Every week throughout the basketball season, The Blue Zone will name the highest-performing Blue Devil the Duke basketball Player of the Week.
Statline - Friday vs. Florida Atlantic: 28 points, 8-for-11 from the floor, 12-of-13 from the stripe and three rebounds in 26 minutes
Monday vs. UNC-Asheville: 18 points, 6-for-8 shooting, 3-for-4 at the line, four rebounds, three assists and two steals in 18 minutes
Tuesday vs. East Carolina: 30 points, 8-of-10 from the field, 12-for-12 on free throws and five rebounds in 40 minutes
The good: The redshirt sophomore from Meridian, Mississippi has been one of Duke’s most efficient scorers, shooting 75.9 percent from the field and 93.1 percent from the free throw line in its last three games. Against UNC-Asheville, he exhibited his leadership abilities, showing uncharacteristic emotion and pumping up Cameron’s somewhat sparse crowd. The following day, against East Carolina, Hood played the entire game and thrived in the second half as he was able to penetrate the middle of the Pirates’ zone. Hood scored 10 of the Blue Devil's final 12 points to seal the victory over East Carolina.
The bad: This week, Hood has proved that he can significantly impact a game and can still shoot at a high efficiency when being assertive. He must, however, prove that he can do so on the big stage. Against Kansas last week, Hood shot just 37.5 percent from the field and sometimes disappeared on the court. After the game Hood resolved to remain aggressive for the rest of the season. He'll have the chance to make good on that promise if Duke faces No. 5 Arizona in the Preseason NIT.
The bottom line: Parker overshadows Hood on the national front, but Hood is just as, if not more, vital to Duke’s success.
Honorable mentions: Andre Dawkins has worked himself back into the rotation and shot better than 50 percent from beyond the arc this week. Quinn Cook has led the Blue Devils in minutes played, scoring 12.6 points a game and dishing out 7.0 assists a game. And, of course, Jabari Parker must be included, scoring more than 20 points in every game he’s played for Duke and providing more than his fair share of highlight-reel moments.
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