Happy New Year!

Bob and I would like to wish the entire Blue Devil Nation a Happy and Prosperous New Year!  The Men's basketball team finishes the year ranked 8th in the nation in the latest poll.  Do you think everyone would have been satisfied with that at the start of the season? 

The cool thing for us Duke supporters is that 2008 promises to be an exciting year.  We look forward to ushering in the new year with a renewed interest in football.  The hiring of David Cutcliffe has already created better ticket sales and when you see his staff, well, you'll like it. 

The BDN will continue to try and bring you up close and personal with recruiting prospects in our Premium or subscription section, but rest assured the main free page will continue to have updates, photos, unique coverage and much more. 

 I started the Blue Devil Nation a mere 18 months ago on a whim.  You, the readers have made it a success.  I'd have never thought that this site would have garnered over a million hits, but that was done in a year. 

Despite the inability to change the URL to Blue Devil Nation.Net due to our host taking a break from support, you, the nation, have still found us.  Our google ranking is pretty good and I do hope to get that URL running soon.  We have enjoyed EPONYM, our host very much.  But there may come a time when we are forced to make some changes.  Rest assured though, that serving you up Devilish information is a pleasure and God willing, this site or a better form of it will be around for a long time. 

Neither Bob nor myself consider this work -- it's too much fun.  We are just Blue Devil fans through and through.  I enjoy being your eyes at unique events, snapping up photos and interviewing past and future players.  Yep!  I love what I do and I am grateful to you readers for making this one of your destinations for information.  I'll say it again ... thanks for your support and Happy New Year!

Make no mistake that the Ole Miss Rebels loss is our gain.  David Cutcliffe still ponders why his former school could make such a rash decision after what most consider big time success at the school.  As we alluded to in the Blue Devil Nation Premium Newsletter, Cutcliffe says that his staff is ten, tenths complete.  The Vol's bowl game will put Cutcliffe at the forefront and Duke is sure to be mentioned.  Considering that, Duke has been wise in holding off the announcement of the new coaches in order to get better exposure to a program dedicated to returning to not only competitive, but winning football.  I can tell you that the newly assembled staff is sure to please and excite season ticket holders and fans.  I hope that you will pull for the Vols who are seriously short handed due to suspensions, in their bowl game.

St. Benedict's won the Bojangles Shootout with a 56-45 victory over Archbishop Moeller (OH). Samardo Samuels was named the tournament MVP and Greg Echenique was named to the All-Tournament Team.

Kenny Boynton scored 35 points as American Heritage won the fifth place game at the Tampa Bay Hoops Classic. They defeated Ridgewood 76-60.

Erik Murphy recorded another double-double on Saturday at the Bay Ball Classic. His 19 points and 10 rebounds were both game highs as St. Mark's defeated Roosevelt 55-53.

In Oregon, at the Les Schwab Invitational, San Jose Archbishop Mitty featuring future UCLA Bruin Drew Gordon won the Championship with a 86-75 victory over Oregon City. In the 3rd Place game, Grant defeated South Medford 72-62. E.J. Singler had an impressive stat line of 31 points, 6 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals for South Medford. A Junior and Kyle Singler's brother, E.J. Singler put together an impressive performance at the LSI and his stock is surely on the rise.

On Friday night, at the Desert Heat Classic, Olek Czyz contributed 18 points in a Reno High School 71-58 victory over St. Mary's of Stockton, CA.

The Duke Women continued their torrid play in a romp over Houston.  Coach P's team is starting to adjust and will be a tough out come tournament time.

Duke star, Kyle Singler ventured home to Oregon over the Holiday's where he had some of his Mom's home cooking and visited with his brother and former teammates.

Meanwhile, Kenny Boynton had a team high 26 points which helped advance American Heritage in tournament play.

At the Bojangles Shootout, Samardo Samuels scored 17 points and grabbed 16 rebounds while Greg Echenique contributed 16 points on 7-8 shooting from the field as St. Benedict's defeated South Atlanta 57-43. Derrick Favors scored 16 points with 11 rebounds for South Atlanta. American Heritage defeated Miami Norland 63-51 on Friday at the McDonald's Tampa Classic. Booker T. Washington defeated Courtland 59-47 in their 3rd game at the Ronald Curry Christmas Classic.

At the Bay Ball Classic in Delaware, Erik Murphy recorded a double-double of 35 points and 11 rebounds, but St. Mark's fell to National Christian Academy 75-66. Murphy shot 12-18 from the field and 9-13 from the free throw line.

