Fighting for Five Young Blue Devils seeking fifth national title
The Herald-Sun | Bernard Thomas
A special supplement to:
Saturday, April 4, 2015
page 2 final four
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Saturday, April 4, 2015
The Herald-Sun | Bernard Thomas
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski hugs Tyus Jones after beating Gonzaga in the NCAA South Regional championship Sunday at NRG Stadium in Houston.
Blue Devils have Coach K in ‘cool place’ He’s enjoyed working with his youngest team By STEVE WISEMAN
swiseman@heraldsun.com; 919-419-6671
INDIANAPOLIS — The great moments in Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching career resemble a highlight reel of college basketball’s historical highlights. From national championships and Final Four appearances to Olympic gold medals to milestone wins on the way to becoming the all-time wins leader for men’s Division I coaching, Duke’s coach can fill a Hall of Fame. This season, with this Duke team, has worked its way into that collection. At age 68, Krzyzewski is coaching his youngest team. The Blue Devils have started three freshman all season and, even though he is half a century their elder, Krzyzewski said their moments, this team’s moments, are as good as it gets. “I think you have to get on their page, in their moment,” Krzyzewski said. “With this group, that’s been easy. But I usually don’t have a hard time doing it. Sometimes it’s hard to find the page because they’re a little bit complex, some teams, to work with. But this group has been easy. It’s a lot more fun living in the present than trying to build some kind of record or live in the past. These kids, to be in their moment, is so much more fun. So I’ve really loved the year.” It shows. Krzyzewski said sometimes energy drops as a season draws to a close as the grind catches up to everyone and requires digging deeper to give your best. Last season, he said, the death of his only brother in December caused him to not give the Blue Devils his best. Duke’s loss to Mercer in the NCAA Tournament was the result. Krzyzewski’s side job as USA Basketball’s head coach required him to be away from Durham from June until September. That USA
team won a gold medal at the World Cup in Spain. But that extended grind hasn’t caused any problems with his young Duke team this season. “I was worried going into the year,” Krzyzewski said, “because of when USA Basketball ended, that was pressure because Madrid, winning the World Championship, middle of September. I was worried, I hope I have the gas, the energy. It hasn’t been a stretch at all. In fact, I think I’m as energized now as I’ve ever been at the end of the year.” Grant Hill shared many of those big moments in Krzyzewski’s career. He was a freshman on Duke’s 1991 NCAA championship team — the school’s first — and starred on the 1992 team that won a second consecutive title. He also led Duke to the NCAA final, where the Blue Devils lost to Arkansas in 1994, when he was a senior. Now an analyst for CBS Sports and Turner Broadcasting’s coverage of this year’s tournament, Hill has been in Charlotte and Houston for all four of Duke’s games. Fr om being around his former coach, Hill said it’s like the last 25 years haven’t passed at all. I have been impressed,” Hill said. “For someone who has done it for as long as he has to show the enthusiasm and the joy — I think coaching USA basketball and the guys he has this year has really reenergized him. He is
The Herald-Sun | Bernard Thomas
Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski and Quinn Cook celebrate winning the NCAA Tournament South Regional championship game Sunday in the NRG Stadium in Houston. as hungry and motivated as he was when he sat in my living room in 1989. It’s been fun to watch and the follow him and to see him continue to go out and set an amazing standar d at the coaching level.” Duke senior guard Quinn Cook, one of the team’s co-captains along with Amile Jefferson, was instrumental in working with the incoming freshmen — Jahlil Okafor, Tyus Jones, Justise Winslow and Grayson Allen — over the summer. With Krzyzewski and associate head coach Jeff
Capel overseas with USA Basketball, the team had to form bonds among itself with assistant coaches Nate James and Jon Scheyer also instructing them. B y S e p t e m b e r, Krzyzewski and Capel returned to find things in place. “Coach got back from USA basketball and it wasn’t a big drop off,” Cook said. “The first thing he told us was he was proud of us and that was when I really first realized we had something special and we’ve gotten better.”
duke statistics Player Jahlil Okafor Quinn Cook Justise Winslow Tyus Jones Rasheed Sulaimon Amile Jefferson Matt Jones Grayson Allen Semi Ojeleye Marshall Plumlee Nick Pagliuca Sean Kelly Totals
GP 36 37 37 37 20 37 37 33 6 37 10 9 37
MIN 30.3 35.8 29.0 33.7 19.3 21.6 21.5 8.6 10.5 9.6 1.7 1.2 —
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% FT% 3P% 17.5 8.7 1.4 0.8 1.4 2.5 .668 .511 .000 15.5 3.4 2.7 1.0 0.0 1.3 .453 .887 .401 12.5 6.3 2.1 1.3 0.8 1.8 .485 .630 .417 11.6 3.5 5.7 1.5 0.1 2.0 .413 .888 .373 7.5 2.0 1.8 1.0 0.1 1.3 .413 .667 .404 6.4 5.7 0.8 0.6 0.6 1.1 .628 .556 .000 6.1 2.3 1.0 0.9 0.1 0.8 .409 .727 .387 3.9 0.8 0.4 0.3 0.2 0.4 .413 .833 .354 3.0 2.3 0.2 0.5 0.0 0.0 .278 .571 .250 2.3 2.4 0.3 0.2 0.6 0.4 .800 .724 1.000 0.3 0.4 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 .200 .000 .250 0.0 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.0 0.0 .000 .000 .000 80 37 15 7 4 11 .502 .695 .390
Hill appreciates what he’s seen from his old coach as Krzyzewski enjoys moments like Cook described. “I think he’s done a great job,” Hill said. “I think the team dynamics have changed with getting some talented young players. Getting the most out of them. Expect them to not only be talented on the court but be leaders and that the team core is built around. It might be a little bit different approach than what he’s done in the past. But Coach K is the best at being able
to get a team to respond and connect and come together as the season progresses.” The Blue Devils have r esponded to tough circumstances. Semi Ojeleye transferred in December and Rasheed Sulaimon was kicked off the team for disciplinary reason in late January. That left Duke with only eight scholarship players. The Blue Devils lost two consecutive games in mid-January, but the team didn’t splinter. “We’ve gone through some tough times this year on the cour t and we responded,” Cook said. “We had our backs against the wall a couple times. It’s build character and especially for these young guys to perform the way they have in big games is just getting better for March. Just been believing in these guys.” Together, Krzyzewski and this group of Blue Devils have churned out a season to remember whether they win two more games to claim the NCAA title or not. But the drive to stay together to the end of the road — Monday night’s championship game — is strong. “To have this group of kids — after coaching USA Basketball until mid-September this past year — they’ve been an incredible joy,” Krzyzewski said. “I don’t want to — I don’t want the season to be over. I’m fresh and that’s why I’ve tried to make sure these kids are in their moment and I’m in their moment because it’s a good — I wish you could be in it, you know. I wish you could be in it. It’s a cool place to be.”
