In their first organized competition since a Sweet 16 exit against Florida in mid March, Jason Williams and Mike Dunleavy return to the court again today.
This time, however, the Blue Devil sophomores accustomed to playing in blue and white will be adding red to their uniforms. At 6 p.m. tonight in Ribeirao Preto, Brazil, the USA young men qualifying team will challenge seven other nations for the Pan-American championship.
Duke's Carlos Boozer, Dunleavy and Williams were all finalists for the team after the trio played a critical role in the Blue Devils' success last season as freshmen. Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, who is commanding the helm of the team, elected to take both Dunleavy and Williams as part of his 12-man team, which is comprised entirely of university players. Tayshaun Prince of Kentucky, Steven Black of Maryland and Nick Collison of Kansas highlight a few of the talented undergraduates who will help the United States compete for a gold medal.
Of the eight teams contending for the Pan-American championship, the United States is paired in a four-team bracket with Argentina, Panama and Uruguay, tonight's first round opponent. The top two teams will advance to the medal round Saturday, with the gold medal game taking place at 7 p.m. Sunday. Each of the top three finishers will have the opportunity to advance to the World Championships, which will take place in Japan in 2001.
Playing the world's best: Duke junior Beth Bauer finished 38th at the LPGA Jamie Farr Classic July 9 in Sylvania, Ohio. Bauer entered the final round tied for 11th, but a 77 on day four dropped her in the standings. She was still the top amateur finisher at the tournament.
Bauer was the No. 1 player for the Blue Devils' women's golf team and she was in contention for the individual national championship before struggling in the final round at Sunriver, Ore., last May. Although Bauer has not made a final decision, she is expected to tell women's golf coach Dan Brooks within the next two weeks whether she will return for her junior season.
Staying put: Months after rumors swirled that Ali Curtis might leave Duke for the professional ranks, the 1999 Hermann Trophy recipient said he will be back to lead the Blue Devils in 2000.
Curtis said he is very exciting for the upcoming season and that his two primary goals-to win a soccer national championship and earn his Duke degree-influenced his decision to return.
After tallying 17 goals last season, Curtis equalled Duke's all-time, single-season scoring record. He captured 114 points in the voting to edge Indiana's Nick Garcia and become the first Blue Devil to claim the Hermann Trophy, awarded to the nation's best player, since 1986.
Luck of the Irish: Following the departure of basketball coach Matt Doherty from Notre Dame to North Carolina, the Irish filled their vacancy with former Duke assistant Mike Brey.
"What a perfect fit!" Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. "Mike has the background which is totally suited for the level of success that Notre Dame wants and deserves. He and his family will be absolutely terrific in representing Notre Dame. I'm so happy for all of them."
Brey takes over a team that had its most promising season in years under Doherty in 2000. The Irish upset five highly ranked teams but were surprisingly left out of the NCAA tournament. In the NIT, Notre Dame advanced to the championship game before falling to Wake Forest.
Brey, who compiled a 99-52 record in five years as Delaware head coach, served as an assistant to Krzyzewski for eight seasons. During that time, the Blue Devils went to a remarkable six Final Fours.
On the move: When commissioner David Stern stepped up to the podium minutes after the 18th pick in the 2000 NBA draft, Duke fans had one name on their mind: Chris Carrawell.
Instead, they heard a familiar name from the recent past. In a cost-cutting move, the Orlando Magic shipped Corey Maggette, two other players and cash to the Los Angeles Clippers for a future first round pick.
One week later, the Magic used their extra space under the salary cap to acquire another former Blue Devil. After spending his first six NBA seasons with the Detroit Pistons, Grant Hill agreed to a multi-year contract with the Magic that will pay him the league maximum for free agents.
A new era begins for Duke track: In a move that couldn't have happened any other way, Duke hired Norm Ogilvie to fill the void created by former director of track Al Buehler's retirement. Buehler coached cross country and track at Duke for 45 years before stepping down after the NCAA Championships concluded in early June.
Ogilvie arrived at Duke in 1991 as an assistant track coach and was then promoted to associate track and field coach in 1997.
"There have only been two previous head track and field coaches at Duke," Ogilvie said in a statement. "The opportunity to be the third is a great honor. With the fine staff we have assembled I am sure that we will continue the tradition that my two predecessors have established."
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