At the Les Schwab Invitational, Drew Gordon and Archbishop Mitty advanced to the Championship game where they will face Oregon City. Drew Gordon scored 28 points and collected 19 rebounds in a 79-45 rout over Grant. Oregon City defeated South Medford, 64-58, in the other semi-final. E.J. Singler scored 10 points and grabbed 12 rebounds in the defeat.

The Holiday Tournament action continues on Saturday.

St. Benedict's won their opening game at the Bojangles Shootout. They defeated Erwin (AL) 62-47. Samardo Samuels suffered an ankle injury in the game. St. Benedict's faces Derrick Favors and South Atlanta tomorrow evening at 6:30. Olek Czyz and Reno High School dropped their second straight game at the Desert Heat Classic. Mercer Island (WA) defeated RHS, 58-51. Czyz scored 22 points in the loss. Kenny Boynton and American Heritage lost to Christian Life, 78-74, at the McDonald's Tampa Classic. At the Ronald Curry Christmas Classic, DeShawn Painter scored 16 points, but Booker T. Washington blew a 15 point 4th Quarter lead and lost to Oscar Smith, 64-61.

In Oregon, the Les Schwab Invitational is ongoing. South Medford has won their first two games. Kyle Singler's brother plays for the Panthers. E.J. Singler scored 17 points to lead SMHS to a 51-44 victory in the second round. Future UCLA Bruin, Drew Gordon, and Archbishop Mitty have won their first two games, but future Georgetown Hoya, Greg Monroe, and his Helen Cox teammates stumbled in the second round.

The GlaxcoSmithKline Holiday Invitational is being held at the Raliegh Broughton Gym. Scores and updates are available via this blog.

American Heritage defeated Galena 80-68 in their opening game at the McDonald's Tampa Classic. Kenny Boynton scored 33 points. The AH Patriots will face Christian Life from Humble, TX at 7:30 pm tomorrow. DeShawn Painter scored a season low eight points and Booker T. Washington lost their opening game, 62-60, to Kecoughton, at the Ronald Curry Christmas Classic. BTW Coach Darren Sandlerin stated, "Painter's got to be a little more assertive." BTW will be back in action tomorrow afternoon.  In the Desert Heat Classic, Olek Czyz and Reno High School dropped a 73-68 decision to Los Osos. Czyz scored 25 points in the loss. RHS faces Mercer Island (WA) in tomorrow’s game. Mercer Island is the alma mater of former Duke Point guard and Asst. Coach Quinn Snyder.

Here is a good Christmas story about the healing of Carlos Boozers son.  He has battled the dreaded sickle cell disease.  Boozer was a part of a National Title while at Duke and has made a lot of NBA Executives grimace that he fell to the second round.  One could easily make a case that he is the best second round player in the NBA game today.

In this link you get video of  Kenny Boynton and American Heritage.  You get a lot of insight into Boynton and his team if you take the time to watch.  Boynton is the Blue Devils top prospect in the class of 2009.

Here is Al Featherston on former Dukie  Reggie Love who is on the Campaign trail.

Finally, Rob Clough has a feature up on Duke star Joy Cheek.

The News & Observer has posted an article about past ACC coaches and their senses of humor.  The paragraphs that describe "Bones" and his antics are well worth the read.  Reading the article definitely stirred the cobwebs that are my memory as "Bones" McKinney made regular "Guest" appearances on ACC telecasts back in the days of Pilot Life and the ACC Game of the Week.  Not to get too nostalgic, but those were "The good ol' days."

 

In Norfolk, the Ronald Curry Christmas Classic will commence at 1 pm on Wednesday, at Hampton University. Booker T. Washington (DeShawn Painter) is one of the participating teams. Out West, Reno High School (Olek Czyz) will be participating in the Desert Heat Classic at La Quinta, CA. In Tampa, American Heritage (Kenny Boynton) will compete in the McDonald's Tampa Classic. In their first game, American Heritage will face Galena High School (Luke Babbitt) of Reno, NV.  St. Benedict's Prep (Greg Echenique) will compete in the Bojangles Shootout in Charlotte, starting on Thursday.

The Blue Devil Nation will keep you up to date on all the action with links to scores and game summaries.

 

Merry Christmas & Happy Holiday's

We thank you for being a part of the Blue Devil Nation. Both Bob and myself wish all of you a nice break.  It will be a tad slow for a couple of days ... I think, you never know ... but I promise you a ton of great content in both the premium and free section in the coming days and year.  There will be a recruiting update in premium just after or around Christmas.  Please, check back with us for you are a part of the Blue Devil Nation!