duke 2014-15 roster No. Player Pos. Hgt. 2 Quinn Cook G 6-2 3 Grayson Allen G 6-4 5 Tyus Jones G 6-1 12 Justise Winslow F 6-6 13 Matt Jones G 6-5 15 Jahlil Okafor C 6-11 21 Amile Jefferson F 6-9 34 Sean Obi F 6-9 40 Marshall Plumlee C 7-0 42 Sean Kelly G 6-3 45 Nick Pagliuca G 6-3 Mike Krzyzewski — head coach
Wgt. Yr. 185 Sr. 195 Fr. 190 Fr. 225 Fr. 210 So. 270 Fr. 215 Jr. 270 So. 255 Jr. 195 Sr. 195 So.
Saturday, April 4, 2015
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
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Jahlil Okafor Year: Freshman Height: 6-11 Weight: 270 Position: Center Hometown: Chicago The ups: Became first freshman named ACC player of the year. Scored in double figures in 33 of the 37 games he played in. Leads Duke with 17.5 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. Leads the ACC and ranks second nationally with a 66.8 field goal percentage (267-of-400). He has shot 70 percent or better from the field 20 times on the year. The downs: Sprained his ankle against North Carolina and missed Duke’s win over Clemson on Feb. 21. Did not score in double figures in Duke’s NCAA Tournament wins over Utah and Gonzaga. Has only made 51 percent of his free throws this season. Final Four forecast: Duke can’t afford for Okafor to have the type of below average scoring games he had against
Enough Justise Winslow
Utah and Gonzaga if the Blue Devils are to win the national championship. He made 8 of 10 shots against Michigan State in November to score 17 points. That kind of game would serve Duke nicely.
Year: Freshman Height: 6-6 Weight: 250 Position: Forward Hometown: Houston The ups: Winslow is averaging 14.0 points, 9.5 rebounds, 3.1 assists, 1.8 blocks and 1.5 steals in NCAA Tournament play. He is shooting 51.3 percent (20-of-39) from the field, including 58.3 percent (7-of-12) from three-point range. The downs: Went through a tough stretch in early-to-mid January. Battling a fractured rib and a sore shoulder, Winslow went four consecutive games without scoring in double figures. He has since become more comfortable but he is still wearing a protective pad under his jersey. Final Four forecast: The Blue Devils would not have made it out of Houston were it not for Winslow. Playing in his hometown, he keyed the wins over Utah and Gonzaga by scoring 21 and 16 points. Winslow’s ability to play the forward
Quinn Cook Year: Senior Height: 6-2 Weight: 185 Position: Guard Hometown: Washington, D.C. The ups: Cook is the heart and soul of this Duke team. He’s having his best shooting season of his career, setting career highs in field goal percentage (45.3) and 3-point field goal percentage (40.1). He’s also taking better care of the basketball, averaging 1.3 turnovers a game. Compare that to 2.2 when he helped Duke to an Elite Eight appearance in 2013 as a sophomore. The downs: Did not shoot well in the South Regional at Houston’s cavernous NRG Stadium. Cook made just 4 of 15 shots, including 1 of 6 3-pointers. Duke won anyway, but Cook needs to adjust and shoot better at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend. Final Four forecast: Cook made it his passion to help Duke do something
Final Four page 3
position down low near Okafor made Duke a better team because of his ability to rebound and start the fast breaks.
Tyus Jones
memorable this season. He’s finally playing in his first Final Four and given that he averages 35.8 minutes per game this season, don’t expect him to be off the court very often. Cook’s on-ball defense will be important. He’ll need to pester opposing guards like he has so often this season.
Year: Freshman Height: 6-1 Weight: 190 Position: Guard Hometown: Apple Valley, Minnesota The ups: Came up big in many of Duke’s toughest games this season. Jones is averaging 16.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.3 assists and 1.4 steals per game against ranked opponents. He has scored in double fi gures in all 10 games, including three efforts of 20 or more points. The downs: When Duke lost back-toback games to N.C. State and Miami last January, Jones slumped. He made just 3 of 15 shots from the field and missed all six of his 3-pointers. So his shooting does have an impact on how well the Blue Devils play. Final Four forecast: College basketball’s biggest stage seems to be where Tyus was meant to play along. His solid stats against ranked foes is one
indication. Another is how he ran the team in the South Regional final against Utah, when he played 40 minutes and didn’t turn the ball over. If he plays like that in two games in Indianapolis, Duke will have a chance to carry the big trophy home.
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Matt Jones Year: Sophomore Height: 6-5 Weight: 210 Position: Guard Hometown: Desoto, Texas The ups: Moved into the starting lineup at midseason, allowing Winslow to shift to forward and make Duke a more versatile team. Jones has been a competant defender who has scored and rebounded just enough to serve the Blue Devils’ needs. His big moment came last Sunday when he made four 3-pointers and scored 16 points in Duke’s win over Gonzaga. The downs: Jones has made 38.7 percent of his 3-pointers this season, which is far better than his 14.3 percent shooting from behind the 3-point line as a freshman. Still, he sometimes goes through stretches where he falls in love with 3-point attempts. Like when he was 3 of 10 against Wake Forest or 1 of 6 against Clemson.
Enough Amile Jefferson
Final Four forecast: Expecting Matt Jones to be a double-figure scorer in a Final Four game is too much to ask. He is averaging 6.1 points per game this season, after all. But he’s a solid contributor to this team and if he plays solid defense and makes a shot or two, he’ll be giving the Blue Devils what they need.
