Czyz

[PackNation]

Appears to be transferring. From The Hoops Report:


http://thehoopsreport.com/article.aspx?id=394


Looks like the curse of Frank continues. OC stopped getting playing time as soon as Frank came over talking smack because he was starting games at Duke.

[buzzt14]

Any shot of us getting him? Maybe he misses home.

[slowhiteguy]

he'd look good in silver & blue.

[BayArea Wolf]

He should have at least get his Duke education! That's probably more important than his basketball career.

[buzzt14]

He should have at least get his Duke education! That's probably more important than his basketball career.

Thats why i was thinking he might be getting home sick. Maybe somebody has some insight as to if thats why, because a Duke education is certainly a close guarentee of future success in this world.

[rimrocker26]

That would be an awesome pickup. I see his sister goes here.

[newpackcity]

Thats why i was thinking he might be getting home sick. Maybe somebody has some insight as to if thats why, because a Duke education is certainly a close guarentee of future success in this world.

No home sickness, his parents moved to North Carolina when he went to Duke...Not sure what to make of this, he's not from Reno, only spent 3 years here, so it's not as if he has that great of a connection to Nevada. I certainly hope we can get him, but if we can't I'm not all that worried about it..

[jwolfpack]

I'd like to see him play for the pack too. Wish he picked the pack from the begining.....he's proably a starter this season if he had.

[nwp2]

No home sickness, his parents moved to North Carolina when he went to Duke...Not sure what to make of this, he's not from Reno, only spent 3 years here, so it's not as if he has that great of a connection to Nevada. I certainly hope we can get him, but if we can't I'm not all that worried about it..


I did not realize his parents moved to North Carolina. What are his ties to Reno that would bring him back, high school friends, playing ball with Luke, Coach Carter?

[NevadaConvert]

It might be old friends and just a good feeling he had about this place. Maybe it reminded him of where he grew up in Poland.

[geezer1]

They mentioned on the evening news that Florida had heavy interest in him before he chose Duke, and with no real ties to Reno other than his sister being here, I think he'll probably go to a BCS school. But, I'm with others who think a Duke degree would be worth way more to him in life than any playing time he'd get at Nevada: the kid will never play in the NBA no matter where he goes to school.

[NevadaConvert]

They mentioned on the evening news that Florida had heavy interest in him before he chose Duke, and with no real ties to Reno other than his sister being here, I think he'll probably go to a BCS school. But, I'm with others who think a Duke degree would be worth way more to him in life than any playing time he'd get at Nevada: the kid will never play in the NBA no matter where he goes to school.

Don't get too positive, now. :)

[Stuck in Seattle]

Not to put down Alek, but does anyone think he fits into Florida's plans after 1.5 seasons of near invisibility on the Duke bench? I don't.

[jwolfpack]

They mentioned on the evening news that Florida had heavy interest in him before he chose Duke, and with no real ties to Reno other than his sister being here, I think he'll probably go to a BCS school. But, I'm with others who think a Duke degree would be worth way more to him in life than any playing time he'd get at Nevada: the kid will never play in the NBA no matter where he goes to school.

OK Debbie Downer, You cant get a great education anywhere else? I work with some highly paid professionals and most have degrees from place far less prestigious that Duke.

If olek is getting 2.5 minutes a game at Duke, how many does he get at Florida? 3.5? Too many kids make it about the school and not about where they have the best chance to succeed. The one advantage Nevada has right now is an open spot due to the phillips, phillips, cooke transfer, and shaw graduation....and we play in a conference not dominated by all american....as far as the NBA goes, lets see what he can do with 20 minutes instead of 2

[geezer1]

I'm just speaking as a parent of a student at Nevada, and of course as an alumnus. If my son had had a choice between Duke and Nevada (but he didn't thanks to the economy) there's no question he would have gone to Duke, I would have made sure of that.

As to Olex, I'm thinking he might pay a visit to Georgia and Coach Fox; closer to his folks in S Carolina, a BCS school, and Foxy knows all about him.

[PACKFAN22]

I'm just speaking as a parent of a student at Nevada, and of course as an alumnus. If my son had had a choice between Duke and Nevada (but he didn't thanks to the economy) there's no question he would have gone to Duke, I would have made sure of that.

As to Olex, I'm thinking he might pay a visit to Georgia and Coach Fox; closer to his folks in S Carolina, a BCS school, and Foxy knows all about him.

If I am not mistaken, he didn't want to play here because we didn't recruit him hard enough or something. He took his name off of our list. I wonder if that was because of Fox, and if it was, why would he even consider Georgia? If he didn't like Fox when he coached here, why would he want to go there?

