Recruiting pitches come in all shapes and sizes, but very few are the size of the pitch Cutcliffe sent Phillips earlier this week. Phillips tweeted out this picture last Saturday, showing the 115—yes, 115—personal letters that the 6-foot-3 defensive end received from the Blue Devil head coach.

115 PERSONAL LETTERS FROM DUKE. JUST TODAY. WOW twitter.com/horribleharry9…

— Harrison Phillips (@horribleharry99) May 18, 2013

Phillips then tweeted out one of the letters he received from Cutcliffe, which included a photoshopped image of Phillips in a Duke jersey on the scoreboard at Wallace Wade Stadium and another photoshopped image of Phillips’ head on Eli Manning’s body at the NFL Draft. Two things can be drawn from this pitch: Cutcliffe is not afraid to push the envelope and make a rather outlandish recruiting pitch, and the Duke head coach certainly still believes in snail mail.

look at this. Apparently I made it to the nfl twitter.com/horribleharry9…

— Harrison Phillips (@horribleharry99) May 18, 2013

The Millard West High School defensive end recorded 122 tackles, including 35 for a loss, and 11 sacks during his junior season. Phillips has received a number of scholarship offers, most notably from Kansas State, Florida Atlantic and Army, but has also received interest from Michigan, Wisconsin and Nebraska during his recruiting process. Phillips tweeted today that coaches from both Nebraska and UCLA were at his high school.

Cutcliffe already has nine verbal commitments from Class of 2014 players, which ESPN currently ranks as the No. 19 recruiting class in the country.

Daniel Ewing spent two seasons with the Los Angeles Clippers before taking his talents to Europe. (Chronicle File Photo)

Daniel Ewing joined the Blue Devils for the 2001-02 season, right after the Blue Devils took home their third national title in program history in Minneapolis. Ewing went on to spend four years wearing Duke blue, improving every season along the way.

Ewing’s first season in Durham he made an immediate impression. Though he did not start a single game aas a freshman, he did play in 35 games and average 6.5 points per game while shooting 45.7 percent from beyond the arc. Ewing stepped front and center as a sophomore, starting 15 games and raising his scoring to 12.0 points per game. As a senior he once again made giant strides, asserting himself as one of the top guards in the NCAA, averaging 15.3 points to go along with career-bests in assists at 4.0 and steals at 2.0.

Recognizing Ewing as an NBA commodity, the Los Angeles Clippers made the 6-foot-3 combo guard the No. 32 pick in the 2005 NBA Draft. For two years in Hollywood, Ewing played a consistent role off the bench, averaging 3.4 points and 13.3 minutes per game in two seasons, even starting eight contests.

After being waived by the Clippers in June of 2007, Ewing made the same decision many other NBA players have made, making the jump to Europe in search of a larger role.

Ewing is currently playing in Turkey for Besitkas J.K.(Chronicle File Photo)

Ewing’s first European stop was with BC Khimki in Russia, where Ewing averaged 12.1 points and 3.1 assists. After one season with Khimki, Ewing moved on to Polish powerhouse Asseco Prokom. Prokom went on to win the Polish National League all three seasons Ewing played for the club, 2008-09, 2009-10 and 2010-11. Ewing’s best season with Prokom was his final season, where he averaged 13.6 points, 3.3 assists and 1.9 steals per game.

After three seasons with Prokom in Poland, Ewing moved on yet again, this time landing with BC Azovmash in the Ukraine. Ewing’s experience in Azovmash was similar to that of his in Poland, posting very similar numbers. Ewing’s scoring dipped a bit, but he increased his assists by a full assist per game.

Today, Ewing is playing for Besiktas J.K. in Istanbul, Turkey. Ewing suffered a knee injury in late Feburary that cost him about a month of action, but was active when his team lost in the Turkish League playoffs this week. In 32 games this season, Ewing’s numbers have been less impressive than they had been in Europe to date. He’s averaging 8.0 points and 1.6 assists this year.