Excerpt from the Miami Herald -

American Heritage junior guard Kenny Boynton Jr. put on a performance for the ages at the City of Palms Classic in Fort Myers on Saturday.

Boynton, ranked No. 7 in the 2009 class by Rivals.com, set a tournament record with a career-high 61 points, highlighted by 11 three-pointers, in a 88-71 victory over Fort ...   more »

In Friday night action, Olek Czyz scored 35 points but Reno High School lost to Gorman, 88-87, in triple overtime. Czyz made 14 field goals and went 7-9 from the free throw line.

Georgetown coach John Thompson III took advantage of being in Memphis and checked out Leslie McDonald on Saturday night. McDonald scored 25 points and collected 14 rebounds in a losing effort for Briarcrest Christian School. Briarcrest fell to Ridgeway 60-49.  Many top programs, including Duke and Georgetown are showing interest in McDonald.

If you are a member of the Blue Devil Nation Premium Newsletter, you already know who Duke sent to see their top prospect in the class of 2009 Kenny Boynton Jr.  Kenny scored 61 points today in the City of Palms Classic, which is a tournament featuring some of the nations top high school players.  For complete coverage of Duke recruiting and inside tips, join the BDN Premium Newsletter.  It makes a great Christmas gift for your Blue Devil fan.

Boynton tossed in 61 points today during the final game of the City of Palms Classic

Meanwhile, here is an update on Coach G in Texas.

Here is a link to a USA TODAY article in which Cutcliffe says he is healthy and ready to go.  It notes his workouts which help the environment.

 

There was a tight rim and a tight team in the second half of Duke's first loss of the season.  Duke squandered a 12 point halftime lead as they faced adversity with a miserable result on this chilly New York evening.

You could see it coming.  You could see Pitt gather confidence while Duke clunked shot after shot off the tight rim right in front of the Duke bench during a frigidly cold second half.  Twenty turnovers is not Duke like.  Duke did not value the ball as they should have down the stretch, but this was but one of the culprits.

Yep!  It was a team loss.  Henderson forced way too many shots.  Scheyer lost his composure.  Paulus failed to get his team into the game from the point position.  Even super freshman Kyle Singler missed a couple of key shots.

Then there was the rebounding disparity and the inability or more likely the lack of effort to finish shots.  I kept thinking, get the ball to DeMarcus, our senior leader, but it didn't happen.  I could go on, but I think we all saw the game.

With a long holiday break, the Duke players will have a chance to reflect on their loss.  It will make them better.  Coach K will not allow them to put forth another lackadaisical effort on such a big stage.

Even though it is an early season loss, this one stings, for there were so many opportunities to pull the game out.  The truth of the matter though, is that Duke really didn't deserve to win.  The simple fact that DeJuan Blair went off the court due to fouls carrying 15 points and 20 boards along with him just adds insult to injury.  It was not Duke's night and it was an unlike Duke performance. 

Rest assured, you won't see this kind of effort again for awhile.  This team is too talented.  But on this evening the freshmen grew some more as did the sophs.  There is not a player on their respective flight home who isn't wishing they had not given just a little bit more effort for that is all it would have taken for Duke to still be undefeated.  They now know that you can't let up and that you have to win as a team.

Pitt was tougher than Duke down the stretch winning on a three pointer in overtime

Pitt drops Duke in OT

Box Score

Mark's Take - Duke faces the highest ranked team it has played this season in Pitt.  While Duke is the home team, the Panthers are accustomed to Madison Square Garden from their Big East play.  Like the Devils, Pitt plays good defense holding their opposition to just under 40% from the field.  As usual the key for Duke in close games will be to hit their three point attempts.  Pitt has a great three guard combination and just enough size to be a most formidable foe and the likely absence of Lance Thomas diminishes the Devils down low.  Still, Duke and Coach K love the big stage and this hallowed arena.  Duke will find a way to remain unbeaten.  The pick here is Duke 77 Pitt 69

Pittsburgh Off vs. Duke Def Duke Off vs. Pittsburgh Def 79.8 Pts F 62.8 Pts A 48.8 FG% 40.8 FG% 36.3 Reb. 29.4 Reb. 89.1 Pts F 58.2 Pts A 50.9 FG% 38.1 FG% 29.4 Reb. 27.4 Reb.

