Rasheed Sulaimon to play in Nike Hoop Summit tonight at 10 PM EST
Tune in live tonight to catch Rasheed Sulaimon, the lone 2012 signee for the Duke Blue Devils in action for the USA team as they battle the World squad in the annual Nike Hoop Summit. Rasheed is one of only 10 players to be chosen to represent his country in this battle for amateur supremacy.
Check your local listings here for where to watch the game in your area.
Unfortunately, for those in the Raleigh-Durham area, Fox Sports Net will be showing the Carolina Hurricanes game and the Nike Hoop Summit will not be shown.
However, you should be able to watch the game via USA Basketball’s live youtube stream here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pmmK7FU43U8
OregonLive.com caught up with Sulaimon after practice yesterday. He will do ‘whatever it takes to win’.
Sulaimon is joined on the team by fellow Duke recruits Tony Parker and Shabazz Muhammad, who he is campaigning to join him in Durham next season. Expect decisions from both on April 11th, the first day of the Spring Signing Period for this senior class.
Measurements for all players were taken today and those three are listed below.
Rasheed Sulaimon (G) Read more
Amile Jefferson, Shabazz Muhammad & Tony Parker talk Duke at McDonald’s All-American games
The future of Duke Basketball right now lay in the hands of 2012 commit Rasheed Sulaimon and 2013 commit Matt Jones. While those two are the only players who have expressed their intention to put on the Duke jersey, the coaching staff is targeting a number of other prospects to join an already talented roster over the next five or six years.
Three of those targets are currently in Chicago taking part in the week of McDonald’s All-American game festivities. The game will be played tomorrow evening at 9:30 PM on ESPN, and many of you will get your first glimpse of Amile Jefferson, Shabazz Muhammad and Tony Parker.
As always, the players have been fielding questions from the media over the last few days. Here a couple of sessions with Amile Jefferson and Shabazz Muhammad where they talk about their recruitments and many other topics. Jefferson has stated his intention to decide “when the time feels right” over the next few weeks while Muhammad and Parker will reportedly decide on April 11th in a televised program on ESPNU.
Amile Jefferson interview with Eric Bossi of Rivals.com
Shabazz Muhammad with fivestarbasketball.com
Christian Hairston raises his stock at Dave Telep’s Carolina Challenge
Hailing from Greensboro Day school in North Carolina, Christian Hairston is a 6’7″ wing forward who has developed a versatile offensive game under head coach Freddy Johnson. He was the only player invited to participate in the event, which showcases the best 80 players in the state of North Carolina.
Watching Christian play on Saturday, it was evident he has natural ability, as he took a drive from the perimeter in to a one-handed dunk through traffic. The pace of this event is quick, and Hairston may be more comfortable in a half-court setting, but he still did enough to impress me over some others.
He put up 8, 10, and 8 points in the three sessions he played during the day-long affair but was very active on both ends of the court and showed a high basketball IQ. His grit and toughness will likely need to improve for him to be recruited by Duke, who Hairston explains is his dream school. However, he projects as a high major prospect and is being recruited by a few Division 1 schools. Miami will be in to watch him work out next week.
As good of a basketball player he is, Christian is an even better student and person. He’s repeatedly on the honor roll and is routinely picked by his teachers as a guide when prospective students are visiting his school.
Tony Parker favors three schools as decision nears
According to Bob Baptist, who covers the Ohio State Buckeye beat for the Columbus Dispatch, this Scout.com article reveals that Tony Parker is favoring three schools as his decision date of April 11 nears closer.
2012 big Tony Parker told t.co/46PC1tI7 today that Kansas, UCLA, Duke stand out over others. t.co/4hxr0xSk #buckeyes #buckbk
— Bob Baptist (@BBaptistHoops) March 26, 2012
Duke Basketball is at somewhat of a crossroads, waiting on decisions from Austin Rivers and Mason Plumlee as well as some other player and coach decisions that will have an immediate impact on the future of Duke Basketball. To hear that Tony Parker, who has been much maligned by Duke fans for concerns he has voiced over the use of big men in Duke’s offense, puts Duke in a group of 3 schools just 16 days before he will announce his decision has to put some calm to the storm that is brewing.
