Tricia [Liston] did an amazing job of leading the team from the guard perspective,” Gray said. “She was able to speak up a little more and was on the same page with coach a little more. She knew what to call on offense, and I was really proud of her in that respect.”

Being taken under Gray’s wing paid dividends for Jones. After Gray went down

Gray’s return gives Duke 2 top point guards

with her injury last year, Jones averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game—all significant increases from her early-season numbers. This year, Duke’s dynamic duo will have the chance to complement each other in a high-pow-ered offense that features Liston, Eliza-beth Williams and Haley Peters.

With Gray already established as an elite point guard and Jones poised to take

that next step in her game, the Blue Devils will feature a starting backcourt that rivals any other in the nation.

“Chelsea and Alexis have a great oppor-tunity to be two of the best guards in the country,” head coach Joanne P. McCallie said. “But that opportunity rests with their ability to play off each other, not their ability to one-up each other. If they play off each other and really appreciate each

other’s skill sets, then you’re talking about a fantastic combo.”

The beauty of the Gray-Jones dynamic is that their playing styles naturally com-plement each other—neither has to make major sacrifices in their game to accom-modate the other. Gray is a do-it-all player who McCallie called the most versatile guard in the country. Gray is just as adept at posting up and playing off the ball as she is dishing out assists and taking oppo-nents off the dribble.

Jones’ strengths are her speed and ath-leticism. The lefty excels when she is out in transition, something that McCallie said she wants to see her team do more of this year. This up-tempo style of plays right into Jones’ hands and should take some of the pressure off Gray until she fully gets her legs back under her again.

Rather than worry about how the team will adjust to Gray’s return after an ex-tended absence, the Blue Devils are ex-cited about the unique opportunity that they have in front of them. Most college teams are lucky to have one quality point guard who can create opportunities for themselves and their teammates. Duke is fortunate enough to have two this year, and McCallie loves the relationship that has developed between them.

“I don’t have any doubt that Chelsea can mentor Alexis, and Alexis can show Chelsea some things that she’s developed,” McCallie said. “More than that, they can just play off each other and make it spe-cial. That’s something we’re really looking forward to.”


A close relationship off the court should help point guards Chelsea Gray and Alexis Jones mesh on the court this season.


FREE PERSONALTRAINING SESSION

Enjoy your initial session for free!

3211 shannon road, durham, nc | 919.401.8024becomepowerful.com

/empowerdurham /becomepowerfulNo Membership Required

Offer available to new clients only.

Call 919.401.8024 to schedule an appointment.

Toll Free

1-866-595-6604

Location! Location! Location!

• 8 Unique Floor Plans

* Newly Renovated Kitchens & Baths*

• Fully Equipped Kitchens w/ Breakfast Bars

• Patio, Deck, or Sunroom

• Full Sized Washer & Dryer Included*

From Duke, turn left on Academy Dr. (Hwy. 751), right onto University Dr., you will see us on your left!

• 8 Unique Floor Plans• 8 Unique Floor Plans•* Newly Renovated Kitchens & Baths*

• Fully Equipped Kitchens w/ Breakfast Bars

• Patio, Deck, or Sunroom

• Full Sized Washer & Dryer Included*

Reserve your apartment in

advance,

Call today or just drop in!

Less than 3 miles from Duke!

• Wood Burning Fireplace

• Fitness Center

• Tennis Court

• Resort Style Pool and Sundeck

• Indoor Racket/Volleyball Court*in select homes

3611 University Drivewww.pinnacleridgeapthomes.com

[email protected]

my freshman class,” senior forward Josh Hairston said.

Hairston, the No. 19 recruit in his class, was joined by Kyrie Irving—No. 3—and Tyler Thornton, who was not in ESPN’s top 100. Coming to the team fol-lowing a championship season, the trio joined a deep and talented roster, leav-ing Irving the only one of the three who was expected to play a significant role for the 2010-11 Blue Devils. Jones and Ojeleye were similarly penciled into mi-nor roles by pundits this season—until their play dictated otherwise.

“It’s even to start,” Ojeleye said of the opportunity afforded to himself and the other freshmen. “[Head coach Mike Krzyzewski] doesn’t say, ‘He’s a fresh-man, he can’t play,’ but you have to prove yourself, everyone has to prove himself.”

