Q&A with Lee Melchionni

Lee Melchionni, a former co-captain of the Duke Men's Basketball team, was kind enough to answer a few of my questions. Lee was known for his leadership, three point shot, and overall scrappiness while a member of the team. Here's the transcript of our Q&A session:

Can you give us a glimpse of your life since leaving Duke?

Since graduating from Duke in the spring of 2006, I played professionally in Italy. I played for a team just outside of Milan. You can't really have any complaints when you are getting paid to play a game you would play for free. It was a great experience to have my first year out of college and something I will never forget. However, it certainly was not Duke Basketball. I recently took a job with Wassserman Media Group in Los Angeles to begin working under Arn Tellem as a young sports agent.

Do you still play basketball?

I still try and play basketball several times a week just to keep my bodacious body looking pristine.

Who was your best friend at Duke? Are you still close with any past teammates?

My best friend at Duke was Shelden Williams and we still speak almost everyday. I still speak with almost all the guys on the current team. I check in with them from time to time and make sure they are staying in line and also just check in on the program because even after you graduate, you are still a part of what is happening there.

What was/is your relationship like with Coach K?

I had a great relationship with Coach K during my time at Duke. Coach K is the type of person and leader that you must learn from everyday you are in contact with him. I took countless lessons away from my time at Duke that I will keep with me as I enter the workplace and throughout my life. He is much more than a basketball coach.

What was the Sean Dockery buzzer beater against Virgina Tech like (you can watch it again below)?

I remember I was sitting on the bench thinking to myself that "we are about to lose this, our number ranking...." Then Josh threw the ball to Sean and I said to myself "why are you throwing it to Sean?" Then Sean caught the ball and he dribbled and I said to myself "why are you dribbling?" Then I remember looking at the trajectory of the ball and thinking it looked on line and after it went in it was complete madness. It was an amazing feeling to be a part of something like that.

What was your best game at Duke? Why?

I feel like my best game at Duke was during my junior year when we had just come off back to back losses in the ACC to Maryland and Virginia Tech. We had the week from hell in practice that truly tests your fortitude not only as a basketball player, but as a young man. We played Wake Forest and after we beat them, it brought me to tears because it felt like such an accomplishment because of what we had gone through to beat them. The game was so emotionally charged and competitive, I will never forget it.

What's your fondest memory from your four years at Duke? The most disappointing one?

My fondest and most disappointing memories are one and the same; when we went to the Final Four in San Antonio. It was such a great experience with all the media attention. I truly believe we were the best team there but no excuses, we did not win it. It was just disappointing the way we lost to UConn.

Even though you were a top 100 recruit and had tons of scholarship offers, you decided to come to Duke. You waited your turn to become a key contributor. Can you offer any advice to some of Duke's young players who might be in a similar position this season?

Since the day I was born, I wanted to go to Duke. I can still remember a meeting I had during my junior year of high school with Coach K in his office back in the locker room with my father, Wojo, Coach K, and myself. I did not play much my first two years at Duke and it was very difficult. It was some of the most frustrating times during my life. There were times when I thought I should transfer, but looking back, the best decision of my life was to stay at Duke. My message to some of the younger guys is that continue to work hard and stay ready. The only reason I got a change to truly play was because Reggie Love broke his foot and Shavlik Randolph got mono. I was given an opportunity and I took advantage of it. Duke also offers and unbelievable education and a huge alumni network for when the time comes to stop playing basketball.

Have you ever thought about getting into coaching?

I have thought about getting into coaching but I have a job that keeps me in sports. But who knows what the future holds.

Where do you see yourself ten, twenty, or thirty years from now?

Ten years from now I would love to be very successful doing something I have a passion for. I also want to be happily married with children. As far as further down the road, I want to be successful doing something I love and have a positive impact on the lives of others.

What do you think about last year's team?

Last year's team won twenty-two games and we made the NCAA tournament. For most programs, that is a banner year. However being Duke, there is always a target on our back and we are everyone's Super Bowl. What we went through last year will only make us stronger and better for this year.

How do you think the team will do this season? Any predictions?

I do not want to speculate on our team this year but with Coach K at the helm and the addition of the freshman to the team bodes well for our future.

What do you think about how some of your past teammates are doing in the NBA?

Watching my former teammates JJ, Shav, Shelden, Chris, Luol, Dahntay, and Daniel in the NBA is remarkable. I am proud to have played with those guys because I know as good of basketball players they are, they are all better people. Some of the younger guys took some bumps this past year but I know they are looking forward to this year.

From what I hear, you're a prankster. What was your best prank at Duke?

The best prank I ever played at Duke occurred before we left for the ACC tournament during my sophomore year in 2004. Before Shelden and I left our room I put up an away message on AOL Instant Messenger. My away message said "I lost my phone so if you need to reach me during the ACC tournament just call Shelden at 888-888-8888" and as the phone number I put one of my best friends from Lancaster. So we go to the tournament and before the final against Maryland I look up in the stands and a Maryland fan is holding a sign up that says "call Shelden at 888-888-8888 and tell him he stinks." I told Shelden to look up at the sign and we had quite a laugh. My friend also received hundreds and hundreds of phone calls. He ended having to change his number and he almost ended our friendship.

How did Duke basketball prepare you for life?

I feel like for me personally, my Duke experience was similar to that of Coach K's American Express commercial because I was prepared for so much more than basketball. Everything I learned from Coach on a daily basis will help me run a business one day and help me in my daily life. Duke Basketball instills tremendous amount of discipline, hard work, and unbelievable attention to detail. Skills that guarantee success in basketball translate amazingly well to the business world and no program prepares you so well for both.

Overall, how would you rate your Duke experience? If you had to do it over again, would you still have decided to come to Duke?

People ask me all the time if I had to make the choice all over again, would I go to Duke? I would go back in a second. Duke is a special place. Cameron Indoor Stadium is a magical place and Coach K puts all of it together.

Battle of the High School Mixtapes

What's the best high school mixtape ever? After spending way too much time on YouTube, I've narrowed the list down to our four finalists. They are Lebron James, Reggie Bush, Kobe Bryant, and Sam McGuffie. Sam McWho? You'll have to watch and see. Alright Scrapper Nation, it's all up to you now. Watch the four mixtapes and vote for the one you think is the best. Let's get started.

