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URI vs. Duke: Five Questions - Coach Kevin Clark
By Andrew Greene | November 15, 2008
As Rhode Island travels to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face Duke (Sunday, 11/16 at 4:30 PM, ESPNU), College Chalktalk caught up with Assistant Coach Kevin Clark to chat about tomorrow’s contest with the Blue Devils.
College Chalktalk: The Rams are in for a challenge tomorrow against a top ten team in the nation. Name three keys to success for your club.
Coach Clark: To be successful against Duke tomorrow, we must rebound the basketball to give ourselves a chance to run and must crash the offensive glass and create second chance opportunities while limiting theirs. We also have to attack on offense. This means finishing plays and taking advantage of every possession we have. Finally, it is imperative that we recover on transition defense, locate their shooters and pick up quickly.
CCT: From your film study, what impresses you the most about Duke?
KC: Five things come to mind when watching Duke on tape:
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They maintain tremendous spacing on offense
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They give maximum effort
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They are incredibly unselfish
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They apply consistent defensive pressure
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They are relentless on the offensive glass
CCT: Your thoughts on their personnel?
KC: Duke has tremendous roster depth. All Duke players find ways to impact a game. Obviously they are a highly skilled bunch with versatility. Finally, Kyle Singler is a match-up nightmare.
CCT: When you coached at St. John’s, you also had an opportunity to play at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Describe your experience with the Cameron Crazies.
KC: The Cameron Crazies are respectful, intelligent and exuberant fans. They have a way of detracting from you mentally, while having an energizing effect on the Blue Devils. Their efforts truly have an impact. The Crazies are a memorable part of my past experiences.
CCT: A few of your current players were part of a team that traveled to Lawrence to take on Kansas during the 2006-07 season. Will that experience help prepare them as they face Duke on the road?
KC: It was a great opportunity for some of our returners to play in a storied arena like Allen Fieldhouse against a top five winning program in Kansas. That experience should serve to help us in preparation for this game. Our returners should understand the environment of the venue as well as have a feeling of confidence about their ability to compete at the highest level. We should settle down much earlier in this game because of that trip to Lawrence, Kansas.
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