Rhapsody In Blue by Maple Street Press

Rhapsody In Blue Big Three leads Duke to title #4 by Brett Friedlander

ike Krzyzewski insisted from the very start that this was not a great Duke team. It’s an assessment he wasn’t prepared to amend, even as his Blue Devils put together an impressive run through the NCAA Tournament’s South Region to earn a trip to the Final Four at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Hall of Fame coach did, however, make at least one concession as his team cruised to within reach of its first national title since 2001. “It’s a really good team and it can do something great,” Krzyzewski said on the eve of the championship game. Truth be told, the blue collar 2009–10 Blue Devils probably would have had a hard time beating any of coach Mike Krzyzewski’s three previous national titlists—star-studded units filled with national Players of the Year and future NBA stars like Christian Laettner, Grant Hill, Jason Williams, Carlos Boozer, and Shane Battier. But does that really matter? Comparing teams from different years is a little like debating the merits of a sleek Ferrari against a rugged F-150 pickup. You can do it, but it serves no purpose. Though they’re each functional in their own way, you’d never enter the truck in a road race, just as you’d never try to haul a heavy load of building materials in the two-seat sports car. In the end, these latest Blue Devils earned their great achievement by outlasting underdog Butler, 61–59, in one of the best, most dramatic finals ever. It was a hard-earned victory that encapsulated a season in which Krzyzewski and his team had to earn everything they got. Rather than overwhelming opponents with sheer talent or outscoring them with an athletic, racehorse style as in the past, Duke went back to the basics by relying on a stifling half-court defense and a toughness that allowed

Despite all those setbacks, Scheyer was so hyped about Duke’s chances, that he called this the best team he’d played on because of its size and overall talent. “Our expectations are really high this year,” Scheyer said. “From seeing what we can do this preseason... We have a lot of upside.” The pollsters agreed, establishing the Blue Devils as the ACC’s co-favorites along with defending national champion North Carolina. It’s a role they enthusiastically embraced. After looking somewhat disjointed in early wins against UNCG and Coastal Carolina, Duke gave a glimpse of the championship team it would become with an overwhelming 101–59 drubbing of Duke threw a blanket over Gordon Hayward in the championship game, Charlotte in the second round of the NIT holding the star forward to 2-of-11 shooting. Season Tip-Off. it to overcome any kind of adversity. And there was plenty of The game was significant in that it marked Smith’s to overcome during the memorable five-month journey. return from his suspension and showed just how big a difWhile the Blue Devils were carried by the talents of the ference one little man in the lineup could make. Defensively, Big Three—senior Jon Scheyer and juniors Kyle Singler and Smith helped create the pressure that forced Charlotte into Nolan Smith—they could never have achieved what they did without the consistent contributions of late-blooming Brian Zoubek along with fellow role players Lance Thomas, Miles and Mason Plumlee, and young Andre Dawkins. “You can say we weren’t that good, but we beat everybody to get here and nobody beat us,” Zoubek said afterwards, answering the team’s many critics. “We did our job, and if you feel bad about it, just look at my banner in my gym.” Earning that banner and returning Duke to the top of the college basketball mountain were the Blue Devils’ goals from the opening day of practice. That mountain, however, turned out to be a lot steeper than even they thought it would be. The first bit of bad news came in June when sophomore swingman Elliot Williams, the heir apparent to departed star Gerald Henderson, abruptly transferred to Memphis so he could be closer to home and his ailing mother. Then came word that Smith would be suspended for the first two games of the season because of his participation in an unsanctioned summer league. If that wasn’t bad enough, incoming freshman Mason Plumlee, the projected starter at center, was lost for at least a month when he fractured his left wrist Jon Scheyer, here blocking a shot by Butler’s in practice on the eve of the season opener against UNC Willie Veasley, was superb from the opening tip until the Greensboro. final shot of the 2010 national championship game.