Lebron James:



Reggie Bush:



Kobe Bryant:



Sam McGuffie. Sam who? A senior high school running back who just committed to Michigan over USC and Florida. The kid runs a 4.32 40 yard dash and has a 41' inch vertical. Enjoy this:



Alright, you've seen them all. It's time to cast your vote:

Who has the best high school mixtape?
	Lebron James
	Reggie Bush
	Kobe Bryant
	Sam McGuffie
pollcode.com free polls

Q&A with UNC OL Morgan Randall

The college football season is rapidly approaching and I was able to catch up with Morgan Randall, a 6-foot-6, 280 pound offensive lineman on the UNC football team. Morgan and I discussed his high school career, the recruiting process, changes under Coach Davis, and expectations for the upcoming season. For all you Duke fans out there, we even got a chance to talk about the Paulus brothers. Here’s the transcript of our Q&A session:

You attended Rose High School in Greenville, North Carolina. I read that you guys won a few state championships while you were there. How many did you win?

I was a part of two state championship teams. Actually, I moved from Indianapolis between my sophomore and junior years. And so I was only a part of two of the titles. They won one before I got there and now they’ve won another one after I left. That’s four state titles in a row for Rose.

That’s impressive. Did you start at Rose right when you got there? What position did you play?

I did. I started as a defensive end my junior year. There was a senior in front of me playing tight end that year but when I was a senior I went both ways the whole year. I played at defensive end, tight end, and also did the long snapping.

Let’s talk about recruiting. When did you start getting letters from schools? Which schools?

Junior year is when a lot of them started coming. I got letters from all over the place. Most ACC Schools, a few Ivy League schools, and I think I got one from Nebraska. There was a good variety of colleges.

The final three schools you narrowed your list down to were ECU, the Naval Academy, and UNC. Why those three?

I was living in Greenville so I was naturally interested in ECU because of the possibility of staying close to home. For Navy, I’m actually interested in going to medical school when I’m done with football and one stat that Navy has which is really impressive is that everybody from the Naval Academy who has ever applied to medical school has gotten in. They have a hundred percent acceptance so you look at that and it’s kind of hard to turn down. And then in regards to North Carolina, everybody in my family who has ever been to college has at some point come to Carolina. I have a brother and a cousin here right now and another cousin that just graduated. So there are a lot of family connections to Carolina. I’ve also been coming here pretty much my whole life. And when you break down the academics for the schools, Carolina just seemed to be the best fit for me.

So when you were going through the recruitment process, what was your relationship like with Coach Bunting?

The way recruiting works is you have a few different people who talk to you. First of all, you have a primary recruiter, an assistant coach that is assigned to you based on your region. My primary recruiter was a guy named Coach Lawing. He’s now at South Carolina, and he was the one who talked to me the most. After that, you have the position coach. My position coach was a guy named Hal Hunter, who was the offensive line coach. They were recruiting me to be an offensive lineman pretty much from the start so he would talk to me occasionally too. And then Coach Bunting would come by on his recruiting trips every once in a while and I would see him then and whenever I would come up here I always tried to talk with him as well.

Were you impressed by Coach Bunting?

I was. Coach Bunting is a great guy and a real good coach and I really felt that the University of North Carolina presented a great opportunity for me to make some noise in the football world.

After your season ended you played in the North Carolina/South Carolina Shrine Bowl Game. How was that experience?

It was a lot of fun, and North Carolina won the game. At the time, I believe it was my seventeenth straight week with a football game because there are twelve regular season and then four playoff games for just regular high school, assuming you make it all the way. So it was my seventeenth game and I was a little worn down by the end of it but it was a good time and I met a lot of great guys there. A lot of my teammates here at Carolina who came in with me were also on the team. It was just a great experience.

Scout.com describes you as “a 6-foot-6 jumbo athlete.” How did you feel about switching over to the offensive line from playing tight end and defensive end?

I was excited about it. I know that when you get to a conference like the Atlantic Coast Conference it’s difficult to play the skill positions unless you’re basically a freak. And my speed for high school was really pretty good and every combine time I had was right on for a solid offensive lineman. But tight ends are usually a lot faster. My 40 time is about 5 seconds, which for an offensive lineman is pretty good. But for a tight end that 40 time should have been a little faster. So it just wasn’t the position that I would play in a conference as powerful as the ACC.

You redshirted your freshman year. How did you make that decision?

At the time, I was only a solid 260 and most of the offensive lineman, and defensive lineman for that matter, are about 300 or so. I just wasn’t as strong as I needed to be. I wasn’t as mature, I didn’t know the offense and there wasn’t any reason for me to play. I know that I needed more time to develop and the coaches knew it too, so that’s the decision we made.

How was practice different as a redshirt?

We still had some meetings and we would be out there practicing every day. However, as a redshirt, and a freshman, one way they develop players is they put them on the scout team, which is just like the practice squad. If you’re an offensive player, you go against the defense and show them what your opponent is going to do each week. And when you get to go up against the first string guys week in and week out, you really improve a lot. I mean it’s kind of like a survival thing at that point. You have to learn quickly how to defend yourself and how to make blocks, so it was a great experience. I’m glad I redshirted.

Carolina had a disappointing season last year. Coach Bunting was fired during the season but agreed to stay on for the rest of the year. What was that like, knowing that you had a lame duck coach and the guy who recruited you was leaving?

Initially it was tough because you know the coaches and the coaching staff and when the head coach gets fired, everybody gets fired. And so at first it was a little tough. But I think it was a good thing for us as well because throughout the whole season there were so many questions about Coach Bunting’s future at Carolina. So when the decision finally came down, one way or the other, I think the team had a sense of relief that we knew what we were dealing with and we could move on.

Did Coach Bunting’s attitude towards the team or his coaching style change at all after the news came through? Did he talk with you guys about it?

He did talk to us about it briefly. He didn’t want to dwell on it because he was still focused with the rest of the season. Coach Bunting loves the University of North Carolina. He played here, he was the coach here, and he really does love the university. The way Coach Bunting looked at it, it seemed to me and I believe everybody else he wanted to win for the university. It wasn’t about his job at that point. He just wanted everybody to do well.

What did Coach Davis say to the team at your first meeting after he accepted the job?

