Austin Rivers was asked Tuesday to compare the level of attention in Winter Park, Fla., where he attended high school, to the scene in Durham this summer, where he’s playing in the Greater NC Pro-Am basketball league.

"I've been kind of used to this since high school, but it is a little bit different here because North Carolina is more of a basketball state," said Rivers. "Florida is more of a mixture of football and basketball. I'm kind of getting a taste of how serious it is here, and I love it.

"That's why I chose to come to this area and play basketball.

"College basketball, period - the fans, the coaches, the rivalries. I'm very excited to get to play in that atmosphere," Rivers said.

North Carolina junior John Henson, a second-team All-ACC forward who averaged 11.7 points last season, has been putting up hundreds of shots each day in an effort to bolster the Tar Heels, who are expected to open the season with the No. 1 ranking. A 6-foot-10 junior, he has gained about 10 pounds since last season and weighs about 220.

Known more for his ability to block shots (118 last season) and reach above almost everyone with his 7-4 wingspan to grab rebounds (10.1 per game last season), he's nonetheless been connecting more on his mid-range jumper and recently has added another weapon.

"You're going to kind of laugh, but my right-hand hook is pretty nice," he said. "I've always been a left-handed guy, so it's pretty funny. I'm still working on all of my offensive moves, so that in the right situation, I'll have the right move. But that one, I'd say, is coming along the most right now."

Henson - who writes and usually shoots right-handed, but does almost everything else with his left - had been working toward a left-handed hook as his go-to move.

When Austin Rivers and the Blue Devils practiced last Sunday and Monday in preparation for their exhibition tour to China and Dubai next month, the 6-5 freshman guard heard instructions in a new way.

"The first two practices were real rough," Rivers said. "They were yelling at me, getting on me, telling me things I never knew before. But that's why I chose Duke. I felt like they wouldn't cheat me of that. A lot of colleges I could have gone to maybe would have said nothing or let me get away with it because of who I was. Coach K knows what the hell he's talking about.

"College is a whole different level,” Rivers said.  “Getting back on defense. Running the court more. With my jumping ability and my scoring ability, they want me to run the floor more. If I get the rebound, go. If somebody else gets the rebound, look for me. Just remembering little stuff like that."

He's also finding out how important on-court communication with teammates will be.

"Learning to talk more," Rivers said. "In high school you don't talk much on help defense. But Duke, like all colleges, if you want to play good defense, you have to talk."

Publicly, at least, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is keeping expectations for Rivers from getting too high.

Rivers said recently that he needs to strengthen his skills and body and develop a defensive mindset, and Krzyzewski seems to agree.

"He's got to change," Krzyzewski said. "He's got to learn to become a complete player. For any freshman coming in, there's a huge difference in playing with older guys, more physical. It's a whole different thing."

The University of Miami men's basketball team will be sporting LeBron James-branded Nike gear this coming season thanks to a sponsorship deal with the Miami Heat superstar, two sources said Friday.

James will also be sponsoring Ohio State and Kentucky.

UM players were told the news by Coach Jim Larranaga on Thursday.

James' publicist, Keith Estabrook, said he wouldn't comment on the matter and directed all questions to Nike, which didn't immediately return an email from the Sun Sentinel.

Austin Rivers showed some of the magic he could bring to Cameron Indoor Stadium this fall at the Greater NC Pro-Am basketball summer league at N.C. Central on Thursday evening.

Playing for Team Hendrick with Smith and future teammates Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly, Rivers drew the largest roars of the night on a pair of dunks and afterward drew the largest crowd of autograph seekers, too.

He scored 15 points, including three 3-pointers.

Kyrie Irving, who was at the gym but did not play, said before the game, "He's going to help, not doubt. I've seen him in some pickup games, and he's really good."