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Your 2009–2010 ncaa champions

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Rhapsody In Blue committing seven turnovers on its first nine possessions. Offensively, he scored eight of his team’s points in a 12–0 run that broke the game open early. The junior guard finished with 24 points, on 9-of-15 shooting, in what was the best game of his college career to that point. “I’ve been anxious to get back out there,” Smith said afterward. “I was ready to make plays. Kyle and Jon were telling me how happy they were to have me back. I wanted to play well and feed off them. My motor was running.” Just like that, the Blue Devils were off and running. They scored a routine home win against Radford before going to New York to beat Kyle Singler managed to get this shot off, but like Duke, Butler played suffocating Arizona State and UConn and earn defense in the 2010 NCAA championship game. the fourth pre-season NIT title in school history. Though the 68–59 triumph against the It was a performance so impressive that it overshadowed Huskies featured a marquee match-up of coaches with more Scheyer’s career-high 36 points. than 1,600 wins between them and teams ranked among the “I can’t say enough about Andre coming back the way he nation’s top 13, the game was anything but a classic. Duke has,” Scheyer said. “Obviously that was a tough situation he shot just 28.4% from the floor (21-of-74), but persevered was in, and I’m proud of him for the way he’s handled it.” thanks to an amazing 25 offensive rebounds. It was the first Almost as satisfying was the comparison made after the time since 1950 that the Blue Devils had won a game while game by Gardner-Webb coach Rick Scruggs. Asked if he shooting less than 30%. thought Duke was a better team than archrival UNC—which “Quite frankly, they out-willed us and did the things you beat the Bulldogs a few weeks earlier—Scruggs answered need to do to win a game,” UConn’s Jim Calhoun said. emphatically. That became a recurring theme for Duke as the season “Oh, by far,” he said. “Carolina throws athletes at you progressed. Even when it didn’t shoot well, this group always and they’re long and athletic a lot like Duke. But Duke seemed to find ways to win. shoots the ball a lot better. Duke’s shooting opens up the That doesn’t mean there weren’t some setbacks. inside when they have guys like Scheyer and Singler and the A few nights later, in Wisconsin, Duke lost for the first guys that can shoot it so well. That just opens everything up. time ever in the ACC-Big Ten Challenge as the Badgers’ When you shoot the ball well, it just opens up everything on Trevon Hughes scored 26 points to key a 73–69 upset. But the floor.” the Blue Devils bounced right back, beating St. John’s at Scruggs’s analysis proved prophetic, because while the home before crushing Gardner-Webb 113–68 in what turned Tar Heels eventually fell into a state of disarray, the Blue out to be one of the most emotional games of the season. Devils kept getting better. The spotlight centered on young freshman Dawkins, A surprisingly easy 76–41 rout of Gonzaga in New York who decided to graduate high school and enroll at Duke was followed by victories against Long Beach State, Penn, a year early to help fill the void left by Williams’s transfer. Clemson in the ACC opener for both teams, and Iowa State Playing for the first time since his older sister was killed and before the winning streak was finally stopped in Atlanta his mother seriously injured in a car wreck while driving with a 71–67 loss to Georgia Tech. The poor performance to Durham to watch him play against St. John’s, the quiet was blamed on tired legs, caused by a schedule that had youngster displayed a toughness and maturity far beyond his Duke playing three games in a week, punctuated by a quick 18 years by coming back and scoring 13 of his 16 points in turnaround from a long trip home after the Iowa State game the second half. in Chicago. © 2010 Maple Street Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

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No one seemed more affected than Singler. Still working to get comfortable in his new role on the perimeter, the junior forward scored just nine points against the Yellow Jackets on 2-for-13 shooting from the floor. It was the start of a shooting slump that, at the time, became cause for great concern among Blue Devils fans and the media. That concern deepened two games later when Singler came down hard on his right wrist during a brutally physical win against Wake Forest in a game that served as the coming out party for the Plumlee brothers. Between them, Miles and Mason scored 30 points and pulled down 21 rebounds. But the momentum didn’t last long. Four days later, Duke made the short trip over to Raleigh, shot poorly, played little defense, and was dominated 88–74 by an NC State team picked to finish last in the ACC. Then, after a satisfying win against Clemson that avenged a crushing defeat the season before, and a routine home victory against Florida State, the Blue Devils were