Year: Junior Height: 6-9 Weight: 215 Position: Forward Hometown: Philadelphia The ups: A co-captain along with senior guard Quinn Cook, Jefferson’s guidance has been important to the development of the Blue Devils. He’s averaged 5.7 rebounds per game in a role that became more limited as the season progressed. But he continued to bring post defense, rebounding and interior baskets as a valued reserve. His 19-point game at Louisville, for example, fueled a big Duke win. The downs: When Duke moved Justise Winslow to the starting forward slot, that made Jefferson a bench player. Against teams with deep frontcourts — San Diego State, Utah and Gonzaga — he scored a total of four points in three games. Final Four forecast: Jefferson scored only six points in 21 minutes against
Marshall Plumlee Year: Redshirt junior Height: 7-0 Weight: 255 Position: Center Hometown: Warsaw, Indiana The ups: Plumlee has had some impressive games in the second half of the season. He scored 12 points in Duke’s NCAA Tournament win over N.C. State and tallied 10 points in an NCAA Tournament win over Robert Morris. He’s an important back-up behind starting center Jahlil Okafor and is needed to get Okafor some rest during games. The downs: Plumlee’s job is that of a true role player, which doesn’t call on him to provide major points or rebounds. But as the NCAA Tournament has progressed, he’s only played a total of 20 minutes over Duke’s last three tournament games. Final Four forecast: Plumlee is back playing in his home state, in the same stadium where older brothers Miles and Mason became NCAA Tournament
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Michigan State when Duke beat the Spartans on Nov. 18. His ability to defend, rebound and provide a basket or two in a reserve role against a physical Michigan State team in the Final Four could be critical to Duke’s chances of advancing.
Grayson Allen
champions in 2010. Marshall Plumlee won’t play a major role in Duke’s chances of winning or losing. But his ability to spell Okafor while avoiding turnovers and fouls will be important.
Year: Freshman Height: 6-4 Weight: 195 Position: Guard Hometown: Jacksonville, Florida The ups: Allen has grown more comfortable on the court as the season has progressed. Once Rasheed Sulaimon was kicked off the team, Allen was needed to fill some reserve perimeter minutes. He showed a glimpse of what could come in the future when he scored 27 points in Duke’s lopsided win over Wake Forest on March 4. The downs: Allen hasn’t been asked to contribute much as the tournament has progressed and the competition has grown more difficult. He’s played only an average of six minutes against San Diego State, Utah and Gonzaga. Final Four forecast: With Tyus Jones, Quinn Cook and Matt Jones playing the majority of the backcourt minutes, there aren’t likely to be many opportunites
for Allen to have big minutes on college basketball’s big stage this weekend. But if called upon, Allen has shown the ability to hit a 3-pointer or drive for a basket at times.
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final four page 5
Mullins remembers Duke’s ‘great role’
He was star of two Blue Devil Final Four teams
team in Tokyo in 1964, and he was elected Duke senior class president. In a recent interview, Mullins talked about his days at Duke. “I really enjoyed playing at Duke. I had some great teammates, and Vic Bubas was a true mentor. Coach Bubas By Lewis Bowling stressed getting a quality education. He was just a good uke played in its 16th Final man. I see several similarities Four this weekend. That is today between Coach Bubas the fourth most in college and Coach K. They both allow basketball history, behind their players a lot of freedom, UNC, with 18, and Kentucky and from this the players build and UCLA with 17. up confidence. To this day I Let’s take a look at one appreciate the quality of Duke player who played a big role in University, whether I’m looking leading Duke to its first Final at the Duke Chapel or visiting Four in 1963. Cameron Indoor and seeing Just imagine for a moment how well taken care of the you are 18, a recent graduate building is.” of Lafayette High School in Mullins continued, “I was Lexington, Kentucky. You were a star basketball player, named an assistant athletic director the 1960 Mr. Basketball for the at Duke before I went into state of Kentucky. You had coaching, and I used to kid made the decision to go play with AD Tom Butters. I would college ball at Duke University. hear him say, ‘We are drawing Coach Vic Bubas had recruited better, more people are coming The 1963 Duke University basketball team after winning the Atlantic Coast Conference tournment. to basketball games.’ I liked you hard, and convinced you Coach Vic Bubas (left) and Bucky Waters flank the basketball. that Duke was a good choice. to remind him that back in the Tom Connelly, a prominent ’60s, when I played, there were school player of the year, an If this wasn’t enough, there wanted you. You had played Durham businessman, had no fire codes. People used to All-American in college, play high school ball two miles from was another factor. You got chartered a plane to fly to be seated or standing in every in a national championship the UK campus, for heaven’s to know a girl in high school, Lexington to pick you up inch of space, it seemed. There game, play on an Olympic gold really were no aisles, because sake. You were so heavily Candy, who would go to and take you to Durham and recruited it was “unusual not Kentucky and be a cheerleader, medal winning team, be named there were people everywhere. show you the beautiful Gothic an NBA All-Star and win an to have two or three college and would one day become campus. You were shown The referees had to get NBA championship and also coaches sitting on the hood of your wife. around what was then called students and fans to scoot back become a college head coach Now snap out of these Duke Indoor Stadium and met your car waiting for you after just so a player could throw the who took his teams to NCAA practice each day,” according to imaginings and dreams, the man whose name would ball in.” Tournaments. you. Almost the entire state of because most of us don’t one day adorn the arena, Eddie “If I had any strength as Duke teams that had Jeff Kentucky expected you to play become our state’s Mr. Cameron. a player, I think it was that I at UK. Basketball, or get recruited Mullins on them played in