DURHAM -- Bill Murphy, the announcer at the Greater N.C. Pro-Am, has taken to calling Andre Dawkins "All Day 'Dre" because the Duke guard gives maximum effort on every play. The incoming junior gave added meaning to the nickname on Thursday night.
Dawkins suited up in the first game on the night for his regular team, Sheraton Imperial, and scored a team-high 28 points. After a request for help from Blue Devils teammate Ryan Kelly, Dawkins then stayed on the court for the next game and scored a team-high 17 points for Hendrick of Durham.
In total, Dawkins played 65 minutes on Thursday night at McLendon-McDougald Gym and went 1-1. Sheraton Imperial stayed unbeaten with a 104-83 win over Team McGladrey, while Hendrick of Durham fell to Team Jamison 85-69.
"I was a little tired, but it was fun," Dawkins said. "It's always fun to get an extra run in. When I get a chance to play, I'm going to play."
The 6-foot-4 guard, who averaged 8.1 points in 21 minutes last season, thinks that the extra conditioning will come in handy for the Blue Devils this year.
"We got a lot of guys, and I think we can play a real fast pace," Dawkins said. "We have a lot of good athletes on the team. So hopefully we'll play a fun style of basketball."
After scoring 18 of his 28 points in the second half for Sheraton Imperial, Dawkins was taking his jersey off when he got the request from Kelly. Fellow Duke guards Seth Curry and Austin Rivers weren't able to make it to N.C. Central last night, and Hendrick of Durham needed help in the backcourt.
"We rolled over here together, so I said he has to play with me too because I gave him a ride," Kelly said.
After a quick check with tournament officials to make sure it was allowed, Dawkins changed into a new jersey. He spent the first five minutes of the second game on the bench but came in and then didn't get subbed out until there were five minutes remaining in the second half and the game was out of hand.
"It's a lot of fun to come out here and be able to play against different competition than our guys every day," Dawkins said.
The Duke team will be seeing a lot of each other this year. Because they're taking a trip to China and Dubai next month, the Blue Devils were allowed to begin practicing July 11, three months before almost everyone else. Dawkins said that the early practices will help a team that lost No. 1 pick Kyrie Irving, graduated starters Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler, and is introducing five freshmen into the mix.
"That gives us an advantage," Dawkins said. "With five new guys coming in, they'll be able to grasp the system a little bit earlier."
Fortunately for All Day 'Dre, there wasn't a Duke practice yesterday, so he had the energy he needed in order to play back-to-back fast-paced games in a hot gym.
"I can play all day. No doubt," Dawkins said. "It's cool, especially the way (Murphy) says it. It makes me sound kind of good."