Now 30 years old, Ewing’s basketball future is likely to play out overseas. Having played for four teams in six seasons, Ewing could see a number of other European cities before he hangs up his sneakers.

Junior Brendan Fowler was named a first-team All-American and hopes to control the faceoff X for the Blue Devils this weekend (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Duke kicked off its seventh straight Final Four appearance with media availability Thursday at Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field. Head coach John Danowski and his team look to reach the finals for the first time since their 2010 national championship, but first must defeat offensive powerhouse Cornell. The Blue Devils (14-5) square off against the Big Red (14-3) Saturday at 2:30 p.m., but first Duke’s players and coaches had a chance to talk about their matchup:

Danowski on making it to championship weekend for an NCAA-record seventh straight year:

“You really don’t think about the other years. You just think abut this year and how it’s really exciting for this particular group of young men. When we were 2-4 in late February, this was not even a discussion. It was about showing up to work every day and living one day at a time, which is really not a bad way to live.”

Danowski on the evolution of his team:

“We weren’t really good early in the year. We were playing some dynamite opponents, so certainly they were better than us, but we practiced well. Even though we were losing, we were still practicing well. We gave some great effort and the hope was eventually that things would fall into place. And that’s the beauty of sports—you can never be sure.”

Danowski on Cornell attack Rob Pannell, a four-time All-American and finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy:

“What happens is that sometimes everyone focuses on the star player, but you don’t get 53 assists if your teammates don’t catch the ball and put it in the back of the goal. It’s always a team effort. People have to get out of that star player’s way, they have to catch the ball from him and set him up and work with him, so [Cornell] is a lot more than just a star. And the danger in playing teams who have big players is falling into that trap.”

Danowski on how Duke can reach the championship game, against either Denver or Syracuse:

“You have to be yourself.  At this time of year, you’ve been practicing since September so if you decide you have to change things that’s probably not going to be successful. You have to be you. You have to come out here and be relaxed. The hope is that during these last Final Fours the guys have gained some experience so they wont be overwhelmed. Last week we played in Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis so perhaps we won’t be overwhelmed [in Lincoln Financial Field] and just be ourselves.”

Junior faceoff specialist Brendan Fowler on being only 12 victories away from holding the NCAA single-season record for faceoff wins:

“The only thing on my mind this weekend is winning. It would be cool to get the record, but really our main focus is winning this game and getting to Monday.”

Fowler on reaching his third Final Four in as many years on the team:

“It’s pretty cool. I actually had a broken collarbone last year so I didn’t get a chance to play, but I’m really happy and excited to be back here and play again. [Cornell] has a really good faceoff team. It’ll be a scrappy game.”

Senior midfielder David Lawson on being named first-team All-America Thursday morning:

“It’s an honor and I’m really excited about it.  But our focus this weekend is winning and [the other six All-Americans and I] will enjoy all that in a couple of days.”

Lawson on his offensive approach after scoring a career-high five goals in the quarterfinals against Notre Dame:

“I’m going to take the confidence I got from scoring those goals and bring it to this game.  I’ll keep shooting and play confidently. I’m going to do whatever it takes. Whether they slide to me and I have to move the ball or whether I get a bunch of shots again, it really depends how they play me, but I’m going to do whatever it takes.”

Goaltender Dan Wigrizer on not being able to play during his fourth Final Four weekend to close out his senior season:

“There are two sides to it. It’s very tough not being able to participate in the actual game in front of everybody in Philadelphia, but this week I still got the feeling if being part of the team and still get the essence of being able to help out the goalies and help out [starting goaltender] Kyle [Turri]. This week I put in a ton of work to help scout Cornell and help Kyle out so I still feel very much a part of it. While I’d like to be out there, Kyle’s an unbelievable goalie.”

Wigrizer on being a Philadelphia native playing at home to end his lacrosse career:

“This is my fourth straight Final Four in the city where I grew up playing lacrosse—I could not ask for a better way to end my career. To be home and to potentially win a championship in front of the home crowd and the people that taught me to play lacrosse, the people who have been supportive of me since fifteen years ago when I started playing—being able to finish in front of them is the best experience I could possibly dream of.”