two Now here you are, in the always thought I could join So now you are at the by the likes of Duke and Final Fours, 1963 and 1964. summer of 1960, and you have up with four strangers and Mullins averaged 22 points and help make everyone better as Kentucky governor’s mansion, Kentucky, or meet with told Duke you were coming. But Adolph Rupp was used to across from the desk of the governors, or marry nine rebounds for his career a team. I didn’t demand the getting just about any player governor of Kentucky, Edward cheerleaders. But young Jeff at Duke, and he got those basketball, and I think I was a he wanted as the head man Breathitt, a UK graduate. nine boards at a height of 6’4”. pretty good communicator.” Mullins had all these things of Kentucky basketball. The Breathitt told you of all the He was a three-time All-ACC happen to him, and he knew Bubas recently said of great coach won national titles Duke University was the place performer and was the 1964 advantages of changing your Mullins, “I was very lucky to and conference championships mind about that little tobacco for him. ACC Player of the Year. Mullins get a person with not only the as often as most people Mullins has to be one of the scored in double figures in all school in North Carolina athletic talent of a Jeff celebrated birthdays, or so few, if any, players in basketball 86 games of his college career. and playing for the true blue it seemed, and Coach Rupp See Mullins/Page 9 Kentucky Wildcats. history to be named state high He played on the Olympic
D
Page 6 final four
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Growth lands Spartans in Final Four
Michigan State made big strides down stretch of regular season
michigan state 2014-15 roster No. Player Pos. Hgt. Wgt. Yr. 2 Javon Bess 6-5 205 F FR 13 Trevor Bohnhoff 6-7 225 F JR 0 Marvin Clark Jr. 6-6 225 F FR 10 Matt Costello 6-9 245 F JR 22 Branden Dawson 6-6 225 G/F SR 3 Alvin Ellis III 6-4 205 G SO 5 Bryn Forbes 6-3 175 G JR 25 Kenny Goins 6-6 215 F FR 14 Eron Harris 6-3 175 G JR 11 Lourawls Nairn Jr. 5-10 170 G FR 34 Gavin Schilling 6-9 240 F SO 20 Travis Trice 6-0 170 G SR 45 Denzel Valentine 6-5 220 G JR 30 Matt Van Dyk 6-5 205 F JR 15 Keenan Wetzel 6-4 215 G RS SR 41 Colby Wollenman 6-7 235 F RS JR Tom Izzo — head coach
By KEITH DUNLAP
Special to The Herald-Sun
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Since there was a prior meeting this season between Duke and Michigan State, a lot of dialogue this week was about how much both teams have improved since that Nov. 18 meeting at Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, won 81-71 by the Blue Devils. Because both ar e much better teams, the big question going into Saturday’s rematch in a national semifinal at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis is whether Michigan State has improved enough to overcome the 10-point gap on the scoreboard that existed against Duke back in the same city, but at a dif ferent venue. Michigan State hasn’t just made immeasurable strides since that November meeting, but it has in the last month after suffering an overtime loss at home to Minnesota on Feb. 26 that left people wondering if the Spartans would even make the NCAA tournament. Since that loss to a Minnesota team that didn’t even qualify for the National Invitation Tour nament, Michi gan State has only lost twice, both times to fellow Final Four par ticipant Wisconsin. Speaking with reporters on his team’s final full day of preparation at home before leaving for Indianapolis on Wednesday, Michigan State head coach
Associated Press
Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo, left, talks to Branden Dawson during the first half of a regional final against Louisville in the NCAA men’s college basketball tournament Sunday in Syracuse, N.Y. Tom Izzo joked that Popeye must have come and given his team spinach around late February, given how his team got so tough in such a short amount of time. The biggest strides have been made defensively, where players who were liabilities on defense earlier in the year can now be trusted to guard the best players the opposition has to offer. Frontcour t players Gavin Schilling and Matt Costello have helped stabilize the interior besides senior Branden Dawson, while guards T ravis T rice, Denzel Valentine and
Br yn Forbes have transformed into go-to players both on offense and defense. The inser tion of freshman Lourawls “T um T um” Nair n, a defensive specialist and ball-handler at this stage of his career, into the starting lineup midway through the season has also helped out Michigan State’s defense. “We’re not a team that gets after you as hard, but we are pretty solid and pretty steady,” Izzo said. “It’s been great that guys have bought into something. I think that is what they have bought
into, the team concept of defense and helping one another. Knowing they are not good individually, but collectively have done a great job.” Michigan State will need to play its best game of the season against Duke, which had its way in the first meeting back in
November. The 81 points scored by the Blue Devils is the most MSU gave up in regulation this season, and the Spar tans will have to pick their poison between playing Duke freshman center Jahlil Okafor oneon-one in the post, or double-team Okafor and leave the likes of Quinn Cook, Tyus Jones and Justise Winslow open on the perimeter. Okafor scor ed 17 points on 8 of 10 shooting in the first meeting against the Spartans. “We will probably have a ver y sophisticated defense to guard (Okafor),” Izzo said. “We are going to throw it in and we are going to pray he doesn’t make those shots and we will call it a day. It’s not going to be anything magical. We are going to do our job.” Of fensively, Michi-
gan State will likely be better than the 5 of 20 it was from 3-point range it was in the first meeting, given 3-point shooting from T rice, Valentine and Forbes has been the big weapon that has carried the Spartans on this improbable run to their seventh Final Four under Izzo. “You have to put them in ball screens, you have to make them move and you have to make them do some things,” Izzo said. “Hopefully we have some wrinkles we can put in. If they have any weaknesses, to tr y and find them. That is what these couple of days are for, to find some weaknesses and try to attack them. Everybody has a few warts. You just tr y to find them, you try to exploit them and see what you can capitalize on.”