He said that he wanted to win. He obviously had the chance to see us a little bit and he said he wanted to win and for us having just gone 3-9, it was still fresh in our minds and we wanted to win too. Coach Davis was talking about winning national championships down the road. Everybody in that room was just loving it because I don’t care what school you’re at, you want to win.

What was the big difference in coaching styles between Coach Bunting and Coach Davis? What are some of the major changes that are affecting the players?

There aren’t too many major changes. One thing is that the practice style is a little bit quicker. For example, this might have to do more with the assistant coaches, but our offensive coordinator, Coach Shoop, wants to run a lot of plays during practice so we have picked the tempo up more so than it was with Coach Bunting. That has led to a greater level of efficiency. Coach Bunting still wanted a full practice, everybody going hard, having fun, but it might be a little bit quicker now.

Can you walk me through one of your practices? What’s your routine?

Normally we’ll get out there a little early with the offensive line and we might go over some blitz pickups or put in a new play or something like that and then we’ll stretch.. Then we’ll have some individual time, and we’ll run plays against the defense for the rest of practice. There might be a section where we concentrate on just running the ball, one where we concentrate on throwing. We also do one-on-ones against the defense.

I’ve read that Butch Davis is trying to change the culture around here. I just picked up your student newspaper and it reads “the coming of a big name coach to a program in limbo usually results in a well documented culture change the newcomer tries to foster.” How would you say that Butch Davis has tried to change the culture around here?

He’s talked about winning a lot and really tried to give our players every opportunity to succeed. There’s lots of ways he has done that, either through focusing on the strength and conditioning aspect or focusing on some aspect of the offense or defense, bringing out something he thinks we can do well. But, football is football. There’s a lot of different ways to play the game but the same rules apply to everybody. So, I think the major change is the level of excitement that the fans have. There is a lot of anticipation for Coach Davis’ first season. And the players want to play and win and the fans are looking for that too.

I heard that Coach Davis decided on T.J. Yates as the starter, what do you think about the quarterback decision?

T.J. and I are in one of the same classes together, so we know each other fairly well. T.J. is a great guy and a good quarterback and if he’s the one that coach has named as the starter then he’s our starter and we’re going to stand behind him.

Do you guys give Mike Paulus any heat for being Greg Paulus’ little brother?

Not too much, really. Mike is at Carolina playing Carolina football so I don’t think he’s going to sabotage it or anything like that. He’s really a great guy so no, not too much. He was actually my roommate for one session during the summer and so I met Greg and a couple other basketball players.

Did they come over to Carolina?

Yeah, they came over to help Mike move in and a few times after that.

Who all came over to help Mike move in?

Marty, I don’t know his last name, he’s like Lithuanian or something like that, he’s real cool. Maybe two other people, can’t really remember. But they were nice guys too. Greg Paulus actually called me before Mike did because it was kind of like a last second thing. Greg brought Mike’s stuff down before Mike flew down because of Mike’s high school schedule.

He drove down?

Yeah. Because he was out of school and Mike was still finishing up high school so Greg drove Mike’s stuff down before Mike had a chance to get down here.

What did you think of Greg Paulus?

He was a great guy, great guy. I hope I would be considered one of his friends, I know I would consider him one of mine.

What do you think about Kendrick Williams, a walk-on, being awarded a scholarship?

I’m extremely happy for Kendrick. He’s been working hard ever since he got here. It couldn’t happen to a nicer guy. I’m really excited for him and I wish him the best this season, I’m sure he’s going to keep on giving everything he has.

Do you think Coach Davis is sending a message emphasizing competition by awarding Williams a scholarship?

We always encourage competition, in practice for any position, or going up against whomever you have to block. It’s always competitive out there. I think competition motivates people to play that much harder for their spot, so I think it’s great.

I read somewhere that 51 of your 84 players have never played a down of college football. It seems as though you are missing the veteran presence that a lot of high achieving teams seem to have, like Wake Forest last year. How do you think this team is going to respond not having an established set of veterans to rely upon?

I don’t know how it’ll all work out, I know people talk about experience and I’m sure it is important but right now we’re focusing on us and if one guy can get the job done, and do it well, I don’t think his experience should be a major factor. There’s always something to experience but I think coach just wants to play the best players.

What are your expectations for the season?

I expect us to play hard every game. A lot of people want number estimates, but really, I expect us to go out there and have fun and play good football. And I think if we do that, wins and losses and all that will take care of itself.

I couldn’t help but look a little forward on the schedule. You have a November 24th showdown at home against Duke. And actually the last two years the games have been very competitive, going down to the wire both years. Any thoughts on the matchup?

We respect Duke as a football program. They’re really making some great strides. The quarterback you had last year really looked good against us. I believe you’re program is on the rise too. Duke’s not to be overlooked in any game.

What are your plans after football? You mentioned wanting to go to medical school.

I want to be a Sports Medicine doctor and do orthopedic surgery.

So you’re pre-med, that must be a pretty challenging curriculum. What’s your schedule like this semester?

This semester I will be taking Organic Chemistry, French III, Intro to Islamic Civilization, and Personal Health.

Wow. You’re going to take Orgo during football season. How do you manage your time?

Very, very closely. It’s not necessarily an easy thing to do with all of the practicing and meetings and sometimes you’re just so tired it’s difficult to do homework. But you just get through it and the weekends are key. Sunday’s are all day homework.

Statistical Analysis of the 2006-07 Duke Men’s Basketball Team

Last year’s loss to VCU in the first round of the NCAA Tournament has left a bad taste in every Duke fan’s mouth. I’ve avoided the loss and tried to block it out for a while now, but with the start of the new season rapidly approaching, it’s an appropriate time to analyze what went wrong.

I could give my opinion on why we faltered last year, but that wouldn’t be a good way to conduct an objective analysis. To eliminate any personal bias, let’s turn to something that doesn’t lie, the numbers. My friend James, who is one of those brilliant Duke kids who is going to win a Nobel Prize in quantum mechanics or something like that someday, put together a table analyzing the individual contributions of all of our players from last year’s squad. The table is based on an accepted metric to analyze the relative importance of basketball players in terms of wins and losses, a system created by The Wages of Wins .

