It had been 13 games, 53 days and two turns of the calendar since Ryan Kelly had taken the floor, but the senior captain made up for lost time in impressive fashion when he returned to the court on Saturday against Miami. Kelly, who had not played since Jan. 8 after suffering a foot injury against Clemson, scored a career-high 36 points to lead Duke to a 79-76 win over Miami in Cameron Indoor Stadium. Kelly hit a career-high 10 field goals and seven three-pointers on the way to a performance that Coach K called "One for the ages" and that "we were all privileged to see." Even more impressive was that Kelly was cleared only in enough time to participate in "half of a half of a practice" before Saturday's game.
From start to finish, Kelly found open looks on the perimeter, drew defenders away from the basketball and gave Duke another much-needed presence on the boards. He scored 20 points in the first half alone and led Duke in rebounds for the game. Said Miami head coach Jim Larranaga after the game, "Well I thought we prepared for Ryan Kelly, but obviously not for that Ryan Kelly."
KRZYZEWSKI AND
CUTCLIFFE NAMED ACC'S BEST COACHING DUO
Taking into account several factors, including past
performance, current and recent results, future expectations, and how good a
fit a particular coach is for their school, AthlonSports.com listed the ACC's
best men's basketball and football coaching pairs. In the end, the rest of the
league found itself looking up at the combination of Duke head basketball coach
Mike Krzyzewski and head football coach David Cutcliffe. To see Athlon's entire
list of the ACC's top coaching duos, click the link below:
THORNTON NAMED TO
NABC GOOD WORKS TEAM
Just as junior point guard Tyler Thornton's contributions to Duke
basketball's success often go unnoticed, his work in the community is rarely
acknowledged by those outside the Duke program. But one of the top "glue guys"
in the ACC finally received recognition for his community service efforts on
Wednesday when Thornton was named to the NABC Good Works Team presented by
Allstate. The award recognizes a unique group of men's college basketball
student-athletes who have made outstanding contributions in the areas of
volunteerism and civic involvement including building homes for the elderly,
leading basketball clinics, reading to students and working with children with
hearing disabilities.
In addition to participating in the Read with the Blue Devils program and with the Duke Children's Hospital, Thornton also began working the SONS (Students Of New Success) program at CC Spaulding Elementary School this fall. This unique program, which was created to both educate and mentor at-risk males, is integrated into the educational curricula for third through fifth grades. The program also provides students with historic cultural lessons, tutoring and test preparation as well as a safe place for them to share and receive guidance for their struggles at home and in the community. Through the program, Thornton has developed strong relationships with the students and become a positive male role model as well as someone they look up to, rely on, and confide in.
For more information on Thornton's involvement in the program check out this blog post from Duke Blue Planet - Ty's New Friends - http://blog.dukeblueplanet.com/2013/01/tys-new-friends/.
KRZYZEWSKI REACHES
TWO MILESTONES
Duke's win over Miami Saturday moved Coach K further
ahead on two prominent lists and added to the ever-expanding resume of the
winningest coach in NCAA Division I men's basketball history. Duke's 79-76 win
over the Hurricanes gave Krzyzewski 400 career ACC victories, a mark that only
one other coach - Dean Smith at North Carolina - has reached. Krzyzewski trails
Smith by 22 conference victories on the ACC's all-time list. In addition to the
landmark ACC win, Krzyzewski also tied Smith for the most wins by a coach at
one school. With 879 wins in 33 seasons as Duke's head coach, Krzyzewski trails
only Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim for the most wins by a coach at one
school.
SULAIMON NAMED ACC
ROOKIE OF THE WEEK AGAIN
Rasheed Sulaimon was named ACC Rookie of the Week last
Monday for the second time this. Sulaimon, the second-leading freshman scorer
in the ACC, averaged 22.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 steals per
game in leading Duke to ACC wins over Virginia Tech and Boston College the week
prior. He was 17-of-26 (.654) from the field, including 6-of-9 (.667) from
three-point range. Sulaimon opened the week with 17 points, five rebounds and
two steals in a road win over the Hokies. Last Sunday, Sulaimon scored a
career-high 27 points to go along with three rebounds and three assists. He
went 10-of-15 from the field, including 3-of-5 from three-point range, and
4-of-4 from the free throw line in the win over the Eagles.
DUKE BASKETBALL
ARTWORK FOR AUCTION
As part of the NCAA's 75 Year of March Madness
celebration, the NCAA and National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC)
commissioned world-renowned artist Opie Otterstad to create 75 one-of-a-kind
paintings depicting prominent coaches, programs and moments in NCAA Tournament
history. Otterstad created several pieces honoring Duke basketball, including
portraits of Coach K and all four Duke national championship teams. The pieces
were on display at the Duke-Miami game on Saturday and are now available for
auction at the link below:
http://www.cstv.com/ot/ncaa75/ncaa75-home.html
LINKED IN
Ryan Kelly returns
for Duke and Blue Devils return to elite (CBSSports.com)
http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/blog/eye-on-college-basketball/21800003/ryan-kelly-returns-for-duke----and-blue-devils-return-to-elite-
The Brotherhood of
Nolan Smith and Quinn Cook (OregonLive.com)
http://www.oregonlive.com/sports/oregonian/john_canzano/index.ssf/2013/03/canzano_as_blazers_nolan_smith.html
Krzyzewski won't
coach Team USA in 2014 World Championships in Madrid (Mike & Mike on ESPN)
http://espn.go.com/olympics/basketball/story/_/id/8990848/mike-krzyzewski-done-team-usa-coach-7-years
A star returns as
Duke shows its back (New York Times)
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/03/03/sports/ncaabasketball/ryan-kellys-36-points-lift-duke-over-miami.html?_r=0
When Jay Williams
was Jason Williams (Dime Magazine)
http://dimemag.com/2013/02/we-reminisce-when-jay-williams-was-jason-williams/
Shavlik Randolph
joins Boston Celtics (NESN.com)
http://nesn.com/2013/03/shavlik-randolph-joins-celtics-on-10-day-contract-has-clearance-from-chinese-league-to-play/
TWEETS OF THE WEEK
Jeff Goodman
@GoodmanCBS
People may think I'm nuts about putting Duke back in
drivers seat for national title, but this team is now 16-0 with Ryan Kelly in
lineup.
Rob Lowe @RobLowe
@RyanKelly34 is BACK, baby! Look out below!!! #Duke
Ryan Kelly
@RyanKelly34
Glad to be back playing with my team
Tyler Thornton
@tythornton3
@RyanKelly34 #bang
Dick Vitale
@DickieV
A gr8 night at the office-just got home from terrific
Duke - Miami battle . Has there been a better performance this yr than Ryan
Kelly's?
Nolan D. Smith
@NdotSmitty
Ryan Kelly RT this!!! Hahaha might be one of the best
welcome back games I've seen!! 36 and 7 on 14 shots!! Yessir!!
Nate James
@RealNateJames
Wow!Jus had the privilege of seeing 1 of the greatest
Duke performances of all time.Ryan Kelly was absolutely
unbelievable.WeRDuke!
David Morrison
@DavidCMorrison
Rasheed Sulaimon said Ryan Kelly pulled him aside in the
second half and told him Sulaimon would make the biggest play of the game.
QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"I don't know how you're going to write about it. I'm
interested what words you're going to say because as a guy with a low SAT
verbal, I'm always looking to learn. My math was off the charts."
-Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski to reporters following Duke's 79-76 win over Miami, referencing Ryan Kelly's 36-point performance.
