November 8, 3013

the chronicle

ACC

november 8, 2013

photo illustration by eric lin

BASKETBALL PREVIEW

The Chronicle

ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

2 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013

what’sinside Off and running

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

Leading by example Josh Hairston and Tyler Thornton won’t light up the scoreboard this year, but they know what their team needs. PAGE 4

Dawkins returns

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

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

RANKING THE ACC #1 DUKE #2 SYRACUSE

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#4 VIRGINIA PAGE 16

#5 NOTRE DAME

#6 PITTSBURGH

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#7 BC

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#8 MARYLAND

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#9 GT PAGE 18

#10 FSU

Editor: Daniel Carp Managing Editor: Matt Pun Blog Editor: Bobby Colton Photo Editor: Eric Lin Senior Editors: Andrew Beaton and Ashley Mooney Associate Editors: Zac Elder, Sarah Elsakr, Ryan Hoerger, Danielle Lazarus, Nick Martin, Danny Nolan, Jay Sullivan Staff 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 Wells Special thanks to: Chronicle Photo Editor Sophia Palenberg, News Photo Editor Julia May, Recess Photo Editor Eliza Bray, Towerview Photo Editor Jennie Xu, Online Photo Editor Thanh-Ha Nguyen, Editor-inChief Danielle Muoio, Managing Editor Sophia Durand

#11 NC STATE

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#12 WF

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#13 MIAMI

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

#3 UNC

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Hood’s silent swagger Rodney Hood’s leadership style is just like his game—silent, yet effective. PAGE 10

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#14 CLEMSON

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#15 VIRGINIA TECH

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 3

men’s basketball TEMPO AND CONDITIONING

PUSHING THE PACE

by Ryan Hoerger THE CHRONICLE

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

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

“We’re going to try to implement a system 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 positions…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 September, 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-

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 turnovers with their press should raise the number 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 interchangeable 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. Hairston, 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 running, but we embraced it because we knew we needed it,” Hairston said. “If you come into training camp and preseason already in

erIc LIN/the chronicle

Duke ramped up its offseason conditioning regiment to prepare for faster play at both ends of the floor. 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 grueling, 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. Players 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 always culminated with running.

See CONDITIONING, page 15

4 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013

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ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

men’s basketball SENIOR LEADERSHIP

Leading by example

by Danny Nolan THE CHRONICLE

photo courtesy of duke photography

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

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 Plumlee 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 impact on the court will be this season.

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

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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 Devils’ 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 behind the scenes.

“You need seniors that understand their importance,” Krzyzewski said. “Their importance may not be based on minutes, 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 younger team and a schedule that includes matchups with three top10 teams in the next month, it will be hard for the Blue Devils to continue their early-season success.

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

Tyler Thornton Duke senior captain

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 underachieved. 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 Cameron Crazies before tipoff; the man that jumps up and down after 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

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men’s basketball ANDRE DAWKINS

THE RETURN

Dawkins’ sweet shooting stroke poised for a comeback

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 5

men’s basketball FRESH FACES IN DUKE BLUE

Jones and Ojeleye turning heads early

by Andrew Beaton

by Bobby Colton

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 undergraduate 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 minutes 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-

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 season, but that was mostly due to Parker,

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who was ranked by ESPN as the No. 2 player in the class. Jones and Ojeleye were much less ballyhooed upon arriving 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 See FRESHMEN, page 14

photo courtesy of duke photography

After redshirting last season, graduate student Andre Dawkins will bring his smooth 3-point shot back to the Blue Devils. 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 See DAWKINS, page 14

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JuLIa May/the chronicle

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

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6 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013

WOmen’s basketball RETURNING EXPERIENCE

Duke’s 5 returning starters eyeing a Final Four run

by Aaron Kupin THE CHRONICLE

Everybody’s back.

The starting five that led Duke to the Elite Eight last season all return with hopes of capturing 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 schoolrecord 37 straight free throws. She was possibly 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.

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.

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 alongside Gray once again in an offense geared towards scoring points in transition.