michigan state statistics Player Travis Trice Denzel Valentine Branden Dawson Bryn Forbes Matt Costello Gavin Schilling Marvin Clark Jr. Javon Bess Lourawls Nairn Jr. Alvin Ellis III Colby Wollenman Keenan Wetzel Trevor Bohnhoff Totals
GP 38 38 34 38 38 38 38 13 38 31 28 14 12 38
MIN 33.5 33.1 30.1 26.4 20.5 17.0 11.2 11.4 19.4 8.5 7.5 2.2 1.8 —
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% FT% 3P% 15.3 3.2 5.1 1.1 0.2 1.7 .395 .716 .371 14.3 6.2 4.4 0.9 0.2 2.4 .438 .829 .411 11.9 9.1 1.7 1.2 1.6 1.8 .540 .495 .000 8.7 1.4 1.0 0.6 0.1 0.8 .455 .808 .435 7.0 5.2 0.8 0.4 1.2 0.8 .578 .671 .000 5.2 3.9 0.4 0.2 0.7 0.9 .582 .479 .000 4.6 2.2 0.3 0.2 0.3 0.7 .512 .684 .339 2.5 2.7 0.9 0.3 0.2 0.8 .478 .429 .500 2.2 1.6 2.3 0.3 0.0 0.9 .329 .522 .300 1.8 0.7 0.6 0.4 0.2 0.5 .333 .455 .250 1.2 1.6 0.2 0.1 0.1 0.4 .615 .222 .000 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 .125 .000 .143 0.2 0.3 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 .000 .500 .000 71 38 17 5 5 11 .467 .632 .386
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final four page 7
Badgers seeking to upset Kentucky X factor for Wisconsin could be peaking Dekker BY JOHN McCANN
JMCCANN@HERALDSUN.COM; 919-419-6601
Voting for this year’s winner of the John R. Wooden Award ended March 23. On March 26, Wisconsin for ward Sam Dekker blistered North Carolina for 23 points in the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament at STAPLES Center in Los Angeles. At the time, that point total was a career high for Dekker. Arizona had next in STAPLES. Dekker delivered 27 points during that one, helping the Badgers earn a spot in the Final Four in Indianapolis. The Wooden Award goes to the best player in college basketball and is based on the young man’s body of work. But if snapshots counted, Dekker would be in the conversation as the hot shot of Division I hoops and at least would have landed a spot as a thirdteam All-American. “The most relevant stats are the last four games,” Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in response to a question about his team’s Final Four matchup with Michigan State. The numbers that guys have put up since the start of the NCAA Tournament better tell what a team or player will bring to the court this weekend and Monday in Indy, as opposed to gaudy totals accumulated all season, he suggested. Dekker has averaged 13.9 points per game this season. During the NCAA Tournament, he’s been giving Wisconsin 21.8 points per game. Wisconsin, the No. 1 seed out of the West Region of the Big Dance, has been game planning to be the first team this season to knock of f Kentucky, both the No.1 seed out of the Midwest Region and the top overall seed. Badgers big man Frank Kaminsky, a firstteam All-American, is in the running for the Wooden Award. He’s a 7-footer who has a couple of pounds on Kentucky’s Willie CauleyStein (7-0, 240), an AllAmerican. Second-team AllAmerican Karl-Anthony Towns (6-11, 250) works
down low for Kentucky with 7-footer Dakari Johnson. That’s a lot of length, those two and Cauley-Stein, and Kentucky coach John Calipari even has 6-6 guards in Devin Booker and twins Andrew and Aaron Harrison. “They’re dif ferent. They’re undefeated for a reason,” Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. It has something to do with why Calipari is the national coach of the year, according to the National Association of Basketball Coaches. He’s been able to keep the W ildcats (38-0) awar e that one bad game could mean their shot at a national championship — never mind an undefeated season — goes kaput, Ryan said. “Ever ybody’s out to get ’em. They’r e marked,” R yan said. “We were marked this year. Duke was marked to some extent. Michigan State had ups and down and now is playing really well.” As terrific as Kaminsky has been all season, Dekker’s really getting it done right about now, especially in the second half against Arizona, specifically with gigantic 3-pointers that gave the Badgers separation at critical times. During the last 2:30 of the game, Arizona twice got within five points of W isconsin. Both times, Dekker drained 3s, nar rowly beating the shot clock on the first one. ‘‘Sam Dekker pretty much just crushed our dreams with that shot,’’ A r i z o n a g u a r d T. J . McConnell said. “He made shots,” Ryan said. “He was feeling it.”
The Herald-Sun | Christine T. Nguyen
Wisconsin’s Frank Kaminsky (44) pulls down a rebound in front of North Carolina’s Isaiah Hicks during a West regional semifinal game in the NCAA Tournament on March 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Wisconsin made 10 3-pointers in that second half against Arizona. Dekker hit five of them. Kaminsky scored 29 points during the game, part of a team effort that got the Badgers (353) in consecutive Final Fours for the first time in school history. Last season, Kentucky beat Wisconsin by a point in the national semifinals. Here they go again.
“ We k n o w K e n tucky’s got a lot of guys that’ll be first-rounders and good players at the next level. But I think we have guys that are going to be good, too,” Dekker said. Before this season star ted, Dekker, a junior, missed an exhibition game after hurting his ankle during practice in late October. He was back for Wisconsin’s Nov. 14 season
wisconsin statistics Player Frank Kaminsky Sam Dekker Nigel Hayes Traevon Jackson Bronson Koenig Josh Gasser Duje Dukan Zak Showalter Vitto Brown Riley Dearring Aaron Moesch Matt Ferris Jordan Smith Totals
GP 37 38 38 19 38 38 36 34 33 15 14 9 14 38
MIN 33.4 30.8 32.7 25.3 28.7 32.9 16.2 7.7 6.5 2.6 2.0 1.9 2.5 —
PPG RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% FT% 3P% 18.7 8.0 2.7 0.9 1.5 1.6 .549 .777 .415 13.9 5.5 1.2 0.5 0.5 0.9 .526 .716 .338 12.4 6.3 2.1 0.9 0.4 1.3 .502 .747 .380 8.6 1.6 2.6 0.9 0.2 1.6 .450 .837 .297 8.6 1.7 2.4 0.2 0.2 0.9 .416 .825 .411 6.9 3.4 1.8 0.8 0.2 0.5 .444 .827 .384 4.8 2.6 0.6 0.2 0.1 0.7 .380 .674 .318 2.1 1.3 0.4 0.3 0.1 0.1 .434 .889 .143 1.9 1.3 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.5 .441 .588 .000 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.4 .400 .000 .429 0.3 0.4 0.2 0.0 0.1 0.1 .286 .000 .000 0.2 0.6 0.0 0.1 0.1 0.1 .333 .000 .000 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 .000 .000 .000 73 33 13 4 3 7 .482 .764 .364
opener against Nor thern Kentucky. Dekker said coming back from that injur y made him mentally tougher. That’s not a bad trait to have when dealing with Kentucky. “We understand what Kentucky’s really like and what to expect,” Kaminsky said. Kaminsky, a senior,
leads the Badgers with 18.7 points and 8.0 rebounds per game. He has made about 55 percent of his shots from the field and has hit 42 percent of his 3-pointers. Kaminsky also leads the team with 99 assists and 54 blocked shots. See Badgers/Page 9
wisconsin 2014-15 roster No. Player Pos. 2 Jordan Smith G 3 Zak Showalter G 4 Matt Ferris G 5 Aaron Moesch F 10 Nigel Hayes F 11 Jordan Hill G 12 Traevon Jackson G 13 Duje Dukan F 15 Sam Dekker F 20 T.J. Schlundt G 21 Josh Gasser G 22 Ethan Happ F 24 Bronson Koenig G 30 Vitto Brown F 3 Riley Dearring G 44 Frank Kaminsky F Bo Ryan — head coach
Hgt. Wgt. Yr. 6-3 180 RS JR 6-2 185 RS SO 6-6 195 FR 6-8 215 RS FR 6-8 235 SO 6-3 175 SO 6-3 207 SR 6-10 218 RS SR 6-9 230 JR 6-5 182 FR 6-4 192 RS SR 6-9 230 FR 6-4 190 SO 6-8 237 SO 6-5 182 RS FR 7-0 242 SR
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Coach K And The 2015 Final Four Duke Blue Devils Thank you for the last 35 seasons and being in the Final Four again. From:
“THE ROWDY DUKE BOYS”
Fritz Hine, Joe Beavers, Steve Anderson, Mike Puckett, Steve Massengill, Kelly Adams, Joe Poe, Wayne Jordan, Jim Edgerton and in spirit Mike Cotton and Jim Puckett.