I’d like to stress to all of you the theory behind this model. It’s tempting just to look at points scored as an indicator of a player’s ability, but the “Win Score” philosophy emphasizes efficiency. So a player that scores a lot of points but misses a lot of shots (i.e. Allen Iverson) is an inefficient player. The “Win Score” also emphasizes that getting rebounds and steals are in fact just as important as taking shots because they get possessions back for your team, which in turn leads to more scoring opportunities. Further, blocks prevent field goals and create rebound opportunities, while assists help indicate how much a player helps facilitate the offense. Thus, getting possessions back can be as important as getting shots. I would also like to stress the validity of this statistical design; the guys who came up with this metric achieved a 95% correlation between values for each player and actual team wins.

Before we delve into the stats, I’d like to define a few terms. If you’d really rather not get into all the specifics, you can skip the definitions (the bold terms) and just remember that the higher the score the better.

Win Score = Points + Rebounds + Steals + ½Assists + ½Blocked Shots – Field Goal Attempts – Turnovers - ½Free Throw Attempts - ½Personal Fouls

Win Score per Minute (a more accurate tool to compare players who have a significant disparity in minutes played) = Win Score/Min (duh)

PAWS (Position Adjusted Win Score) is used to compare a player to an average player at the position. Average Win Score/minute values for each position:

Center: 0.225
Power Forward: 0.215
Small Forward: 0.152
Shooting Guard: 0.132
Point Guard: 0.128

PAWS (Position Adjusted Win Score) = Win Score – (Average Win Score at Position Played * Minutes Played)

PAWS/min = Win Score per minute –Average Win Score at Position Played

From the Duke men’s basketball team statistics from last season, the following table was constructed:

Table 1- Duke Basketball Statistical Analysis/ ’06-‘07

The two most important values from this table are the WS/min and PAWS/min values. Only considering players who played at least 100 minutes (Jamal’s 30 minutes of garbage time at the end of games isn’t a large enough sample size to be considered), here is our ranking of WS/min (Win score/min):

1. Josh McRoberts: 0.262
2. David McClure: 0.216
3. DeMarcus Nelson: 0.173
4. Brian Zoubek: 0.162
5. Jon Scheyer: 0.136
6. Gerald Henderson: 0.099
7. Greg Paulus: 0.084
8. Lance Thomas: 0.056
9. Martynas Pocius: -0.016

Now let’s see the ranking for PAWS/min (Position Adjusted Win Score per minute) values for players who played at least 100 minutes:

1. Josh McRoberts: 0.037
2. DeMarcus Nelson: 0.021
3. Jon Scheyer: 0.008
4. David McClure: 0.001
5. Brian Zoubek: -0.063
6. Gerald Henderson: -0.029
7. Greg Paulus: -0.048
8. Lance Thomas: -0.159
9. Martynas Pocius: -0.168

So what does all this mean?

By both statistical measures, Josh was by far our best player and Marty was by far our worst. This makes sense since Josh was the only player in the NCAA to average at least 10 points, 7.5 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and 3.5 assists per game while Marty’s stat line included only a single block and 3 steals in 139 minutes on the floor.

Paulus was only our seventh best player last season in both statistical measures. Paulus was punished for committing the most turnovers, the most fouls, and for recording low rebound and block totals compared to other players. The average Win Score/min for the point guard position is .128 so even compared to the average point guard, Paulus still fares poorly.

Demarcus and Dave are both relatively high on the lists because they both rebound well, hit the boards hard, and get a lot of steals while still taking care of the ball on offense.

This list doesn’t reflect the relative worth of each player but it does highlight how efficient each player is when he is on the court. These rankings don’t explain everything. Perhaps Josh was rated so highly because he left his man to pick up extra blocks. And one thing this metric definitely does not measure is heart, chemistry, and all the intangibles a guy brings to the table.

The take home message here is that a lot of our players from last year’s team need to become more efficient on the court. Paulus, Zoubek, Henderson, and Pocius in particular, are all going to have to take care of the ball better, hit the boards harder, and be more active on defense for this team to be successful.

Q&A with Reggie Love

Reggie Love, a former member of both the basketball and football teams at Duke University, was kind enough to answer a few of my questions. Love lettered four times in football and three times in basketball while being an important contributor to Duke’s 2001 Men’s Basketball National Championship team. He also had a brief stint in the NFL. Here’s the transcipt of our Q&A session:

Can you give us a glimpse of your life since leaving Duke? I know you bounced around to a couple of teams in the NFL (Packers and Cowboys), but I'd like to hear your take on what you've done since leaving Duke.

After I left Duke in the spring of ’05, I moved to Dallas in April, where I was apart of the Cowboys organization. Coach Parcells referred to me as his project. I played outside linebacker in the 3-4 scheme, which is a combination of outside linebacker and rush end. I stayed with Dallas until September (when I was released) and I kind of hung around Dallas and my parents’ house in North Carolina in the hopes of being brought back to the practice squad. In late November/early December, I interviewed with Senator Obama’s office, they offered me a job as a staff assistant, and I moved to Washington D.C. Jan ’07. I’ve been on the Senator’s staff since, holding various positions.

So you are working for the Obama presidential campaign. How do you help out with the campaign and why do you think he would make a good president?

I’m a staffer for the Obama campaign. I think Senator Obama would be a great President because he represents change, which is much needed in Washington, and he has the ability to unite our country and to inspire people to care and to be involved in our country’s politics because [when he is president] the people’s voices will be heard and will be taken into account.

Has working for the campaign made you consider getting into politics?

Yes and No. Working with Senator Obama, I see that change in our American political system is possible. However, I have also seen first hand how tough campaign schedules can be on your personal life and your family. A lot of it has to do with timing.

You came out of high school ranked as the 10th best wide receiver prospect in the country. Why did you decide to play football at Duke?

This will sound kind of pessimistic, but you never know when your last snap of football will be and you never know the last time you will be able to run up and down the court. Being a gifted athlete is exactly that, it is a gift, and you can’t control when that gift runs out. I chose to play football at Duke because it is and was a great educational institution that would prepare me for life after sports and also because the football coaches would allow me to earn a spot on the men’s basketball team as long as playing basketball didn’t hinder my academic and football performance.

What is your relationship like with Coach K?

Coach K is a dear friend and a great mentor to me.

What was your best game at Duke? Why?

ACC tournament. UNC/NC State/Maryland (in that order). They were the first games that I had played crucial minutes of a game and I was able to help our team win a championship when everyone else thought that we couldn’t win because Carlos had broken his foot.

