NBA Draft 2011: Duke Blue Devils’ Kyrie Irving is likely to be the No.1 pick this year
The Duke Blue Devils’ Kyrie Irving is likely to be the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s National Basketball Association (NBA) Draft. The Blue Devils’ Irving has a great prospect this year and several teams are preparing to acquire
his services. Although many players are drafted into the league every season, but the No.1 draft pick has a different impact all together.
Two years ago, Derrick Rose graced courts of the Chicago Bulls’ and his performance has inspired many. Rose was picked by the Chicago Bulls in 2007. He won the Rookie of the year award in the first year and has now established
himself as a backbone of the Bulls. This year, he was just sensational and went on to win the Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, beating the likes of LeBron James, Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant.
And then Blake Griffin joined the ranks of the Los Angeles Clippers last year as the No.1 draft pick. In the season that followed, Griffin went on to posterize all the defences of the league with his vicious dunks and his exhilarating
ball play. Blake won all the Rookie of the Month awards last season and emerged out as the unanimous Rookie of the Year. He also won this year’s Slam Dunk competition.
Now point guard Kyrie Irving is getting ready for the NBA. His early season performances with the Blue Devils’ were quite impressive. He led his team to eight consecutive wins early in the season and was the downright favourite
for the college player of the year. However, he injured his big toe which sidelined him for the rest of the season.
By March, Irving recovered from the injury and returned to action in National Collegiate Athletic Association’s (NCAA) tournament aka the March Madness. In the very first game against the Hampton Pirates, Irving posted 14 points
for the Duke Blue Devils.
After that particular game Irving spoke to the media as, “I haven't played in three months, so this game was really nerve-racking, but once I got the butterflies out, I started to play really well.”
He scored 11 points against the Michigan Wolverines in the next game and then erupted with 28 points and three assists against the Arizona Wildcats, featuring one of his greatest rivals Derrick Williams. He performed with great
heart but his performance was not enough for the Duke as they were defeated by the Wildcats 93-77.
That was the last game of Irving’s college career and he opted to be drafted in NBA. Kyrie Irving has everything a good basketball player should have. His shooting ability and extra athleticism makes him the true ball player. With
the Duke Blue Devils he averaged 17.5 points, 3. 4 rebounds and 4.3 assist per game.
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