Bob's Take - This game has the potential to be a real test for the Blue Devils. Pittsburgh scores at a rate of 82 points a game and only allows their opponent 58 per game. Those numbers are real close to Duke's 89/62. The Panthers are not a big team but all the reports I read talk about their talent level across all five spots. Duke has previously won close contests against Marquette and Davidson, and this game should be another tightly contested affair.

In order to win, Duke must pressure the ball and disrupt Pittsburgh's offensive sets. I expect Duke to run their full court press off of made shots and dead ball situations in order to create points off turnovers. Once in the half court, Duke will need to force Pittsburgh to start their offense 25+ feet from the basket instead of 20-22 feet away. If Pittsburgh is able to setup and execute their normal offense, Duke will have trouble stopping the Panthers. My first "Key Point" for this game is Duke's ability to force bad shots. Pittsburgh is shooting 48.3% from the field, but Duke needs to hold them under their average by forcing the Panthers into bad offensive decisions.

With Lance Thomas nursing a sprained ankle, the play of David McClure becomes critical. My second "Key Point" is the play of McClure off the bench, particularly his play when Duke is running their full court press. Earlier in the season, Thomas was identified as the guy whose intensity fed the rest of the team when executing the press. McClure is definitely an intense player and he must replace Thomas in the press.

On the offensive end, Duke has two objectives. First, spread the floor and create driving lanes to the basket for Nelson, Henderson, Scheyer, and Smith. Second, shoot three pointers. Duke has seven players shooting above 31% from behind the arc with four (Scheyer, King, Paulus, Nelson) shooting better than 40%. My third "Key Point" for the game is Duke's ability to execute their offense. Pittsburgh must play solid defensive and force Duke to put up shots late in the shot clock. If Duke achieves an offensive rhythm, Pittsburgh is in trouble.

Therefore, a Duke victory will be predicated on three key points:

1. Duke forcing Pittsburgh into taking bad shots

2. The play of David McClure

3. Duke achieving an offensive rhythm

My prediction: Duke 88 - Pittsburgh 83

Collision Course: Panthers vs. Blue Devils at the Garden

Freshmen give Duke new look, big boost

Zoubek, McClure Finding Their Roles at Duke

Duke adopts Suns' style

Duke needs Nelson's shot vs. Pitt

DURHAM, N.C. (AP) - Abby Waner scored 19 points and tied an Atlantic Coast Conference record with 10 steals in No. 14 Duke's 95-61 rout of Utah Valley on Tuesday night.

Reserve Carrem Gay scored a season-high 20 points, Joy Cheek scored 13 of her 15 points during the decisive first half and Chante Black also had 15 points for the ...   more »

This update starts with day one of the City of Palms Classic.  Moving on to our Class of 2008 commits: In Memphis, on Monday, Elliot Williams scored 12 points as St. George's improved their record to 9-0 with a 64-55 victory over Harding.  Out West, Reno defeated Carson 60-45.   Olek Czyz scored six points but was hit with two technical fouls.  No details were available on why Czyz was assessed the technicals.

In Norfolk, on Tuesday, DeShawn Painter recorded a double-double of 16 points and 10 rebounds as Booker T. Washington defeated Norcross 57-49.  The Virginia-Pilot has a video of Painter posted.

Finally, here is an update on St. Benedict's Prep.  The Gray Bees won back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday and are now in Ft. Myers, FL for the City of Palms Classic.  Greg Echenique scored 16 points with 10 rebounds in St. Benedict's first game.

 

Here is Van Coleman with a preview of the recruiting prospect hoop de jour tournament known as the City of Palms.

Duke prospect Kenny Boynton will be slipping and sliding at the City of Palms tournament.  For the latest recruiting information,  join the Blue Devil Nation Premium Newsletter.

Dukes top target in the class of 2009, Kenny Boynton Jr., was named the Broward County Athlete of the week after tossing in 41 points.

This newspaper has done a good job in covering the events before and after Albany's visit to Cameron.  Sometimes it is fun ti get the visitors perspective.  Heck, here is another story which claims what we already know in that there is little room for error in Cameron.

Here is Bryan Strickland's take on the Devils convincing win.  Here is the News and Observer's  version.  While you are on the Observer, check out K's video comments on the game by going here.  Since you are there, notice that part of the David Cutcliffe press conference is to your lower right.

Meanwhile, the Pitt Panthers radio announcer is none other than the legendary Duke star Dick Groat.  In this article for the Gazette, he claims to have always been a Panther at heart.  The same newspaper claims that unbeaten Pitt is ready fo rtheir showdown with Duke.

Don't miss Al Featherston's article on David Cutcliffe.  And then there is Jim Sumner on  Duke in New York.