Page 8 final four
THE HERALD-SUN | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
Saturday, April 4, 2015
Harrisons have blossomed for Cats Twin guards have had strong sophomore campaigns
kentucky 2014-15 roster No. Name Pos. 00 Marcus Lee F 1 Devin Booker G 2 Aaron Harrison G 3 Tyler Ulis G 5 Andrew Harrison G 12 Karl-Anthony Towns F 13 Sam Malone G 15 Willie Cauley-Stein F 21 Tod Lanter G 22 Alex Poythress F 24 EJ Floreal G 25 Dominique Hawkins G 32 Brian Long G 35 Derek Willis F 41 Trey Lyles F 44 Dakari Johnson C John Calipari — head coach
BY MARK MATHIS for the herald-sun
Aaron and Andrew Harrison stood not far apar t from each other in the University of Kentucky locker room on the last day of last college basketball season. They and their teammates had absorbed a 60-54 loss to Connecticut in the NCAA championship game that Monday night. Finishing a season in which they had been roundly criticized — both together and individually, with Andrew getting the most derision — the Harrisons stood together in the middle of that somber UK locker room and took ever y question a media person asked. They did this for roughly the 30 minutes allotted. It was a display of leadership from the both of them that might have been impossible just a few months earlier in their freshman season. Aaron Harrison made his name with thr ee game-winning 3-point shots during that NCAA r un. He became the epitome of clutch for that tournament. There was a lot of talk about basketballs when Aaron Har rison was mentioned early last season. You know, basketballs. Andrew Harrison seemed to have emerged from his basketball shell — more accurately, he figured out how John Calipari wanted him to play point guard — although the UK coach had to do some major tinkering all the way through the SEC Tournament. Remember the Tweak? One of those monumental game-winners Aaron hit was in the final seconds against Wisconsin in the Final Four at AT&T Stadium. His brother Andrew looked like he was telling Aaron to shoot it after Andrew handed it off to the left of the top of the key as the crowd was roaring. Both the Harrisons and the W ildcats, it seems, have come full circle as they are in Indianapolis for their second straight Final Four. They are two games away fr om the 40-0
the big shots, but Aaron likes that this UK team has been good enough that he hasn’t been called on for major heroics, at least not yet. “This year I don’t want to have to shoot the last-second shot of course, if I don’t have to,” Aaron said. “Just going out and knowing, having the confidence Associated Press that I am on the best Kentucky’s Aaron Harrison (2) shoots against Arkansas’ Bobby Portis (10) during team, and if we defend the second half of the NCAA college basketball Southeastern Conference tourna- and play well, it’s going ment championship game March 15 in Nashville, Tenn. to be tough to beat us.” But if Aaron has to m a r k s o m a n y p r o - still times during the through a basketball pull the trigger from claimed would be theirs regular season when game. long range with the Andrew freely in 2014. If they make it, a Tweet would go out clock under 10 seconds they will also win UK’s that this fan or that fan admits he gets going that’s not going to bothninth NCAA champion- couldn’t wait to see the more the bigger the er him. twins leave the Wild- games are. None were ship. Aar on’s late-game bigger than last year’s The Harrisons have cats. performances last year Those opinions have Final Four. dealt with criticism “gave coach again this season, but probably changed with That will be “Aaron and Andrew confidence not nearly so deafening what the twins have t h e s a m e to get me are probably the as it was at through a brought overall to UK this time. the ball in Escaping funniest guys on this year. lot of last year. situations Aaron has scored in Notre Dame the team besides Those twins have like that.” also accomplished a double figures five of was a major Trey (Lyles). Aaron, Andrew’s task that Calipari put at the last seven times UK moment for d e meanor Andrew and Trey, played, all postseason all the Wildtheir feet last season. could eas N u m e r o u s t i m e s games dating back to cats, but it when they’re all ily be a Calipari said the Har- the SEC Tournament. was Andrew going on each defense rison twins were drag- He leads the Wildcats who had to other, I’ll always be m e c h a drive the ging UK as far as it with 11 points a game. nism. Have laughing at Drew, Andrew made the l a n e , g e t went in 2014. That opina poker ion hasn’t changed as A l l - M i d w e s t R e g i o n fouled, then especially Drew. face by not this 38-0 season, this team. He has reached step to the When Aaron gets showing NCAA run, has reached double figures in four f r e e - t h r o w going it’ s even anything at the Final Four in India- of the last six games. l i n e a n d Andrew leads UK with sink both of better. But Aaron is all. napolis. It’s not them to put kind of quiet, will “ A a r o n d i d w h a t 135 assists. like Aaron The