Both Ojeleye and Jones have done just that in their limited time with the pro-gram. Jones, a 6-foot-4 shooting guard out of DeSoto, Texas, came to camp drawing Ray Allen comparisons for his sweet 3-point stroke. But it wasn’t Jones’ jumper that drew rave reviews this offsea-son and preseason—it was his defense.

“Coming out of high school, I always thought I was a good defender,” Jones said. “I guess my shooting overshadowed that.... I’m just glad everyone else real-izes it as well. It’s kind of a good feel-ing knowing that you’re a good defender and everybody knows it now.”

Jones’ defense has played a big role in his surprising inclusion in the starting conversation as Duke careens toward its first game of the season. Jones said that final white jersey is still being shared in practice, meaning the right to start next to Parker, Hood, Quinn Cook and Amile Jefferson is still up for grabs. Incumbent Rasheed Sulaimon is still adapting to playing with Parker and Hood, gradu-ate student Andre Dawkins is still getting back in his rhythm after sitting out last season and Thornton, a senior, is more of a point guard than a shooting guard.

That leaves Jones—a player with a high ceiling on both sides of the ball—very much in the mix to crack the start-ing lineup at some point this season. Ironically, it is the very players Jones is

competing against that may be helping him the most in his bid to earn the start-ing nod.

“They’ve definitely taught me a lot,” Jones said. “It’s great to just go against those guys every day knowing that those are the type of caliber guys you’ll have to face every night, so it’s definitely a great opportunity for me to show my skill as a defender and on offense as well.”

Unlike Jones, Ojeleye’s main skill set was no surprise to anyone when he stepped onto the court. Ojeleye is already one of the top athletes in the country. The 6-foot-7, 230-pound forward is of the Andre Iguodala and Kenneth Faried ilk in the way his athleticism can completely change the way a team plays the game.

“It’s definitely a blessing,” Ojeleye said of his natural gift. “It helps me defensively and offensively, as a rebounder, to guard somebody. Coach has told me to use it however I can. I’m still young and learn-ing the game and the system and what he wants, so I have to use that first and then let everything else fall into place.”

The high-flying Ojeleye, who has been dunking since the summer before high school, has already put his prowess above the rim on full display. He com-peted in the dunk contest at Countdown to Craziness—though he says he’s not a contest dunker and didn’t do much ad-vance planning.

Ojeleye has also already made an appearance on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays, despite never playing a regular-season minute, with a dunk in practice that sent shockwaves through the col-lege basketball world. His leaping ability should translate to strong rebounding, which would give him a leg-up on earn-ing playing time ahead of other forwards considering the expected rebounding deficiencies that accompany Duke’s un-dersized frontcourt.

Parker may be the crown jewel of this recruiting class, as a player who is pro-jected to be a top-five pick in this June’s NBA Draft, but it appears that the Blue Devils’ two unsung freshmen have bright futures in the program.

“The great thing is they came here to work, they didn’t come in here feeling entitled,” Hairston said. “They knew that they needed to prove themselves, and they definitely have.”

2-of-17 from beyond the arc.And since then, he hasn’t played in a game

for Duke, excluding the two exhibitions to start this season in which he was 0-for-8 on 3-pointers.

In that time away, Dawkins never lost the trust of the one player who has the most say in how often he’ll get to shoot the ball: point guard Quinn Cook.

“I’m going to get an assist from Andre every time I give him the ball,” Cook said. “I have the most confidence he’s going to knock the 3-pointer down. I feel like he’s the best shooter in the country.”

The respect is mutual.“He always seems to find me,” Dawkins said.

“I can just give a look and he knows where I’m going and when I want to get the ball. It’s great to have someone like that who’s unselfish.”

Cook is a rare familiar face on this roster for Dawkins. The team’s three freshmen—Jabari Parker, Semi Ojeleye and Matt Jones—are new to everybody. Dawkins didn’t practice last year while the current sophomores played their first minutes and Rodney Hood joined the team for practice.

That leaves Cook, Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton as the only three guys he has ever played a meaningful game with.

“You just have to get used to playing with those guys, knowing what they want to do, where to be when they do what they do,” Dawkins said.

