We have moved!

Bookmark this link for the new home of bluedevilnation.net

Congratulations Coach K and Team USA!

We will move to our new home by the end of next week!  Here is a link to our temporary home where you'll find the same great news you did here, including massive coverage of the Duke Football team going into next weeks opener versus James Madison.

Be sure to check us out this week as we will be covering K's return to Durham, Cutcliffe's press conference and well, all things Duke in our unique one of a kind and often copied "Duke-centrtic," way.

We'll have a link up to our new home at the site in the link above sometime this week!  So, the Blue Devil Nation is alive and well and will be better than ever once we settle in.

Go Duke and congrats to K and Team USA!

Our premium section is still located here, but this will make a complete move and overhaul by the end of the month.  This site will remain floating in cyber space for the foreseeable future.  Go to the bottom for a link to the new site which is up and running.  We will be making a lot of changes in the near future.  Thanks for frequenting the Blue Devil Nation!

If you want to become a member of Blue Devil Nation Premium, the paypal logos on this site are the place to join.  Come on in and see what kind of information you are missing.  You will then be able to discuss recruiting and behind the scenes tidbits with other members.  You will have access to the archives of past information and of course, the new stuff.

Our premium section has several recruiting updates and interviews up.  To join BDN Premium, go to one of the paypal links to your left.

Please note that this site will be moving within the month.  Until that time, all premium articles will appear here and the new site will simply let you know they are published.

We will be making a lot of changes in the coming days, so we appreciate your patience.  Rest assured, the Blue Devil Nation will be better than ever.

Here is an artcle on 2010 prospect Nate Lubick at at our new site!  We will be reporting live from the Peach Jam this weekend for BDN Premium members.  To join, go to one of the three paypal links in the menu to your right.

Note that this site will be moving for good in about a months time, so bookmark both for now.  We will be adding a lot to the new site when we start to build it next week,

We will be moving to a new home due to this site unexpectedly going down last week, but Blue Devil Nation Premium is staying on top of hot recruiting news.  At the top left is Harrison Barnes who is a top ten talent in the class of 2010.  We have a brand new interview with Barnes giving you a chance to get to know him.

Pictured beside Barnes, is Brandon Knight which will be our next interview to go up.  Then there is Jason Morris, another super 2010 wing!  We have a very informative interview up with this youngster right now.

We talked to talented Josh Hairston on several occasions and give you a scouting report on his game in that we have now seen him play six times.  Picture #5 is Andre Dawkins who recently committed to Duke.  We will be covering him live at the Peach Jam this coming weekend where we will give live reports from courtside.

Jamil Wilson is currently nursing some injuries but still going hard at the camps.  Will he get an 09 offer or will it go to Vinson or another player?  Has he already got an offer?  We'll let you know and then you can talk about it on our Premium Members Message Board after you have read our interviews with both of the aforementioned prospects.

Next is Kenny Boynton, the Devils top target.  No Duke site has covered Boynton as close as the BDN.  We have a feature on the way about this red hot star.  There is also an interview with Doron Lamb awaiting you who is the last player pictured.

There are interviews with Travis McKie, Nate Lubick and more already in hand.  And we will have reports from the many camps going on this week as well.  It's time for you to join Blue Devil Nation Premium.  The rate ar 100.00 for a year, 60.00 for six months and 36.00 for three months.  The paypal links are to your left in the menu.  Upon joining, you will have access to this site and the new one as well as the BDN Premium only message board.  See you inside!

We are currently build the new site.  Both sites will be up for awhile and all premium information will remain here until further notice.  All new information and interviews are being archived for the new site and our existing archives will remain intact.

We'll be reporting on new AD White later tonight in the new sites free section.  a

Olek is on campus.

Attention!  We have a new home!

We are trying to contact the new server owners of this site.  If you are out there, e-mail me at watzonebdp@gmail.com.

There is a new site in the works, bookmark this address http://bluedevilnation.wordpress.com/

The address will change to bluedevilnation.net in the coming days.  There is a chance we may still use this site, but be sure to mark down the new addresses.

We will be taking down some pictures for bandwidth issues.  All photos will remain on this site as a perk for BDN Premium Members.  In fact, we plan to keep the archives here if at all possible.  All new premium members will have access to both sites.

