The ACC has always been home to premier basketball with established
teams like Duke, North Carolina, Maryland, and Miami, but now with the legacy growing,
Duke is still on top. Not even the arrivals of Syracuse, Pittsburgh, and Notre
Dame to the ACC could stop Mike Krzyzewski’s squad from returning to the top of
college basketball, as they are listed as number one in the preseason ACC power
rankings.
Since the Big East has deteriorated almost overnight, the ACC
is arguably the toughest conference in the country, but nonetheless Duke
remains the early favorites.
Part of the reason for Duke’s early edge on their conference
mates is the enrollment of standout yet underrated freshman Jabari Parker. A
product of Simeon Career Academy, the home of Derrick Rose, Parker is ESPN’s
second ranked recruit and small forward for 2013 behind hyped Kansas freshman
Andrew Wiggins.
At 6’9’’, Parker still has exceptional athleticism to
complement his size advantage over other small forwards. In addition to his
physical outlook, Parker already has one of college basketball’s highest
basketball IQs which will develop even more after playing in Durham for Coach
K. To get an idea of how good Parker is, he was the only freshman to ever play
varsity at Simeon, Rose included.
Krzyzewski will also surround Parker with the nation’s
seventh best recruiting class, which includes two other ESPN top 100 recruits, shooting
guard Matt Jones and small forward Semi Ojeleye from Kansas’s Ottawa High
School. Out of Desoto High School in Texas, Jones, a McDonald’s All-American is
listed as 2013’s sixth best shooting guard. Ojeleye is ranked as the tenth best
small forward.
With additions, come subtractions.
The biggest losses for Duke this season will be the
graduation of their two leading scorers from last season, Mason Plumlee and
Seth Curry. Plumlee, Duke’s most efficient shooter, and Curry, the younger
brother of Warriors point guard Steph Curry, combined to score over 44% of the
Blue Devils’ points last season.
Despite losing the biggest components to their Elite 8
appearance, Duke will be returning key players from last season who should have
matured to the level of full time Blue Devil caliber players like upperclassmen
guards Quinn Cook and Tyler Thornton and sophomores Amile Jefferson and Rasheed
Sulaimon.
Cook led the team in steals with 51 while averaging almost
twelve points per game. Jefferson and Thornton both averaged around four points
per game and will look to become regulars in Krzyzewski’s lineup this season.
After a breakout freshman season where he saw action in all 36 games and
averaged over twelve points, Sulaimon will become a dual threat with Parker in
Duke’s offense this season.
Another addition for Duke will be the activation of guard Rodney
Hood. Hood was ineligible from playing last season after transferring from
Mississippi State. While in high school, Hood was named the Mississippi Gatorade
Player of the Year, twice.
Beyond the returning players from Duke’s Elite 8 loss to
Louisville, the highlight of the Blue Devils this season will be the freshman,
Parker. Due to Krzyzewski’s balanced and distributed philosophy, Parker will
not have the college stats Andrew Wiggins will accumulate at Lawrence almost as
a one man team. However on the court, Parker’s athleticism and raw instincts
will be hard to ignore.
Heading into the season, Duke is not armed with too many players
proven at the collegiate level as superstars. Duke does however have players
with potential playing for one of the greatest coaches of all time in any
sport. Just like the New England Patriots can never be counted out for the NFL
Playoffs with Bill Belichick coaching, no matter how slim the odds are, Duke
can never be doubted for March with Krzyzewski on the sidelines.
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