Nolan Smith, the last Duke player in a position to contest Gordon Hayward’s last-second shot, won a ring in the same city his late father, Derek, did with Louisville in 1980. 62 | Blue Devil Tip-Off 2010–2011

knocked back again. This time it came in the form of an 89–77 hammering at the hands of Georgetown before a raucous sellout crowd at Washington’s Verizon Center that included president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden. According to the pundits, the lopsided loss didn’t just prove that the Big East was far superior to the ACC. It also served to expose Duke’s flaws and show how vulnerable it would be against quick, athletic opponents come March. The Blue Devils, especially Singler, had other ideas. Instead of signaling its impending downfall, Duke used the Georgetown game as the springboard for a run that would see it go 18–1 the rest of the way. Singler, bad wrist and all, turned out to be the catalyst for the fantastic finish. His run began just before halftime against Georgia Tech on February 4 when he hit a three-pointer he would later call “a silent dagger.” That set the stage for a second-half barrage in which Singler hit seven more three-pointers to finish 8-of-10 for the game from long range. “I just got into a rhythm,” Singler said. “I took open shots and started knocking them down.” His 30-point performance ended all talk of a shooting slump and helped get the Blue Devils quickly back on track. Singler would ultimately be named the Most Outstanding Player of both the ACC Tournament and Final Four, but for all of his memorable moments—and those of fellow Big Three members Scheyer and Smith—it could be argued that the most valuable player of Duke’s stretch run to the national title was none other than senior center Zoubek. Thrust back into the starting lineup on February 13 against Maryland because of an injury to fellow upperclassman Thomas in a win against UNC at Chapel Hill, the much-maligned 7'1" center responded with the game of his life. Zoubek erupted for 16 points and 17 rebounds to make Coach K’s 1,000th career game a success with a 77–56 rout of the Terrapins that put the Blue Devils in control of the ACC regular season race. The game proved to be an epiphany for Zoubek, who had spent most of his career either injured, sitting on the bench, or listening to the taunts of opposing fans. But suddenly, as though he realized that his time to shine was rapidly slipping away, the player Virginia Tech coach Seth Greenberg described as “a mountain masquerading as a man,” finally started playing to the potential everyone thought he had when first arrived at Duke. “Once that [Maryland] game hit, I realized I didn’t want to go back. I didn’t want to regress,” he said. “Why wouldn’t you want to try doing everything in your power to continue playing like that?” At the beginning of the season, Zoubek grew his

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Your 2009–2010 ncaa champions

Rhapsody In Blue

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The Duke bench rushes the floor after Gordon Hayward’s shot barely misses, giving the Devils a thrilling victory over the tenacious Butler Bulldogs. trademark beard so that he would look tougher. Now, finally, he was letting his play make the statement for him. Not only did his rebounding, screening, and defense become the final piece to the championship puzzle, but his desire and emotional leadership seemed to give everyone around him an extra spark. That was never more evident than in the regular season finale against UNC. Motivated by a painful history against the Tar Heels and the fact that they needed a win to share the regular season crown with Maryland, the Blue Devils took out a lot of frustration in beating their rivals for the first time in four years at Cameron Indoor Stadium. It started with Scheyer, Singler, and Smith each hitting three-pointers on Duke’s first three shots, igniting a 31–9 burst that put the game away by the midway point of the opening half. It was like going to the aquarium and watching a tank full of piranha devouring a piece of red meat as the score began to multiply and the feeding frenzy began. By the time it was over and the bonfires had been ignited, Duke had secured its most lopsided home victory ever against UNC, clinched the #1 seed in the ACC Tournament, and a capped off perfect season at Cameron—an accomplishment celebrated by t-shirts with a logo designed by Singler. “I don’t know what else you could ask for,” Scheyer said after finishing off a 28–5 regular season. “Obviously we really wanted to win this game.” They were far from through, though. After overcoming the post-Tar Heel hangover by

