Writing the Pine

First off I want to say I wish Elliot Williams and his family all the best and his mother a speedy recovery.  You never want anybody to deal with health issues whether it is the player or their family.  With that said, after months of speculation, the rumors finally have come to fruition: Elliot Williams is transferring from Duke to be closer to his mother in Memphis.  A few days ago, he announced he’d be playing for Josh Pastner and the Memphis Tigers, a rather obvious choice if you asked an college basketball fan.

Not good news if you’re a Blue Devil fan.

That just leaves Coach K with just two scholarship guards left on the roster, rising junior Nolan Smith and rising senior Jon Scheyer.  More importantly, however, Williams’s transfer leaves Duke with just two black guys on the team next year, the aforementioned Smith and rising senior Lance Thomas (who shockingly was a former 5-star recruit).  The biggest knock on Coach K’s recruiting style has been his preference for unathletic white guys who will obey his every command and not leave school early.  Apparently the early departures of Elton Brand, Corey Maggette, William Avery, and Luol Deng, not to mention Shaun Livingston never stepping foot on campus, left a bitter taste in Coach K’s mouth that he could never wash away (until now apparently.  More on that later.)  It is weird though considering almost every black kid that plays for Duke makes it to the NBA, even the scrubs like Chris Duhon and DeMarcus Nelson.  I mean jeez, even Sheldon Williams was the #5 overall pick.

So now because of Coach K’s recruiting, Duke will be led by Scheyer and his lover Kyle Singler, along with Smith and the Plumlee brothers.  Oh yeah and also Ryan Kelly, a 5-star recruit who shined in the high school All-Star game practices but got abused in the actual games (and is also going out with Bill Cowher’s daughter).  Poor Nolan Smith.  He and Williams, both former McDonald’s All-Americans, could’ve made for one of the best backcourts in the country next year but now Smith will be flanked by a bunch of guys whose best move is the pump fake.  Gerald Henderson’s departure for the NBA was a crushing blow to the program’s chances at a National Championship next year but his loss was offset by Greg Paulus finally leaving the team.  For what seemed like twelve years, Duke fans (and college basketball fans around the world) were waiting for the day Paulus would finally be off the team and the time finally came.  Too bad Henderson and Williams had to leave.  It really could’ve been something special in Durham.

It seems like Coach K has finally turned over a new leaf though.  It’s like he looked over at Roy Williams’s success at diversifying his roster and figured he might as well follow suit.  He aggressively pursued super-prospect John Wall this year in hopes of revitalizing his program after years of March failures.  He did not land Wall but it was a sign of change for the Duke basketball program.  Their 2010 recruiting class does not feature a single white kid but has three high-level recruits, Andre Dawkins, Tyler Thornton, and Josh Hairston.  Throw in Stephen Curry’s little brother Seth, a Liberty transfer who will be eligible to play in 2010, and the possibility of landing the #1 point guard in the class, Brandon Knight, and you have cause for celebration in Durham.  Duke is almost ready to be a basketball powerhouse once again.