Although most Duke students are going home or staying at school for fall break, the mens' basketball team will be taking an international flight this afternoon. The team, which started practice Sept. 28, is playing in the International Challenge Series held in London.
"It'll be interesting to see what some of the guys are like on the road," senior Casey Sanders said. "This team definitely has a different attitude as far as playing together.... This team has a lot of jokesters."
The Blue Devils start off with a game Sunday morning against the Racing Basket Antwerpen, one of Belgium's pro teams. Duke plays its first of two games against the London Towers that evening at 5 p.m., local time. Monday, the team plays the Brighton Bears, another English pro team, at 1:30 p.m. The international circuit closes with a 7:30 p.m., matchup against the Towers.
All games will be held at the Crystal Palace, the home court of the Towers. The Blue Devils will be allowed a short sightseeing tour before heading to their hotel at Piccadilly Circus after arriving. They play a closed scrimmage Saturday afternoon against Antwerpen before entering Sunday and Monday's competitive play.
"Right now, I think everyone's on the same page, it's really good," Daniel Ewing said. "It's a better bonded team so far; everyone gets along. There are no big egos."
Duke will see a smart, fundamentally sound game from the Europeans.
"I think the games will be more valuable [than the extra practice]," team captain Chris Duhon said. "We're playing someone else. We're not playing each other and coach has an opportunity to get a substitution routine down and just get a feel for the guys. I think this will help us out a lot in the long run."
Critics who have lower expectations for this younger team could easily be proven wrong this weekend, as the players in the freshman class have been lauded by their older teammates for their hard work ethic. J.J. Redick's hot shooting has caught the attention of all.
"This guy is incredible," Duhon said. "He's at another level I've never seen before. He gets it off so quick, there are times when I just go up to him and ask him to hit the rim to make sure that he's human."
Shavlik Randolph has also stepped up as a leader and his versatility will enable him to play either inside or outside. Michael Thompson and Shelden Williams, bring a more physical and aggressive game to the court. Sean Dockery is playing well at the point and Lee Melchionni has surprised teammates with his shooting.
"The freshmen are learning fast, there are a lot of good players," Sanders said. "They caught on faster than I think our class did as far as the way things are done. That's just a credit to them."
The likely starting five will be Randolph and Williams as forwards, Sanders at center, and Duhon and Dahntay Jones defending the backcourt.
"We're just looking to have fun," Duhon said. "We just want to see where we are so we can change things and become a better team. Especially with us having such a young team, for us to get an early start to see where we are and how we can build to become a better team, that's definitely smart. I thank coach for taking advantage of an opportunity like this."
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