Sophomore goaltender Kyle Turri on his first Final Four as a starter:

“It’s pretty exciting. I’m really looking forward to it. It’s going to be an awesome game. Just the amount of work we’ve put in to get here a seventh time is incredible and hopefully this year we’ll have a better result. We’re just going to play our game defensively and be really aggressive.”

Freshman attack Case Matheis on Duke’s game plan:

“We just have to do what we do in practices, which is just making the right choices, getting involved with good passes, and listening to what our coach teaches us. If we do that, we should be fine.”

Freshman midfielder Myles Jones on his first Final Four:

“For previous Final Fours, I’ve been sitting on the couch watching the game. It’s cool to just be on the field and have the next generation of lacrosse players watching us play now.  It’s a great feeling.”

Jones on Duke’s offensive approach:

“Our game plan usually works every week in and week out so we stick to it. We need to execute well and execute the opportunities [Cornell] provides for us. If we capitalize, we’ll be in good shape.”

Cornell attack Rob Pannell on facing Duke’s defense:

“We don’t really have any specific approach for Duke. We’ve been successful these last couple of weeks in playing within our system and trusting the guys around us in the field. Duke’s very athletic defensively, but if we can maintain the offense we’ve been playing these last couple of weeks and create scoring opportunities we can find success.”

Pannell on being eight points away from breaking the NCAA all-time points record, which is currently held by Duke assistant coach Matt Danowski:

“The most important thing is getting the win, but everyone’s asking about the record so I’d be lying if I said it wasn’t on my mind. I think it’s pretty unique that Matt Danowski would be on the sideline coaching [if I were to break it against Duke]. Nobody wants their record broken. During the game it’s not going to be on my mind at all—the most important thing is to win the game—but it would be pretty special to break the record.”

Cornell goaltender A.J. Fiore on Duke’s offense:

“We’ve watched a lot of film on them—they’re probably one of the most athletic offenses we’ve faced all season. We just have to stick to our game plan. We have to play confidently and really communicate with each other and we’ll be fine.  I think Duke brings a lot to the table—they have a lot of midfield lines they can run consistently, but as long as we play our game we’ll be alright.”

Cornell faceoff specialist Doug Tesoriero on facing Fowler:

“I’ve never gone against Fowler before but he’s doing great. He’s a first-team All-American so congratulations to him, and he’s another Long Island boy so it’s good to see Long Island kids having success at the faceoff X. I’m excited to go against him, we matchup well and it’ll be an exciting game tomorrow.”

Dave Lawson was one of two Blue Devils to be named a first-team All-American (Photo by Eric Lin/The Chronicle)

Headlining the group of seven for the Blue Devils are junior Brendan Fowler and senior David Lawson. Fowler, the team’s faceoff specialist, ranks third in the country by winning 64.9 percent of his faceoffs and second in the nation by picking up 9.63 ground balls per game. Lawson, a senior, is having a career year as a midfielder for the Blue Devils, scoring 32 goals and adding 15 assists, including a career-high five-goal performance last week against Notre Dame in the NCAA quarterfinals to propel Duke to victory.

Junior Jordan Wolf earned second-team All-America honors. He is the lone Blue Devil to be named a repeat All-American, after earning second-team honors last year as well. The attack is Duke’s leading scorer with 49 goals and 25 assists on the season. He is the first player in Blue Devil history to receive All-ACC honors in each of his first three seasons.

Duke also had four players named to the third team, including junior attack Josh Dionne, sophomore midfielder Will Haus and senior midfielders Josh Offit and Jake Tripucka. Offit has racked up 41 points on the season with 25 goals and 16 assists. Haus is a stalwart as the team’s defensive midfielder and has scooped up 48 ground balls and caused seven turnovers on the season. He also has improved offensively during his sophomore campaign, scoring seven goals and adding five assists. Dionne is second on the team to Wolf with 40 goals on the season. Tripucka has registered a point in all but one game this season, notching 18 goals and 22 assists.