Duke has no shortage of other players who can shoot the three well: Cook, Hood, Jones, Parker, Thornton and Rasheed Sulai-mon. But Dawkins sees his willingness to pa-tiently wait on the wing as differentiating him from the rest.

Cook and Thornton have a pass-first mental-ity, he said. Some of the others have more of an aptitude “to drive and collapse the defense.”

“I just have to be ready and find open spots and get into a place where they can see me,” Dawkins said. “I stay around the 3-point line. These other guys will get their share of dunks.”

While his 3-point shooting may be the same, Dawkins has grown in other respects. Cook said he hears Dawkins’ voice more than he did as a freshman and is one of the team’s best leaders. He attributed that to Dawkins be-ing a fifth-year player and feeling the urgency of this campaign being his last.

He also said Dawkins gives him pointers on defense. Though Dawkins isn’t usually publicly lauded for his defensive play, Cook noted the graduate student’s physical strength can pre-vent opponents from moving.

And maybe the year away brought that ex-tra level of intensity it takes to be not only a good 3-point shooter, but also an effective two-way player.

“Him sitting out last year really showed him how much he loves the game and how much he missed playing,” Cook said.

Then there are the little things. With all the new faces and the team’s up-tempo style of play, Dawkins said there’s a lot more smiling in practice than he’s ever seen. That fun, he said, will translate to the court.

After a year away from the game, that sounds like exactly what Dawkins needs.

“It’s better than sitting on the couch all day,” he said.

DAWKINS from page 5

“[Dawkins] sitting out last year really showed him how much he loves the game and how much he missed playing.”QUInn CooKJunior point GuarD

FRESHMEN from page 5


dukepoints

We accept

order online: Enzospizzaco.com 309.3696 2608 erwin rd.

SPECIALTY

PIZZAS WINGS SUBSSALADS

Good luck Blue DevilsFree cinna-zo's with any order during a duke BASKETBALL game

We would love to cater your NEXT business or festive occASION

@chroniclesports

Follow Duke Sports on

have to adjust to playing off Gray’s facilitating, and vice versa—this adjustment could render both players less effective if they cannot fig-ure out how to be just as efficient playing off the ball.

This in turn could make it difficult for Duke to improve its assist-to-turnover ratio, a benchmark statistic for championship teams. Similarly, the ability or inability of the duo to mesh on the court this season could limit Duke’s ability to run half court sets involving ball reversals and post entry passes against tough defensive units if both Gray and Jones are always in attack mode. Unless Jones and Gray figure out how to take advantage of their unique skills together, Duke will have to wait yet another year to make it to the Final Four.

The Blue Devils return all five starters and 93.7 percent of the team’s scoring. They also return a group that has struggled to consis-tently rebound and slow down high-octane offenses at times. Center Elizabeth Williams compensates for many of Duke’s defensive blunders with her shot blocking and rebound-ing ability, but against elite competition in tight games, the inability of the Blue Devils to shut down dribble penetration early and communi-cate to secure box-outs and spot 3-point shoot-ers could cost the team. The team’s offensive firepower could easily prove futile if Duke does not show more grittiness on defense, especially on the perimeter.

Duke clearly has one of the most talented teams in the country, but the Blue Devils could easily miss out on the Final Four again because of a formidable conference schedule, offen-sive inefficiencies caused by playing two guards who both command the ball and a lack of de-fensive stability on the perimeter.

of talent during preseason action. Williams’ lone backup last season was then-senior Alli-son Vernerey, forcing the Blue Devils to rely on Williams for the majority of games. With three highly-touted backups to Williams and Peters, this Blue Devil squad should have little issue managing playing time and containing oppos-ing teams in the paint.

Duke has five seniors on this squad—Gray, Peters, guards Tricia Liston, Chloe Wells and forward Richa Jackson—and this is their last shot at a national championship. Not only is it the seniors’ last chance to compete in the NCAA tournament, but also this is also the best chance the Blue Devils have had under McCal-lie. Consecutive years of securing top recruits has formed a Duke team that combines talent with the experience and urgency of a veteran lineup. The 2014 senior class will not take this opportunity lightly.