twins, both at UK ahead. Aaron does,” Calipari put his two cents in is r unning “ Y o u 6-foot-6, still have their said Saturday night. ar ound all t o and be quiet. But Aaron hadn’t done deficiencies defensive- h a v e smiles all much of fensively all ly, but they seem to b e s e l f - Drew will go after game, but rose up and make up for them with m o t i v a t e d , somebody and stay t h e t i m e either. hit a 25-foot 3-pointer big plays in big games. y o u h a v e Yet, what That wasn’t always to be ready on them for like 10 that gave UK a late the Har rip l a y minutes.” the case over their t o lead. son twins Andrew had a major two-year career with w i t h c o n — Willie Cauley-Stein s h o w, o r tur nover, stepping on UK, and it was always f i d e n c e , ” UK player on his don’t show, A n d r e w the end line late, but he noticed. “I’m used to being c a l l e d t h e teammates’ personalities on the court made the game-winning is a big conthe scapegoat and all process of free throws. Calipari noticed it all. that,” Andrew said a advancing this deep in trast to how they are with their teammates. “We did some things week ago in Cleveland. the NCAA. Willie Cauley-Stein Aaron became a part that we work on ever y “I accepted being the day, not to drive base- scapegoat and moved of NCAA Tournament is the most unique perline,” Calipari said. “We on from it. I mean, it lor e with the thr ee sonality on UK’s team drove baseline, stepped sucked, but it made me g a m e - w i n n i n g l o n g — very open and someout of bounds. There a stronger person, bet- shots he made last sea- one who thrives talking with the media. were things that we did ter basketball player. son. You might be surHe isn’t afraid to take that showed our youth. I’m happy it happened.” Andrew has always “But that being said, you still have a will been the more stoic of to win. I’ll tell you, if the twins — not much people don’t realize it, emotion on the floor, Andrew and Aaron still an elusive smile — but his body language has drive this team.” Andrew and Aaron i m p r o v e d c o n s i d e r Harrison have indeed ably from last season. been a lot of things to He is steadier it seems UK fans. There were with the tides that flow
Wgt. Yr. 220 SO 206 FR 212 SO 155 FR 210 SO 250 FR 185 SR 240 JR 190 SR 238 JR 200 SO 195 SO 155 SR 216 SO 235 FR 255 SO
prised to hear who Andrew has gotten closest to on the team. “Willie has actually become one of my best friends on the team,” Andrew said. “He’s just a dif ferent guy. He’s really a cool guy, we have more in common than people think.” Cauley-Stein knows the twins are vastly different guys inside the team than what they show the rest of us. “Aaron and Andrew are probably the funniest guys on the team besides Trey (L yles),” Cauley-Stein said the day between the NCAA games in Louisville. “Aaron, Andrew and Trey, when they’re all going on each other, I’ll always be laughing at Drew, especially Drew. When Aaron gets going it’s even better. But Aaron is kind of quiet, will put his two cents in and be quiet. But Drew will go after somebody and stay on them for like 10 minutes.” Cauley-Stein figured the responsibility of being the point guard — and having Calipari constantly on Andrew in teaching moments — is something that Andrew has to deal with in his own way. Aaron is also not going to be just happy-go-lucky. “It’s just who they are,” Cauley-Stein said. “It’s not necessarily that they have bad attitudes, they’re really passionate about the game.” Cauley-Stein puts the personalities of Andrew and Aaron in a context that is easy to understand if you comprehend how much under the microscope these Wildcats are. “You’ve got to stay within your cir cle,” Cauley-Stein said. “That’s us.”
Another Trip to The Final Four!
kentucky statistics Player GP Aaron Harrison 38 Devin Booker 37 Karl-Anthony Towns 38 Andrew Harrison 38 Willie Cauley-Stein 38 Trey Lyles 35 Dakari Johnson 38 Tyler Ulis 36 Alex Poythress 8 Marcus Lee 38 Derek Willis 19 Dominique Hawkins 23 Tod Lanter 7 Sam Malone 8 EJ Floreal 13 Brian Long 10 Totals 38
Hgt. 6-9 6-6 6-6 5-9 6-6 6-11 5-11 7-0 6-2 6-8 6-4 6-0 5-9 6-9 6-10 7-0
MIN 25.7 21.6 20.8 25.3 25.8 22.8 16.5 24.0 20.3 11.1 3.9 7.1 1.1 1.4 1.5 1.6 --
PPG 11.0 10.1 10.1 9.2 9.1 8.7 6.5 5.6 5.5 2.7 1.3 1.3 0.4 0.1 0.1 0.0 75
RPG APG SPG BPG TPG FG% FT% 3P% 2.6 1.4 1.1 0.2 0.9 .392 .778 .317 2.0 1.1 0.5 0.1 1.0 .470 .828 .411 6.6 1.1 0.4 2.3 1.3 .563 .817 .250 2.2 3.6 1.0 0.2 1.7 .375 .790 .376 6.5 1.0 1.2 1.7 1.2 .578 .617 .000 5.3 1.1 0.5 0.5 1.1 .489 .727 .138 4.7 0.8 0.4 0.9 1.1 .510 .625 .000 1.9 3.7 1.0 0.1 1.1 .404 .808 .419 3.8 0.3 0.5 1.5 1.0 .381 .857 .000 2.8 0.3 0.1 0.7 0.5 .644 .320 .000 0.7 0.3 0.1 0.2 0.4 .389 1.000 .333 0.7 0.6 0.3 0.0 0.2 .286 .400 .238 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.0 1.000 .000 1.000 0.4 0.0 0.0 0.0 0.1 .000 .500 .000 0.1 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.3 .000 .500 .000 0.0 0.0 0.1 0.0 0.0 .000 .000 .000 38 14 7 7 11 .468 .725 .347
Congratulations Blue Devils! What a Great Season!
