Countdown to Craziness - Recap, Thoughts, Pics, and Video
Duke fans got their first look at the 2022 - 2023 Duke Basketball team under new head coach Jon Scheyer this past Friday at the 13th annual Countdown to Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
The events kicked off with contests for fans on the court to start off with. The next event would be the dunk team performance using trampolines that kept the crowd entertained.
Up next was the Duke Women's Basketball team entrance. The fans were excited and Cameron got loud as Duke Women's head coach Kara Lawson made her entrance.
Kara talked with the Cameron Crazies and then the women's team finished with a three-point contest and a half court shot contest.
I also loved the "SisterHood" graphic they displayed. Here's to hoping we see that available for the Duke Women's team gear.
Up next was the as always epic Duke Men's team introduction. This year they used the drop down curtain again to display graphics with images of famous plays, Coach K, Jon Scheyer, the Blue Devil and current players. You can check out some of the pics I took from upper rows of Cameron of the epic introduction below.
Next was the player introductions and they did not disappoint. Stanley Borden stole the show with his introduction when he walked up on stage wearing a trench coat and then opened up his coat pulled out a saxophone and played his own intro song - the solo from George Michael's "Careless Whisper".
Up next new head coach of the Duke Men's Basketball team Jon Scheyer was introduced.
Jon Scheyer walked up on the stage to meet up with his team and even did a quick dance on stage.
Up next was the team poster introduction. The theme of this Duke team's poster is
"ONE VISION".
Up next was the Blue - White scrimmage.
The scrimmage was one 16 minute block. Dariq Whitehead was still recovering from an injury and didn't play. Also, Derek Lively II sat out due to a calf injury. With 2 most likely upcoming starters sitting out, one can't draw any solid conclusions from a scrimmage especially when it is Duke vs Duke. The white and blue team seemed to be evenly split into equal teams. The white team consisted of Tyrese Proctor, Kale Catchings, Jaden Schutt, Ryan Young, Mark Mitchell, Spencer Hubbard, and Stanley Borden. The blue team consisted of Jaylen Blakes, Jeremey Roach, Jacob Grandison, Christian Reeves, Kyle Filipowski, and Max Johns. The blue team beat the white team by a score of 41-26. Jeremy Roach led the blue team with 12 points and 3 assists. Christian Reeves chipped in with 11 points and Jaylen Blakes had 10 points. The white team was led by Tyrese Proctor who had 10 points and 2 assists. Kale Catchings chipped in with 7 points.
My thoughts... Look this was a Duke vs Duke scrimmage missing 2 key players. I was impressed with Christian Reeves play as well as team captain Jeremy Roach. Tyrese Proctor is quickly becoming one of my favorite players to watch. Proctor just gets it and looks more than ready to play at the competitive level of college and beyond. He even has me questioning my vote for ACC Preseason Rookie of the Year. Look I voted Derek Lively II a very worthy candidate but I can also see Proctor's name being in contention as the season plays through. Duke fans have a lot to look forward to this season with new head coach Jon Scheyer as well as a team with a lot of new faces. I don't take much from a scrimmage other than Duke fans gathered in Cameron Indoor Stadium for a good time and a good time was had.
Jon Scheyer closed out the night at Countdown to Craziness speaking to the Crazies and fans in attendance. Scheyer stated to those in attendance "were in this together." Scheyer is right we are all in this together. Coaches, players, staff, and the fans will all be a part of this new era of Duke basketball. As I walked out of Cameron Indoor Stadium last Friday night I could see the fans excited about the start of the Duke basketball season.
Up next Duke basketball will play an exhibition game against Fayetteville State in Cameron Indoor Stadium on November 2nd and then their regular season will tipoff against Jacksonville on Monday November 7th also in Cameron Indoor Stadium.