The talent has certainly been there for the Blue Devils in the past, but the biggest barrier to postseason success has been caused by a lack of consistent effort. This team looks hungry to be McCallie’s first Duke team to make the Fi-nal Four. The Blue Devils are done falling just short of a Final Four appearance and have the urgency that will take them far into the NCAA Tournament.

With big-name players such as Griner and Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins out of the pic-ture, there is little that will keep Duke out of the Final Four this season, having been tabbed preseason No. 2 in the country behind Con-necticut. The Blue Devils look poised to make a deep postseason run due to a combination of talent and experience.

It would not be surprising to see this squad in the national championship game with a chance to earn the program’s first title under McCallie.

Cameron Indoor Stadium better prepare to make room for a new National Champion-ship banner in the near future and this time it might be for women’s basketball.

This summer was Matt Jones’ first expo-sure to the intense offseason workouts that the college game demands. The importance of working to get in shape was not lost on the freshman guard.

“Coach K emphasizes a deeper roster. He tells us every day that if you don’t want to go hard, we have another person that wants to do your job and can do your job,” Jones said. “At the same time, we all just take pride in being in shape so that when our number is called, we’re ready.”

As the season gets going, Hairston said that practice replaces the non-basketball components of the conditioning program.

“Yesterday after practice we just ran a cou-ple of 22’s, down and back, down and back twice under 22 seconds,” Hairston said. “We

court—show,” Hairston said. “I’ve had numer-ous meetings with [associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski] to talk about it, and that’s what I bring to the team that a lot of guys don’t bring. That’s why every day I have to be that emotional leader that gets players fired up and ready to play.”

Thornton’s role on the team is a little dif-ferent. While Hairston is by far the most veter-an member of the Duke frontcourt, Thornton is a part of one of the most experienced back-courts in the ACC. In addition to Thornton, junior Quinn Cook, graduate student Andre Dawkins and sophomore Rasheed Sulaimon combine to create a battle-tested core. As a veteran, Thornton understands that there are plenty of ways that he can help the team.

“I just try to make plays when I can on ei-ther side of the floor,” Thornton said. “Wheth-er I play five minutes or 40 minutes, they know I’ll leave it all out on the floor and they can count on me for the big plays.”

Thornton has become well known for his trash talking on the court. Cook has said for

“It’s not your conventional team of two big guys, a wing, a shooter and a point guard.”MIKe KrZyZeWSKIDuke heaD coach

just did that a couple times, but because our practices are so long and we run so much in practice, there’s really no need to keep run-ning... as a group.”

At the season-opening press conference, Krzyzewski mentioned the team’s sched-ule of upcoming events: an open practice, Countdown to Craziness and two exhibition games. And then what?

“Off to the races,” Krzyzewski said. “At least I hope we’re off to the races.”

CONDITIONING from page 3

years that Thornton’s toughness and tenacity can not only be found in how he plays basket-ball, but also how he approaches getting into the heads of opponents. On the court, no play-er is safe from his verbal jabs—not even highly-touted freshman Jabari Parker.

“I probably get in Jabari’s face more than anybody, because I want him to be great,” Thornton said. “It probably shocked him [the first time], but coming to Duke, that’s what you get. That’s the culture and I owe him that as an older guy… as a senior, as a captain that’s my job.”

Hairston and Thornton are not the most talented players on the floor, but their leader-ship goes far beyond on the court production.

“It’s not about letting [the most talented players] do everything they want to do,” Hair-ston said. “You have to have balance around them to help complement them and surround them, and that’s what me and Tyler are.”

SENIORS from page 4

COUNTERPOINT from page 7

POINT from page 7


Publication: Chronicle Size: 6.625” x 5.125” Job Number: 864-3029 Run Date: October 3, 2013 Dana Communications 609.466.9187

Duke

4-diamond dining, golf-view terrace, saturday

& sunday brunch

They’re your dining points.

bountiful breakfast buffetmonday–saturday 7-10:30 am

sunday 7-10:00 am

lively atmosphere delicious menu

all your favorite beverages

light fare & beverages overlooking the course

golfers & non-golfers welcome

Give them extra f lavor.

