DURHAM -- Ryan Kelly’s most pressing need for the summer was to get stronger.
Consider it done.
Kelly, the former Ravenscroft standout, started last season at about 210 pounds and played sparingly as a freshman forward during Duke's run to the 2010 NCAA title. A rigorous workout program and high-volume diet have increased his weight, and he now carries 234 pounds on his 6-foot-10 frame.
While banging against Duke teammate Mason Plumlee in a game Tuesday at the North Carolina Pro-Am, Kelly made it obvious that he is a different player.
"I definitely feel a lot more comfortable out there," he said. "Not being bumped around. Taking contact. Rebounding the ball. I think that's going to translate as the season begins."
The extra weight doesn't appear to have diminished the perimeter shooting ability that helped make Kelly a McDonald's All-American as a senior at Ravenscroft. Guarded mostly by Plumlee, he poured in 28 points (to Plumlee's 26), scoring mostly on mid-range jumpers and a few 3-point shots. Being strong enough to defend and rebound in the low post could give him more opportunities to be on the floor and display those skills.
Based on minutes played last season, only Mason and Miles Plumlee are ahead of Kelly in terms of returning post players because starters Brian Zoubek and Lance Thomas both were seniors last season. Kelly, who turned 19 on April 9, seems to be maturing physically at the right time.
"I'm even kind of young for my [grade] anyway," he said. "Certainly hard work is the big part, but my body is going to catch up. I'm not done yet. My body has got a ways to go, but it’s on its way to catching up."
He isn't shy about saying Duke is going to win a lot of games again, although that's hardly a revelation with Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith and the Plumlees returning from last season’s championship team. Kelly also is determined to play a bigger role.
"I'm just going to compete," he said, "and I'm going to find a way on the court."
Comments
Over-hyped
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 11:20 — Justin_CredibleI have to agree with you in that Duke has lost 3 key players and how well the new players will work together to form a team will only be determined as the season progresses... Actually several teams have more returning starters from very good team than Duke does... Seems like potential is given much more credit than team play in today's college and pro basketball... But Duke does have a lot of potential, and they do have a lot of options. I think Irving just like Barnes and Bullock for Carolina will perform at a high level but can't always be sure about freshmen.... As far as defense at the Carolina pro am, have watched about 6 videos of the event and found defense to be very lacking at that event..
Not sure you can have a lot of faith in the high scoring of players. But Ryan as well as Mason, Miles and Andre seem to be very improved.... Seth looks like the real deal... and the other 2 freshmen besides Irvin show lots of promise... Going to be interesting to see how good Irvin really is... lots of questions about Duke's team, but there seems to be even more questions about the other ACC teams... and think Duke has more options than the others towards developing a rotation that focuses on the team concept.
over-hyped
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 09:43 — JPDOhioSo Ryan Kelly dropped 28 points on Mason Plumlee. Good for him. But is this an indication of how much better Kelly is or how bad or uninterested Plumlee is in playing defense?
Am I the only one thinking Duke is overrated going into next season? They only have two starters returning. Replacements for the bigs averaged less than 20 minutes last year and were non-existent in the championship run last year, except for garbage time and foul trouble for the starters.
The new point guard is a freshman, extremely talented but untested. As for the returning backup point guard, see "replacements for the bigs above". And Seth Curry, talented but untested at the ACC level.
Duke will be good and is the best choice as the preseason favorite to win the ACC. But more than half of their starters have contributed very little or nothing to last year's national championship run. Tempering expectations is warranted here.
Hate to say it
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 11:29 — Heels20But I think Dook will be just as good, if not better than advertised. After seeing Irving play three times this summer, I can honestly say that he's the most mature freshman point guard I have ever seen. Not only is he a speedy point guard that can show off his athleticism, but he makes all the right decisions. No, he isn't playing against the exact players he'll face in the ACC, and yes, there could be some growing pains, but he's got a tremendous amount of talent around him and looks to me as though he is capable of being a national championship point guard.
The Plumlees didn't get a lot of minutes last season, but it's not like Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek were world class big men. Mason is such a freak athlete that he'll thrive in transition with a point guard like Irving, and Miles is nearly impossible to stop when he's under the basket. The only thing these two have to do is accept their position as role players. Overall, I think they'll actually be an upgrade from Thomas and Zoubek.
Curry and Dawkins have the potential to really hurt teams when they're hot, but they aren't major threats if they're cold. Curry isn't the sniper his brother was, but he finds other ways to score. Dawkins is actually a lot like Curry, and you'll see more of him this season.
Kelly has shown he has a shot and can put up points, but I'm not completely sold on him. He'll get more minutes this year and improve his numbers some, but I doubt he'll be a major part of this team.
Fair enough
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 13:11 — JPDOhioI haven't seen these guys play, so I was looking for some perspective from someone who has. The reports on this summer league have given us something good to talk about, other than AD firings and pimp agents. Let's hope football season goes well enough that we can focus on that without shifting to hoops too early. No doubt in my mind though that this upcoming basketball season is going to have some fascinating and surprising results.
This could end up being
Sat, 07/24/2010 - 13:19 — Heels20the most entertaining year in sports that the triangle has seen in awhile.