The Blue Devils will return to action Saturday against Cornell in the NCAA semifinal at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.

Kelly announced via Twitter Thursday evening that he and his long-time girlfriend, Lindsay Cowher, were engaged to be married, posting a picture of Cowher’s engagement ring.

The love of my life @lindsaycowhersaid yes! #sohappy #blessed twitter.com/RyanKelly34/st…

— Ryan Kelly (@RyanKelly34) May 23, 2013

Cowher, the daughter of former Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Bill Cowher, played one year of basketball at Wofford before transferring to Elon, where she did not play.

The White Raven has not set a wedding date as of yet, but a number of his Blue Devil teammates have tweeted out their congratulations in response to the big news.

Congrats to @ryankelly34 and @lindsaycowher!! Couldn’t be happier for the two of you!!!

— Todd A Zaf (@TdotZaf) May 23, 2013

My bro Ryan is engaged man! So happy for him!

— Josh Hairston (@jhairston15) May 23, 2013

@lindsaycowher congratulations , so happy for you guys , and wherever it is I’m coming!

— mason plumlee (@masonplumlee) May 23, 2013

Earlier this season, Krzyzewski raised the issue when examining the ACC-Big Ten Challenge.

““For years, Duke and other ACC schools have benefited from scheduling strong national opponents. Certainly, college sports are based on tradition. We have to be careful not to lose that.””

After Duke’s loss to Maryland in College Park Feb. 16, Krzyzewski addressed his team’s relationship with the Terrapins, who had recently announced they would depart for the Big Ten for the 2014-15 academic year.

“”I have a great deal of respect for Maryland. If it was such a rivalry, they’d still be in the ACC. Obviously they don’t think it’s that important, or they wouldn’t be in the Big Ten. I respect their basketball program and the job their coaches have done and their players have done over the years. We’ve had some great games with them, but we have great games against a lot of people. A lot of people want to beat us, and they’re one of them.”

But at the end of his press conference Thursday morning to announce he would return as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Krzyzewski closed his press conference with an odd change of heart. The Hall of Fame coach expressed his excitement for the future of the ACC, despite its recent expansion and realignment.

“I love what’s happening with our conference. We’re going to be a 10-bid conference. We’re going to be the best conference in the history of the game. It’s exciting to be a part of that.”

Syracuse, Pittsburgh and Notre Dame are all slated to join the ACC July 1. The Orange and Panthers will join as full members, and the Fighting Irish will become members in all sports except football.

Mike Krzyzewski will coach the US Men’s National Team through the 2016 Olympics (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

This morning, USA Basketball Chairman Jerry Colangelo announced that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski would return as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Here are some reactions from a number of NBA players on the Blue Devil head coach spending four more years at the helm of Team USA.

Miami Heat forward LeBron James, bronze medalist at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and gold medalist at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games:

“I think it’s great. What he means to USA Basketball is beyond just what we do on the court, it’s what we stand for as Americans in being proud to wear the Red, White and Blue every time we step on the bus, at practice, or talk to the media or whatever the case may be. So I think it’s great.

I have the utmost respect and trust in coach K. Whatever his decision was going to be, I think we would all support him.

It would be great [to play in 2016]. First I have to make sure I stay healthy. If I’m fortunate enough to stay healthy, I would love to represent my country again.”

Oklahoma City Thunder forward Kevin Durant, gold medalist and MVP at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and gold medalist at the 2012 Olympic Games:

“Playing for Coach K in 2010 and 2012 was an amazing experience. he’s a great coach, and USA Basketball is blessed to have him. He coaches with great passion, but always keeps us calm, and makes sure we are prepared for our opponents. I greatly respect his leadership, and always want to go out and play hard for him.”

(Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

Los Angeles Lakers guard Kobe Bryant, gold medalist at the 2008 and 2012 Olympic Games:

“The news on Coach K with USA Basketball is great. He is an incredible coach who worked tirelessly to prepare us for different opponents. Even as a veteran, I learned a lot from his leadership. I appreciate all he’s done over the years for USA Basketball, and our country, in this position. I think Team USA is in great hands for the next four years.”

