Duke Basketball Roundup

#530 - Reviewing recruiting and conference realignment

Sam and Donald band together to bring you Episode 530 of the Duke Basketball Roundup, with Donald having returned from his soccer travels but missing Jason who is on a cruise of his own.

Sam and Donald begin with recruiting news, with Flory Bidunga deciding to play for the Kansas Jayhawks next season instead of the Duke Blue Devils. We discuss the factors that could have caused Bidunga to opt for Lawrence instead of joining his high school teammate Darren Harris in Durham. However, Cooper Flagg has also reclassified into the Class of 2024, which will intensify Duke’s recruitment of arguably the best player in high school right now.

After the break, we get into the wildness that is conference realignment. In the time Donald was gone on his trip to the Women’s World Cup, the Pac-12 became the Pac-4, the Big Ten and Big 12 had both expanded, and the ACC is left discussing expansion with Cal, Stanford, and even SMU. There’s a lot to break down about conference realignment, and not a lot of it is great for the student athletes that don’t play football or men’s basketball.

Make sure you’re following us! Head to our Linktree to get all our available social media and links to follow and subscribe to the show. Don’t forget, we have affiliate partnerships with Homefield Apparel (use the code DBRPODCAST to save 15%) as well as Fanatics, so click the affiliate links to save on gear and support the show. Also, follow us on Twitter at ⁠@DukeRoundup⁠!

#529 -Part 2 of our conversation with Ryan Young

If you missed part 1 of the Duke Basketball Roundup's chat with Duke big man Ryan Young, go listen to that before you tackle this one (https://dukeroundup.podbean.com/e/528-inside-duke-hoops-with-ryan-young-part-1/). Ok, now that you have heard part 1, be ready for some really juicy stuff in part 2.

We get the lowdown on the teambuilding weekend in Chicago and what caused the NCAA to cancel Duke's special NIL scrimmage that was going to put thousands of dollars in the pocket of the Duke players. Ryan also tells us a bit about how NIL programs work at Duke, peeling back the curtain at least a little bit on an area where we rarely get much concrete information. Finally, we ask Ryan to tell us his favorite Coach Scheyer story... and it includes massive spoilers for one of the greatest movies of all time.

#528 - Inside Duke Hoops with Ryan Young: Part 1

Duke super senior big man Ryan Young is our very special guest on a 2-part edition of the Duke Basketball Roundup. In part one, we hear from Ryan about how the team is doing in summer workouts. We make sure to pin him down about those 5-star freshmen and how they are fitting in with an unusually veteran Duke team. Plus, we dig a bit into the personal side of Ryan's life including his post-Duke plans and how his fabulous Brotherhood Podcast series was created. And if you loved this episode, make sure you subscribe to the DBR Podcast so you won't miss part 2 of our interview in which we get some very candid info about how the brave new world of NIL dollar work at Duke. 

#527 - NIL Event Cancelled & a New Assistant Coach

The news was coming fast and furious on this Thursday, so the Duke Basketball Roundup team sat down to bring you all we have heard about the two breaking stories. First up, the big NIL event Duke was scheduled to hold in Chicago this weekend, an event that was going to bring in more than $100,000 for Duke's players, has been cancelled by the NCAA. While details are sketchy, the DBR podcast gang has speculation about why the NCAA squashed this fun fan event.

After the break, the podcast also dives into the newest addition to Jon Scheyer's staff, Emanuel Dildy. He's deeply experienced and really respected in recruiting circles. We discuss what it means that Scheyer is again going outside of the Duke family to find help on the bench. 

#526 - Scrimmage video and non-conference schedule set

The Duke social media team has been hard at work lately and their latest offering is 10-minutes of highly edited video of a scrimmage from a recent practice. It is tough to read too much from these videos where 95% of the missed shots and turnovers are hidden from view, but the DBR Podcast gang gives it a shot. But, before that happens, the guys have to talk about Baylor officially being added to the non-conference schedule. There are 4 big time games on the schedule now. Is that the right number?

#525 - Spying on Media Day

The Duke Basketball Roundup was in the house as Duke revealed a little bit of itself to the media this week. We heard from Flip, Ryan, Mark, and Jeremy... as well as from Coach Scheyer. And, as an added bonus, we got to watch as the team ran through some drills. Among the biggest takeaways, we really like the way Jai Lucas coaches these guys. Plus, after the break we talk a bit about the ACC's new broadcast deal with the CW Network. It may seem small time, but this could be an important step in the conference keeping up with the rest of the P5 conferences.

#524 - Will Avery returns and Peach Jam highlights

The Duke Basketball Roundup celebrates the newest member of the Duke coaching staff, former player Will Avery. We have been talking about Will working hard the past several years to finish up his Duke undergrad degree and he is now using that degree to teach basketball to the Duke team. The DBR podcast gang breaks down Will's unlikely path back to Durham and what he brings to the table as an assistant coach.

And, after the break, we do a deep dive into what happened at the elite EYBL Peach Jam this weekend. Future Dukies Isaiah Evans and Darren Harris both led their teams in impressive fashion, boosting their "recruiting stock" in the process. But everyone was talking about class of 2025 recruits Cameron and Cayden Boozer and Cooper Flagg. The podcast's Jason Evans watched numerous games over the weekend and has plenty to tell us about these guys who we (hope) to someday see in a Duke uniform.

#523 - Arkansas travels and size matters

We’re back with Episode 523 of the Duke Basketball Roundup, the ACC/SEC Challenge is on the menu!

For the first time ever, the Duke Blue Devils are headed to the state of Arkansas, where they will take on the Arkansas Razorbacks in the first edition of the ACC/SEC Challenge. We’re super excited about the matchup and going on the road to an intense environment, and Donald may get to make the drive up from Texas for it over the holidays.

Jai Lucas has also been elevated to associate head coach, and we get to discuss his rise in quick fashion as part of the Duke coaching staff. The defensive guru has done a lot in his short time here to improve the Blue Devils and he’s getting rewarded for it. Jon Scheyer has 3 open spots on his staff, and the guys have a good idea where he can look!

After the break, we look at the roster measurements and new numbers for the incoming freshman, and we discuss a Duke Football recruit that could also make his way onto the basketball court!

Make sure you’re following us! Head to our Linktree to get all our available social media and links to follow and subscribe to the show. Don’t forget, we have affiliate partnerships with Homefield Apparel (use the code DBRPODCAST to save 15%) as well as Fanatics, so click the affiliate links to save on gear and support the show. Also, follow us on Twitter ⁠@DukeRoundup⁠!