Curry and Plumlee a rare combo for Duke
Duke's Seth Curry during the Blue Devils' 73-68 victory over North Carolina on Wednesday, February 13, 2013 in Durham, NC (Photo by Jack Morton).
Feb 14, 2013
Mike Krzyzewski has a unique situation at Duke this season. His best players are also his most experienced players, and they're seniors.
Mason Plumlee and Seth Curry are rarities in today's college basketball. They dwell in the college game's Goldilocks zone - a place inhabited by players good enough to be stars in college, but whose draft stock was never so high as to induce them into making an early exit for the NBA.
Timed right, a team led by these kinds of players can do great things.
Duke's fortunes this year will be tied to their performance. When Curry and Plumlee struggled against Carolina, so did Duke. And when the duo turned it on in the second half, things went well.
In a world in which the most talented players are "one-and-done," gone are the days when you hear: "He's only a junior." Most elite players are NBA millionaires by the time they would have been seniors in college. Kyrie Irving and Luol Deng are two Duke examples.
But there are still cases of players who take longer to develop, and getting these types of foundation players can be key for the long-term success of a program. Duke has two of them this season in Curry and Plumlee, and the 2nd-ranked Blue Devils are reaping the benefits.
Most Recent Comments
Posted Feb 16, 1:41 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 22576
Joined: Dec, 2007
Location: Southern Pines, NC
RE: Curry and Plumlee a rare combo for Duke
Good point.- Posted by HGA_MattI have great respect for any athlete who demonstrates that they are STUDENTS first and athletes second.- Posted by DurhamDevil
Look how many "superstars" there are in the NBA, NFL, etc. who are without the least bit of decency, humility, and respectfulness - not to mention the ability to speak proper English.
There are plenty of "Superstars" in the NFL, NBA that finished college and have worse grammar and English than some of the guys who never stepped foot on a college campus. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are some of the most well spoken athletes in any sport. Neither darkened the door of a University.
Posted Feb 15, 4:51 p.m.
Rank: Sports Legend Posts: 19505
Joined: Dec, 2006
Location: Raleigh, NC
RE: Curry and Plumlee a rare combo for Duke
- Posted by HGA_Matt- Posted by DurhamDevil- Posted by HGA_MattI have great respect for any athlete who demonstrates that they are STUDENTS first and athletes second.- Posted by DurhamDevil
Look how many "superstars" there are in the NBA, NFL, etc. who are without the least bit of decency, humility, and respectfulness - not to mention the ability to speak proper English.
There are plenty of "Superstars" in the NFL, NBA that finished college and have worse grammar and English than some of the guys who never stepped foot on a college campus. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are some of the most well spoken athletes in any sport. Neither darkened the door of a University.
Agreed - but neither did they come in, gobble up scholarship money that could go to someone else, and then skip out on their end of the deal, which is to graduate.
Well the NBA and NFL mandate that players wait 1 and 3 years (respectively) before they can be drafted. The players aren't to blame for a system that forces them to play elsewhere. Schools make plenty of profit off of players that are "one and done". The ACC will replay that Austin Rivers shot over UNC last year for the next 20 years. Jersey sales. On and on. Coaches leave all of the time after recruiting kids and promising X, Y and Z, but the players are stuck at that university if they have already signed, unless they sit out for a year to transfer. It's just part of the business model that is the NCAA.
I wish the rules would change. LeBron and Kobe are perfect examples of athletes who didn't need any college to have very successful pro careers. Both are very intelligent. They are the exception rather than the rule. Players have to abide by the rules, I understand, but I wish they'd return to allowing kids to go straight to the NBA from high school. The current system is very disruptive to teams and I can't imagine what coaches go through trying to build teams. Coach Calipari is having a tough year rebuilding, as is Roy.
Posted Feb 15, 3:31 p.m.
Rank: Towel Boy Posts: 5
Joined: Jun, 2011
Location: Zebulon, NC
RE: Curry and Plumlee a rare combo for Duke
- Posted by DurhamDevil- Posted by HGA_MattI have great respect for any athlete who demonstrates that they are STUDENTS first and athletes second.- Posted by DurhamDevil
Look how many "superstars" there are in the NBA, NFL, etc. who are without the least bit of decency, humility, and respectfulness - not to mention the ability to speak proper English.
There are plenty of "Superstars" in the NFL, NBA that finished college and have worse grammar and English than some of the guys who never stepped foot on a college campus. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are some of the most well spoken athletes in any sport. Neither darkened the door of a University.
Agreed - but neither did they come in, gobble up scholarship money that could go to someone else, and then skip out on their end of the deal, which is to graduate.
Well the NBA and NFL mandate that players wait 1 and 3 years (respectively) before they can be drafted. The players aren't to blame for a system that forces them to play elsewhere. Schools make plenty of profit off of players that are "one and done". The ACC will replay that Austin Rivers shot over UNC last year for the next 20 years. Jersey sales. On and on. Coaches leave all of the time after recruiting kids and promising X, Y and Z, but the players are stuck at that university if they have already signed, unless they sit out for a year to transfer. It's just part of the business model that is the NCAA.
Posted Feb 15, 2:56 p.m.
Rank: All Star Posts: 543
Joined: Aug, 2010
Location: Durham, NC
RE: Curry and Plumlee a rare combo for Duke
- Posted by HGA_MattI have great respect for any athlete who demonstrates that they are STUDENTS first and athletes second.- Posted by DurhamDevil
Look how many "superstars" there are in the NBA, NFL, etc. who are without the least bit of decency, humility, and respectfulness - not to mention the ability to speak proper English.
There are plenty of "Superstars" in the NFL, NBA that finished college and have worse grammar and English than some of the guys who never stepped foot on a college campus. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are some of the most well spoken athletes in any sport. Neither darkened the door of a University.
Agreed - but neither did they come in, gobble up scholarship money that could go to someone else, and then skip out on their end of the deal, which is to graduate.
Posted Feb 15, 2:07 p.m.
Rank: Towel Boy Posts: 5
Joined: Jun, 2011
Location: Zebulon, NC
RE: Curry and Plumlee a rare combo for Duke
I have great respect for any athlete who demonstrates that they are STUDENTS first and athletes second.- Posted by DurhamDevil
Look how many "superstars" there are in the NBA, NFL, etc. who are without the least bit of decency, humility, and respectfulness - not to mention the ability to speak proper English.
There are plenty of "Superstars" in the NFL, NBA that finished college and have worse grammar and English than some of the guys who never stepped foot on a college campus. Lebron James and Kobe Bryant are some of the most well spoken athletes in any sport. Neither darkened the door of a University.