winning their second straight ACC Tournament championship, the Blue Devils set their sights on silencing the critics that labeled them the weakest of the NCAA Tournament’s four #1 seeds and the most likely to become an upset victim. The mission began with a pair of workmanlike victories against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and California in Jacksonville, FL, that were secured despite Scheyer’s sudden inability to put the ball in the basket. In past years, such a 1-for-11 performance by a key player would have signaled the end of the season for the Blue Devils. Not anymore. Because of Singler’s grit, Smith’s aggressive drives to the basket, and the inside dominance of big men Zoubek, Thomas, and the Plumlees, Scheyer’s struggles became nothing more than a minor obstacle to overcome. “In past teams, meaning the last few years, those kids achieved as much as they could achieve,” Krzyzewski said afterward. “They won 29, 30 games, but they were limited teams, and they couldn’t play the defense that this team can play because we have big guys. We’re a better team this year... This is a better team because it can play defense and doesn’t have to rely on that other stuff.” That was never more evident than during the NCAA South Regional in Houston. Against Purdue in the semifinals, Duke overcame a dreadful first half to and finally advance past the Sweet 16 for the first time in five years, then withstood an 0-for-10 disaster by Singler to outlast Baylor for the region title and a trip to the Final Four. As was the case so many times during the season, the Blue Devils were able to overcome a subpar effort by one of

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actually filmed in its own Hinkle Arena only six miles away from the glitz of Lucas Oil Stadium, Butler was cast in the role of the inspirational underdog. And the Bulldogs played it to the hilt by battling “big, bad Duke” basket for basket. On film, fictional sharpshooter Jimmy Chitwood made the big shot as time expired to win the game for all “the small schools that never had the chance to get here.” In real life, Butler’s Chitwood lookalike, sophomore star Gordon Hayward, had not one, but two chances to make some real history in the game’s final 13 seconds. But he misfired both times. The first was because of the smothering defense that had become Duke’s trademark. The second was because of a random bounce of the ball or a touch from the hands of the basketball gods. Freed by a jarring screen that sent Singler face down onto the floor, Hayward fired up a half-court heave that hit the backboard and hung tantalizingly on the front of the rim before finally Jon Scheyer relishes the moment as Duke climbs back to the falling off. top of the college basketball world. “It looked good,” said Singler, who was still their Big Three because other teammates came though to pick lying on the floor when the celebration finally began and he up the slack. was mobbed by his joyous teammates. “It was just one of those Once the team got to Indianapolis for a national semithings where you’re wishing, hoping that it won’t go in. When final date against West Virginia, it became evident just how I saw it bounce off the rim, the team came together and it was potent it could be on a night where all its stars were playing at just a special moment.” the top of their game. The Big Three combined for 63 points It was so special, so unexpected, and so hard-earned that in a resounding 78–57 victory. Scheyer finished with 23 points even Coach K, who had won three previous titles to go with to lead the charge, followed closely by Singler with 21 and an Olympic gold medal, still had a hard time believing it had Smith with 19. Duke shot 52.7% from the floor, outscored happened nearly an hour after the epic game had ended. the Big East champions 19–7 on second-chance points, and “I don’t think we were lucky to win, because we earned it,” turned the ball over just once in the second half on its way to he said. “I think we won because of these guys. As good as the avenging a bitter second-round NCAA Tournament loss to Butler story is, was, and will be, their story is pretty good, too.” the Mountaineers two years ago. You might even say it was great, as Krzyzewski finally It was a complete performance made all the more acknowledged on the podium after the final victory. impressive by ten rebounds from Zoubek. “I’ve said throughout the year that they were good. Then “When we do that good a job of getting them wide-open they were really good. Then they were really good with great shots and we play defense and rebound, we’re awfully tough to character,” he said. “It’s because we always wanted to keep beat,” Zoubek said. them chasing something. That proved to be the case again two nights later in the “But I told them before we came here [to the postgame championship game as nearly everyone—from the Big Three, press conference], ‘You’re a great team. You’re a great to Zoubek, Thomas, the Plumlees, and even Dawkins—did team.’” MSP something big or small to contribute to the cause. But, Brett Friedlander covers the ACC for the Wilmington Star-News. During because the Blue Devils’ opponent was just as resilient, just as his 30 years as an award-winning sportswriter and columnist for the gritty, and perhaps even more motivated, they had to battle Star-News, the Fayetteville Observer, and Annapolis (MD) Capital, he has all the way down to the final heart-stopping shot before they covered nine Final Fours, including Duke’s championship run last season. could finally start celebrating. He is a graduate of the University of South Carolina and lives with his wife Playing a part right out of the movie Hoosiers, which was and two children in Cary, NC.

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Your 2009–2010 ncaa champions