3Students always welcome • Dining Plan Points accepted • Reservations recommended for Fairview • Follow us on Facebook and Twitter

NORTH CAROLINA#3

by Brian PollackTHE CHRONICLE

Despite the legal issues of junior All-Ameri-can P.J. Hairston casting its shadow as a major concern, the Tar Heels will open the season ranked No. 12 in the country. Hairston had three separate run-ins with the law during the offseason. Head coach Roy Williams has an-nounced that he will sit out the first few games of the season, and the NCAA may intervene with disciplinary action. Hairston led the team with 14.6 points per game last year and his abil-ity to score both inside and outside is critical to the North Carolina offense.

The Tar Heels have plenty of talent, and they should be able to survive without Hair-ston for the early portion of the season. For-ward James Michael McAdoo, a second team All-ACC selection, led the team in rebounding at 7.3 per game last year. The 6-foot-9 forward also finished just behind Hairston in scoring, averaging 14.4 points per contest. He will have to step up big-time in Hairston’s absence, and many believe that he is ready to take the next step and become one of the top players in the country.

Sophomore point guard Marcus Paige showed significant offensive improvement in the latter portion of the schedule last year, and appears ready to establish himself as a legitimate scoring option in the backcourt.

In the frontcourt, highly-touted recruit Isaiah Hicks is a key newcomer for North Carolina. At 6-foot-8, his length, athleticism and strong defensive skills should allow him to contribute quality minutes down low right away.

One thing that needs to go right:Paige shows that his late-season shooting

spree—shooting 44.4 percent from 3-point range in his final 12 games—was not a fluke, forcing defenses to stretch out and defend his shot.

One thing that could go wrong:Hairston’s absence proves to be longer

than expected and the team struggles as the distraction continues to hamper the team’s play upon his return.

SYRACUSE#2


The Orange will be playing their first season in the ACC after losing three of their top four scorers, including their en-tire backcourt. Fortunately for head coach Jim Boeheim, they return their leading scorer and rebounder—lefty senior for-ward C.J. Fair, the preseason Player of the Year in the ACC. Boeheim will likely run much of the offense through the versatile Fair and use his team’s length and athleti-cism to make the 2-3 zone Syracuse is fa-mous for even more formidable. Fair and the rest of the Syracuse bigs are all capa-ble of playing tough defense and beating people up on the glass. The foundation of this year’s Syracuse team will be its physical frontcourt.

Though Michael Carter-Williams, Bran-don Triche and James Southerland carried much of the load offensively for the Orange a season ago, Syracuse seems to have players ready to fill the void. Freshman point guard Tyler Ennis will be given the task of running the offense. Although Ennis will not be near-ly the defensive menace that Carter-Williams was, his outside shooting and ball handling could make him yet another successful Syr-acuse point guard. Redshirt sophomores Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije—a for-

mer Duke player—will see most of the min-utes on the wing this season.

With Syracuse’s offense likely to improve as the season progresses, by the time confer-ence play rolls around, the Orange will be ready to compete for an ACC title led by a potential superstar and tenacious defense.

One thing that needs to go right:Fair takes what the defense gives him

and avoids forcing the issue on the offen-sive end while developing into the Orange’s next star.

One thing that could go wrong:Tough man-to-man defenses limit Fair

and prevent the Orange from being effec-tive in halfcourt sets.

#2 SyracuseLast YearOverall: 30-10ACC: N/A

Head CoachJim Boeheim

THE PLAYERSTyler Ennis Freshman floor generalTrevor Cooney Struggled with shot last yearC.J. Fair Preseason ACC POYDaJuan Coleman Back from torn meniscusRakeem Christmas 7-foot-3 wingspan

BENCH F Jerami Grant, F Michael Gbinije

GGFFC

#3 North CarolinaLast YearOverall: 25-11ACC: 12-6

Head CoachRoy Williams

THE PLAYERSMarcus Paige Shot well down the stretchLeslie McDonald Lone scholarship seniorP.J. Hairston Suspended to begin seasonJames Michael McAdoo 7.3 RPG last yearJoel James 6-foot-10. 280 pounds

BENCH F Brice Johnson, G Nate Britt

GGFFC

VIRGINIA#4

by Ethan AndrzejewskiTHE CHRONICLE

After being denied a spot in the NCAA tournament last season, Virginia has very different expectations this year. Returning its core and adding a highly-recruited freshman point guard, the Cav-aliers will contend with Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina and Notre Dame for the ACC title.

