2010-11 

• Played in 11 games with eight starts.
• Missed 26 games due to a toe injury on his right foot.
• Scored in double figures in all of the 11 contests he played in with three games of 20 or more and one 30-point game.
• Dished out five or more assists in four games with nine in two contests.
• Returned from his injury in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, scoring a team-high 14 points to go with four rebounds, one assist, one blocked shot and two steals in 20 minutes off the bench against Hampton (3/18).
• Finished with a team-high 28 points in the NCAA Sweet 16 against No. 17 Arizona (3/24).
• Scored 31 points on 8-of-12 shooting, 2-of-3 from behind the three-point line and 13-of-16 from the free throw line against No. 6 Michigan State (12/1). His 31 points marks just the fourth time a Duke freshman has scored 30 or more in a game and is tied for the second most. The 13 free throws were a freshman record while his 16 attempts tied for the most by a freshman.
• Also had season highs of six rebounds and two blocked shots against the Spartans.
• Scored 21 points on 6-of-10 shooting, 3-of-6 from the three-point line and 6-of-6 from the foul line against Butler (12/4).
• Named the CBE Classic MVP after averaging 14.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.5 steals per game in the four games.
• Posted 17 points, five rebounds, six assists and two steals in the championship game against No. 4 Kansas State (11/23). He made 7-of-7 free throws in the game.
• Started in his first career game against Princeton (11/14) in the first game of the O’Reilly Auto Parts CBE Classic, becoming the fifth point guard to start under Mike Krzyzewski as a freshman and first since Jason Williams in 1999.
• Set a freshman record for assists in a season opener with nine assists, which also tied for the fourth highest assist total by any Duke player in a season opener. He had eight more assists than turnovers, matching a school record in a season opener held by Phil Henderson (1989) and Bobby Hurley (1992).
• Dished out nine assists with zero turnovers while also scoring 13 points against Colgate (11/19).
• Scored 16 points and had a season-high three steals against Oregon (11/27).
• Notched 11 points, seven assists and two steals against Marquette (11/22) in the semifinals of the CBE Classic.

High School

• Two-year letterwinner at St. Patrick’s under head coach Kevin Boyle … played his first two seasons at Montclair Kimberly Academy
• 2010 McDonald’s All-America … scored 13 points to go with two rebounds, two assists and three steals in a 107-104 loss … was 5-of-8 from the field, including 1-of-1 from behind the three-point line, for the game
• Named Co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic All-Star game … scored a team-high 22 points on 6-of-10 shooting from the field, including 2-of-4 from the three-point line, and 8-of-12 from the free throw line … also tallied a team-high seven assists, three rebounds and one steal
• Named first team Parade Magazine All-America … also a USA Today All-USA first team honoree and Slam Magazine All-America
• New Jersey Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior
• Finalist for the Naismith Boy’s High School Player of the Year
• Named New Jersey Player of the Year by The Star-Ledger in 2010
• Averaged 24.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 6.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game as a senior … led the Celtics to a 24-3 record overall and the No. 7 ranking in the final USA Today Poll
• Scored 30 points in an 82-45 rout of Plainfield to lead St. Patrick’s to the 2010 Union County Tournament championship win
• Finished with a game-high 24 points and added six assists in a 91-64 win over Taft at the Nike Extravaganza
• Scored 22 points as St. Patrick captured the MaxPreps Holiday Invitational with a 66-43 win over Newark (Calif.) Memorial … named MVP of the National Division portion of the tournament
• Guided St. Patrick’s to the New Jersey state championship and a 30-3 record as a junior … averaged 17.0 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.0 assists per game
• Named conference Player of the Year as a senior at St. Patrick’s and as a sophomore at Monclair Kimberley Academy … four-time all-conference selection
• Led Montclair Kimberley to its first Prep Class B state title as a sophomore … averaged 29.0 points, 10.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists per game for the season
• Scored 15.0 points to go along with 5.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 4.0 blocks per game as a freshman
• Scored over 2,100 points during his four-year prep career … became the second player in school history to score at least 1,000 points at Montclair Kimberley Academy
• Ranked tied for second by the Recruiting Services Consensus Index
• Rated in the top five overall by Scout.com (No. 2), ESPNU 100 (No. 3) and Rivals.com (No. 4)

USA Basketball

• Led USA Under-18 team to a 5-0 record and a gold medal at the 2010 FIBA Americas U18 Championship in San Antonio
• Averaged 13.6 points, 5.0 rebounds, 4.2 assists and 1.6 steals per game, while shooting over 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the foul line for the tournament
• Scored 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting and added six rebounds and four assists in a 114-38 win over Mexico
• Recorded a team-high 21 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and two blocks in an 81-78 win over Brazil in the gold medal game
• Led the United States Junior National Select team to a 101-97 victory over the World Select team in the 13th Annual Nike Hoop Summit at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
• Started at guard and scored 15 points to go along with three rebounds, five assists, zero turnovers and two steals … went 5-of-10 from the field and 5-of-5 from the free throw line in a come-from-behind win at the Hoops Summit
• Earned MVP honors at the 2009 Nike Global Challenge after posting 21.3 ppg. and 4.3 apg. to lead USA East to the tournament title

Personal

• Born Kyrie Andrew Irving on March 23, 1992 in Melbourne, Australia
• Son of Drederick and the late Elizabeth Irving
• Father, Drederick, played at Boston University from 1984-88 … scored 14 points in the Terriers’ 85-69 loss to Duke in the opening round of the 1988 NCAA Tournament
• Drederick had his jersey retired and ranks second in BU history with 1,931 career points … he went on to play professionally in Australia for the Bulleen Boomers
• Has an older sister, Asia, and a younger sister, London
• Has dual citizenship in the United States and Australia
• Enjoys reading and keeping a journal
• Favorite athlete is Chris Paul

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn

Mike Mazzeo, after watching Kyrie Irving this year, talked to people seeking answers to the question we’ve all asked, just how good is this guy?!?

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Google+
• LinkedIn

   Those answers from those who know Irving — and the game, particularly its history — were hardly surprising but they were certainly creative and entertaining.“The greatest compliment I can give him is he really is a video game,” Magic Johnson, arguably the greatest point guard of all-time, told Mazzeo. “These kids play it — my grandson plays it, my son plays it — and he’s out there actually doing it.“He’s the one player who can electrify a crowd while also making the opposing players on the bench go crazy after he just crossed up their teammate. That’s how great he is.”“It’d be like if you took guitar lessons and then played the guitar, ‘OK, it sounds good,’” says Isiah Thomas, who was quite the finisher in his day. “And then you get Jimi Hendrix to play the guitar and it’s like, ‘Oh s—t!’ It’s like, ‘What’s that?’ And that’s what we’re watching here. That’s what I was trying to be like. There’s no category for that.”

Caris LeVert who of course played with Irving had an even more succinct description of Irving when asked last week, “I mean, for me, if we’re talking just skill, I would say Kyrie’s the most skilled player of all time.”

For Mazzeo, it all comes down to his ability to finish. It’s so extraordinary … and so practiced.

“We see him working on those (circus, lefty) shots in practice and on his own, so there is no surprise that he’s comfortable taking and making them in a game,” Sean Marks says. “Often you see elite players constantly challenging themselves to be able to take their games to another level, and that would include pushing boundaries in their shot-making abilities.”

There’s also the history of how Irving got to the level he’s at. There were a lot of candidates to work through, but Mazzeo writes that after talking to a number of people close to the 10-year vet, the man most responsible for Irving’s skillset is close to home. Very close.

“Kyrie is a special talent,” says Phil Handy, an assistant coach Cavaliers when they won it all. “His dad (Drederick Irving) was a big influence on skill growing up. He always worked on his off hand to be equally good at finishing at the rim. Even back to my Cleveland days we spent a lot of time on his left-hand finishes.”

Kevin Boyle, Irving’s high school coach, adds another element to the discussion, that Irving is the master below the rim like only one other NBA player.

That’s what separates Kyrie and Stephen Curry,” said Boyle. “They both dominate without dunking.”

Indeed, when Irving dunks, it’s a big deal. He’s only done it three times this season. What he has been doing is showing a full repertoire. With four games left, the 50/40/90 Watch is on. At this point, Irving is a few good 3-pointers away from the standard of shooting excellence that only eight players have reached. (Steve Nash reached it four times!)

There’s more to the story, but the bottom line belongs to Magic and Isiah.

“He’s a showman, ‘Mr. Excitement,’” Johnson said. “I just love watching him play, and he’s a winner.”

“Kyrie has developed his own unique style in today’s NBA, where many players are a carbon copy of someone else,” Thomas said. “We all still have something to prove, but he’d walk into the Hall of Fame tomorrow given what he’s done.”

• Even Magic Johnson, Isiah Thomas Wowed By Brooklyn Nets Star Kyrie Irving’s Basketball Wizardry – Mike Mazzeo – Forbes Sports Money

“He’s a showman, ‘Mr. Excitement,’” Johnson says. “I just love watching him play, and he’s a winner.”