April 10th (Shabazz Muhammad’s decision day and the deadline for college players to remove their names from the draft) and April 11th (Tony Parker’s decision day and the beginning of the Spring signing period for high school seniors) will be the biggest days of the offseason for the Duke Blue Devils Basketball program.
Former Central Michigan player Trey Zeigler visiting Duke
Duke and Trey Zeigler had interest when the 6’5″ shooting guard was in his senior year of high school, and there was reportedly reciprocation at the time. He ultimately followed his dad Ernie Zeigler to Central Michigan, but after the elder Zeigler was let go Trey asked for and was granted his release.
Earlier tonight, Trey tweeted that he is taking an official visit to Duke this weekend.
I’m sure that many will read too much into this regarding Austin Rivers’ decision to go pro, but I think this visit being arranged is simply a case of the Duke staff not being willing to pass up an opportunity to get a quick, athletic guard who can create his own shot off the dribble. They have been recruiting Shabazz Muhammad for some time.
While a decision date for Zeigler is unknown, Rivers and Shabazz Muhammad will have roughly the same timeframe to announce their decisions, right around April 10th (NCAA deadline for declaration) and April 11th (Bazz’s announcement date).
Official visit this weekend to duke excited
— Trey Zeigler (@Tzig0) March 20, 2012
Duke basketball recruiting roundup: 2012-2014 classes
By Taylor Ostrick — Duke as always is in the midst of recruiting many different players from various classes. Coach K and the rest of the staff have been hard at work, attempting to get some of the top players in the country to come to Durham and play for the Blue Devils. With all the rumors that go around, following recruting can sometimes be confusing for a fan so here is a basic rundown of the players that Duke is actively recruiting in the 2012-2014 classes.
Class of 2012: Commitments (1)- Rasheed Sulaimon #11.
Offers (3)- Shabazz Muhammad #1, Amile Jefferson #21, Tony Parker #19
Rasheed Sulaimon(Committed): 6’4″ guard, Houston, Texas- Sulaimon officially signed with Duke during the early signing period and is the #2 guard in the class. The 6’4 guard is a force on both sides of the ball. He is not only one of the best pure scorers in the class but a great defender and a high character guy. (There is a reason he gets many comparisons to Nolan Smith) In other words, he is the exact type of guard that Coach K has made a habit of winning with year after year. Sulaimon is currently in the middle of his senior basketball season at Strake Jesuit High School, averaging 27.8 points per game. His team is 22-3, and he recently recorded his second straight 40+ point game. Sulaimon was recently selected to participate in the annual Jordan Brand Classic game and the McDonald’s All-American game, both of which feature some of most talented and highly ranked high school players in the country.
Shabazz Muhammad(Offered): 6’5″ small foward, Las Vegas, Nevada- Everyone knows Muhammad, the highly touted #1 player in the class who is considering Duke, Kentucky, UCLA, UNLV, USC, Texas A&M and Kansas. It has been well documented through comments from he and his father that Muhammad is not expected to make a decision until the spring signing period. Although he still pretty long list, many believe Kentucky, Duke and UCLA are in the lead for Muhammad. He has an excellent relationship with Coach K and it looks as though Duke will be in this one until the end. Shabazz is known for his offensive versatility, scoring, athleticsm, intensity, tenacious demeanor on the court. This is a player who has a serious killer instinct. He brings it every night and is a ferocious competitor. Muhammad is currently averaging 29.1 points per game in his senior season at Bishop Gorman High and will play in both the Jordan Brand Classic and the McDonald’s All-American game. Muhammad is scheduled to take his official visit to Duke in the spring for the North Carolina game.
Amile Jefferson (Offered)- 6’8″ power foward, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania- Although not a true back to the basket post player, Jefferson is adept at facing the basket and scoring in the paint. He is a long, athletic player with a high motor and a great feel for the game. Perhaps his best quality is his feel for the game, as he is a smart player with a very high basketball IQ (think Shane Battier). A crucial detail to consider when looking at Jefferson’s recruitment is the importance that he puts on academics. He is currently averaging 21.3 points and 10.4 rebounds per game at Friends Central High School. Duke, who recruited Jefferson when he was a sophmore before backing off, dove back into this recruitment in a big way. The Blue Devils contacted him in early January and offered him a scholarship shortly thereafter. Jefferson, whose father recently stated his son will likely make a decision towards the middle of February (once his high school season ends), has already visited Duke more then once and is very familiar with the Blue Devils’ coaching staff and basketball program. Amile is considering NC State, Duke, Villanova, UConn and Ohio State. NC State and Duke are widely considered the leaders for Jefferson’s services. Read more
Duke Recruits Selected For McDonald’s All-American Game
The future of Duke Basketball is still in flux as the Blue Devils still have committable scholarship offers out to 3 undecided players in the Class of 2012. Rasheed Sulaimon is the lone committed member of the senior class. The other players who may join him are Tony Parker, Amile Jefferson and Shabazz Muhammad.
All 3 of those players received invitations to the McDonald’s All-American game, which will be played on March 28th. The game will be live on ESPN at 9:30 PM EST.
Amile will join Tony Parker as frontcourt teammates on the West Team while Rasheed Sulaimon will play on the East Team with Shabazz Muhammad. See the entire roster at FiveStarBasketball.com here.
On the selection show broadcast on ESPNU, Shabazz Muhammad shared that he would make his college announcement sometime in April.
Duke Basketball Recruit Stats Tracker: Version 3.0
By Chad Lykins — The future for the Duke Blue Devils looks incredibly bright as they have picked up two commitments from two of the best scorers on the high school level in Rasheed Sulaimon (2012) and Matt Jones (2013). It won’t stop with just those two as the Blue Devils are in hot pursuit of 2012 prospects Shabazz Muhammad, Tony Parker, & Amile Jefferson and 2013 prospects Jabari Parker & Julius Randle (Editor’s Note – In this updated version, you will notice that Ricardo Gathers has been taken off of the list, as Duke has cooled on their recruitment of Gathers).
Here at Duke Hoop Blog, I will be following each of the 7 players above very closely through their junior and senior seasons. Check out their numbers listed below for game by game stats (as I have compiled) for each player:
Rasheed Sulaimon – Strake Jesuit (22-3) – 2012 Commit
Scoring Average: 27.8 ppg
11/14 vs. Jones – 92-67 W – 36 Pts.
11/18 vs. Dallas Jesuit – 72-67 W – 20 Pts.
11/22 vs. Wheatley – 87-75 W – 29 Pts.
11/26 vs. Lamar Consolidated – 64-43 W – 26 Pts.
11/29 vs. St. Thomas – 61-49 W – 20 Pts.
12/1 vs. Oakland Tech – 80-42 W – 28 Pts.
12/2 vs. Sheldon – 87-73 W – 26 Pts.
12/3 vs. Jesuit – 55-68 L – 21 Pts.
12/6 vs. Cypress Lakes – 66-67 L – 35 Pts.
12/12 vs. Chavez – 73-47 W – 32 Pts.
12/17 vs. Seven Lakes – 83-62 W – 32 Pts.
12/20 vs. Langham Creek – 74-73 W – 30 Pts.
12/28 vs. Garner – 63-76 L – 13 Pts.
12/29 vs. Wheeler – 70-63 W – 29 Pts.
12/30 vs. Middle Creek – 54-39 W – 21 Pts.
1/3 vs. Cinco Ranch – 52-41 W – 22 Pts.
1/6 vs. Morton Ranch – 59-52 W – 25 Pts.
1/10 vs. Mayde Creek – 83-57 W – 24 Pts.
1/13 vs. Memorial – 59-48 W – 30 Pts.
1/17 vs. Taylor – 59-51 W – 34 Pts.
1/20 vs. Katy – 81-45 W – 31 Pts.
1/24 vs. Seven Lakes – 74-61 W – 30 Pts.
1/27 vs. Cinco Ranch – 73-47 W – 20 Pts.
1/31 vs. Morton Ranch – 71-62 W – 40 Pts.
2/3 vs. Mayde Creek – 83-58 W – 41 Pts.
Matt Jones – Desoto (25-5) – 2013 Commit
Scoring Average: 18.6 ppg
11/14 vs. Dunbar – 85-56 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Manvel – 52-32 W – 15 Pts.
11/17 vs. Westlake – 59-55 W – 16 Pts.
11/18 vs. Berkner – 67-64 W – 19 Pts.
11/18 vs. FB Bush – 73-63 W – 35 Pts.
11/19 vs. FM Marcus – 42-55 L – 6 Pts.
11/22 vs. Richland – 40-41 L – 14 Pts.
11/26 vs. Wheeler – 65-42 W – 29 Pts.
12/1 vs. Fort Trimble Tech – 63-43 W – 14 Pts.
12/2 vs. Arlington – 66-26 W – 16 Pts.
12/3 vs. South Grand Prairie – 68-56 W – 30 Pts.
12/3 vs. Arlington Seguin – 67-57 W – 20 Pts.
12/6 vs. Conrad – 69-58 W – 24 Pts.
12/9 vs. Duncanville – 67-50 – 28 Pts.
12/13 vs. Pinkston – 63-35 W – 18 Pts.
12/20 vs. Trinity Christian – 59-39 W – 4 Pts.
12/28 vs. Coppell – 77-39 W – 22 Pts.
12/29 vs. Plano West – 46-53 L – 4 Pts.
12/30 vs. North Crowley – 61-43 W – 17 Pts.
12/30 vs. FM Marcus – 42-58 L – 24 Pts.
12/31 vs. Ennis – 51-37 W – 16 Pts.
1/3 vs. University – 51-41 W – 21 Pts.
1/7 vs. Lovejoy – 73-37 W – 27 Pts.
1/13 vs. North Mesquite – 46-34 W – 22 Pts.
1/17 vs. Lee – 50-31 W – 21 Pts.
1/20 vs. Horn – 57-43 W – 10 Pts.
1/24 vs. Mesquite – 52-55 L – 25 Pts.
1/27 vs. Longview – 66-48 W – 20 Pts.
1/31 vs. North Mesquite – 47-36 W 12 Pts.
2/3 vs. Lee – 51-31 W – 14 Pts.
Decison Could Be Coming Soon From Duke Target Amile Jefferson
By Taylor Ostrick — With a committment from Tony Parker looking less and less likely and the spring signing period drawing closer, Duke is still looking to make some final key additions to a 2012 class that at the moment only has one committment. Amile Jefferson, a talented 6’8 foward from Philidelphia is the latest 2012 player to earn an offer from the Blue Devils. Although Duke is jumping in late on this one (they contacted Jefferson earlier in January and offered him shortly after), Mike Krzyzewski and the staff have made up ground fast, not to mention Duke and Jefferson are far from strangers. The Blue Devils recruited Jefferson for a period in his sophomore year, he has already visited Duke’s campus and has a strong relationship with the Duke coaches.
“They got in touch with me and my father,” Jefferson told NBE of Duke. “They had been looking [at me during my] . . . sophomore year . . . The school speaks for itself.”
“He’s been to visit Duke a few times,” Musgrove said. “He’s been there as a freshman, he went there his junior year. He’s been on the campus a ton of times with AAU. He knows a little bit about the school.”
It is no secret Jefferson and his parents love Duke, from both a basketball and an academic perspective. Academics is very important to Jefferson, and it will likely be a large factor in his decision. Jefferson and his fater have recently said that his recruitment is winding down, and that he would like to make a decision soon, which could be as early as the end of January or the beginning of February.
“At the end of the week we’ll have a conversation and I think he could wrap this up in the next few weeks,” Malcolm Musgrove (father) said by phone. “I’m thinking by the end of January he will know.” Read more
Amile Jefferson Recruiting Update — Good News For Duke?
Well, Duke is always a school I was looking at and interested in. They felt that they had some players at my position but they won’t have them so it’s been good talking to Coach K. With a program like that, you always give a good look, a close look at because you know that they’re going to be able to compete for national championships and you’ll be able to play with some of the top players.
