Doug is a former Dukie at SMU, so he's in position to see how our
guys are doing in the summer. Thanks, Doug! Great Read!
I'm a Duke Alum in graduate school at SMU, where the USA Young Men's Team is currently training. I just got home from the exhibition game vs. Lithuania, and besides the resounding USA win, there was plenty to excite Duke fans.
Duhon continues to impress; he was clearly the most active player on the floor in the first half. He had a few nice steals, spread around a number of his usual crisp passes, and showed strong leadership running the point. Especially early in the game, he seemed to be able to penetrate at will. Boozer had some good minutes, though he showed some defensive lapses against some talented Lithuanian big men. He played aggressively, picking up four fouls in under 20 minutes on the court. The one causing the buzz around the arena, however, was Dahntay. After a very quiet first half, he displayed amazing hops in a series of highlight-reel plays in the second half. He blew by a surprised small forward on the baseline for an easy jam, and a short while later came out of nowhere for an offensive board followed by a nice finish. But the generally sedate crowd really came to life when Dahntay exploded from about one step inside the free throw line for a full-extension dunk. He is a tremendously talented athlete.
Other notable players were Nick Collison, who played well on both ends of the court, UConn's Caron Butler, and Troy Bell, with that sweet shooting touch we saw last season. Georgetown's Michael Sweetney is no Elton Brand, but his style of play might remind some people of Brand's. I suspect he will dominate some games in the Big East this year.
All in all, a great night of hoops. I can't wait for the season to begin!