Friday was Media Day and for Duke, that means introducing a lot of new faces.
The one most people are curious about was Cooper Flagg, and he had a lot to say about choosing Duke. He grew up a Duke fan and when he got to campus, he said it all clicked into place.
As for Khaman Maluach, he demonstrated what we like to call the Laettner Effect. That’s when a great Duke player sparks the imagination of a younger player who then decides he wants to play for Duke.
That’s what happened with JJ Redick, who watched the 1992 Kentucky classic and immediately told his dad he was going to play at Duke. Later, Redick inspired Jaden Schutt.
For Maluach, it was probably Luol Deng and Zion Williamson. He said he told the kids he knew in Africa that he was going to Duke and that didn’t register. But when he told them that he was going to Zion’s school, they got it.
That’s going to happen a lot in the years to come.
Turns out Mason Gillis grew up a Duke fan too and he said playing here was a dream of his. Sion James grew up a fan too.
Interestingly, and tellingly, Chris Carrawell was excited about Gillis being here and he said that Gillis would help provide veteran leadership. And then C-Well, who is one of the greatest interviews of all time, said that that was something that last year’s team lacked. We don’t think he meant that as a shot at Jeremy Roach – he might have been thinking of Kyle Filipowski and Mark Mitchell too – but a lot of people are bound to take it that way.
Finally, Jon Scheyer spoke of course and one of his focuses was on the competitive desire of Flagg. It’s getting close to go time and watching this kid play, even for just a year, is likely to be something rare and special.
