Duke Basketball Roundup

It's been a bit of a long layoff for the Duke Basketball Report Podcast, owing in equal parts to the lack of Duke Basketball news and the relative inaccessibility of your hosts. Today, however, we are back, with the NBA draft removal deadline having passed. We start, then, with the news that Trevor Keels is remaining in the draft, so he will definitely not be returning to Duke and Durham in the fall for his sophomore season. AJ Green, former Northern Iowa guard who visited Duke a few weeks ago, and who was presumed as the main backup option for Jon Scheyer should Keels remain in the draft, has also decided to leave his name in the draft list. We dive into Duke's options on the wing, mostly via the transfer portal, with some focus on exactly what kind of player Scheyer is looking for. After the break, we answer a listener question about social media. Our official take is that you, dear listener, should refrain from destructively negative or otherwise outrageous behavior online, even if the subject of your ire cannot see or hear you. We also review the performances of some of Duke's 2023 recruits on the summer circuit. Stay in touch with us at dbrpodcast at gmail.com, and we will be back again soon to recap recruiting and NBA news, as well as anything else that comes up. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It came as a shock on Wednesday when it was announced that Joey Baker had entered the transfer portal and would be looking elsewhere for his final year of college basketball. Just weeks ago, Joey had confirmed to the world that he planned to finish his career as a Blue Devil. So, what made him change his mind? The DBR Podcast gang have a few theories, one of which is that Duke appears to be homing in on a big time transfer who could play big minutes on the wing next season. That transfer is sharpshooting AJ Green, the reigning Mid-Continent Conference Player of the Year from Northern Iowa. He is taking a visit to Duke right now. The Podcast crew also looks at the 5 Dukies currently at the NBA combine, trying to read any tea leaves about what the NBA is thinking about each of these guys, especially Trevor Keels, who has a big decision on the NBA Draft to make in the next week or two. And the guys wrap things up with a brief conversation about Coach K's big salary that was just reported this week. If anyone is worth $12+ million as a coach, it is the GOAT! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Donald, Jason, and Sam dive into the mailbag for some questions to ponder about the future of Duke basketball. Up first, a question about how Jon Scheyer will be different from Coach K. The DBR Podcast gang also dive into some rival teams and answer the question, "which team in college basketball would you hate to be a fan of?" The guys also discuss which Dukie from history would you count on to get a bucket, grab a rebound, make 2 FTs, and other key aspects of winning a game. This episode of the podcast has a little bit of everything and even includes a bit of a movie review at the end as Jason Evans tells us about a film he recently saw that may be one of the best sequels in Hollywood history! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we are drafting one-and-done teams from Duke history, and we have a special guest to help evaluate our picks. That guest is Mitch Davis, one of the winners of the DBR bracket challenge this year. Mitch won that crown by picking Kansas over Duke in the championship game, and he comes armed with great Duke Basketball and other college basketball stories that you won't want to miss. The eligible players for this draft are guys who went to Duke for one freshman season and then declared for the NBA draft. Here are the picks! Sam Zion Williamson Jahlil Okafor Jayson Tatum Gary Trent, Jr. Cam Reddish Corey Maggette Austin Rivers Jason Kyrie Irving RJ Barrett Brandon Ingram Justise Winslow Wendell Carter, Jr. Vernon Carey, Jr. Cassius Stanley Donald Marvin Bagley III Tyus Jones Paolo Banchero Luol Deng AJ Griffin Jabari Parker Trevon Duval Email us at dbrpodcast at gmail.com or post on the forums to let us know you think won the draft, and we will be back again soon. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we're breaking down two new members of the Duke Basketball family: assistant coach Jai Lucas, who joins Duke from a similar role at Kentucky, and senior transfer Ryan Young, who comes to Duke from Chris Collins and Northwestern. Lucas is the big headline for us, though, as Duke has added an assistant without any Duke ties for the first time in almost 30 years. Lucas brings playing success, coaching success, and an impressive pedigree to Durham, where his father John Lucas II, Maryland and NBA legend, once upon a time played high school basketball. Lucas is taking Nolan Smith's spot on the bench, and he brings plenty of recruiting chops to the role. We are all excited to see all the things that Lucas will bring to the program, as an outsider with a great resume. Young, meanwhile, will be a backup big man for Duke, or so we think. His role on the 2023 team should primarily be spelling Dereck Lively II, not to mention his enormous role in the practice, preparing Lively for big-time college basketball. Given the extra year of eligibility for student-athletes who were in school in 2020, Young could be at Duke for two years. We'll be back soon for our Duke one-and-done draft, and of course as more offseason news trickles in. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

