Austin Rivers Diary: Visiting Duke
Words. Austin Rivers
Although just a junior, Winter Park (Fla.) point guard Austin Rivers is the 2nd-rated prospect in the HSH Top 50. Previously committed to Florida, a few weeks ago he de-committed, and now Duke, North Carolina, Texas and Kansas are giving chase, making his one of the most captivating recruiting stories in the country.
The younger son of Boston Celtics coach Doc Rivers and younger brother of Indiana University PG Jeremiah Rivers, Austin has agreed to give HSH exclusive access by chronicling his thoughts in this regular diary where he’ll keep everyone updated on everything from his personal life to his AAU season to his recruiting process:
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What’s up world! I know it’s been a little while, but I’ve been a little busy. I’m back now!
The biggest thing I’ve done here recently was go to Duke’s championship banquet. That was really cool to see everything there. It was a major event! Just the history and the campus and seeing all my boys down there was really fun. I was actually feeling a little under the weather that night of the banquet, but there was so much going on that it didn’t stop me from having a good time. I was pretty much in and out when I went. I got there on a Thursday and left Friday afternoon.
I got up early Friday morning and went on a tour of the campus with my AAU coach (Therion Joseph) and that was really fun too. The main thing with that was I wanted him and a few of my other coaches to get a chance to see the campus and meet the Duke coaches. I wanted them to get a taste of what Duke’s all about.
To be honest, Coach T.J. had only seen Florida and it’s been kind of annoying always having him in my ear saying “Gator this” and “Gator that.” So I wanted him to see Duke and see what they had to offer down there. Right after we left there he was in the Duke family! It was funny! He went from being a Gator to a Blue Devil in a matter of hours. He was just really impressed with how they operate and the atmosphere down there. He and my other AAU coaches are from rough areas here in Florida, and for them to see something so beautiful down there and get to see how much of a family they are down there was great for them. It made their day.
That was important for me to get Coach T.J. down there to see Duke because, while the decision is mine, he’ll have an influence on my decision.
The Duke coaches and players described to me how the championship rings were gonna look and WOW they’re gonna be huge! I also got a chance to talk to some of the players about just how they felt winning a national title. I just wanted to know what that felt like: I mean, I won a state title and I felt like I was on top of the world! I think Mason Plumlee had the best story. He was telling me about how since they kept winning and kept having team meals he felt like he hadn’t paid for a meal in months! He just said it was hard to describe and that it was continually sinking in that they had won. He said it was something you couldn’t fully understand until you won one yourself. Made me want to win one even more!
I give my dad updates on my visits, since he can’t make the visits with me because of the NBA playoffs. He somewhat keeps in touch with the coaches, but he was already good friends with Coach K for sure and Billy Donovan. Roy Williams, too. He knows all of the coaches that I’m interested in.
As for my next visits, I’m gonna try and visit North Carolina this summer and possibly Kansas and Texas. I think I’m gonna get down to North Carolina in the next month or so and see what’s going on down there. Then I’ll set something up with the other schools.
My goal is to have a decision around August. I want to have it done before my high school season for sure, but I’m shooting for August. That looks doable right now.
I definitely keep in touch with recruits from some of the schools I’m looking at. I talk to Myck Kabongo (Texas commit) and Kyrie Irving (Duke signee) all the time. Those two are my boys. I talk to Myck like every other day either on the phone or on text, and Kyrie and I talk a lot too. Those are my closest friends on the circuit for sure. I’m pretty cool with Kendall Marshall (North Carolina signee) too.
That stuff is important to me. Also, going into a program where you’re going to be right in the spotlight is big for me too. If you go into a program where you know you’re gonna be Top 10, Top 5 or No. 1 like Duke is supposed to be next year, it’s attractive.
It’s kind of like John Wall with Kentucky. Not only did he get so much hype because he’s a great player, it also helped that he was on a great team. So that will have a big influence on me too.
Other than all of that stuff, I’m getting ready to go to Houston for the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League’s second session. I’ve only played in the first session at the Boo Williams so far. So that’s pretty much all that’s going on with basketball.
Off the court I’ve just been chilling with my girlfriend and my family. It’s relaxing for me and it gets my mind off of basketball for a while. That’s necessary for me. My girlfriend is a freshman at a community college down here, but she’s gonna try and follow me to school. That’s the plan. So if I go to Duke she’s gonna go to a school down there.
That’s about all I’ve got… Oh and this weekend I’m going to watch my dad coach against Cleveland, so I’m excited about that! Well, check back soon for my next entry people! I’m out.
Awesome write up Austin. I can’t wait to watch you bring Duke their third title in a row in 2011-2012.
Austin & Future Recruits need to see what school suits them better, compare the schools.
History:
UNC Dean DOME holds [21,750] On Campus (The Glamerous, The Media is all over you unlike dookie)
At UNC Dean Dome your getting the feel of what the NBA crowd is gonna feel like.
Dookie Cameron Indoor so called Stadium holds [9,314] On Campus (NOT in the top 50 College arenas)
Kenturkies- Ruppa Arena [23,500] Not on Campus (City owned leased to UK downtown)
So lets see, you have the mighty coach K at dookie for 29 years & all he can cough up is four National Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010)
But Roy Williams came to UNC in 2003 & has won 2 Championships already in 7 years (1957, 1982, 1993) (2005, 2009) Total 5 NCAA Titles.
Kentucky um won 7 Ncaa Championships (1948, 1949, 1951, 1958, 1978, 1996, 1998) They have NOT won another title in the last 12 years. Same song & Dance will continue, because all these kats keep leaving early for other reasons & or for the NBA, keep it up.
Coaches:
Roy Williams : 2 NCAA Championships in 7 years (2005,2009) (UNC 5 Titles)
Mike Krzyzewski: 4 NCAA Championships in 29 years (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010) (Dookie 4 Titles)
John Vincent Calipari: No NCAA Championships (UK 7 Titles) None in 12 years)
UNC Trumps Competiton:
UNC LEGACY Trumps both Schools with amount of NBA Stars, Not to mention the Legend Jordan Started his Domination at UNC. Just go take a look at the Rich blood line at UNC, no comparison.
UNC- 92 NBA Draft selections & 36 NBA first-round picks
Kenturkies- 74 NBA Draft selections & 20 NBA first-round picks
Dookies – 40 NBA Draft selections & 21 NBA first-round picks
Basketball North Carolina leads the all-time series UNC 130 – Dookie 99
Basketball North Carolina leads the all-time series UNC 21 – Kenturkies 11
Its NOT hard at all to see why UNC is the best in the BIZ.. We’re back with Harrison Barnes, Reggie Bullock & Kendall Marshall.
rivers is listed as a pg on some sites and a sg on others…watching him play, he seems to be more of a sg…i dont kno how thatll translate since he’s not that big
Austin, you’d look great in a Duke jersey and with the 2011 National Championship ring on your finger! Come to Duke, we win titles. Go to unc and all you can expect is to lose in the NIT or lose to college of charleston type teams (or choke in the acc, get slaughtered by Duke or be on a roster of guys that bail out at the first sign of a losing season lol.
You are Dukie, you are a winner Austin, Duke is where you belong!!!
Yes UNC certainly has never won any NC’s in recent years; nor does it lead dook all-time in number of net cutting ceremonies. Only dook wins titles. Good one. This guy became a fan last year and doesn’t know the history of the rivalry. Regrdless where you go, good luck to you. 2011 is 7 months away.
Girlfriend in junior college for a high school junior? Will follow him to Duke? Must be working hard on the MRS degree!
He’s the best player in the class of 2011, his swagger and explosive scoring separates him for Gilchrist, Teague, and McAdoo. He seemed like he would fit in better with Duke or UNC than Florida, Kansas, and Texas. Duke and UNC put up way more points than the other schools and play a ultra fast tempo. They’re also the the two most popular schools in the country, Austin would be on TV every single game. Since I’m a UNC fan, I want him to become Carolina Tar Heel! Though I’ll admit Duke will allow him more freedom on the court because K is a perimeter/guard specialist while Coach Roy is a inside/ post specialist who values feeding the ball in the paint for easy high percentage shots, that style has won us 2 Titles in 5 years though.
Dude, don’t lump UNC in with Duke. This year UNC was exposed as a team with horrible chemistry, players who openly quit, and a coach who could do nothing to stop it. Even after the season ended Carolina players were blasting the kids who transferred, acting like a bunch of jerks. Impossible to imagine any such thing happening at Duke — in fact it never has.
Never has? How about the year that even Kreshitsky quit and petitioned the NCAA to assigning all of his losses that year to Pete Gaudet. Yeah, that was classy.
Don’t sell yourself short- runner up in the NIT too!
I guess finally winning a NC has taken the nasty taste from your mouth in recent memory in the dance ala VC for example. I guess dook was never exposed before this year and now that they finally won one, are the greatest program of all-time?
UNC has been putting underclassmen in the NBA for the past 6 years and still managed to cut the nets down 2 times in the 00′s. I will take being exposed every decade to win it 2 times as a fan.
Rivers should go to Butler…..
Lots of hating going on here. Let Austin decide for himself which school is the best fit.
I respect the Carolina Tarheels for their basketball history and success.
AR should be able to enjoy the journey and visit each of the university programs to find the best fit and place where he wants to invest his time and develop his game.
rock on Austin! enjoy Countdown to Madness man.
You might want to take a look at the history of duke players transferring before you comment. King, Boetang, and that PF that just transferred this year.
AR, good luck in this whole process but here’s hoping you decide for DUKE UNIVERSITY. Its gonna be an awesome experience that should be enjoyed but considering the chance to play @ the best college basketball environment for the best coach in all of basketball….Duke!! And then you are not part of the family….you are family!! Good luck, BJ
Austin, well written……nice and articulate!! You’ll fit in well at DUKE!! Good luck with your decision….
true that… Basketball legacy challenging even elite players to play their best defense and develop their game. Welcome to the family AR.
Come on Austin, don’t take sand to the beach bro. That’s only going to end badly for you.
smh….maybe he’s not as smart as some thought!
Austin, just go ahead and announce for Duke. If Duke is where you want to go, there’s no need to drag it out. We would love to have you. Oh by the way, tell your AAU coach he can come and jump up and down with Cameron Crazies if he would like to.
AR!!!
Nice follow up bruh, an by the way, kid is 6’4 plenty big enough to be a stand out SG, D-Wade, 6’4 doing work. Don’t try to sell him short, AR is plenty big enough to play the position. I hope he does come to DUKE, he will only get better and become a dominate force, I see it now, AR got the charisma, or swag whichever you find appropriate to fit in the DUKE system. People already hating on this kid cause he can flat out ball and his pops is a coach. For him im sure with the hate comes the sweet joy of doing work on opponents on the basketball court. This is why I see him going to DUKE, ya we (DUKE) get hated but we go hard for 40 mins. I see him as a hybrid threat. Along with Kyrie, Dre, Seth not to mention Gbinjie and Felix, the future looks quite nasty!!! DIckie V gonna come up with some off the wall nickname for you AR. Come to the mecca of college basketball, grow and continue to do work. Nothing wrong with your girl wanting to go with you, do work with that too. Keep it up good luck this summer.
Duke = coach K
UNC = a lifetime love affair.
Give the devil his due,
but UNC wins more titles,
more players come back EVERY year for fun and pick up games.
Duke could win 30 games in a row and still trail UNC head to head.
Hype passes, Carolina endures.
You better hang on tight my man. You got a lot to endure….Duke’s looking to go on another “sick” run…gotta hand it a Nate, he’s getting it done.
This is funny haha, UNC has 1 more championship, and DUKE has killed them in winning ACC titles. That extra title was won 50 years before K got to DUKE, UNC hates DUKE because a private school shouldnt be as good as they are.
AR, I can’t see you fitting in well at Duke with Kyrie, Currie, and Dawkins. Just seems like too many gaurds that need to be on the court 20 to 30 mins. Hopefully you’ll make the right decision, because you will make a program a lot better if you’re on the court more.
Doc C!!
U fail to realize, UNC has more guards that dont play than Duke, sure it will be AR with Kyrie and Seth, but its a line up that will keep producing over and over and over again, the beat will not stop and thats what is scaring a lot of Duke Haters. You get a lightning quick PG in Kyrie a do it all score anywhere guy in Austin and balance it out with Dre on the Wing lighting it up. Seth is the extra surge, the beauty of it is that if you are an exceptional guard at DUKE you will excel. Austin will fit in perfectly, he wont be asked to do it all but can do work and cause havoc on opposing teams.
Seth Curry, Austin Rivers, Andre Dawkins, Josh Hairston, Michael Gbinije, Quin cook, Shabazz Muhammad, Tyler Adams, MP3, Ryan Kelly, Quincy Miller?
Sounds like a All-American Basketball team to me.
After the interviews with Kyrie Irving, it’s very likely he’ll enter the NBA draft after winning a NCAA Championship with Duke his first year.
Even if Kyrie, Curry, Dawkins, and Austin Rivers rotated point and shooting guard positions, it would give Duke depth for the NCAA tournament. Any combination of just three guards would allow Duke to dominate in the regular season and ACC tournament.
Besides having many guards allows each of these elite athletes to rise to new levels because they’ll be practicing against each other and picking up each others strengths and weaknesses.
Having said all of that I believe Austin Rivers has the skill, basketball IQ, and leadership to start for the Championship Blue Devils with a team full of Champions!
Working with Coach K, AR could be adding NCAA championship rings, USA Gold Medals, and NBA championship rings someday. Enjoy the journey AR!
“So if I go to Duke”
Austin, if is obvious you are under the Duke hypnotic spell. Just confirm it. Your are going to Duke. Make it official and quit the nonsense of your own self promotion and drama. Get on with it. The AR Soap Opera has becoming boring.
He’s got a big mantle on his shoulders with the success of his father Doc Rivers and his HS success in the AAU and with USA basketball. Let him enjoy the recruitment process. It only happens this way once in his life. The NBA draft is a completely different chapter and story.
AR seems like a pretty humble guy and respectful athlete. I just hope the hype doesn’t get to his head. rock on Austin!
BTW, this site is a joke. Having HB #3 on the list is quite comical in itself. The man that just took home every MVP award in all the big time events…I will take that and next year HB is gonna be a star!
I don’t know, you think HB has what it takes to play PF in the ACC?
[...] Austin Rivers Diary: On Duke’s Championship Banquet [...]
Duke is where he’s going from all the hype so far, I hope he does come to the Gothic Playground (aka home of National Champions!). He will get to school the tarholes and what could be better? I can see all the ‘hole fans crying now and saying ‘uh durrr, what til next year, durrr’, lol.
GO DUKE!
2010 NATIONAL CHAMPS
2010 NIT CHOKERS: CRAPOLINA
AR, Duke is the perfect fit….come be part of another title, and get a super education to boot!!!
Go to Unc who careds about the pile up at the 2 and 1 we need u with barnes gone next year we need a person who can shoot the three with bullock and hairstonand be paired up with the best PF in class of 2011 in James Mcadoo we need you with out you we would suck like we do now
Duke will be a better fit though
come to Duke where u can run that motion offense from the outside and put up big numbers……I see Duke running a 3 guard system in ’11….Irving (if he dont turn pro), Curry and Rivers
As a Duke alumnus and lifelong IronDuke, I am concerned with “My girlfriend is a freshman at a community college down here, but she’s gonna try and follow me to school. That’s the plan. So if I go to Duke she’s gonna go to a school down there.”
I hope we get the kid but leave the baggage at the community college. No need to neglect the value of a Duke degree. We are Duke!
He said follow him to a school down there, as in the area, not actually following him to Duke. Regardless, your comment was ridiculous. Way to perpetuate the stereotype, tool!
I beg your pardon. I in no way meant to stereotype people that attend community colleges. Those institutions are in place for a reason. My point is that Duke is academia first and athletics second. We should never compromise that. Our students work to hard to settle for anything less.
dude you are too young to be bringing the hs girlfriend along. live your life for a while and if it is meant to be it will be. grow up a little on your own man that is what college is for. regret is a terrible thing.
As a graduate of Trinity College ’02 I remember having classmates who transferred to Duke after graduating from Junior College and from Community College 2 year programs. These students applied themselves after high school and decided an education was important to them competing with Duke students who matriculated as freshman. If AR’s girlfriend wants to transfer to a school in NC, more power to her. There are many good schools in the Research Triangle. I say both AR and his girlfriend should be given the choice to invest in their futures and their education.
I think some of you Heelboys better start facing facts. Roy’s slippin’, NIT appearance, can’t get control of his team, transfers, and yea, before you joke about transfers, take a long look , you’ve had QUITE a few yourselves. Duke is the 2010 NATIONAL CHAMPION. They look REAL strong again for the coming season,a repeat is not out of the question, especially with Kyrie at the wheel. Austin could easily slip in and get a championship at Duke and unc could easily slip again this season. Duke will soon tie you in Championships (5) and our 5 will be in modern times, not some made up championship from back when they used peach baskets for hoops and rode horses to the games.
[...] Austin Rivers. After reading this I was sort of confused. This blog entry is nothing like his last diary entry at highschoolhoop.com from about a week ago. It brought me and I’m sure it will bring most Duke fans back down to [...]
The “Devils” should not be too confident about Rivers. He is considering a number of schools. He may choose one that is not despised by everyone except those that freakishly bounce up and down at their games.
YOU fail to realize that AR already gets hated on, the hater is the joke. People hate em cause they win, and the fans can be ridiculous but are passionate and for a player its all that matters. You honestly think a player cares what someone else thinks, that’s the beauty of being good, people hate on you then you go smack em in the mouth with your performance. I am sure AR thrives on the hate, makes him want to be even better, and I tell you this no matter where he goes he will be the most complete player at DUKE, he will achieve new found greatness under the coaching of K.
Jeremy i bet those players that transfered from Duke wish they had those national championship rings right now. Those players that left were just losers and helped filter out K’s rotation. K has no room or patience for quitters and losers as he is clearly one of the top 2-3 coaches ever and has a very possible 5th national championship on the horizon next season. As a Duke fan i was happy to see King go, he was a gunner who took ill-advised shots and played no defense and had no toughness for rebounding. K knows which players are mentally tough enough to handle the pressure of Duke excellence and who aren’t.
In the end, Austin Rivers will end up at Florida (just like C.j. Leslie w/ N.C. State). Austin was content with his commitment to Florida, he annually attended basketball camps at Florida ever since he was ten & developed a great relationship with Billy Donovan. He is also a big Gator fan & follows many of their sports (his sister was on UF’s volleyball team & is engaged to UF football player Brandon Spikes who plays LB for the NE Patriots now). Before making the final decision of which school to attend, his father Doc Rivers wanted him to get to know some of the elite college basketball teams first before the decision: i.e, Duke, UNC, Kansas, UCLA, etc. He has already visited Duke and now he will visit others – it is just a fact finding tour before his final decision. Florida is where he wants to go, he just wants to make sure after gathering all of the facts!
update… Austin Rivers has eliminated the University of Florida from the potential institutions of higher learning he will represent.
Austin we would love to have you at Duke. I can see a sick backcourt with Kyrie, Andre, Seth and you. That sounds like one dominating set of guards. Both Plumlee’s will be bolstering the front with plenty of depth there as well. Mason especially will be amazing by his Junior year. 3 in a row? I know that is a lofty dream, but very possible if things work out right. Thanks for the update.
you are rele qud ; i saw yo aau team playinq on tv oneday ! yall areee to qud ! && i likee yall nameee ! E1T1 , thats too sweet ! bt me personaly thinks yu need to qo to carolina for i can come watch yall qames all the timee
Yo Austin Rivers,
It was great following your seasons with AAU and your skill level on the US National U-18 team.
It’d be great to see you playing and developing with team that could look like: Austin Rivers, Kyrie Irving, Michael Gbinije, Seth Curry, Mason Plumlee, Tyler Adams, Josh Hairston, Marshall Plumlee, Ryan Kelly, and even Shabazz Muhammad.
You are a decent athlete with a superb basketball IQ and intimidating skills on the court.
I enjoyed following your father’s Celtics team the past few years. Much respect to you and your family. Listen to your Father’s advice but remember that as a young man you are going to have to take responsibility for your decisions and path in life. Remember…. never believe all of the hype… show your character, leadership and game on the court and represent with integrity wherever you go. Kids and young student-athletes will look up to you and you can leave a legacy and a hero at Duke.
Working with Coach K and other coaches at Duke, I see you taking your game to the next level, becoming a household name, and rising to elite status in the NBA and on the Olympic level.
Let’s just see if your girlfriend can keep up with you man…
paz y harmonia. Enjoy the journey. peace.