Air conditioning was installed in Cameron Indoor Stadium last summer, but after Duke's 103-63 win against Team Nike, it is evident the Blue Devils have not cooled off much.
After losing three All-ACC players from last season, Duke had many wondering who would continue the fire that made Cameron a blue hell for the rest of the country. Many analysts predicted that junior guard Chris Duhon would add more scoring to his play-making ability, Dahntay Jones and Daniel Ewing would have breakout years and that Duke would receive outstanding play from its six highly touted freshmen, but midway through the first half of the exhibition game, the answer was one that nobody had expected: Nick Horvath.
The oft-injured former Minnesota high school player of the year made naysayers forget his wretched three-point shooting percentage of last year by nailing three-pointers on his first two possessions in the game. Proving his early play was not a fluke, Horvath added another trey and a tip-in lay-up to go along with four rebounds and two assists.
The shadow of his frail history is not behind him, though, as the ghost-of-Nick-Horvath-past paid a visit when he sprained his ankle after playing only six minutes. The injury is not serious, however, and Horvath is expected to practice today.
Duke did not miss a beat after Horvath left the game, continuing to shoot the lights out from beyond the three point line.
Ten players, including Horvath, knocked down at least one trifecta, shooting much like the three-happy team that won a national championship in 2001. Freshman J.J. Redick led the way, hitting four-of-eight from long range.
"I really think that J.J., Sean, Casey [Sanders] and Nick are all guys that could be starters, and I want them to have starting mentalities," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "In the first half, Nick was as good as any of the big guys, being himself and not trying to force things."
But Redick was not the only freshman to shine. Predicted to comprise perhaps the greatest recruiting class of all-time, each East Campus resident blended with the team as well as anyone could have expected.
Shavlik Randolph led Duke with 19 points, while classmates Sean Dockery, Shelden Williams and Redick all scored in double figures as well.
Despite having many new players who are still learning the Duke system, the team looked both more creative and intriguing than the last Blue Devil squad that may have been uninspired out of the gate after winning a title the year before.
"The freshmen played very, very well," Jones said. "They came in and gave us some premium minutes, and the game went well as a whole. They're all good, and they all play very, very hard, so I don't think it's because we played Team Nike. They're talented."
Somehow Duke also looked quicker as well--forcing 23 turnovers, and sprinting to 31 points off Nike's mistakes. Dockery led the way with six steals, including five in the first half, taking no time to show he was arguably the quickest player on the squad.
Despite all the positives of the first game against outside competition in Cameron Indoor Stadium this season, things may not be smooth sailing all season. Without experienced playmaking talent like that of former guard Jay Williams, the shot-clock ran to its final seconds several times with the Blue Devils unable to find a good look.
Free-throw shooting, last year's Achilles heel, proved to be a problem once again. The team shot only 6-for-13, but the starters were 4-for-4 from the stripe.
"It was a good effort by our guys," Krzyzewski said. "I thought we played really well and moved the ball well... [and] our freshmen played like they'd been on the court before."
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