“Where are they now?” Duke basketball edition: Series recap

All summer The Blue Zone ran a series bringing you the latest on some of Duke basketball’s former stars. With the summer reaching its end, here is a brief recap of all the players we covered over the past few months.

• DeMarcus Nelson was briefly in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors, but soon took his talents to Europe. Nelson most recently played with Red Star Belgrade in the Adriatic League.

• Daniel Ewing was drafted by the Los Angeles Clippers after finishing his Duke career, playing two seasons as a key bench player for the Clippers. Ewing has since played in Russia, Poland, the Ukraine and, most recently, in Turkey.
• Shelden Williams was an NBA journeyman for a number of years before making the move overseas. Williams was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks with the fifth overall pick, then went on to play for the Sacramento Kings, Minnesota Timberwolves, Denver Nuggets, New York Knicks and New Jersey Nets before playing for French powerhouse Elan Chalon last season.
• Martynas Pocius has been a fixture on the Lithuanian National Team since leaving Duke. Pocius finished up last season with Real Madrid in Spain, playing alongside both former and future NBA talent.
• Trajan Langdon was both a professional basketball player and baseball player after leaving Duke. Langdon was selected with the 11th overall pick by the Cleveland Cavaliers, but spent the majority of his professional career with CSKA Moscow in Russia. The former guard is now an advanced scout for the San Antonio Spurs.
• Lee Melchionni played one season professionally in Italy, but decided he'd rather be a part of the game in a different manner. Melchionni is now an agent, representing a number of players including Gerald Henderson and Shelden Williams.
• Marty Clark tried out for the Milwaukee Bucks and Utah Jazz, but ultimately did not make it in the NBA. After a career abroad Clark returned stateside to coach the game he loved. Clark is the CEO of Next Level Basketball and was recently named the head coach of Bear Creek High School in Colorado.
• David McClure played in the NBA Development League under former Blue Devil Quin Snyder. He's spent the last few years playing for various teams in Lithuania, carving out a nice career overseas.
• Sean Dockery bounced around after graduating from Duke, playing in Germany, the NBDL, Romania and Poland. After learning he was having a son, Dockery left professional basketball behind and is now starting a non-profit organization to help inner-city youths in Chicago.
• Antonio Lang was drafted by the Phoenix Suns and later played for five other NBA franchises.  Lang then moved to Japan to play for the Mitsubishi Diamond Dolphins, where he made the transition from player to coach. He has been the head coach of Mitsubishi since 2010.
• Cherokee Parks was taken with the 12th overall pick by the Dallas Mavericks and had an NBA career as a backup big man. Parks owned a punk rock club after leaving the NBA, but has recently been spotted playing ball for a fourth division team in France.
• Greg Paulus tried his hand at football after leaving Duke, starting at quarterback for Syracuse for one season. Paulus tried out for the New Orleans Saints, but ultimately did not secure a contract. The former point guard returned to basketball in a coaching capacity, first as an assistant at Navy, then as a video coordinator at Ohio State. Paulus earned a promotion to full time assistant coach for the Buckeyes this summer.
• Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin and Olek Czyz transfered from Duke, but all went on to play professional basketball. Boateng most recently played in Germany, Boykin in Holland, and Czyz was a part of the Portland Trailblazers' Las Vegas Summer League roster.
• Taylor King, Elliot Williams and Michael Gbinije also transfered away from Duke. King struggled with off the court issues and ultimately landed in Taiwan. Williams has played with the Trailblazers, but injuries have hampered his NBA career. Gbinije Duke fans will see on the court again when Syracuse plays Duke at the Carrier Dome on February 1.