CBK Roundup: Krzyzewski blasts NBA teams eyeing draft talent
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski thinks it's wrong for NBA teams to give up on a season just to improve their chances to land one of the talented college freshmen in this season's class.
Kansas' Andrew Wiggins, Duke's Jabari Parker and Kentucky's Julius Randle are widely considered the top prospects in the 2014 NBA Draft. All three are freshmen.
They showcased their talents in Chicago on Tuesday night at the Champion Classic in front of general managers and scouts from every NBA team. The three are ranked among the top four players in next year's draft.
"As an American, I wouldn't like to think that an American team would want to lose or create situations where you would want to lose," Krzyzewski said after Duke lost 94-83 to Wiggins-led Kansas. "I can't even fathom -- I can't go there. I can't believe that that would happen. Maybe I'm naive and I'm going to go read a fairy tale after this.
"If that is happening, shame on whoever is doing it."
Wiggins finished with 22 points against Duke. Parker had 27 points and nine rebounds for the Blue Devils.
In the opening game, Randle had 27 points and 13 rebounds for top-ranked Kentucky in its 78-74 loss to No. 2 Michigan State.
Miami Heat star LeBron James and former Los Angeles Lakers great Magic Johnson tweeted about how impressed they were with the talent on the floor in the two games.
---Washington forward Jernard Jarreau will miss the rest of the season with a torn ACL in his right knee, the school announced.
Jarreau, a 6-foot-10 sophomore, was injured in the opening minutes of Sunday night's game against Seattle when he was fouled while attempting a layup.
The Huskies were looking for Jarreau to make a significant contribution in the frontcourt this season. In their exhibition opener, Jarreau had 17 points, nine rebounds, five assists and three blocked shots.
With Jarreau lost for the season, Washington's depth is thin on the front line. Perris Blackwell, a transfer from San Francisco, missed the win over Seattle with a concussion. Teammate Desmond Simmons, who started 14 games last season for the Huskies, is sidelined for six to eight weeks after arthroscopic knee surgery.
---The beers are on Louisville women's basketball coach Jeff Walz for fans age 21 and over who attend the fifth-ranked Cardinals' preseason WNIT semifinal game Thursday night against No. 14 LSU.
The first 2,500 fans of legal drinking age with valid identification that arrive at the game in the KFC Yum! Center in Louisville, Ky., will receive a voucher for a free beer at the arena's concession stands. Walz will pay the tab out of his own pocket.
Beer is sold at Louisville basketball games because the arena is not on campus.
"It's a little way to say thanks to all our adults who come and support us," Walz told the Courier-Journal. "We're just trying to get some of our fans who haven't come out to come on out one time and get a drink and enjoy the ballgame and hopefully grab the attention of a few more fans."
Walz came up with the promotion on his own.