I caught up with former Duke basketball player Roshown Mcleod.  Roshown took the time to sit down with the Blue Devil Nation and allowed me to probe his life.  In the following interview, he tells us what he is doing these days.  He then recalls his memories as a Dukie and speaks of his NBA days.  Needless to say Roshown is another in a long line of former Blue Devil players that benefited from playing for Coach K and Duke University.  Enjoy -

Roshwon Mcleod is working with high school prospects these days.      Ro's Stats

Tell the readers of the Blue Devil Nation what you have been up to these days.

RM - I've been coaching a little bit of high school basketball in Atlanta.  And then I started my own company called Next Level Players Development where I'm training and working with some of the AAU programs in the Atlanta area.  This is also the first year that I will work with kids around the country.  I've been working with kids like Darius Miller and Jordan Hamilton outside of the Georgia area and I work with the Stars(Georgia AAU team) go to their practices including some of the Atlanta Celtics players.

In working with them, what are you trying to teach them?

RM - Some players with great athletic skills become so individualized in the game these days, so I'm trying to teach them how to interact with the team.  You have to always remember that the best team wins.  So, you can have the best player but not the best team.

Do you work with them in terms of the eventual college recruitment ... what to expect?

RM - I prepare them for what coaches look for.  I talk to them about school and how to position yourself to be available and how to prepare for their SATs.  I tell them no matter how good they are as a player that no coach is going to change their system for you.  So you have to be able to adjust and understand who you are as a player.

Do you try to help a player with his decision .. steer them in a certain direction?

RM - I leave that to the parents.  I make them aware of the pro's and con's,  Some of the parents, especially Mothers don't understand the business, so I lay it out for them and tell them in a way they understand the process.  I let them make the best decision for their kid.  At the end of the day, their the ones that have to live with it.  If they know everything around them, it makes for a more comfortable decision.

Are you married?

RM - Yes, I've been married for five years.  My wife is very beautiful.  She's from Illinois.  My son is eleven and my daughter is six, seven in August.

Tell me about your days at Duke.  Tell me the one thing that stands out above everything else ...

The fellowship!  I mean my old team, we were like brothers.  We still keep in contact.  I talk with everybody I played with during my two years there.  I remember all of us trying to make each other better.  That's what made us the best team in the ACC and we won back to back championships,  We won a lot of games.  So, the fellowship is the one thing I remember most.

Duke doesn't take a lot of transfers.  You came in from St. John's ... was that a good decision for you?

RM - Transferring to Duke opened the doors for me a lot faster.  My goal was to get to the NBA.  I knew who I was as a player, so I felt I could play on any team.  But Duke's offense allowed me to showcase what my strengths were.  Scoring, being efficient and leadership skills.

What was the difference in St. Johns and Duke?

Well, if you look at St. Johns at the time, they ran a slow deliberate offense.  I would often play center in their system.  I knew I wouldn't end up as a center and felt I wasn't growing as a player.

At Duke I got to put the ball on the floor and shoot the three and played some center.  That made the decision a lot easier, in that playing a better system of basketball.

So, Duke fit into your style?

RM - At Duke each players is taught to change positions during a game.  They run a motion offense, so if you set a screen or apply yourself when you are in the post, you know what to do there.  If you want to get out of the post they teach you how to come out and screen.  You learn a thought process on where to be with or without the ball and what to do in every situation.

What are your memories on Coach K?  Give it all to me, good and bad.

RM - (smiling)  My fondest memory?  He really brought out the best in me,  Coach made me believe and realize that I was invincible when played at the highest level.  I felt that way as an offensive player and I knew I had to work on defense.  But as an offensive player he made me feel invincible, instilling that thought process into my game.

The worst memory ... we were playing the Mercer game and he put me in with the walk on's.  It motivated me.

Coach K did a wonderful job preparing his team and does so to this day.  I mean they won 22 games last year and that's not a great season by Duke standards.  But he had a lot of young players and they'll be much tougher this season.

Do you feel like you gained a lot of life skills while at Duke and under Coach K?  Did you learn things that you might carry with you the rest of your life?

RM - I really did.  Coach taught us how to be well rounded people.  It wasn't just about basketball at Duke,  On or off the court, in the class room, he prepared every player.  We would practice interviewing and stuff like that.  When you have a guy like that ... who is so keen in developing you as a person, you have no choice but to be successful in life.

Who was your best friend at Duke?

RM - Chris Carrawell is a good friend.  I still talk to Shane, Trajan ... I talk to them all, but Chris Carrawell, a quality guy.  He's playing overseas.  So he is making a good life for himself.  He just got married.

I actually interviewed him last year. It was a good interview as this one is.

You look very comfortable and content.  What are your hopes for the future?

RM - I had a tough time dealing with the way my NBA career ended due to injury.  I had a pinched nerve in my knee which caused me to have a drop foot.  I continued to try and play but my leg kept going numb. I eventually ruptured my Achilles tendon by over compensating.  I then figured out that if I was going to be happy in basketball, I'd have to figure out another way to apply myself.  So, I started coaching to get back in the game.  Basketball has given me a lot and hopefully in the future somebody may want to bring me on their staff.  I'd like to find a program that I could help, using my personality.

So, you are open to an assistant coaching job?

RM - Oh yeah.  If the right opportunity comes along.  I coached at Fairfield under former Duke assistant Tim O'Toole for one year.  That's when I realized I wasn't ready yet.  I was thinking like a player and not like a coach.  So, I spent time with my family but eventually came back to the game realizing how much I missed it.  Now, I'm prepared mentally.  It's tougher being a coach than it is being a player, so you have to prepare.

What is your best memory from your days in the NBA?

RM - Actually playing in the play offs with the Hawks in my rookie year.  They had such a veteran team.  The experience I got from Tyrone Corbin, Grant Long and Dekembe Mutombo, even Coach Rick Mahorn.  I'll carry that with me the rest of my life.  I can share those experiences with the kids I work with now.

If you had it to do over again ... would you do anything different?

RM - Except going to Duke out of high school?  I considered Duke.  He (K) had one scholarship and gave it to Joey Beard.  I wanted to wait for my decision and check every opportunity.  St. Johns was a good choice at the time, but things change.  It  ended up being Duke after all.  So, I am happy.  If I can share my experiences and information with youngsters and their families, then I am doing the right thing.

You seem morally grounded and such ...

RM - My Mom passed away back in 2000.  She was an Evangelist.  She really traveled and spoke the word of God.  I was forced to build my own personal relationship when she passed.  I didn't realize I was a part of her blessing,  Now that I am older, be more responsible and have more responsibilities.  The only way to get through it is with a higher power.  My personal relationship  with God has really put me here.  I tell my kids to play for something bigger than yourself.

Do you still watch Duke to this day?

RM - I go to about six games a year and I watch every game on TV. 

If someone were to ask you about Duke would you give the Blue Devils a high recommendation?

RM - Oh, no doubt.  Duke will always be one of the elite programs.  They've really established something over the last twenty years.  They were a little down last season, but they'll be back.

Were you able to get up with the Duke staff this week?

RM- Yes. I was able to get with Jeff Capel, the coach of Oklahoma, Wojo and Johnny Dawkins.  We were able to share our experiences.  You can take those conversations and what you learn and share them with others or apply them to what you are doing right now. It's good to hear somebody elses perspective about it.

Okay, I'm treading on uneasy ground here.  Tell me something about Coach Dawkins and Wojo that nobody else knows?

RM - (laughing) Coach Dawkins loves motorcycles, but his wife won't let him get one. 

Wojo?

RM - He's the son he never had. (again snickering before becoming serious).  Wojo is a competitor, but until you get him out of a competitive environment, you don't realize how nice of a guy he is.

Well, I have to figure out if I can print that. (sly)  Thanks for your time and best of luck in the future.

RM - Thank you, Mark.

Thanks for a great interview Ro!