In what will be his fourth year start-ing for the Wahoos, Joe Harris will try to improve on last season’s 16.3 points per game and 42.5 percent 3-point shooting. Despite being the only returning All-ACC

honoree, Harris finished one vote be-hind Syracuse’s C.J. Fair as the ACC Pre-season Player of the Year. Maybe the most memorable game of Harris’ career came against Duke last season when he led his team past the Blue Devils with a career-high 36 points. In the upset, Harris and classmate Akil Mitchell combined for 55 of the team’s 73 points. Mitchell, a 6-foot-8, 230-pound power forward, averaged 13.1 points and 8.9 rebounds per game and will again be joined in the frontcourt by Mike Tobey. The 6-foot-11 sophomore center played just 13.9 minutes a game as a freshman and still averaged nearly seven

points per contest. He demonstrated that he could one day be a premier ACC big man and, after spending a summer in the weight room and playing for Team USA in the U19 World Championships, Tobey hopes to take that step.

With Harris the focal point of the of-fense and the frontcourt set, the Cava-liers’ biggest question comes at point guard. Replacing Jontel Evans, freshman London Perrantes will be forced to con-tribute right away and control the major-ity of the team’s ball-handling responsi-bilities. Virginia opens the season ranked No. 24.

One thing that needs to go right:Virginia takes care of its lesser opponents

after losing to George Mason, Delaware, Old Dominion and Wake Forest last year.

One thing that could go wrong:Young players like Tobey and Perrantes

are unable to handle significant responsi-bilities.

#4 VirginiaLast YearOverall: 23-12ACC: 11-7

Head CoachTony Bennett

THE PLAYERSJustin Anderson 17 starts as a freshmanMalcolm Brogdon Redshirted last seasonJoe Harris Scored 36 on Duke last yearAkil Mitchell Coming off a breakout yearMike Tobey Decent outside range for a big

BENCH F Anthony Gill, G Teven Jones

GGGFC


Live West. Live Well.Stylish interiors. Cool amenities. Convenient with everything you need to enhance your lifestyle. Including a clubhouse, pool and fitness center your friends will envy. Plus, you’re just moments away from Duke University, Southpoint Mall, I-40, and tons of local dining and shopping.

1, 2 & 3 Bedroom Apartments

4130 garrett road • durham, nc919-489-9400

garrettwestapt.com

NOTRE DAME#5


Heading into their first go-round in the stacked ACC, the Fighting Irish were picked to finish fifth in the ACC by the conference’s coaches and should be well-equipped to succeed. They return four starters from last year’s team that fin-ished tied for fifth in the Big East, but Notre Dame will lose its biggest inside threat from last year, decorated forward Jack Cooley. An AP honorable mention

All-American and first team All Big-East selection, Cooley averaged a double-dou-ble at 13.1 points and 10.1 rebounds per game last season. The Fighting Irish will look for a combination of Zach Auguste, Tom Knight and Garrick Sherman—all of whom are 6-foot-10 and weigh more than 230 pounds—to pick up the slack on the glass and in the post.

Notre Dame’s success this year will likely hinge on the play of its backcourt, led by seniors Eric Atkins and Jerian Grant. Both

players averaged 5.5 assists per game last year, and they will have to continue to spread the ball around on a team that lacks a dominant scoring threat. Atkins poured in 11.2 points per game last year, and Grant was the team’s leading scorer with 13.3 points per game, but both may have to look to score more if other players do not emerge as legitimate scoring options.

One thing that needs to go right: Atkins and Grant continue to play at a

high level and distribute the ball as well as they score it.

One thing that could go wrong: The Fighting Irish are unable to fill

the void left by Cooley and struggle to establish an inside presence.

#5 Notre DameLast YearOverall: 25-10ACC: N/A

Head CoachMike Brey

THE PLAYERSEric Atkins 42 percent from beyond the arcJerian Grant Most talented playmakerPat Connaughton Poor postseason showingTom Knight Biggest shoes to fill insideGarrick Sherman Michigan State transfer

BENCH F Cameron Biedschied

GGGFC

PITTSBURGH#6

by Ethan AndrzejewskiTHE CHRONICLE

Jamie Dixon leads his Pittsburgh Pan-thers squad into the ACC with a roster missing a few key players from last year’s 24-9 team. Tray Woodall, a star point guard who made significant contribu-tions in all four years as a Panther, has graduated, and Steven Adams, a one-and-done 7-footer, was picked 12th over-all by the Oklahoma City Thunder in last June’s NBA Draft.