What happened?  The server which we used has new owners and we don't know who they are.  Bandwidth restrictions shut us down a week ago.  Still stop by this site for some news, but we will be building a new site and it is up.  Be patient for the new site is a shadow of what it will be.  In the end, it'll be better than ever for we have a lot planned and will have some changes in store.  For one we will be getting back to original articles and always have game recaps from our perspective.  Look for podcasting as well.  For now, both sites will be up and running.  We may also be venturing in another direction with a spin-off site concerning recruiting in time.

If you are an existing member or you have just joined, you have access to both sites and the premium only message board.  Need help?  E-mail me at the address above but be patient.

Want to join BDN Premium?  The rates ares till the same which is 36.00 for 3 months, 60.00 for six and 100.00 for a year.  That's 8.33 a month at the yearly rate.  Lock in now, for we may have a small rate hike.

Will we still have the free Dukecentric cool stuff?  Of course we will, but we are concentrating on getting the site up the way we want it.

Blue Devil Nation is now two years old and we are thankful to loyal readers and supporters.  We've come a long ways since being called the Blue Devil Chatter Box, a name that lasted a week.  You, the Blue Devil Nation has made the site what it is today and we thank you for that!

So, sorry for the disappearing act!  In the end, we will have an easy to remember URL and more.  We will not have a free message board.  We feel there are plenty of places to have fan discussion.  We recommend the Duke Basketball Report Forums, the first real Duke site on the net and the one with the biggest fanbase.

BTW, our premium section is loaded with new information as is our premium discussion forum.  The paypal links are in the menu to your left.

Charles Westfall covered the Duke Football Camp on Saturday.  Here are his thoughts -

Familiarity can be a comforting thing. That thought struck me as I lumbered down the steps of Wallace Wade for the second edition of Duke's Junior Day. Because as I approached the field, you could hear chants of  "do not round your cuts, son", "nice catch, #35", and "finish, finish, finish....I don't care if you're going to win that drill, you will complete it". These were the types of things that I heard the Saturday before.

Duke's Junior Day is considered an evaluation type of camp, but there were subtle teaching points going on. If you walked over to the practice field, then you could spot Mike MacIntyre telling his offensive line proteges to  "always have your hands open and making a small target. Your hands have to be your camera. Remember what the guy said in the movie The Patriot: Aim small, miss small". Receivers were instructed to keep their cuts sharp and not cross their hands when catching a ball. Simple, but important stuff.

Though the names of the 270 attendees weren't provided, the effort by the players and coaches to do the right thing was always visible. Coaches and players from Hillside, Southern Durham, Myers Park (Charlotte), R J Reynolds (Winston-Salem), and players who ventured outside the state from places like Pittsburgh eagerly lined the field.

Not surprisingly, there was an abundance of talent making a mark. A tall receiver from the Midwest surprised campers and coaches alike with his separation. A local product, Kendrick Williams, prevented a receiver from getting off the line by utilizing good leverage. In fact,  I spoke with one local coach who said that 10 skill  players showed up to the camp. He calmly told me that "we've got several guys at this camp who can run and hit, and are quick as lightning". After witnessing these kids, I looked up and half jokingly said, "Coach, do you have any players that don't run a 4.4". He said, with a big grin, "Yeah, they're just not here today".

Drills ranged from defensive lineman hitting obstacles and taking precise cuts to cornerbacks alternating between press and zone coverage on wide receivers. Offensive linemen diligently used "step slide" techniques instead of "hopping" from one foot to the next. Defensive linemen speared  tackling dummies with purpose. At the end of the day, sprints between the linebackers, tight ends, quarterbacks, linemen, cornerbacks/wideouts really punctuated the day. The kids were straining to finish in the top 3 of each race for nothing other than pride.

Some things to note:

Danny Parker, Colin Jones, Thad Lewis, Alfred Williams, and  Kinney Rucker were on hand to assist the "campers". All looked to be in fine shape. Colin even took some time to speak to this reporter's nephew who was attending the camp, and offered a lot of encouragement and some good advice. Coach Cutcliffe made a special point to recognize these individuals.

Hillside product Corey Gattis verballed an offer to Duke after the event, and this is particularly significant.  The last very talented recruit to matriculate to Duke (and someone can feel free to correct me) was Emmitt Tilley. Tilley starred at Duke, and later became a standout linebacker for the Miami Dolphins.