There's a new Dukie in town and his name is Kale Catchings. While not the impact player that some folks are eager to get out of the transfer portal, there is a lot to like about what this former Harvard player brings to Durham. The DBR Podcast crew is here to break it down and also look at some of the other names to watch out for as Coach Scheyer looks to use the transfer portal to fill out the 2022-23 Blue Devil roster. After a quick break, the podcast guys also reflect back on the career of AJ Griffin, the last of the Dukies to declare for the NBA draft, and they take another peek at the NBNA playoffs to discuss the burning question -- who has been better in the 2022 post-season, Jayson Tatum or Brandon Ingram? Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Duke Blue Devils have had some more players decide to head to the NBA Draft, and we discuss it on Episode 418. But first, we discuss the announcement that Jeremy Roach will return to Duke for his junior season. We’re very excited at Roach returning to be a leader on the court and provide that veteran presence that a young team will need. We also discuss the departures of Trevor Keels and Wendell Moore to the NBA Draft. Keels’ announcement had more intrigue given the talk that he was considering a return to Durham, and that could still happen, as we explain. We also discuss some of the transfer portal rumors that are out there now that we know that Keels is entering his name in the Draft. We also get into a reader’s question about the underrated season of Vernon Carey, Jr., and Duke has its first basketball opponent in the Jon Scheyer era...and it’s Jacksonville University. We touch on those topics to end our show. Continue to send us the great emails you’ve been sending to DBR Podcast at Gmail dot com! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The DBR Podcast gang pays tribute to the great 2021-22 Dukies who have ended their time in Durham and are now headed into the NBA Draft. First of all, the guys debate where Paolo Banchero stands in the ranks of the all-time great Duke one-and-done players and then they talk a bit about Mark Williams compared to the great defensive centers ever at Duke. The conversation then shifts to a couple guys who think may be back in Durham next year, Jeremy Roach and Trevor Keels, and we look at bit at how Name, Image, and Likeness opportunities could affect Jeremy and Trevor's decisions. After the commercial break, Jason, Sam, and Donald spend a few moments chatting about the departure of Michael Savarino and then they turn their attention to Dukies in the NBA playoffs where Jayson Tatum and Brandon Ingram are making major waves. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The off-season means roster construction and the DBR Podcast crew is here to chat about the latest moves that will make up the 2022-23 Duke Blue Devils. They start with this week's announcement that Joey Baker is coming back to Durham for his "super senior" 5th year in the program. Though there was a lot of speculation that Joey would not play for Duke next season, the podcast guys are very excited at what his three-point stroke and leadership bring to next year's team. And while we await NBA Draft vs. Durham decisions from several other Blue Devils, the podcast discusses a frequent question from fans -- why does UNC seem to bring guys back to school while Duke keeps on losing players to the draft? Additionally, this weekend edition of the pod dives into the announcement that Amile Jefferson will be elevated to a full assistant coach next season and they conclude with a discussion about the Duke Basketball Banquet, which means gushing over Coach K's newest addition to the family, a gorgeous silver lab puppy. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

On this episode of the DBR Podcast, we're giddy over Duke's two most recent commitments, a pair of juniors in the 2023 class, who both declared for Duke late last week. First, we dive into Tyrese Proctor, an Australian who will play on the wing for Duke. Proctor should be an impact player from the start in Durham, given his ranking and his ability to score. Then, we talk about Mackenzie Mgbako, who could become the top pick in the 2024 draft if things go his way. Mgbako is a big, long scorer, and Jason is excited to compare him to another scoring forward who left Duke a few years ago, Jayson Tatum. We don't want to put too much on Mgbako's enormous shoulders, but we think he can handle it. After the break, we dive into the potential permutations of the 2022-2022 roster, including questions about the NBA futures of Wendell Moore, Trevor Keels, and Jeremy Roach. With point guard Caleb Foster considering reclassifying to join Duke this fall, speculation about Roach doesn't seem to lean one way or another, but we sort of hope that he will decide to return. We finish with a few words of appreciation for Mike Schrage, new Duke special assistant to the head coach. Schrage is something of a breath of fresh air for Jon Scheyer's roster and staff, having been away from the Duke program for about 15 years. Don't forget to stay in touch with us, and we will talk to you again soon! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices