Treaven Duffy became the starting varsity point guard last year as a junior for the Las Lomas Knights. The team had lost many of their prior year's senior starters. As a result, Duffy was thrown into the proverbial deep end of the pool where he had to learn while he played. The Knights finished the season with a mediocre 12-15 record in the Diablo Foothill Athletic League and a first round playoff loss to San Lorenzo 52-38.
Despite the trial by fire, the lefty point guard put up impressive numbers that included 26.1 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists per game. Duffy believes that this upcoming year will be better as he will have the services of teammate, Kevin Stafford who was hurt early last season. In addition, Duffy was forced to play shooting guard due to the relatively inexperienced roster. As a result, the Knights should have more playmakers and depth for this upcoming year.
At 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, Duffy can run 4.80 seconds in the 40-yard dash, can bench press 195 pounds, and has a vertical of 35 inches. Duffy has been playing basketball since he was seven years old and models his game after the former Georgetown star Allen Iverson because Duffy is a prolific scoring point guard who can also direct his team's offense. Duffy can make plays happen when the ball is in his hands. But he also has a good perimeter game and can take the ball to the rim to finish. As a result, Duffy is comfortable in critical situations to have the ball in his hands to make the key decision of passing or shooting.
During the offseason, Duffy works on his right hand ball handling skills. He believes that if his ball handling skills are at the same level for both of his hands, then he would be very difficult to guard in either direction. Ironically, Duffy was unable to use either of his hands during his fifth grade summer as he broke both wrists when he fell off of his motorized scooter. As a result, he realizes the importance of both of his hands as a point guard.
Duffy is still early in the recruiting process. He would like to be in a program that has a fast pace offense that has an unselfish team that has good team chemistry. He wants the program to have a solid coaching staff with the desire to win. He has no preference in staying close to home but would like the location be of a warmer climate. The college campus should be supportive of its athletic programs and have strong academics.
Incidentally, Duffy has a great basketball resource in his household. Duffy's father is Bill Duffy, one of the more highly-regarded and ethical basketball agents around. Bill Duffy played collegiately at Minnesota and Santa Clara where he roomed with future NBA rivals Kevin McHale and Kurt Rambis respectively. He then was drafted by the Denver Nuggets in 1982 but knee injuries cut his playing career short. Bill Duffy then transitioned into being a sports agent where he put in countless hours before starting his eponymous sports agency, BDA, in 1998. The BDA client base includes Yao Ming, Rajon Rando, and many other professional athletes.
The younger Duffy often rebelled as a teenager. As a freshman, he neglected his academics and was ineligible for sports. On occasion, Duffy saw how his father advised his NBA clients in terms of how to live their life and how to train for the season. The younger Duffy began to realize that his father is a good mentor both in terms of basketball and life. As a result, he has worked hard to improve his grades to be a better student. In addition, his father has worked with him on having a higher jump shot release point, leg strengthening drills, and overall conditioning.
During his free time, Duffy enjoys to fish, longboard, draw, and write lyrics to instrumentals. But his ultimate goal is to be the best player that he can be and play professional basketball. His individual goals for his senior season are to receive scholarships for basketball and to commit to a college while his team goals are to go undefeated, win a North Coast Section title, and compete to win state. Expect this driven Knight to be the point of attack for this upcoming season.
No comments:
Post a Comment