Duke 111 Albany 70

BDN's Player of the game - DeMarcus Nelson

Bob's take - In their most recent game, against St. Francis, Albany turned the ball over 18 times while recording only 10 assists.  That is not a formula for success at Cameron Indoor Stadium.  Albany is going to need to control the game tempo and execute in the half-court.  They actually have decent size and will need to push the ball inside to exploit this advantage.  On the defensive end, I expect Albany to try and run a zone to negate Duke's speed and avoid foul trouble.  Good luck!

Duke will try to force the tempo and create easy scoring opportunities off turnovers.  In the half-court with Albany in man defense, Duke will spread the floor and allow Nelson, Henderson, Scheyer, and Smith to drive to the basket.  When Albany zones, Paulus, Scheyer, King and the rest of Duke's shooters will make them pay.

My prediction: Duke 93 - Albany 59.

Albany Off vs. Duke Def	Duke Off vs. Albany Def
65.4 Pts F 62.0 Pts A 43.4 FG% 40.1 FG% 35.7 Reb. 29.2 Reb.	86.7 Pts F 59.2 Pts A 49.8 FG% 39.1 FG% 29.2 Reb. 26.6 Reb.

 

Mark's take - This is the proverbial after exam game and if history repeats itself, it goes either one of two ways.  Duke will either sleepwalk through some of the game yet they win in a somewhat decent fashion or they will play lock down defense in preparation for their next game, which is in this case Pitt.  I am going with the lock down defense tonight and see Duke winning 86-47.

This article is from last season and of course before Curcliffe was named coach at Duke, but it sheds a lot of light on his character and what others think of him.

Link is here

Leslie McDonald (6-4, Memphis Briarcrest) is one of the most sought after backcourt players in the class of 2009.  McDonald is long and athletic and has the tools to be a great shooter.  The Blue Devil Nation first saw McDonald during the Nike Peach Jam.  In my first interview with Leslie, it was clear that he was a class act both on and off the court.

When the Blue Devils inked fellow Memphis standout Elliot Williams, a lot people thought McDonald would look elsewhere and that Duke would move on.  Well, according to McDonald that's not true.  "Elliot and I have a good relationship, we can play on the same team you know," said McDonald when asked if Williams signing would deter him should Duke offer.

Leslie talked to the BDN and had a lot to say on the recruitng process.  To read the entire article, you must me a member of the Blue Devil Nation Premium Newsletter.  That's where you will read that McDonald and Williams are friends.  That and other breaking information awaits you inside -

Leslie McDonald says he can ball alongside Elliot Williams and that he is still open to playing for Duke.  The Blue Devils are the only team on his trimmed down list that has yet to offer.

It's a whole new ballgame < Click Here

     

     

Coach Cutcliffe's Opening Statement:“Man, am I glad to be at Duke. This is a good feeling. You look for those good feelings in your lives and this has been a good feeling all along. You surround yourself with great people in anything you do, and you try to put yourself in a great situation and stay around great places. It just hit me in every direction that I was in the right place at the right time. I was around great people and I was at a great institution. I had an opportunity to meet a number of the football players earlier and they were sitting in their chairs; I didn’t have to say, “sit up straight and put your feet on the floor” because they were already doing that. I was looking into the eyes of a bunch of guys that are winners. I know they’re winners off the field and I know they’re going to become winners on the field. If they’re willing to pay the price, that’s what happens. I read a little of the Duke Mission [Statement] and Joe [Alleva] used the word, “balance.” I like the academic integrity. That’s a good feel and that is something that is important to me. If you have outstanding character and you have the determination to see something through and get it done, then you apply what has to be done. I liked the Duke Mission Statement. We’ll put a little mission statement together for football and that will all be found in that. I want to thank Tennessee. I want to thank the previous staff here for their hard work and commitment to what they were doing day after day. I know those gentlemen and their families sacrificed a lot to get the program going and get the young men here and I appreciate what they’ve done without a doubt, and we were certainly respect what they’ve done over the last few years. We have a president and director of athletics that I have to thank so much because they are about total commitment. I can promise them that we will be totally committed to bringing winning football back to Duke.”

On the questions he asked on his visit to Duke:“[I wanted to know] what their plan was. My job is to have a plan; what is the administrative plan to make Duke football better? They quickly went into what they were going to do from a commitment standpoint. There is a strategic plan that has been worked on and I’ve already briefly gone through that. You look at what Mike Krzyzewski has done here and the other sports here; it all comes together when you put those strategic plans and I believe we have 100 percent commitment from the administration to make that happen.”