Duke has long been after Kenny Boynton who is one of the nation's premier prospects.  BDN Premium is covering the NBAPA Top 100 Camp and I can tell you first hand that he has not disappointed.  His scoring numbers going into today are 16, 17, 15, 13, 12 and 16.  Keep in mind that he is on a star studded team, which includes Brandon Knight, Daniel Orton, Deron Lamb, Damon Powell ... you get the picture.  He plays for just one half of the games total minutes.  His team is 3-0 going into today's playoff.  Members of BDN Premium will get complete coverage and a bevy of interviews starting next week.  Of course, we already have a chat with Travis McKie and Jamil Wilson up.

Kenny Boynton poses with his teammate and friend Brandon Knight during a break at the NBAPA Top 100 Camp

BDN Premium talked to 2010 prospect Travis McKie about his recruitment.  To read the entire article you must be a subscriber.  We will have lots of coverage having already secured multiple interviews.  Paypal links are in the menu to your left.

Charles Westphal caught up with a quarterback prospect who visited during the Duke Football Camp.

Josh Byrum (2009) QB - Victory Christian, Charlotte, N.C.

1) How did the Duke camp go, Josh?  How did you feel about the guys that you were "repping" against? 
 Josh: I really liked it. Coach Roper worked with me. The other QB's were really good, but the thing that surprised me the most about the camp was the speed (ie of the receivers and defensive backs).

2) As you self evaluate, what were some of the things that you needed to work on?
Josh: I'm always working on my technique--specifically my drops.

3) How about your footwork?
Josh: I'm always working on that. (Josh politely indicated that improving footwork is something that is habitual).

4) How do your classify yourself as a QB? Are you pro-style or a dual guy?
Josh: Pro style.

5) Where else have you camped?
Josh: I camped at Missouri a few weeks. ago. The camp went very well. I received good coaching there, also.

6) So what are the schools that have confirmed interest?
Josh: NC State, Duke, and Missouri

7)What are your goals going into the season?
Josh: Just getting it all together. Last year, I threw for 12 or 13 TD's and for 1300 passing yards. We run a lot of our offense out of the I formation. We were 6-4 last season, and I feel confident that we'll be in the playoffs.

8) So, I'm assuming that with that formation that it naturally gives you time to set up play action?
Josh: Absolutely. Also, we have a good set of running backs as well.

9) Did you get to visit with Coach Cut?
Josh: Not really, he was overseeing everything. Coach Roper was very solid, though.

Thanks, Josh
Josh: Thank you, sir.

If you have been sitting on the sidelines thinking about joining Blue Devil Nation Premium, now might be the time to try us out.  We just put up a Jamil Wilson interview fresh from the NBAPA Top 100 Camp where some of the nation's top high school stars are playing in an invite only tournament.  Wilson is on the Duke recruiting radar and we get down business with our coverage to give you the scoop.

Jamil Wilson defends his man during a game which just concluded.

This was but the first of many interviews.  In fact, Kenny Boynton, Nate Lubick, Brandon Knight, Travis McKie, Josh Hairston, Terrell Vinson and a few names we'll keep to ourselves will soon follow.  We will be dropping camp notes along the way as well.  So, what are you waiting for?  It's time to sign up by going to one of the three paypal links in the menu to your left.

Blue Devil Nation Premium Subscriber Rates -

3 months - 36.00 6 months - 60.00 or a full year for 100.00

Our member retention rate is as good as it gets and we work hard to bring you up close and personal with all things Duke Athletics.  Once you join, we will send a user ID and another one for our Premium Only Message Board, where you can discuss recruiting and the latest happenings with other Duke fans.

Here is Kenny Boynton, Josh Hairston, Brandon Knight and Terrell Vinson from today's event.  BDNP will always bring you pictures to go with our coverage.

Al Featherston has written another great article over at Go Duke. This one focuses on Coach K and the 2008 Olympic Games.  The Olympic Team will be announced on Monday and their first game is on August 10th against host China.

The NBPA Top 100 Camp is being held in Charlottesville, VA. Duke recruiting targets Kenny Boynton and Brandon Knight are both in attendance as are Jamil Wilson and Terrell Vinson. ESPN has a nice preview of this event which features more than 100 of the nation's best prep basketball players.

In more news out of Charlottesville, Virginia forward Mamadi Diane will be out for a couple of months following foot surgery. Meanwhile, Sammy Zeglinski is healthy and ready to take on a larger role for the Cavaliers.

Davidson's Jason Richards worked out for the New York Knicks and hopes to be drafted or picked up as a free agent. Richards led the nation in assists with 8.1 per game.

Clemson and Oliver Purnell have finalized a contract extension. Coach Purnell has the Tigers program moving in the right direction and keeping him happily employed is a good move by the University.