What's your best memory from your five years at Duke?

The best memory from Duke would be when I was named captain of the ’04-05 team.

Can we expect you to tryout for another NFL squad in the next few years?

Probably not. I’m thinking about maybe going to try out for a basketball team overseas after the campaign is over.

What do you think about last year's Duke team?

Last year’s team was very young and talented. They had to deal with a lot of Duke “media” pressure and I think they did a great job handling it and that it will better prepare them for it this upcoming year. Last year’s experience will make those guys a lot tougher, mentally and physically, for the years to come.

How do you think the team will do this season? Any predictions?

It’s too early to tell, but I can bet they will be well coached, well conditioned and will play disciplined defense.

Are you still in touch with any past teammates?

I am. Basketball players – Chris Duhon, Andy Borman, Andy Means, Shane, Mike D., Ryan Calbeck.

What do you think about how some of your past basketball teammates are doing in the NBA (Shane Battier, Carlos Boozer, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon, etc...)?

I’m proud of all of those guys. It is always very exciting for me to see all of those guys playing well. It makes me miss playing basketball.

What do you think Duke needs do to help resurrect the football program?

I’m not a football coach or an AD, but I think there should just be better job of goal setting and accountability for reaching those goals.

How did Duke prepare you for life?

I learned a lot of life lessons from a lot of great professors and coaches. I don’t think there is another institution that could’ve better prepared me for life.

Overall, how would you rate your Duke experience? If you had to do it all over again, would you still decide to come to Duke?

The Duke experience was 10/10. I couldn’t imagine me going to a different school.

2007 Fantasy Football Draft Manifesto

It's my favorite time of year again, the start of football season and fantasy football drafts. To help you with your draft, I’ve come up with my own draft manifesto. Before we get started though, I would like to thank Chris, one of my buddies from high school, for designing the header image above. Ok let’s get started. Here’s my list of suggestions for you to follow to have a successful draft:

1) Is this your first fantasy football draft? If so, you have a lot of work to do. Get started by reading this article, which is basically a fantasy football article for dummies.

2) Come to your draft prepared. This doesn’t mean you have to watch every single preseason game, do 50 mock drafts, or spend weeks researching (although doing all these things could only help), but you should be prepared to spend at least a couple of hours doing some research. At the very minimum, you should print out a few rankings sheets and take them with you to the draft. Under no circumstance should you draft empty-handed. I recommend one master ranking sheet for all the players, but also rankings sheets for every position. There are tons of these types of lists out on the Web so you should go with whichever ones you agree with the most. Here are a few lists I trust:

http://games.espn.go.com/ffl/tools/projections-If you have an ESPN Insider membership, the rankings don’t get much better than these.
http://football.about.com/cs/cheatsheets/a/bl_cheat.htm
http://www.fftoolbox.com/football/2007/cheatsheets.cfm
http://www.fantasysportscentral.com/football/cheatsheet.asp
http://sports.yahoo.com/fantasy/nfl/news?slug=bf-bigboard-football
http://mvn.com/nfl-fantasy/2007/08/06/2007-fantasy-football-cheat-sheet-released/
http://nflfreaks.com/Fantasy_Football_Features/Draft_Central/Cheat_Sheets/index.htm

3) Familiarize yourself with your league’s scoring system. Some leagues count touchdown passes as 4 points, others 6 points. Some leagues count 25 passing yards as a point, others do 50 for a point. These numbers matter and should guide your decision making process during the draft.

4) The first two rounds: Why you have to go RB-RB
Because such a large number of teams are employing running back by committee, it is darn right essential you snag a few quality running backs early on in the draft. Unless you land the first pick in your draft and have the luxury of selecting LT, you almost have to go running back, running back with your first two picks. If you’re drafting at the end of the round and you think you might be able to get a solid running back early on in following round, you can go ahead and take a Marvin Harrison or Steve Smith. But besides that scenario, you really should go RB-RB.

5) If a tier 1 quarterback (Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, or Drew Brees) is available when you pick in the third round, go ahead and select one of them. Why? Fantasy football is all about doing things with the ball, and no one has the ball more than the quarterback. If you have a great quarterback, you are assured of having a solid output every week in one of fantasy’s most important positions. I’m against taking Peyton in the first round, I just won’t do it. But if any of these guys are available when you pick in the third round, you can rest assured you’ve made a great pick.

6) If you are picking in the third round and all the tier 1 quarterbacks are off the draft board, don’t take another quarterback until late in the draft. The difference between a tier 1 and tier 2 quarterback will be substantial, but the difference between the rest of the quarterbacks is minimal. Let everyone else waste picks on quarterbacks and you can select two solid QB’s late in the draft after everyone has already selected their starter (I used this strategy in my draft last week and landed up with Eli Manning and Trent Green).

7) If I go RB-RB and all the tier 1 quarterbacks are off the board, what should I do? There are three answers to this question. You should either a) take Antonio Gates if he's still on the board, b) take the highest rated wide receiver available, or c) select another running back if you think you’re getting a great value.

8) Don’t go through your draft filling out your roster starter by starter, look for the best value. I had a draft a week or so ago and almost everyone in the league was focused on filling out their starting lineup. Instead, I new that some great running backs had fallen and I ended up taking Willie Parker, Cedric Benson, Ahman Green, Marion Barber III, and DeAngelo Williams, before I filled out a lot of my roster. Not all of these guys will have great years but I’m betting at least 2 of them will. And if any one of these flyers becomes a superstar, I'll have some serious trade bait to maybe make a deal for a tier 1 wide receiver or quarterback.

9) Don't take a kicker until the last round. The difference between the top 12 kickers is negligible, and there are always unknown guys before the season who come up with huge years (i.e. Neil Rackers, Robbie Gould).

10) Don't reach for a defense. Drafting a defense high is one of the worst mistakes you can make. Just don’t do it. My personal philosophy is not to take a defense until the last 3 or so rounds. You can always pickup a hot defense or select one that's going up against a terrible offense (aka the Raiders).