Despite the losses, Pittsburgh boasts an experienced frontcourt and a talent-ed backcourt. Sophomore point guard James Robinson will have an increased offensive role after starting 32-of-33 games and averaging 6.1 points per game last year. Known for his superb decision-making and defensive prowess, Robin-

son concluded his freshman campaign ranked ninth nationally and first in the Big East in assist-to-turnover ratio.

Senior small forward Lamar Patter-son will benefit most from Robinson’s ball distribution. The versatile Patterson started every game last season—either at shooting guard, small forward, or power forward—and averaged 10.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

Joining Robinson and Patterson in the starting lineup is center Talib Zan-na, who is slated to become the go-to option in the paint after averaging 9.6 points and 6.1 rebounds while sharing minutes with Adams a season ago. Zanna will be accompanied by freshman power forward Mike Young, ranked 57th in his class by ESPN, and junior power forward Derrick Randall, a transfer from Rutgers.

Playing in the very talented ACC, Pitts-burgh is likely to find itself in the middle of the conference standings when all is said and done.

One thing that needs to go right:The Panthers improve on the glass,

where they ranked 138th in the country last year, averaging just 35.3 rebounds per game.

One thing that could go wrong:Pittsburgh becomes easy to defend as

Dixon is unable to find role players to complement Robinson, Patterson and Zanna.

#6 PittsburghLast YearOverall: 24-9ACC: N/A

Head CoachJamie Dixon

THE PLAYERSJames Robinson Must improve shootingCameron Wright Played 14.6 MPG as a sophLamar Patterson Filling Tray Woodall’s shoesMichael Young Top-60 prospect will startTalib Zanna Potential go-to scorer down low

BENCH F Durand Johnson, G Josh Newkirk

GGGFC

Check out our brand new men’s and women’s basketball pages for all the latest news and analysis at dukechroniclesports.com.


115-A North Duke St.Parking available on the street

919.294.9737

Featuring a 8 person meeting/study room that can be reserved

Small sweet and savory food items from local vendors including:

ham and cheese sandwiches, pastries, cake, scones and clotted cream.

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

Specialty Coffee and Espresso Drinks

Extensive Fine Loose Leaf Tea list

[email protected] | respitecafe.com

RANKING THE REST

Still looking for that college basketball fix? Check out our breakdowns of every opponent on Duke’s schedule in-cluding Kansas, Michigan and UCLA at The Blue Zone.

sports.chronicleblogs.com

#7 Boston CollegeLast YearOverall: 16-17ACC: 7-11

Head CoachSteve Donahue

THE PLAYERSJoe Rahon Played 35.6 MPG as a freshmanOlivier Hanlan ACC Freshman of the YearPatrick Heckmann Hanlan will free him upRyan Anderson Matchup nightmareDennis Clifford Will alter shots around the rim

BENCH G Alex Dragicevich, G Lonnie Jackson

GGGFC

#8 MarylandLast YearOverall: 25-13ACC: 8-10

Head CoachMark Turgeon

THE PLAYERSDez Wells 30 points against Duke last yearNick Faust Pesky defender, can pick pocketsJake Layman Streaky shooter from outsideEvan Smotrycz Michigan transfer can scoreShaquille Cleare Solid defensive presence

BENCH G Roddy Peters, F Charles Mitchell

GGFFC

#9 Georgia TechLast YearOverall: 16-15ACC: 6-12

Head CoachBrian Gregory

THE PLAYERSTrae Golden Tennessee transferChris Bolden 20-point performance at DukeMarcus Georges-Hunt Double-digit scorerRobert Carter, Jr. Shot 28% from deepDaniel Miller 6-foot-11 shot blocker