On recruiting:“I’ll go after the same guys; obviously, the bigger they are and can still run, the better. I don’t want a guy that looks good in his uniform that can’t run. We’re going to start with people that can run. There are three parameters you can’t miss in as an assistant coach when you’re on the road recruiting. You can’t miss in character, you can’t miss in academics because that’s right in front of you, and I don’t want a coach to bring me a guy who can’t run.”

On leaving a legacy:“I came here to stay; I came here to make this home and I’d like to be here a long time. I try to stay away from ego but I am a believer in legacy. The most important lesson to me is to leave a place better than you found and I’m about that. I really want to be a part of that. I want to leave Duke football far beyond what we found it and when you hand the ball off to the next group – whenever that is years down the road - that you’ve done something special. I have a sense of satisfaction that way. I love this opportunity. Years from now I want to look back and say, look at what we did; we did make a difference. That’s what we came here to do.”

      

Links will be here, so check back!  I will have my thoughts up tomorrow.

Cutcliffe is introduced

"When I announced my decision to move in a different direction with our football program I clearly stated our criteria. We were looking for a leader who has head coaching experience, preferably at the Bowl Championship Subdivision (BCS) level; has directed a winning football program; has an outstanding offensive mind; has proven himself on the recruiting trail; will represent the University in an exemplary fashion, both on campus and in the Durham community, and understands that at Duke academic excellence goes hand-in-hand with excellence on the playing fields. We found that person in David Cutcliffe. Coach Cutcliffe is well-respected among his peers and his former players for his coaching knowledge and motivational skills. Coach Cutcliffe’s values are well-aligned with the institutional values of Duke University. We believe we have found the right man to lead our football program to the excellence that is synonymous with Duke."
Joe Alleva, Director of Athletics, Duke University

"David Cutcliffe’s hiring is a clear sign that Duke is serious and committed to its football program. He is an established coach at the highest level of collegiate competition and his track record speaks for itself. Coach Cutcliffe has traveled roads our program has not enjoyed in recent years, and that can only benefit the young men he will lead here at Duke. I am excited about this hire for our University, our Department of Athletics, and most importantly, for the current and future Blue Devil football players."
Mike Krzyzewski, Head Basketball Coach, Duke University

"David Cutcliffe is a great hire for Duke University. He is an oustanding football coach that understands all aspects of the game. He is an accomplished recruiter and great communicator. He’s also a tremendous worker and he and his family will always represent Duke University in a first class manner."
Phillip Fulmer, Head Football Coach, University of Tennessee

"I’m excited for Coach Cutcliffe. I think he deserves to be a head coach again. His influence on me has been well documented; he was a huge reason why I chose to attend the University of Tennessee. Speaking for Eli, Coach Cutcliffe being named the head coach at Ole Miss was a swaying factor in Eli’s decision to go to school there. He’s done such a great job at Tennessee and is a great match and a great fit for Duke."
Peyton Manning, QB, Indianapolis Colts
University of Tennessee, SEC Player of the Year & First Team All-America, 1997
No. 1 Overall Selection, 1998 NFL Draft
NFL MVP, 2003 & 2004; MVP, Super Bowl XLI

"The greatest thing about Coach Cutcliffe is his ability to teach the game of football. He works so well with quarterbacks in particular, and teaches you how to lead your team from that position. He works hard, is dedicated and has a passion for winning. I know his teams will be well prepared for anything that happens in a game."
Eli Manning, QB, New York Giants
University of Mississippi, SEC Player of the Year & First Team All-America, 2003
No. 1 Overall Selection, 2004 NFL Draft

"I’m very excited for Coach Cutcliffe and I think that all the people associated with Duke should be excited. He’s an outstanding human being and a really good football coach."
Archie Manning
University of Mississippi; First Team All-America, 1969 & 1970
College Football Hall of Fame, Inducted in 1989

Duke basketball and Coach K now have three offers in place for 2009 after offering Greg Echenique of St. Benedict's on Friday.  Find out who will vie for the fourth and maybe fifth scholarship by becoming a member of the Blue Devil Nation Premium Newsletter.  You will get the skinny on which direction the Blue Devils hope to go in 09.

 

Duke football has a new beginning.  The Sports Information Department has announced a 5:00 press conference this Saturday in which the Tennessee Offensive Coordinator David Cutcliffe will be named the new head coach.  The Blue Devil Nation sends out a huge welcome to Coach Cutcliffe and his family.  Buy your season tickets now!