11) Draft based on tiers. Players expected to have roughly the same statistical output can be grouped into tiers. Different tiers represent a significant expected difference in statistical output. So if you are drafting and you have to make a tough decision between a running back and a wide receiver, look at what tier the two players are in and you can make your decision based on how many other players of the same tier are available at each position. Here are my tier rankings for the skill positions (if you’d like to use these at your draft you can also view them here, or just pop me an email and I’ll send you a PDF version of the rankings that you can print out):

The Scrapper's Running Back Tier Rankings

Tier 1- LaDainian Tomlinson
Tier 2- Larry Johnson, Steven Jackson, Shaun Alexander, Frank Gore
Tier 3- Joseph Addai, Rudi Johnson, Willie Parker, Brian Westbrook, Laurence Maroney, Travis Henry
Tier 4- Willis McGahee, Reggie Bush, Cedric Benson, Ronnie Brown
Tier 5- Clinton Portis, Edgerrin James, Thomas Jones, Brandon Jacobs
Tier 6- Ahman Green, Carnell Williams, Marshawn Lynch, Maurice Jones-Drew, Deuce McAllister
Tier 7- Marion Barber III, DeAngelo Williams, Jerious Norwood, Adrian Peterson, Jamal Lewis
Tier 8- Tatum Bell, Chester Taylor, Warrick Dunn, LenDale White, Fred Taylor, Julius Jones, Brandan Jackson, Deshaun Foster
Tier 9- Kevin Jones, Ladell Betts, Lamont Jordan, Dominic Rhodes
Tier 10- Chris Henry, Mike Bell, Leon Washington, Vernard Morency

The Scrapper's Wide Receiver Tier Rankings

Tier 1- Steve Smith, Marvin Harrison
Tier 2- Chad Johnson, Terrell Owens, Torry Holt, Larry Fitzgerald, Reggie Wayne, Roy Williams
Tier 3- Donald Driver, Javon Walker, Anquan Boldon, Lee Evans, Randy Moss
Tier 4- Marques Colston, TJ Housmandzadeh, Plaxico Burress, Andre Johnson, Hines Ward
Tier 5- Darrell Jackson, Laveraneus Coles, Deion Branch, Santana Moss
Tier 6- Reggie Brown, Joey Galloway, Chris Chambers, Donte Stallworth, Terry Glenn, Calvin Johnson,
Tier 7- Braylon Edwards, Mark Clayton, Jerricho Cotchery, Bernard Berrian
Tier 8- Kevin Curtis, Jerry Porter, Santonio Holmes, Greg Jennings, Vincent Jackson, Muhsin Muhammad, DJ Hackett,
Tier 9- Matt Jones, Mike Furrey, Drew Bennett, Brandon Jones, Ronald Curry, Devery Henderson,
Tier 10- Marty Booker, Reggie Williams, Derrick Mason, Bobby Wade, Anthony Gonzales, Dwayne Jarrett, Dwayne Bower, Ashley Lelie

The Scrapper's Quarterback Tier Ratings

Tier 1- Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer, Drew Brees
Tier 2- Marc Bulger, Donovan McNabb, Matt Hasselback
Tier 3- Jon Kitna, Phillip Rivers, Tony Romo, Matt Leinart
Tier 4- Eli Manning, Vince Young, Ben Roethilsberger
Tier 5- Brett Favre, Jay Cutler, Alex Smith, Jake Delhomme, Trent Green Tier 6- Chad Pennington, Rex Grossman, Steve McNair, J.P. Losman, Matt Schaub
Tier 7- Jeff Garcia, Byron Leftwich, Jason Campbell
Tier 8- Joey Harrington, Damon Huard, Josh McCown, Charlie Frye, Tavaris Jackson
Tier 9- Brady Quinn, Derek Anderson, John Beck, Jamarcus Russell, Brodie Croyle, David Garrard, Chris Simms

The Scrapper's Tight End Tier Rankings

Tier 1- Antonio Gates
Tier 2- Tony Gonzales, Jeremy Shockey, Todd Heap, Alge Crumpler, Chris Cooley
Tier 3- LJ Smith, Vernon Davis, Kellen Winslow, Ben Watson, Jason Witten, Dallas Clark
Tier 4- Heath Miller, Daniel Graham, Randy McMichael
Tier 5- Desmond Clark, Greg Olsen, Eric Johnson, Owen Daniels, Mercedes Lewis, Marcus Pollard
Tier 6- Bo Scaife, Ben Troupe, Chris Backer, Jerramy Stevens, David Martin, Visanthe Shiancoe

Back to the list…

12) Know your friends tendencies. My roommate Chris is a huge Bucs fan and always reaches for Bucs players. If Cadillac falls to me in our draft and I’m picking in front of him, I might make him give me a pick later in the draft or just take Cadillac myself so I can ransom him off later in the season.

13) Talk smack. This one suggestion has made me perhaps the most annoying 2-time defending fantasy football champion in history (I'm pretty proud). Make sure your team name is either about winning (“The Champ is Here” is a good one but I think I’m personally going to go with “3-peat” this year) or making fun of someone else (I’d like to give examples but none of them are really appropriate. I’m sure you can come up with a good team name, just use your imagination). Also, during the draft it’s always a good idea for you to criticize other people’s draft picks. I’m going to take my title belt (One of my friends gave me a wrestling title belt) to the draft, and mention that I’m the 2-time defending champ at least a 100 times. Whatever you do, make sure you get under their skin.

14) Have fun. It’s called “fantasy football” for a reason, so enjoy yourself. My greatest memories of playing fantasy football aren’t related to how well my team did (well that’s kind of a lie), but about having good times at drafts and ripping on people on the message board.

Alright Scrapper Nation. You have everything you need to have a great draft and challenge for a championship. Feel free to post any questions you may have and I’ll be sure to respond promptly.

2007 Preseason NFL Power Rankings

1. New England Patriots
Adding Moss, Stallworth, and Welker to the offense along with the signing of Adalius Thomas to bolster the defense makes the Patriots my prohibitive Super Bowl favorites. I think this team will go 14-2 in the regular season and coast to another Super Bowl.

2. Indianapolis Colts
The addition of Anthony Gonzales will only make the Colts offense better. But the number of quality defensive players the Colts lost this off-season scares me (Cato June, Nick Harper, Jason David, Mike Doss). I think Peyton and company will be good enough to lead the Colts to the AFC Championship Game. However, the Pats will come out on top in this matchup by exploiting the Colts secondary with 4 and 5 wide receiver sets.

