Midnight Madness will give the Cameron Crazies their first taste of the 2003-2004 men's basketball team. Cheering along with the Crazies will be future Blue Devil Dave McClure, who is still crazy about Duke.
The 6-foot-6 senior wing forward, who committed to the Blue Devils last June, confirmed he will be attending the midnight practice October 17.
Recently McClure also met with coach Mike Krzyzewski during an in-home visit.
"It was great," the Ridgefield, Conn., native said. "It was good to see him again and [Coach Steve Wojciehowski]...We just started talking about how I'd fit in at Duke, and everything just sounds great."
McClure's stock has risen considerably over the summer after a bout of mononucleosis sidelined him earlier in the year. Theinsiders.com now has the talented forward as the 47th best prospect and the eighth best shooting forward in the class of 2004.
After recovering from the infection, McClure was impressive at a number of prestigious AAU tournaments.
"It was good to get out there and be myself again," McClure said.
McClure plays on the Playaz Basketball Club, which also contains heralded recruits Kyle Lowry and future Tar Heel JR Smith.
Last year McClure, who has been heralded for his tremendous leadership abilities, averaged 17 points and 11 rebounds per game while leading his Trinity Catholic High School team to a 26-1 record and a state championship.
A scrappy and tenacious rebounder, McClure added that he has been working on his outside shot in anticipation of becoming a Blue Devil in the fall of 2004.
"It's coming along real well," McClure said. "It's starting to feel a lot more accurate and a lot stronger now."
McClure's outside shot, rebounding ability, and leadership skills will be welcome at Duke, where Krzyzewski has set lofty comparisons for the future Blue Devil wing.
"Coach has [compared me to Battier] more than once," McClure said. "He also said depending on how well I develop my shooting and my confidence, I can develop into a Trajan Langdon/Shane Battier mix."
McClure is one of two Blue Devil recruits in the class of 2004. The other recruit, California shooting guard DeMarcus Nelson, is also expected to attend Midnight Madness according to rivals.com.
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