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

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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 conditioning,” 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 senior forward Haley Peters round out the starting lineup. Williams recorded six doubledoubles 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 develop 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.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 7

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 Sullivan THE 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 position, a deep bench and the drive to succeed—and that is precisely 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 appearance 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 happen to this year’s Duke squad. Without Gray as a consistent presence on the court, then-freshman guard Alexis Jones began 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 patrolling 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 defense 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 See POINT, page 15

The new-look ACC will give Duke a difficult path to March

by Amrith Ramkumar THE 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 tournament, 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 nonconference schedule, Duke’s demanding ACC schedule could prevent 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 Louisville. 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 region 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 See COUNTERPOINT, page 15

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WOmen’s basketball FRESHMEN

Freshman post players rely on California roots

by Brian Mazur THE CHRONICLE

thaNh-ha NguyeN/the chronicle

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

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 Chidom 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 learning 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 California 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 footsteps 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,” Chidom said. “We have a chemistry that is already established.”

But as their relationship on the court solidified, McCravey-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 collegiate 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 performance 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 improve 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 McCraveyCooper 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.

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 9

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THE DRIVE Hood leads Blue Devils with silent swagger

by Andrew Beaton THE 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 silent 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 mismatches inevitably presents with opposing guards.

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

“I love that name.

Hopefully I can be that every time out,” Hood said.

Don’t mistake Hood’s quiet charisma with a lack of leadership. Freshman 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: Tyler Thornton and Josh Hairston, both seniors. But unlike last season, when seniors Seth Curry, Ryan Kelly and Mason Plumlee led the team in scoring, this year’s most veteran players won’t do that. Hood may ultimately prove to be the team’s go-to scoring option and the only captain to play more than 30 minutes per game, giving the team consistent 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 exhibition 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 apartment: 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.

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ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 11

E FOR FIVE Highest expectations for freshman Parker

by Daniel Carp THE CHRONICLE

Duke has 12 scholarship players on its active roster. Six of those were named McDonald’s All-Americans in high school. But just one was touted as the greatest high school basketball 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 spotlight. Playing in Chicago—a city which puts its high school basketball stars under the microscope—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 consecutive 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 offensive 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 athletic—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 championship 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 multiple things,” said Jay Bilas, ESPN college basketball 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 freshmen 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 recruiting class. Irving singlehandedly altered Duke’s playing style, but a foot injury sidelined him for most of the year and forced the Blue Devils 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 reportedly 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 believe he, too, will be a one-and-done at the college level. Even his Duke teammates acknowledge 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.”

12 | FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013

ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

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ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 13

WOmen’s basketball DUKE’S DYNAMIC DUO

Gray’s return gives Duke 2 top point guards

by Brian Mazur THE 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-American who is returning from a knee injury that cost her the final portion of last season. 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 essentially being another coach. She was constantly 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 nuances 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

thaNh-ha NguyeN/the chronicle

A close relationship off the court should help point guards Chelsea Gray and Alexis Jones mesh on the court this season. 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-powered offense that features Liston, Elizabeth Williams and Haley Peters.

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

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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 opportunity 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 complement each other—neither has to make major sacrifices in their game to accommodate 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 opponents off the dribble.

Jones’ strengths are her speed and athleticism. 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 extended absence, the Blue Devils are excited 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 special. That’s something we’re really looking forward to.”

DAWKINS

from page 5

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.

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

QUInn CooK Junior point GuarD

“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 Sulaimon. But Dawkins sees his willingness to patiently wait on the wing as differentiating him from the rest.

Cook and Thornton have a pass-first mentality, 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 being 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 prevent opponents from moving.

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

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FRESHMEN

from page 5

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 following a championship season, the trio joined a deep and talented roster, leaving 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 minor 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 freshman, 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 program. 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 offseason 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 realizes it as well. It’s kind of a good feeling 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, graduate 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 starting 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 starting 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 learning 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 competed in the dunk contest at Countdown to Craziness—though he says he’s not a contest dunker and didn’t do much advance planning.

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

Parker may be the crown jewel of this recruiting class, as a player who is projected 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.”