[furry]

If Olek does play for the Silver and Blue, I'd be OK with that, not that my opinion maters, he is a good kid - hasn't been in trouble; makes the grades - not an issue; and has already practiced day in and day out against some quality competition, and there would be a spot for him. I say YES to Olek. :)
Bleacher Report - by Justin McTeer Written on December 17, 2009
Czyz (pronounced Chizz ) was part of Duke's 2008 recruiting class along with Elliot Williams and Miles Plumlee.
Known for his explosive athleticism and leaping ability, he had offers from schools such as Louisville and Florida but opted to play in Durham.
However, playing time has been a rare thing for Czyz in his time at Duke. Despite starting the first two games of this season due to Nolan Smith's suspension, his time on the court has become relegated to garbage minutes in blowout games.
As a result, it has been reported that Czyz will be transferring to another school (not yet known) where he will be able to play a more significant role on the court.
While his transfer is certainly not a shock to Blue Devil fans, he does join a lengthy list of transfers from Duke in recent years.
Since 2006, Duke has had five scholarship players transfer to other schools either before or shortly after their sophomore season. Duke lost two of its 2005 recruiting class members in Eric Boateng and Jamal Boykin. Taylor King transfered to Villanova after his freshman season at Duke in 2008.
After last season, Elliot Williams transferred to Memphis to be closer to his ailing mother.
Now, Czyz joins Williams as a departure from Duke's 2008 recruiting class, leaving Miles Plumlee as the only remaining member of that incoming class still at Duke (which is ironic since he was a last minute decommit from Stanford).
This is certainly a concerning trend for the Blue Devils program (although Williams' transfer should probably be looked at differently).
Sure, most of the players weren't significant contributors and had little chance of cracking the rotation before their junior or senior seasons, but think about this—Duke has lost half of its players from the 2007 and 2008 recruiting classes. That won't exactly help Duke field an experienced team in a few years.
Why so many transfers?
Is the issue a misevaluation of the talent on the part of the staff, leading to "project players" being brought in with little chance of playing?
That might be the case with Czyz, but three of the five recent transfers (Boateng, Williams, and King) were McDonald's All-Americans for crying out loud.
Maybe the problem has to do with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski's notoriously small rotations. Ryan Kelly, the reigning McDonald's All-American three point champion, has already had a game where he failed to step on the court this year.
Rarely are McDonald's All-Americans looking to sit on the bench for a few years before being a contributor.
No matter what the issue is, Krzyzewski and his staff need to fix it.
This many transfers in such a short period of time doesn't create the ideal perception for current recruits who could begin to view Duke as the school where freshmen rot on the bench in favor of older, but perhaps less talented, players.
If the issue isn't the program but the players themselves (again, Williams should be viewed as a special case in this regard), the staff needs to do a better job of identifying the expectations and attitudes of the recruits they are bringing in and determining who is going to be a good fit on the team.
In Czyz's case, he likely knew that playing time this season would become less likely as the season progressed, and with Duke currently recruiting three players at his position for next year along with the realistic probability of Singler staying, his chances probably wouldn't have increased much next year.
Nevertheless, the volume of transfers from Duke in recent years is a concerning trend.It's one the Blue Devils need to reverse.

[awp]

I spoke with Czyz a few moments ago, and frankly....this isn't even close to being done. He's really just collecting info right now, formulating a plan and all. Of course, Nevada is interested in at least having him visit but that's not at all planned or decided.

~AWP

[CAHUSKY]

I spoke with Czyz a few moments ago, and frankly....this isn't even close to being done. He's really just collecting info right now, formulating a plan and all. Of course, Nevada is interested in at least having him visit but that's not at all planned or decided.

~AWP

Where else is he going to visit?

[Rebels2k3]

I wouldn't surprised if he visits UNLV just to give *** the finger.

[Stuck in Seattle]

I wouldn't surprised if he visits UNLV just to give *** the finger.

That's good thinking. A year and a half at Duke means he's only about 6 credits away from a UNLV Masters Degree.

[Rebels2k3]

Yeah, my bad. I should have considered the fact that he could be a PhD candidate immediately upon arrival at ***. It is rare to get someone who is both an athlete and a scholar at the same time for you guys. I hope you get the guy.

[Stuck in Seattle]

Yeah, my bad. I should have considered the fact that he could be a PhD candidate immediately upon arrival at ***. It is rare to get someone who is both an athlete and a scholar at the same time for you guys. I hope you get the guy.

What, you couldn't come up with your own joke? The "I know you are, but what am I?" response still works for you?

[Blueblood]

What, you couldn't come up with your own joke? The "I know you are, but what am I?" response still works for you?

Gotta love the ignore feature.

[BayArea Wolf]

No home sickness, his parents moved to North Carolina when he went to Duke...Not sure what to make of this, he's not from Reno, only spent 3 years here, so it's not as if he has that great of a connection to Nevada. I certainly hope we can get him, but if we can't I'm not all that worried about it..

As rimrocker said, his sister's here! Maybe he's really close to her. Plus, I'm sure he still has a lot of friends from high school. Maybe a chance to play with Armon, Luke, Fuetsch, and Olsen (all local kids) might make it oh so sweeter to come and play at Nevada!

[Stuck in Seattle]

Gotta love the ignore feature.

I've taken your advice. I don't know why I hadn't already done that, thanks!