Georgia Tech Coach Paul Hewitt would like to see the basketball season shortened so players can play less and study more.

The deadline for withdrawing from the NBA draft has passed and the college basketball world is a buzz with who is in and who will return to school so enjoy these dozen links, from newspapers, around the country, starting in Chapel Hill. Other notable players that have opted to stay in school include A.J. Abrams at Texas, Chase Budinger at Arizona, and Robert Dozier at Memphis.

Notable names staying in the draft include Mario Chalmers at Kansas, Luc Richard Mbah a Moute at UCLA, J.J. Hickson at N.C. State, and Ryan Anderson at California.

Mike DeCourcy says, "In one afternoon, with one press release, the entire nature of the 2008-09 season changed." Luke Winn weighs in with "Winners and Losers," while Adam Zagoria says, "Size Carolina up for rings." While Adam is stating that tongue-in-cheek, I will remind readers that every team is still going to lace up their Chuck Taylor's...uh...I mean their Air Jordan's next season.

Dick Davey has joined Johnny Dawkin's staff at Stanford. Davey was previously the head coach at Santa Clara for 15 years and was honored four times as the West Coast Conference coach of the year. Also joining the staff is former Loyola Marymount head coach Rodney Tention. Prior to being a head coach, Tention served as an assistant at Arizona for eight seasons. One challenge Dawkins faced with his move to Stanford was a lack of west coast experience having spent his entire coaching career as an assistant at Duke. With the hiring of Davey and Tention, Dawkins has secured two assistants with extensive west coast experience. Mike Schrage, who followed J.D. to Palo Alto from Durham, was also named as an assistant coach on the staff. Schrage was previously the director of basketball operations at Duke.

Duke Football hosted round 1 of their annual camp this past Saturday.  The Blue Devil Nation will have coverage from this event where we talked to some prospects and their parents which have interest in Duke.  That said, please check back!  Until that time, here is a photo gallery from the event. (View as slideshow)

Frank Dascenzo states the home opener against James Madison University will be difficult and is advising Coach David Cutcliffe to give Coach George Welsh a call. Welsh coached the Virginia Cavaliers to 134 victories over 19 seasons, but he lost his home opener, back in 1982, 21 -17, to James Madison University.

Here (View as slideshow) is the third gallery from the Coach K Academy.  The majority of the pictures are shown with half of their original resolution.

Greg Paulus and Jason Williams entertained the crowd with some one on one.

Christian Laettner taught Grant Hill how play the keyboard!  This article was originally done in April, but I missed it.

Leslie McDonald committed to North Carolina, picking them over Duke, Tennessee, Memphis and Georgetown.   The announcement was made late last evening and came shortly after he had done four interviews with various sites saying he had not decided.

McDonald told the Blue Devil Nation that he works out with Duke commitment Elliot Williams and that he had not made a decision in a detailed interview.  His reasons for picking UNC was his comfort level with Roy Williams.  He actually had dinner at center court in the Dean Dome over the weekend.

Members of the Blue Devil Nation can read his lengthy interview where he certainly seemed to be inclined to wait a bit on his decision.  Nothing should surprise anyone in recruiting, but this one kind of stunned me for he suddenly made a choice just two hours after the interview.

While Duke coveted his services, they have several others who may get his offer in the wings.  One recruit will not derail the Blue Devils and they will move on quickly.

Mike DeCourcy has another solid article up at the Sporting News where he talks of the popularity surrounding Team USA Basketball.  In this article he mentions the fact that Duke target Kenny Boynton Jr. will compete for the U-18/19 team.

 Kenny Boynton dunks in Cameron

"Next month, as the Olympians are preparing for their assault on Beijing, the United States will field a team in the U-18 FIBA Americas Championship, a qualifier for the U-19 World Championship scheduled in 2009. Many elite high school prospects, including scoring machine Kenny Boynton of Miami and burgeoning New York legend Lance Stephenson, have committed to trying out for the 12-man squad that will travel to Argentina. Those making the team will miss out on most of the big shoe camps and tournaments on the July recruiting circuit." - DeCourcy

They called him "Tinkerbell," but his real name is Gene Banks.  He is one of the most cherished players in Duke Basketball history having helped get his team to the National Championship game as a freshman.  He threw roses to the Cameron Crazies after beating UNC on senior day.  All he did was put the game into overtime with a shot (that would be a three pointer now) over the outstretched arm of Sam Perkins.  We'll break it down for you later, until then enjoy this picture of the Banks family.