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CONDITIONING

ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW from page 3

This summer was Matt Jones’ first exposure 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 couple of 22’s, down and back, down and back twice under 22 seconds,” Hairston said. “We

SENIORS

from page 4

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 running... as a group.”

At the season-opening press conference, Krzyzewski mentioned the team’s schedule 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.”

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years that Thornton’s toughness and tenacity can not only be found in how he plays basketball, but also how he approaches getting into the heads of opponents. On the court, no player is safe from his verbal jabs—not even highlytouted 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 leadership goes far beyond on the court production.

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

court—show,” Hairston said. “I’ve had numerous 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 different. While Hairston is by far the most veteran member of the Duke frontcourt, Thornton is a part of one of the most experienced backcourts 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 either side of the floor,” Thornton said. “Whether I play five minutes or 40 minutes, they know from page 7 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 of talent during preseason action. Williams’ trash talking on the court. Cook has said for lone backup last season was then-senior Allison Vernerey, forcing the Blue Devils to rely on Williams for the majority of games. With three from page 7 highly-touted backups to Williams and Peters, this Blue Devil squad should have little issue have to adjust to playing off Gray’s facilitating, managing playing time and containing opposand vice versa—this adjustment could render ing teams in the paint. both players less effective if they cannot figDuke has five seniors on this squad—Gray, ure out how to be just as efficient playing off Peters, guards Tricia Liston, Chloe Wells and the ball. forward Richa Jackson—and this is their last This in turn could make it difficult for shot at a national championship. Not only is Duke to improve its assist-to-turnover ratio, a it the seniors’ last chance to compete in the benchmark statistic for championship teams. NCAA tournament, but also this is also the best Similarly, the ability or inability of the duo chance the Blue Devils have had under McCalto mesh on the court this season could limit lie. Consecutive years of securing top recruits Duke’s ability to run half court sets involving has formed a Duke team that combines talent ball reversals and post entry passes against with the experience and urgency of a veteran tough defensive units if both Gray and Jones lineup. The 2014 senior class will not take this are always in attack mode. Unless Jones and opportunity lightly.

Gray figure out how to take advantage of their The talent has certainly been there for the unique skills together, Duke will have to wait Blue Devils in the past, but the biggest barrier yet another year to make it to the Final Four. to postseason success has been caused by a lack The Blue Devils return all five starters and of consistent effort. This team looks hungry to 93.7 percent of the team’s scoring. They also be McCallie’s first Duke team to make the Fireturn a group that has struggled to consis- nal Four. The Blue Devils are done falling just tently rebound and slow down high-octane short of a Final Four appearance and have the offenses at times. Center Elizabeth Williams urgency that will take them far into the NCAA compensates for many of Duke’s defensive Tournament. blunders with her shot blocking and reboundWith big-name players such as Griner and ing ability, but against elite competition in tight Notre Dame’s Skylar Diggins out of the picgames, the inability of the Blue Devils to shut ture, there is little that will keep Duke out of down dribble penetration early and communi- the Final Four this season, having been tabbed cate to secure box-outs and spot 3-point shoot- preseason No. 2 in the country behind Coners could cost the team. The team’s offensive necticut. The Blue Devils look poised to make firepower could easily prove futile if Duke does a deep postseason run due to a combination not show more grittiness on defense, especially of talent and experience. on the perimeter.

It would not be surprising to see this squad Duke clearly has one of the most talented in the national championship game with a teams in the country, but the Blue Devils could chance to earn the program’s first title under easily miss out on the Final Four again because McCallie. of a formidable conference schedule, offenCameron Indoor Stadium better prepare sive inefficiencies caused by playing two guards to make room for a new National Championwho both command the ball and a lack of de- ship banner in the near future and this time it fensive stability on the perimeter. might be for women’s basketball.

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SYRACUSE

by Brian Pollack THE CHRONICLE

The Orange will be playing their first season in the ACC after losing three of their top four scorers, including their entire backcourt. Fortunately for head coach Jim Boeheim, they return their leading scorer and rebounder—lefty senior forward 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 athleticism to make the 2-3 zone Syracuse is famous for even more formidable. Fair and the rest of the Syracuse bigs are all capable 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, Brandon 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 nearly the defensive menace that Carter-Williams was, his outside shooting and ball handling could make him yet another successful Syracuse point guard. Redshirt sophomores Trevor Cooney and Michael Gbinije—a for-

#4

mer Duke player—will see most of the minutes on the wing this season.