Miami Heat forward Chris Bosh, bronze medalist at the 2006 FIBA World Championship and gold medalist at the 2008 Olympic Games:

“He’s a great coach, one of the best to coach the game. I’m sure the USA Basketball community is very happy to have him back.”

Minnesota Timberwolves center Kevin Love, gold medalist at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and 2012 Olympic Games:

“I think Coach K is an excellent choice. I had a great time playing for him in 2010 and 2012. I have so much respect for him as a man and a coach, and I hope I get to play for him again in the future.”

Los Angeles Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, gold medalist at the 2010 FIBA World Championship and member of the USA Basketball Board of Directors:

“Playing for Coach K was one of the highlights of my career. I learned a great deal from him. We are lucky to have him lead us again.”

President Brodhead and Coach Krzyzewski shake hands during Thursday’s press conference. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

In a press conference this morning at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski accepted an invitation to return as the head coach of the U.S. Men’s National Team through the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Here are some soundbites from the press conference, of Krzyzewski, USA Basketball’s Jerry Colangelo and Duke’s Richard Brodhead.

Jerry Colangelo, USA Basketball Chairman

• “I couldn’t be happier to have Coach K back. I’m kind of old fashioned. I never really accepted the fact that he wasn’t coming back.”
• “I just think it is a perfect fit for him. I think his legacy is very much tied to USA Basketball as it certainly is to Duke University.”
• “I could not have picked a better guy to be in that foxhole with than Coach K.”

Richard Brodhead, Duke University President

• “[Krzyzewski] has unique talents for motivating people, making them want to live up to the very fullest of their potential, and learning and understand how they can do things together that none of them can accomplish on their own.”
• “Duke didn’t lose any of Mike Krzyzewski by having [him] become the coach of the Olympics. I think that [he's] been more into coaching at Duke in [his] Olympic years than [he] ever [was] before.”

Mike Krzyzewski, USA Men’s Basketball Head Coach

• “It’s the ultimate honor, really, to coach our country’s team, and it’s the ultimate honor of a player to play for his country’s team.”
• “When I said I wasn’t going to do it, I felt that I wasn’t going to do it. I felt it gave USA Basketball an opportunity to look at everything. I wanted to still become a part of USA Basketball. That started the discussions of staying involved.”
  

  Mike Krzyzewski will officially return to USA Basketball through the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro. (Photo by Elysia Su/The Chronicle)

• “We’ll try to do these next four years the way we did the last seven, and that’s to build it with the best players available, try to get as many of the best players as we can. They’re the ones who make an amazing commitment.”
• “I got better [as a coach from coaching the Olympics].”
• “It really doesn’t take that much time away during recruitment. Most of this stuff is done during August, which is not a time you’re allowed to be out.”
• “I think [my involvement with the Olympics] has only helped our program.”
• “I don’t think anybody should coach the [Olympic] team unless their coaching [somewhere else]. In other words, you have to stay sharp, so I’m coaching in the best league against the best competition, the best players, that I can.”
• “I don’t see an end [to my coaching at Duke] and obviously I’m not going to end before the Olympics.”
• “Our team next year for Duke is very athletic. It will mirror some of the things that were some of the things we’ve done for the Olympics, where you’d have guys with multiple positions. We’re still trying to get a waiver for LeBron [James] and Kobe [Bryant] to come back and use their college eligibility.”

Coach K led Team USA to gold medals in 2008 (Beijing) and 2012 (London) but had said the London Olympics would be his last as head coach. Krzyzewski brought back life to the program that finished with a disappointing bronze at the 2004 Olympics in Athens.

He has a 62-1 record with the Americans and will now lead the team to both the 2016 Olympics and the 2014 FIBA World Championships in Spain.

The World Championships will be a particularly tough test because the Americans typically do not have their full A-squad for the World Championships while they will be playing a tough Spanish team on their home turf.