3. San Diego Chargers
LT, Antonio Gates, Shawne Merriman, Phillip Rivers. The Chargers certainly have the talent to be the best team in the NFL, but they will have to quickly adjust to new head coach Norv Turner. The play of the Chargers top three wide receivers, Craig Davis, Malcolm Floyd, and Vincent Jackson, will help determine how far this team can go. And Shawne Merriman is temporarily stopping his “Lights Out” sack dance. At least we can still watch YouTube Videos of weird kids trying to imitate him (see below).



4. Chicago Bears
The Bears offense will be dynamic. Rex has another year under his belt, the Bears have two quality pass-catching tight ends in Greg Olsen and Desmond Clark, and Cedric Benson (the bruiser) along with Garrett Wolfe (small speedster), will make for a devastating running back duo. Further, the signing of Lance Briggs means the Bears defense will again be one of the premier defenses in the league.

5. New Orleans Saints
The Saints have all the key pieces back from last year’s team, which advanced all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Look for Reggie Bush to be more heavily featured in the offense than last season and establish himself as one of the premier offensive weapons in the game. The addition of Robert Meachem (and his 4.39 40 speed) only makes the Saints passing game that much better.

6. Baltimore Ravens
If Willis McGhee can stay healthy, watch out for the Ravens to have a great year. The Ravens always have one of the best defenses in the league (although the off-season departure of Adalius Thomas hurts) and Steve McNair has brought consistency to the offense.

7. Denver Broncos
The development of Jay Cutler in his second year with the Broncos will determine how far this team goes. Travis Henry will have an amazing year since his one-cut downhill running style meshes well with the Broncos zone-blocking scheme. When you add arguably the best cornerback duo in the league in Champ Bailey and Dre Bly, you have a team with a tremendous amount of potential that could really make some noise.

8. Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals got a great value by drafting Leon Hall with the 18th pick in the draft. He will be able to step in and contribute immediately. The Bengals will go as far as their offense takes them and it looks like Carson Palmer is ready to lead the way. He is only going to improve and get better with this being his second year back from his ACL injury. Look for the Bengals’ explosive offense to get them into the playoffs.

9. Seattle Seahawks
Although the Seahawks didn’t get enough back trading Darrell Jackson away for only a 4th round pick, the Seahawks still have just as much talent as they did in their 2005 Super Bowl appearance. Look for the trio of Matt Hasselback, Shaun Alexander, and Deion Branch to lead the Seahawks to a solid year atop the NFC West.

10. Pittsburgh Steelers
With a healthy Big Ben, I love the Steelers chances this year. New coach Mike Tomlin has energized the organization and you can always expect Steelers defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau to put a great defense on the field (albeit the off-season loss of Joey Porter).

11. Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys are solid on offense (with Marion Barber/Julius Jones, T.O., Terry Glenn, and Tony Romo) and defense (Demarcus Ware has developed well). But the Cowboys will only go as far as Romo leads them.

12. Philadelphia Eagles
I’m a little down on the Eagles this year because I question Donovan’s ability to stay healthy. It seems the Eagles always get off to a great start until Donovan breaks down. I really like the free agent signing of Kevin Curtis but do the Eagles have enough weapons considering Donovan will be lacking his traditional scrambling ability?

13. St. Louis Rams
With Marc Bulger at quarterback, Stephen Jackson running the ball, and Tory Holt continuing to be one of the most dynamic wide receivers in the game, the Rams offense is going to be absolutely sensational this year. I think that Brian Leonard was a great pick in the draft and will provide the Rams with lots of flexibility. On the defensive side of the ball, Adam Carriker will be expected to contribute immediately.

14. Carolina Panthers
There is a reason the Panthers were Super Bowl favorites last season; they’re extremely talented. The Panthers suffered a disappointing 2006 campaign that was ravaged by injury, but the Panthers seem to have the pieces to challenge for the NFC South crown this year with the Bucs and Falcons expecting to have down years. Carolina Panther offensive coordinator Jeff Davidson’s new zone blocking scheme seems to fit well with the running styles of tailbacks Deshaun Foster and Deangelo Williams. If the Panthers start running the ball more efficiently, watch out for them to make a deep run.

15. San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are a dangerous team. They have the fastest tight end in the league in Vernon Davis, acquired a great wideout in Darrell Jackson, and have a solid running back in Frank Gore. I think Alex Smith is a good fit in San Francisco and will have a great year. And watch out for linebacker Patrick Willis to be the defensive rookie of the year.

16. New York Giants
A lot of people have been down on the Giants but I think they could have a good year. I really think Eli is going to progress well this year and he certainly has a lot of weapons on offense to work with in Plaxico, Steve Smith, Shockey, and Brandon Jacobs.

17. Jacksonville Jaguars
I would have had the Jags higher if Coach Jack Del Rio hadn’t thrown Byron Leftwich under the bus. I think Leftwich is a solid quarterback and he now has a great weapon in Maurice Jones-Drew at running back. The Jags always have a formidable defense but the big question for me is whether or not their wide receivers will step up and play like the players they were drafted to be.

18. New York Jets
This might be a little low for the Jets but I think that a large part of last year’s success can be attributable to having the easiest schedule in the league. They will be better than last year but won’t have nearly as good of a record (first two games for the Jets this season are against New England and Baltimore).

19. Arizona Cardinals
Matt Leinart in year two with Edgerrin James, Larry Fitzgerald, and Anquan Boldin surrounding him. The re-structured Arizona offensive line will play a key role in determining how well this team will do.

20. Washington Redskins
The Redskins are a total enigma to me since their success is dependent on the development of Jason Campbell. The Redskins will obviously have one of the league’s best running back duos in Clinton Portis and Ladell Betts. With the addition of London Fletcher-Baker and Fred Smoot on defense, the Redskins might be able to make a run at the NFC East Title.

21. Miami Dolphins
The Dolphins have a tremendous amount of talent on defense with Zack Thomas, Jason Taylor, and Joey Porter. But based on this weekend’s preseason game, Trent Green looks washed up. When Trent Green was in Kansas City he was able to take his time since his offensive line was perennially one of the best in the league. He doesn’t have that luxury in Miami and his ability to make good decisions and get rid of the ball quickly will ultimately decide the fate of this team. A second place finish in the AFC East is not inconceivable.

