Freshman sensation Kyrie Irving took the nation by storm when he debuted for the Duke Blue Devils two months ago. Most experts and knowledgeable fans knew he'd be good, but not this good, and not this soon. As Duke's leading scorer at After Duke's 8th game of the season, a rematch of the National Championship with Butler, Irving was declared out by Coach Mike Krzyzewski for a mysterious toe injury. After examinations, Coach K said that his freshman star would be out for a long time, and later, indefinitely.
This was a huge blow to a team whose only apparent weakness is not having an athletic playmaker at point.
Well, the doom hasn't rushed in quite as some expected, as the Blue Devils have cruised to a record without Irving, and overall. They have looked impressive, and with ACC play beginning this week, I've got four silver linings for Duke to pocket as they navigate the always-rugged conference schedule. Irving undoubtedly left some big shoes in the backcourt, but key reserves Andre Dawkins and Seth Curry have almost completely filled them in.
Something you see in a lot of basketball games. People hit their toes all the time. Kyrie Irving grimacing in pain after injuring his right big toe in the second half against Butler on Dec.
I remember him falling down, getting help and then gimping off the court. It really seemed like nothing. No whistle was blown for a foul on the play. Just a second official injury timeout. It was a ticking time bomb, with what I was born with in my feet. Duke ruled the point guard out indefinitely. Nick Potter and Jose Fonseca drove Irving to Charlotte to meet with Bob Anderson , one of the most renowned foot specialists in sports medicine. Irving chose the no-surgery route because he wanted to play again that season.
But Coach K had his doubts. As for the Cavs? His cast would be removed once, or sometimes twice, a week to allow for manual therapy so his foot could be mobilized and so its soft tissue could remain elastic. As his teammates practiced on the court, Irving spent two hours every day with Potter, participating in everything from hip and core strength exercises to pool workouts, and all the way up to weight-bearing movement.
Kyrie Irving spent three months, two weeks, 26 games and 1, minutes and 41 seconds of game time watching from the sideline before making a return to the court against Hampton in the round of 64 of the NCAA tournament. First came 5-on-0 drills. We were preparing for Nolan Smith to be point guard. I was vehemently against Kyrie coming back to play. I was afraid of him getting hurt again … but he came back for himself, whatever that reason is. He came out timid at first, but you could tell, when he hit the switch ….
He moved great. He was out for a long time, but he worked his butt off. I remember one play. He called an isolation on a guy on our team. He made a vicious crossover … shoots it from like 2 feet from behind the 3-point line. Irving had seemingly recovered. But playing two games in less than 48 hours? A matchup against Michigan was the only thing that separated the Blue Devils from a spot in the Sweet 16, and Irving from a chance to extend his freshman season a little bit longer.
Win or lose, the game would mark his final time playing in North Carolina in a Duke uniform. It was basically a home game for Duke … and you could feel it. You had a sense there was something bigger going on. There was speculation around what guy was gonna show up to play. Our coach prepared us for the guy who was gonna be the first pick in the draft.
We took it pretty seriously, but we knew he was hurt. Only one field goal attempt dropped for Kyrie Irving against Michigan in the NCAA tournament — a clutch, go-ahead bucket with 32 seconds left.
I remember being out there and not necessarily having my legs underneath me. Yet, with left in the game and Duke down , Coach K gave the ball to his starting point guard. We were running a defense and Kyrie came down, hit one of our guys with a move and hit a foot bank shot. You put him in a situation, and you allow him to make a read.
And that was the read he saw. Arizona vs. Duke in the Sweet 16 meant Derrick Williams vs. Kyrie Irving, the two most heralded NBA prospects in college basketball.
Both were in the conversation for the No. In the mind of Irving, who turned 19 the day before the game, the implications of the matchup had to set off sirens. Regardless of how they lost, Kyrie really showed what he could do. And can he play? He answered both of those questions with that type of performance. Imagine if he would have had a week or two extra to get his legs back. It might have been a different outcome. Kyrie gave it his everything. He played his heart out those few games we got him back for the tournament.
Courtesy of Duke University. As good as Derrick Williams played, I think everybody who had been around Kyrie kind of figured he was going to be the No. I felt like there was more that I wanted to get out of playing with Coach K, playing with great players on a college level. I was just so excited about the opportunity to go after something bigger than ourselves. We had an unbelievable team.
Irving leaned on the advice of his father as he contemplated whether to return to Duke for his sophomore season or to make the jump to the NBA. That was a strong feeling. Patrick's under head coach Kevin Boyle Patrick's to the Union County Tournament championship win Finished with a game-high 24 points and added six assists in a win over Taft at the Nike Extravaganza Scored 22 points as St.
Patrick's to the New Jersey state championship and a record as a junior Patrick's and as a sophomore at Monclair Kimberley Academy Started at guard and scored 15 points to go along with three rebounds, five assists, zero turnovers and two steals There is no related content available. News 4d ago Nets vs. Raptors game with odds from Tipico Sportsbook. Error Please enter an email address.
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