With Syracuse’s offense likely to improve as the season progresses, by the time conference 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 offensive 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 effective in halfcourt sets.

#2 Syracuse

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 30-10 Jim Boeheim ACC: N/A THE PLAYERS G Tyler Ennis Freshman floor general G Trevor Cooney Struggled with shot last year F C.J. Fair Preseason ACC POY F DaJuan Coleman Back from torn meniscus C Rakeem Christmas 7-foot-3 wingspan BENCH F Jerami Grant, F Michael Gbinije

VIRGINIA

by Ethan Andrzejewski THE 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 highlyrecruited freshman point guard, the Cavaliers will contend with Duke, Syracuse, North Carolina and Notre Dame for the ACC title.

In what will be his fourth year starting 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 behind Syracuse’s C.J. Fair as the ACC Preseason 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 careerhigh 36 points. In the upset, Harris and classmate Akil Mitchell combined for 55 of the team’s 73 points. Mitchell, a 6-foot8, 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

#3

NORTH CAROLINA

by Brian Pollack THE CHRONICLE

Despite the legal issues of junior All-American 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 announced 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 ability 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 Hairston for the early portion of the season. Forward 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.

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Last Year Head Coach Overall: 25-11 Roy Williams ACC: 12-6 THE PLAYERS G Marcus Paige Shot well down the stretch G Leslie McDonald Lone scholarship senior F P.J. Hairston Suspended to begin season F James Michael McAdoo 7.3 RPG last year C Joel James 6-foot-10. 280 pounds BENCH F Brice Johnson, G Nate Britt

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points per contest. He demonstrated that One thing that could go wrong: he could one day be a premier ACC big Young players like Tobey and Perrantes man and, after spending a summer in the are unable to handle significant responsiweight room and playing for Team USA bilities. in the U19 World Championships, Tobey hopes to take that step.

With Harris the focal point of the ofLast Year Head Coach fense and the frontcourt set, the CavaOverall: 23-12 Tony Bennett liers’ biggest question comes at point ACC: 11-7 guard. Replacing Jontel Evans, freshman THE PLAYERS London Perrantes will be forced to contribute right away and control the majorG Justin Anderson 17 starts as a freshman ity of the team’s ball-handling responsiG Malcolm Brogdon Redshirted last season bilities. Virginia opens the season ranked G Joe Harris Scored 36 on Duke last year No. 24.

F Akil Mitchell Coming off a breakout year One thing that needs to go right: C Mike Tobey Decent outside range for a big Virginia takes care of its lesser opponents after losing to George Mason, Delaware, Old BENCH F Anthony Gill, G Teven Jones Dominion and Wake Forest last year.

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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.

The Chronicle #5

ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

NOTRE DAME

by Brian Pollack THE CHRONICLE

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 wellequipped to succeed. They return four starters from last year’s team that finished 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

#6

All-American and first team All Big-East selection, Cooley averaged a double-double 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

PITTSBURGH

by Ethan Andrzejewski THE CHRONICLE

Jamie Dixon leads his Pittsburgh Panthers 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 contributions in all four years as a Panther, has graduated, and Steven Adams, a oneand-done 7-footer, was picked 12th overall by the Oklahoma City Thunder in last June’s NBA Draft.

Despite the losses, Pittsburgh boasts an experienced frontcourt and a talented 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 decisionmaking 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 Patterson 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 Zanna, 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.

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 17

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.

Playing in the very talented ACC, Pittsburgh 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.

