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Starting anew Duke adds great recruiting class, but top players are gone
Posted: Friday October 15, 1999 09:09 PM
DURHAM, N.C. (AP) -- Trajan Langdon, Elton Brand, William Avery and Corey Maggette have disappeared from the Duke program. Those 100-point games may not be far behind. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said Friday the integration of a host of youngsters into his lineup will likely stunt Duke's offensive output in November and December, especially against a tough early schedule. The Blue Devils hit the century mark nine times during last year's 37-2 record and eventual NCAA runner-up finish. "We're still going to try to score a lot of points and run the ball, but when you teach motion offense it is at times difficult to teach a young group, to read everybody," Krzyzewski said as he starts his 20th season with the Blue Devils. "There might be a little bit of more defined movement early on in an [offensive exchange]." Even this year's fast break may have a new twist. "Last year we didn't do anything with our break except get it down the court and try to score and attack the hoop. This year, we might do a secondary break or something like that," Krzyzewski said. "We're trying to alter our system to fit this group, which is always kind of exciting." Duke will suit up seven freshmen following the early NBA departures of Brand, Avery and Maggette. Krzyzewski, coming off offseason hip replacement surgery, said he's 100 percent healthy and will be more active this season on the bench. "I see myself getting up more because this team will need it for direction," he said. "I'll have to give them more instructions than last year. I have had not one second of pain and not one limp since my operation. I am excited about coaching my team this year." Veterans Chris Carrawell and Shane Battier, the only returning starters, might need to score a combined 40 points a game for Duke, Krzyzewski said. The two combined for 19 points a game as secondary offensive weapons last year. "They are 21 or 22 and the people they are playing with are 17, 18 and 19," Krzyzewski said when asked about offensive chemistry between the veterans and young newcomers. "Six of them have been on a college campus for a month now. It's a different world. "It gives [Carrawell and Battier] a chance to get outside of themselves and concentrate on making the team go. As a result, their individual stuff will flow better." Krzyzewski said he wouldn't have had a Midnight Madness practice to open workouts if most of his team returned. However, he said his youngsters would benefit from the experience in Cameron Indoor Stadium. "The most important reason is to get our kids out in front of a group of people," Krzyzewski said of the late-night setting. "All of the sudden some kid might do something really good, or bone-headed, or I might try to talk to a kid on the court and he can't hear you. It's a great opportunity."
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