BENCH G Solomon Poole, G Stacey Poole

GGFFC

#10 Florida StateLast YearOverall: 16-15ACC: 6-12

Head CoachLeonard Hamilton

THE PLAYERSDevon Bookert Cousy Award watch listIan Miller Offensive progression regressedMontay Brandon 22 starts as a freshmanOkaro White Needs to be consistentKiel Turpin Needs to grab more rebounds

BENCH F Robert Gilchrist, G Aaron Thomas

GGGFC

#11 NC StateLast YearOverall: 24-11ACC: 11-7

Head CoachMark Gottfried

THE PLAYERSTyler Lewis Could be tops in the ACC in assistsRalston Turner 9.1 PPG in 2011-12 at LSUDesmond Lee Making the leap from JUCOTJ Warren Led ACC in field goal percentageKyle Washington Skilled freshman with size

BENCH G Anthony Barber, F Beejay Anya

GGGFF

#12 Wake ForestLast YearOverall: 13-18ACC: 6-12

Head CoachJeff Bzdelik

THE PLAYERSCodi Miller McIntyre Solid freshman seasonMadison Jones Played sparingly last seasonTravis McKie 16 career double-doublesTyler Cavanaugh Versatile role playerDevin Thomas Double-double threat

BENCH F Arnaud William Adala Moto

GGFFF

#13 MiamiLast YearOverall: 29-7ACC: 15-3

Head CoachJim Larranaga

THE PLAYERSManu Lecomte True freshman from BelgiumRion Brown Only returning role playerGarrius Adams Redshirted last seasonDonnavan Kirk Transfer from DePaulTonye Jekiri Lean 7-foot shot-blocker

BENCH G Davon Reed, F Erik Swoope

GGGFC

#14 ClemsonLast YearOverall: 13-18ACC: 5-13

Head CoachBrad Brownell

THE PLAYERSJordan Roper Talented 3-point shooterDevin Coleman Injured Achilles last seasonJaron Blossomgame Two recent surgeriesK.J. McDaniels Tigers’ top returnerLandry Nnoko Played just 7 MPG as a frosh

BENCH G Rod Hall, G Adonis Filer

GGFFC

#15 Virginia TechLast YearOverall: 13-19ACC: 4-14

Head CoachJames Johnson

THE PLAYERSMarquis Rankin Not a major scoring threatAdam Smith Transfer from UNC-WilmingtonJarrell Eddie 12.3 PPG last seasonC.J. Barksdale Suspended for three gamesCadarian Raines 43.4 from the line last year

BENCH G Marshall Wood, F Trevor Thompson

GGFFC

RANKING RANKING THE RESTTHE REST

#9 Georgia Tech #10 Florida State

RANKING RANKING THE RESTTHE REST

#10 Florida State#10 Florida State


Energy efficient garden apartmentsin a natural setting

1321 New Castle RoadMinutes from Duke off Guess Road

471.8474

1/2 Off Summer MonthsJune, July, August

Come home to welcoming friendsEnergy efficient garden apartments

in a natural setting

One Bedroom starting at $575Two Bedrooms starting at $675

Three Bedrooms starting at $875

Alden Placeapartment homes

• 2 Swimming Pools & Fitness Centers

• Starbucks Coffee Bar• Doggie “Bark” Park• Kitchen Cabana Grill, Fireplace,

TV, Cyber Lounge, Putting Green

Experience the Fogelman Difference

100 Alexan Drive Durham, NC

919.490.6990

[email protected]

Alden Place at South SquareA


855.322.4135 | www.605WestApartments.com | 605West

Everything you need, everything you want and a few extra surprises—ALL RIGHT HERE.

STOP BY OUR LEASING OFFICE TODAY!2816 Erwin Road, Suite 107 | Durham, NC 27705

• Most Utilities Included

• Granite Countertops

• Stainless Steel Appliances

• Digital Cable w/HD Channels

• High Speed Internet

• Private Washer & Dryer

• Private Parking Garage

• On Durham Bus Route

• Serenity Courtyard

• Modern Fitness Center

• Yoga Room

• Study Rooms

• Lounge & Coffee Bar

• Bike Storage w/Washing Station

• Heated Salt Water Pool

FURNISHED STUDIO, 1 & 2 BEDROOM APARTMENTS

*PREFERRED APARTMENT COMMUNITY OF DUKE ATHLETICS*

Documents

November 8, 3013