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| Monday, October 14 Updated: October 15, 3:06 AM ET Ewing, freshman show poise in comeback win By Andy Katz ESPN.com |
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LONDON -- Duke will remember this day, and these games, for the rest of the season. No question, Day 3 in London will be a hallmark for this team. Don't get caught up in the fact that it's only Oct. 14. This meant something, perhaps, more than Duke knows at this juncture. Duke closed out its London sojourn with a pair of victories -- one via a late comeback and one that avenged a previous loss. Two games that can serve as mini highlight reels for what to do and what not to do this season. This provided a teaching tape for the coaches and players that will prove invaluable.
Duke was getting its tail kicked by the Brighton Bears in the first half Monday. Brighton was up 22 at one point in a classic men vs. boys matchup. Duke's baby-faced freshmen were getting shoved aside by the real pros on Brighton, which included former American college players like Cal's Randy Duck, Providence's Michael Brown, South Alabama's Rico Alderson, Tulane's Sterling Davis and a Brit, Errol Seaman, who went to North Georgia College. It wasn't even close. And Duke could have blamed fatigue after losing to the London Towers on Sunday night in what was then its second game of that day and followed a five-quarter scrimmage Saturday a few hours after getting off a red-eye. Duke could have blamed the age difference, the yet-to-be defined bodies of its freshmen vs. these physically mature men. The Blue Devils could have quit. Instead of getting mad and pulling themselves down with the mouthy Bears, the Blue Devils shut up and let the Bears get technicals -- four of them -- by chirping at officials Mike Wood and Richard Stokes. And in the end, Duke came all the way back for a 93-85 victory. "That was special," Duke senior Dahntay Jones said of the comeback victory Monday afternoon in the Crystal Palace National Sports Center in South London. "Everyone had a chance to compete. We were down 22 and we came together. This was our first time as a unit in situations like this." Alderson has a rep in England, suspended for 14 games three years ago for a fight. Jones is the type of player who loves to push the line, and he nearly tripped over it himself Sunday, but then he pulls himself back at the last minute. Jones took down Davis in the first half but walked away when Davis got in his face and looked like he was ready to start swinging. Woods ultimately tossed Davis after he wouldn't stop yapping on a call in the second half. The Bears team played a physical style, the problem was it would not stop complaining about the officiating. "We showed how much heart we have after being down 22 against an experienced team," sophomore guard Daniel Ewing said. "It was a good experience for us to play in that situation." Ewing has had his moments at Duke, but he was always the subordinate player as a freshman. Not Monday. Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said Ewing had the benefit of getting essentially half a defender last season because his man would help off of him to stay closer to players like Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy or Carlos Boozer. He told Ewing that would change this season. It already has. Brighton tried to stay with Ewing but couldn't. He lit them up for 13 of his game-high 18 points in the fourth quarter to spur the comeback. He was the lone returnee on a fivesome of freshmen Shavlik Randolph, Shelden Williams, Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni that started the comeback. Ewing showed how much grit he had when he hit a critical fade away mid-range jumper after missing a drive, coming up with the loose rebound and staying with the play. He also buried a deep 3-pointer and when the game was about in hand, he sliced through the Brighton press for a layup.
John Eurey, Ewing's AAU coach from the Houston Superstars, traveled to London to watch him. He said Ewing wanted more of a role last season because he was used to being the primary option. So, making him one of the first choices in the offense this season will not be a tough adjustment. "He knows someone good is going to be on him, maybe double team and that's OK," Eurey said. "He's real strong and we worked all summer on him getting stronger. I told him he's got a short game, so he's got to use it. He can be a system player, but he can create, and he did that." Krzyzewski has a system, but it relies heavily on players who can score on their own. The drive-and-dish attack mentality that players such as Jay Williams had can work well for Ewing, too. He wasn't passive, but rather wanted to get into the lane as much as possible. Chris Duhon was trying to be too much of a playmaker the first two days, passing up chances to attack the basket. Something clicked Monday as he went baseline for a floating layup and tried a number of times -- sometimes successfully -- to get into the lane and create for himself or others. "It's moves like that, that made him a preseason Wooden Award candidate," the Crystal Palace P.A. announcer "Rob" said on one of the drives during his constant play-by-play analysis. The little things, like learning to make shots here in a critical situation, are what will do wonders for Duke down the road. Melchionni, who didn't get much run the previous day, nailed a 3-pointer in the corner to cut the lead to four. Freshman J.J. Redick and oft-injured junior Nick Horvath sank key perimeter shots that will certainly give them a push when they return to Durham. "That was basically an American team, they're so athletic, so strong and so physical," Krzyzewski said of Brighton. "They knocked us back. I'm proud of our guys and the way they fought like crazy to get back into the game. We got a lot of shots off the technicals and took advantage of it. I didn't know they had the energy to play like this today." Krzyzewski said even if the Blue Devils had lost the game he would have taken the effort at this point in the season. Then, he corrected himself and said, "actually, forever." "These three games have been terrific for us because we have had adversity, role adjustments, and going against good competition," Krzyzewski said. "I was concerned today about injuries like pulled hamstrings and stuff like that, guys cramping but our condition must be good." Krzyzewski's original plan was to dial it down in the nightcap, the rematch against the Towers. Not quite. The regimen was the same as it was Sunday. The team ate a healthy pasta meal at Lorenzo's Italian restaurant and then went back to the arena to watch tape in a conference room. Duke was so prepared for this trip that the managers brought everything for the coaching staff to use as if it were a home game. They actually traveled with their own television. And not some pocket one to put on your office desk: a regular size television for the players to see at the back of the room. "It wasn't that we didn't like your TVs, but wanted to make sure we had all the right connections and power," Krzyzewski said to a British reporter to ensure he wasn't insulting him by bringing everything to London without relying on a single piece of equipment while here for the weekend. The mobile digital editing suite came, too, making this trip seem like the managers were roadies for a major rock band with all the trunks of equipment rather than students who are trying to help a college basketball team. Krzyzewski sat Horvath against the Towers after he tweaked his shoulder the previous day and was sore following the Brighton game. Krzyzewski didn't want to use Randolph on Monday night, either, because he was complaining about a bum ankle. But he did get Melchionni, Michael Thompson and senior center Casey Sanders, who crawled out of the doghouse with two minutes in the first game, plenty of run in the nightcap to ensure everyone left London feeling good about their game. Duke was pushed, but didn't wilt against the Towers, beating them 89-70 to go 3-1 on the trip. "Everything has been great," Krzyzewski said. "Now if we just get through customs without any problems then everything should be fine." Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. |
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ESPN.com's Andy Katz is traveling with Duke during its five-day tour of London. He will file daily reports from inside the Blue Devils' camp. Here is a look at Duke's itinerary:
