Associated Press
In championship form: Duke's Roshown McLeod
shoots over Arizona's A.J. Bramlett yesterday during the
championship game of the Maui Invitational. The Blue
Devils defeated the Wildcats, 95-87.
Duke’s young guns
By Al Chase
shoot down Arizona
Star-BulletinLAHAINA, Maui -- Most preseason publications touted Duke University's freshman class as the best in the school's history. Earlier at the 14th annual Maui Invitational basketball tournament, Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski stated he was amazed at how mature his freshman recruits were and how well they fit in with the returnees.
Defending NCAA champion and No. 1-ranked Arizona learned first hand just how much of a contribution Duke's newcomers could make last night at the Lahaina Civic Center.
Combined with veteran leadership from guards Steve Wojciechowski, the tournament's most valuable player, and Trajan Langdon, the No. 3-ranked Blue Devils defeated the Wildcats, 95-87, in the championship game for their second Maui Invitational title. They also won in 1992.
Give the Wildcats (3-1) credit for not folding after a blistering first half by Duke that left the Blue Devils (5-0) with a 51-34 lead and the makings of a rout.
Arizona's 6-foot-11 junior center A.J. Bramlett made his first two hook shots for 2-0 and 4-3 Arizona leads, but the Blue Devils hit their first four shots, three from 3-point land, and took the lead for good on Wojciechowski's trey one minute into the game.
The lead was 10 points after one quarter and 17 at the half. To complicate matters for Arizona, stellar guard Mike Bibby spent much of the half on the bench in foul trouble.
William Avery, a 6-2 freshman guard, scored nine points in the first half, 6-8 freshman forward/center Elton Brand had seven points and three steals and 6-8 freshman forward Shane Battier led Duke with six rebounds. The hot veteran was Roshown Mcleod, a 6-8 senior forward, who scored 14 points.
Associated Press
Duke's Mike Chappell bowls over Arizona's
Eugene Edgerson in yesterday's Maui Classic.
For the game, four Duke freshmen scored 37 points, made four of nine steals, had five of 14 assists and pulled down 23 of 43 rebounds.Late in the game, when Arizona senior guard Miles Simon was leading a furious comeback attempt, Brand's slam dunk served as a wake-up call for his teammates.
When the Wildcats continued to hack at the big deficit behind two Bibby steals, a layup and 3-pointer, Langdon responded with a 14-foot jump shot and two free throws and Avery made 5-of-6 from the charity stripe in the final minute.
Although Krzyzewski was proud of his team, especially when it came to regaining its composure after faltering a bit in the fourth quarter, he said, "I'm not sure we're that good. The tournament gave us a chance to play three different teams with three different styles, but it's only November. Now we'll have to see how we respond to a big win.
"We have talent that can be developed into experienced talent. There wasn't too much strategy tonight. We tried a couple of things, but mainly we let them play. What we have to be careful about is to not over-coach this bunch."
Then, to keep the exploits of his freshmen in focus and the accolades they will receive in perspective, Krzyzewski added, "We don't have freshmen, sophomores, juniors or seniors, we simply have Duke basketball."
No. 8 Kentucky 77, Missouri 55: Sophomore Jamaal Magloire had 18 points, 17 rebounds and five blocked shots to lead the Wildcats (3-1) over the Tigers (2-2) in the third-place game.
ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM: Guards: Miles Simon, Arizona, and Steve Wojciechowski, Duke. Forwards: Roshown McLeod, Duke, and Antonio Granger, Boston College. Center: Elton Brand, Duke. MVP, Wojciechowski.
NEXT YEAR'S LINEUP: The field for the 1998 Maui Invitational will bring Arizona State, Clemson, Indiana, Kansas State, Michigan, Syracuse, Utah and host Chaminade to the Lahaina Civic Center.
Michigan is the only previous two-time winner (1985, 1988). Syracuse won in 1990 and Arizona State took the title in 1994.
IN THE FUTURE: North Carolina heads up the 1999 field that also includes Florida, Georgetown, Memphis, Purdue, Southern Cal, Utah State and the Silverswords.
In the year 2000, the seven mainland teams will be California, Connecticut, Dayton, Illinois, Louisville, Maryland and Nevada-Las Vegas.
Mixed reviews for quarters
LAHAINA, Maui -- The Maui Invitational was played under the NCAA's experimental four-quarter format. Some coaches' comments:Arizona coach Lute Olson: "There's a lot of money in advertising being talked about. If it means an increase in the number of scholarships we can offer and our restricted earnings coach will be treated like a human being, then fine."
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski: ''I don't like four quarters. It makes the games longer. The only motivation seems to be to get extra timeouts."
Chaminade coach Al Walker: "I can't stand quarters. It completely disrupts the game."
--By Al Chase
