Duke's young basketball team put on a display of dominance with a 102-74 victory over the EA All-Stars Thursday night, as Five Blue Devils, including three freshman and two reserves, scored in double figures.
"The story was our bench," associate head coach Johnny Dawkins said. "I thought our guys did a great job of stepping up. I thought they brought a lot of energy when we subbed in the first half. Our starters actually fed off of that."
Duke opened the game at a torrid pace that left the All-Stars sucking wind at every break. Freshman Shavlik Randolph used his size and quickness to burn his opposition for two early layups, including a three-point play. After finishing the night with 18 points on 6-of-7 shooting, Randolph spoke about his team's mentality.
"We don't feel the pressure," Randolph said. "We just go out there and play basketball. We know the type of tradition this school has and we have the utmost confidence that we will continue that tradition."
Fellow freshman Sean Dockery provided a huge lift off the bench with six steals and 12 points. His defensive prowess helped the Blue Devils contain the EA All-Stars to only 34 points at halftime. One key play that sparked a Blue Devil run was Dockery's steal from opposing point guard Mike Elliot and his subsequent court-length drive for a layup.
"Sean has great hands," Dawkins said. "Even when we watched him in high school he did a terrific job of stealing the basketball."
Duke used a barrage of fast-break attacks to bust the game open before the halftime buzzer. Blue Devil captain Chris Duhon assisted sophomore Daniel Ewing on two three-pointers, the second of which forced the All-Stars to use their second timeout with Duke leading 35-17.
Prior to the scoring binge, Duhon collided with a hoard of EA All-Stars and was planted on his back. Jumping from the bench out of concern for his point guard, head coach Mike Krzyzewski injured his hip forcing him to miss the second half. Nevertheless, Duke maintained its intensity without their leader.
Randolph was proud of his team's effort despite missing their mentor on the sideline.
"We go out there to prove a point," Randolph said. "We're going out there for Coach K. We knew he was struggling and we had to get our own energy together. I think we responded well."
The second frame highlighted yet another freshman, J.J. Redick. The Virginia native, known for his deft three-point shooting ability, managed to miss all six of his attempts from behind the line. Sensing his struggles behind the arc, the 6-foot-4 shooting guard opened the second half with a driving layup.
Minutes later, Redick--anticipating a lackadaisical pass from the EA All-Stars--jumped in front of Damien Cantrell and scored an uncontested layup. On the next Blue Devil possession he curled off of a screen and nailed a jumper.
The combination of Redick and Ewing at the two-guard position could be one of Duke's offensive strengths this season.
"Both guys played terrific tonight which was great." Dawkins said. "Daniel provided a great spark off the bench for us."
Ewing contributed 16 of Duke's 52 bench points Thursday night, a reserve contribution that Duke was not accustomed to last year. The 2002-2003 squad may not have the all-stars it had last year, but Ewing is confident they are meshing well as a unit.
"We have better team chemistry," Ewing said. "Everybody is depending on each other and not just some individuals. We have a different offense this year. It's not as much one-on-one. We have a better team concept now."
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