#5 Notre Dame

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 25-10 Mike Brey ACC: N/A THE PLAYERS G Eric Atkins 42 percent from beyond the arc G Jerian Grant Most talented playmaker G Pat Connaughton Poor postseason showing F Tom Knight Biggest shoes to fill inside C Garrick Sherman Michigan State transfer BENCH F Cameron Biedschied

#6 Pittsburgh

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 24-9 Jamie Dixon ACC: N/A THE PLAYERS G James Robinson Must improve shooting G Cameron Wright Played 14.6 MPG as a soph G Lamar Patterson Filling Tray Woodall’s shoes F Michael Young Top-60 prospect will start C Talib Zanna Potential go-to scorer down low BENCH F Durand Johnson, G Josh Newkirk

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

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#7 Boston College

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ACC BASKETBALL PREVIEW

RANKING THE REST #8 Maryland

#9 Georgia Tech

#10 Florida State

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 16-17 Steve Donahue ACC: 7-11 THE PLAYERS G Joe Rahon Played 35.6 MPG as a freshman G Olivier Hanlan ACC Freshman of the Year G Patrick Heckmann Hanlan will free him up F Ryan Anderson Matchup nightmare C Dennis Clifford Will alter shots around the rim

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 25-13 Mark Turgeon ACC: 8-10 THE PLAYERS G Dez Wells 30 points against Duke last year G Nick Faust Pesky defender, can pick pockets F Jake Layman Streaky shooter from outside F Evan Smotrycz Michigan transfer can score C Shaquille Cleare Solid defensive presence

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 16-15 Brian Gregory ACC: 6-12 THE PLAYERS G Trae Golden Tennessee transfer G Chris Bolden 20-point performance at Duke F Marcus Georges-Hunt Double-digit scorer F Robert Carter, Jr. Shot 28% from deep C Daniel Miller 6-foot-11 shot blocker

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 16-15 Leonard Hamilton ACC: 6-12 THE PLAYERS G Devon Bookert Cousy Award watch list G Ian Miller Offensive progression regressed G Montay Brandon 22 starts as a freshman F Okaro White Needs to be consistent C Kiel Turpin Needs to grab more rebounds

BENCH G Alex Dragicevich, G Lonnie Jackson

BENCH G Roddy Peters, F Charles Mitchell

BENCH G Solomon Poole, G Stacey Poole

BENCH F Robert Gilchrist, G Aaron Thomas

#11 NC State

#12 Wake Forest

#13 Miami

#14 Clemson

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 24-11 Mark Gottfried ACC: 11-7 THE PLAYERS G Tyler Lewis Could be tops in the ACC in assists G Ralston Turner 9.1 PPG in 2011-12 at LSU G Desmond Lee Making the leap from JUCO F TJ Warren Led ACC in field goal percentage F Kyle Washington Skilled freshman with size

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 13-18 Jeff Bzdelik ACC: 6-12 THE PLAYERS G Codi Miller McIntyre Solid freshman season G Madison Jones Played sparingly last season F Travis McKie 16 career double-doubles F Tyler Cavanaugh Versatile role player F Devin Thomas Double-double threat

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 29-7 Jim Larranaga ACC: 15-3 THE PLAYERS G Manu Lecomte True freshman from Belgium G Rion Brown Only returning role player G Garrius Adams Redshirted last season F Donnavan Kirk Transfer from DePaul C Tonye Jekiri Lean 7-foot shot-blocker

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 13-18 Brad Brownell ACC: 5-13 THE PLAYERS G Jordan Roper Talented 3-point shooter G Devin Coleman Injured Achilles last season F Jaron Blossomgame Two recent surgeries F K.J. McDaniels Tigers’ top returner C Landry Nnoko Played just 7 MPG as a frosh

BENCH G Anthony Barber, F Beejay Anya

BENCH F Arnaud William Adala Moto

BENCH G Davon Reed, F Erik Swoope

BENCH G Rod Hall, G Adonis Filer

#15 Virginia Tech

Last Year Head Coach Overall: 13-19 James Johnson ACC: 4-14 THE PLAYERS G Marquis Rankin Not a major scoring threat G Adam Smith Transfer from UNC-Wilmington F Jarrell Eddie 12.3 PPG last season F C.J. Barksdale Suspended for three games C Cadarian Raines 43.4 from the line last year BENCH G Marshall Wood, F Trevor Thompson

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FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 8, 2013 | 19

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