22. Kansas City Chiefs
After watching a Chiefs preseason game the other night I came away unimpressed with both Croyle and Huard at quarterback. I think losses on the offensive line will diminish the effectiveness of the running game as well. But if Dwayne Bowe, wide receiver out of LSU, can step up and contribute immediately, the Chiefs might be able to make some noise in the AFC West.

23. Detroit Lions
The Lions will have a dynamic offense next season with Roy Williams and Calvin Johnson lining up as the team’s two starting wide receivers. The team also has depth at running back with Tatum Bell and Kevin Jones. If Mike Martz puts together another high-octane offense, the Lions could be a force to be reckoned with.

24. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs are going to have a hard time defending the run with the addition of two undersized starters in defensive end Gaines Adams and linebacker Cato June (although they will excel in pass coverage). I think that on the whole, the defense will have a good year but the two big questions I have are 1) whether the re-tooled offensive line will be able to give Garcia enough time and 2) whether the Bucs have enough talent and depth at the skill positions. Cadillac Williams has proven not to be especially durable and the Bucs don’t have a reliable wideout behind Joey Galloway. It could be a long year for the Bucs.

25. Green Bay Packers
Although the Packers looked great winning the last four games last season to finish at 8-8, losing Ahman Green to free agency is a big blow to the Packers running game.

26. Tennessee Titans
The Titans have done a terrible job surrounding Vince Young with talent. He doesn’t have any quality wide receivers or running backs and won’t be able to do it all (although he will try). And Vince Young pretty much sealed his fate by being on the cover of Madden 08.

27. Buffalo Bills
Although Buffalo had a great draft, they lost too many great players in the off-season (Willis McGhee, Nate Clements, London Fletcher, and Takeo Spikes) to make the playoffs next year. However, you can expect J.P. Losman and Lee Evans to have good year.

28. Houston Texans
The Texans made some solid acquisitions this off-season with the addition of Matt Schaub and Ahman Green. Unfortunately, these players can’t make up for that terrible offensive line. In theory, a big three of Matt Schaub, Andre Johnson, and Ahman Green sounds devastating, but the offensive line is going to ruin the season yet again.

29. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings are set to have a great running game with Chester Taylor and Adrian Peterson running behind one of the best offensive lines (especially the left side) in football. I just don’t have any faith in Tavaris Jackson calling the shots at quarterback.

30. Atlanta Falcons
What if Joey Harrington shocks the world and has a great year? I’m starting to think it could happen. But I’ve learned that when in doubt, bet against Harrington.

31. Cleveland Browns
This will be a transition year as Brady Quinn takes over the signal calling duties within the first few games. Look out for the Browns in the next few years.

32. Oakland Raiders
Daunte Culpepper looks terrible and Jamarcus Russell is holding out. That makes Josh McCown your starting quarterback. It’s going to be another long season for the Raiders in the AFC West.

Welcome to The Scrapper Nation

New Kid On The Block: Novak Djokovic

Novak Djokovic just defeated Rafael Nadal in the semifinals of the Roger's Masters Cup. Here are my thoughts on Djokovic and my prediction for his matchup with Federer in the final tomorrow:



Check out Djokovic impersonating Roddick, Hewitt, Nadal, and Sampras in this clip:



Djokovic at Roland Garross:



Djokovic music video:



Watch for Djokovic to pull off the shocker tomorrow against Federer.

Tiger Third Round Podcast

Let me know what you think of the podcast:

Barry Bonds: The All-time Home Run King

I’d like to apologize for not posting the last few days; I’ve been busy studying my butt off for the MCAT like our good friend Samkon Gado. Even though the last few days have been busy, I’ve spent a lot of time trying to wrap my mind around the fact that Barry Bonds is now the all-time home run leader.

It’s obvious that this is an incredibly polarizing issue. On one side you have the purists, the people who absolutely hate Barry Bonds because he has tarnished and placed an asterisk next to the most cherished record in sport. But you also have a substantial number of people on the other side of this issue, the people who are cheering Barry on (wonder if there is anyone outside San Francisco) and believe the home-run record is a manifestation of his extraordinary talent.

One thing is for certain, no one can deny that Barry Bonds is one of the most talented baseball players, and athletes, of all-time. Back when he was a Pirate and in his early days as a Giant, Barry was one of the best outfielders in the game. An excellent defender, Barry notched 8 Gold Gloves. On offense he was a five- or six-tool guy and his stolen base totals resemble the totals Jose Reyes often puts up these days. In Barry’s 22-year MLB career, he stole at least 30 bases 9 times and stole a career high 52 bases in 1990.

Obviously, Barry was a great player headed for the Hall of Fame before he was suspected to have started taking steroids. If you look at the natural trajectory of his career from his early days as a Pirate and Giant, Barry was on pace to hit around 650 homeruns. You could argue that taking steroids pushed Barry over the edge and helped give him that last hundred or so home runs to become the all-time home run king.

Although that may be true, it has become apparent that steroids use was rampant in the late 1990s and the early years of this century, a period of time now referred to as “The Steroids Era.” Some baseball experts have estimated that during this time over 1500 players were on the juice. To me, it says something about Barry Bonds’ talent level that he was the best out of everyone who used steroids. Taking steroids didn’t help his timing or his hitting style. And you have to think that a lot of the pitchers who pitched to Barry were also on steroids. If steroids were what made him such a great hitter, how come another player didn’t even come close to approaching his accomplishments during this period?

I’m not condoning steroid use, but I think what Barry Bonds has accomplished is exceptional, regardless of whether or not he used steroids. Let’s look at these accomplishments:

All-time single season records

Most home runs (73)
On base percentage (.609)
Slugging percentage (.863)
Walks (232)
On-base slugging (1.422)

All-time Marks

1st in home runs (757)
1st in walks (2,540)
1st in Intentional walks (679)
Only member of the 500/500 club (At least 500 home runs and 500 stolen bases)
2nd in extra base hits (1,432)
3rd in at bats per home run (12.9)
3rd in runs (2,212)
4th in total bases (5,936)
5th in RBI (1,981)
6th in on-base percentage (.444)
6th in slugging percentage (.607)

Awards

7-time MVP
14 All-Star Games
12 Silver Slugger Awards
8 Gold Gloves

The steroids investigation will certainly get to the bottom of whether or not Barry Bonds used steroids. But in The Scrapper’s eyes, whatever happens, Barry Bonds will go down as one of the best ball players in history.