Quotes & Notes - November 25
vs. La Salle; vs. Southern Indiana
After every game I always watch the press conference, read the quotes, and study the box score. Quotes & Notes is my wrap-up of Duke’s most recent game(s).
Quotes
“Yeah, I just thought collectively our defense was really good. It wasn't just one guy. I found in the Bucknell game, we got too spread out, and in this game, we were still impacting the ball while still playing the right positions on defense, coming over to help. We had a better awareness for protecting our paint. So, again, there's still a lot to clean up, a long way to go. But the collective effort was really good, especially that initial group that was in there.”
- Coach Scheyer on Duke’s defense against La Salle
“Well, for me, it just starts with his energy. He brings in great energy. And look, we're still figuring out lineups and who plays well together and who compliments one another. But when you have six offensive rebounds, ten total rebounds, and he did a good job finishing, and the exciting part for me with Sean is he's got so much room to grow. He's at such an early stage of his development as a player. But he can do something right now that translates with his ability to rebound, his ability to protect the rim, his versatility guarding the ball….”
- Coach Scheyer on Sean Stewart’s play against La Salle
“Southern Indiana came out really ready to play, well prepared, and they played harder than we did in the beginning. I think that is pretty clear. You don't need me to tell you that. That is disappointing. That is not acceptable. We did make some plays and made a run in the second half. I thought that with the group that was in at the end of the first half was a key moment. Jaylen Blakes, Caleb [Foster], Tyrese [Proctor], Sean [Stewart] and Ryan [Young]. They got us close. I think it was four at the half. It easily could have been 10 or more. For that group and our bench, you never know when your number is going to be called. They picked up the energy and they picked up the fight on defense. Then, we had that run at the start of the second half. We have to know we have a lot of things we have to do better. That has been my message to the team. We are not close to where we want to be. It's good to win, but it is not just about winning; it is about playing to the best of your ability.”
- Coach Scheyer on the Southern Indiana game
Stats
Southern Indiana was very efficient from three-point range last night, generating the best points-per-shot performance of any Duke opponent this season, outscoring the Blue Devils by 12 points from beyond the arc. The Screaming Eagles went 7 for 14 from three before the break, compared to just 2 of 7 after halftime. Credit to Southern Indiana for coming out strong, and credit to the Duke defense for responding in the second half.
Notes
In Case You Missed It: This clip between J.J. Redick and Zach Lowe on The Old Man and the Three podcast was awesome. J.J.’s perspective on the value of a single play illustrates how close the margins are in basketball. I’ve always believed the difference between winning and losing is often razor thin or, in other words, don’t take winning for granted - so it was cool to hear this discussion from J.J. and Zach, two of the best in the business.
Next Play: Wednesday Nov 29 | 9:15 pm ESPN | Duke will play its first true road game when they travel to take on Arkansas as part of the inaugural ACC/SEC Challenge. Coach Musselman does a great job for the Razorbacks and it will certainly be a difficult test Wednesday night.
Thanks for reading, Go Duke!
Sources