By Donal Ware
It’s been a couple of weeks since NBA All-Star Weekend and I had an
absolute blast in Orlando. I had the opportunity to catch up and
interview quite a few players.
One of those players is former Duke star Kyrie Irving.
Irving is having a spectacular, perhaps better than expected season with
the Cleveland Cavaliers. He is averaging 18.4 points and 5.4 assists per
game. He was named MVP of the Rising Stars Challenge and was certainly
the star among rising stars with his 34-point (including 8-of-8 from
three-point range) and nine-assist effort.
A little more than a year ago, Irving was at Duke and played in just 11
games due to injury. Her was such a talent coming out of high school that
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who typically recruits four-year players,
recruited Irving to come to Duke, knowing he was one and done.
“We did recruit Kyrie knowing he would be one and done,” Coach K told me
on FROM THE PRESS BOX TO PRESS ROW back in June last year. “You’re never
completely sure because youngsters may not achieve the level of success or
may need a little more seasoning. In Kyrie’s case we knew going in that
he had a chance to be the best player and may be even the No. 1 pick.”
He was the No.1 pick in last June’s NBA Draft by the Cavaliers.
Without Irving last year the Cavaliers went 19-63. This year they are
16-24, currently two games back of a playoff berth.
I had a chance to catch up with Irving after the Skills Challenge on
All-Star Saturday Night.
Known as the Voice of Black College Sports, Donal Ware has covered
historically black college and university sports and pro sports across the
U.S. for years. He is the host of the nationally syndicated FROM THE PRESS
BOX TO PRESS ROW which airs on SiriusXM Channel 141 Fridays from 1-2 p.m.
and on radio stations around the country including Saturdays from 11-Noon
on WAUG-AM 750 in the Triangle and from 1-2 p.m. at http://www.boxtorow.com You
can follow him on twitter @dware1 or @boxtorow