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final four page 9
2014-15 schedules/results duke
Nov. 14 Presbyterian W, 113-44 Nov. 15 Fairfield W, 109-59 Nov. 18 Michigan State# W, 81-71 Nov. 21 Temple$ W, 75-54 Nov. 22 Stanford$ W, 70-59 Nov. 26 Furman W, 93-54 Nov. 30 Army W, 93-73 Dec. 3 at Wisconsin W, 80-70 Dec. 15 Elon W, 75-62 Dec. 18 Connecticut% W, 66-56 Dec. 29 Toledo W, 86-69 Dec. 31 Wofford W, 84-55 Jan. 3 Boston College W, 85-62 Jan. 7 at Wake Forest W, 73-65 Jan. 11 at N.C. State L, 87-75 Miami L, 90-74 Jan. 13 Jan. 17 at Louisville W, 63-52 Jan. 19 Pittsburgh W, 79-65 at St. John’s W, 77-68 Jan.25 Jan. 28 at Notre Dame L, 77-73 Jan. 31 at Virginia W, 69-63 Feb. 4 Georgia Tech W, 72-66 Feb. 7 Notre Dame W, 90-60 Feb. 9 at Florida State W, 73-70 Feb. 14 at Syracuse W, 80-72 Feb. 18 North Carolina W, 92-90 OT Feb. 21 Clemson W, 78-56 Feb. 25 at Virginia Tech W, 91-86 OT W, 72-54 Feb. 28 Syracuse March 4 Wake Forest W, 94-51 March 7 at North Carolina W, 84-77 ACC Tournament W, 77-53 March 12 N.C. State! March 13 Notre Dame! L, 74-64 NCAA Tournament W, 85-56 March 20 Robert Morris* March 22 San Diego State* 68-49 W, 63-57 March 27 Utah& W, 66-52 March 29 Gonzaga& # — Champions Classic, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Ind. $ — Coaches vs. Cancer Classic, Barclays Center, Brooklyn, N.Y. % — Izod Center, East Rutherford, N.J. ! — ACC Tournament, Greensboro Coliseum, Greensboro * — NCAA Tournament, Time Warner Cable Arena, Charlotte & — NCAA Tournament, NRG Stadium, Houston
kentucky
Nov 14 Grand Canyon W, 85-45 Nov 16 Buffalo W, 71-52 Nov 18 Kansas* W, 72-40 Nov 21 Boston U. W, 89-65 Nov 23 Montana St. W, 86-28 Nov 25 Texas-Arlington W, 92-44 Nov 30 Providence W, 58-38 Dec 5 Texas W, 63-51 Dec 7 E. Kentucky W, 82-49 Dec 10 Columbia W, 56-46 Dec 13 North Carolina W, 84-70 Dec 20 UCLA# W, 83-44 Dec 27 at Louisville W, 58-50 Jan 6 Mississippi W, 89-86 OT Jan 10 at Texas A&M W, 70-64 2OT Jan 13 Missouri W, 86-37 Jan 17 at Alabama W, 70-48 Jan 20 Vanderbilt W, 65-57 at South Carolina W, 58-43 Jan 24 Jan 29 at Missouri W, 69-53 Jan 31 Alabama W, 70-55 Feb 3 Georgia W, 69-58 Feb 7 at Florida W, 68-61 Feb 10 at LSU W, 71-69 Feb 14 South Carolina W, 77-43 Feb 17 at Tennessee W, 66-48 Feb 21 Auburn W, 110-75 Feb 25 at Mississippi St. W, 74-56 Feb 28 Arkansas W, 84-67 March 3 at Georgia W, 72-64 March 7 Florida W, 67-50 SEC Tournament March 13 Florida! W, 64-49 March 14 Auburn! W, 91-67 March 15 Arkansas! W, 78-63 NCAA Tournament March 19 Hampton+ W, 79-56 March 21 Cincinnati+ W, 64-51 March 26 West Virginia% W, 78-39 March 28 Notre Dame% W, 68-66 * — Champions Classic, Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana # — United Center, Chicago ! – SEC Tournament, Bridgestone Arena, Nashville, Tennessee + – NCAA Tournament, KFC Yum! Center, Louisville, Kentucky % – NCAA Tournament, Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Ohio
michigan state
Nov. 14 at Navy W, 64-59 Nov. 18 Duke# L, 81-71 Nov. 21 Loyola (Chicago) W, 87-52 Nov. 24 Santa Clara$ W, 79-52 Nov. 27 Rider W, 77-45 Nov. 28 Marquette% W, 79-68 Nov. 30 Kansas L, 61-56 Dec. 3 at Notre Dame L, 79-78 (OT) Dec. 6 Arkansas-Pine Bluff W, 85-52 Dec. 14 Oakland W, 87-61 Dec. 17 Eastern Michigan W, 66-46 Dec. 20 Texas Southern L, 71-64 (OT) Dec. 22 The Citadel W, 82-56 Dec. 30 Maryland L, 68-66 (2OT) Jan. 5 Indiana W, 70-50 at Iowa W, 75-61 Jan. 8 Jan. 11 Northwestern W, 84-77 (OT) Jan. 17 at Maryland L, 75-59 W, 66-60 Jan. 21 Penn State Jan. 24 at Nebraska L, 79-77 Jan. 29 at Rutgers W, 71-51 Feb. 1 Michigan W, 76-66 (OT) Feb. 7 Illinois L, 59-54 Feb. 10 at Northwestern W, 68-44 Feb. 14 Ohio State W, 59-56 Feb. 17 at Michigan W, 80-67 Feb. 22 at Illinois W, 60-53 Feb. 26 Minnesota L, 96-90 (OT) March 1 at Wisconsin L, 68-61 March 3 Purdue W, 72-66 March 7 at Indiana W, 74-72 Big Ten Tournament March 13 Ohio State& W, 76-67 March 14 Maryland W, 62-58 March 15 Wisconsin L, 80-69 (OT) NCAA Tournament March 20 Georgia* W, 70-63 March 22 Virginia* W, 60-54 March 27 Oklahoma+ W, 62-58 March 29 Louisville+ W, 76-70 # — Champions Classic, Indianapolis $ — Orlando Classic % — Orlando Classic, Kissimmee, Fla. ^ — ACC/Big Ten Challenge & — Chicago * — Charlotte + — Syracuse, NY
Ball Control
mullins
Duke used a new song in 1964 called, “Going to Kansas City,” as inspiration. Bubas had allowed the team to install a stereo in the locker From Page 5 room, and since they knew the Final Four that year would be played in Mullins but also a person with such Kansas City, the team played the song superb character. Jeff was a fierce between and after practices. Sure competitor on the court, but he never enough, Duke made it all the way to the lost his feelings for his fellow human beings. He was an All-American on the national championship game, losing to John Wooden’s UCLA team. court and off.” After his college career, Mullins was One of Mullins’ assistant coaches drafted fifth by the St. Louis Hawks at Duke was Bucky Waters, who later in the first round. He was eventually became head coach at West Virginia traded, and earned five NBA All-Star and Duke. “Jeff was Mr. Basketball selections and helped the Golden in Kentucky, and could have played State Warriors win the 1975 NBA anywhere he wanted,” Waters said. “Lots of times big stars like that choose championship. After retiring from the NBA, Mullins owned and schools where they know they managed a car dealership will be the big man on the After his in Apex for 15 years, and team, but Jeff knew we already college did some ACC basketball had Art Heyman, one of the career, television color commentary. best players in the country. But Jeff didn’t care who would Mullins was He became head coach and athletic director at get top billing, he didn’t have drafted fifth UNC-Charlotte in 1985 and that kind of ego. He was the by the St. took UNC-C to three NCAA epitome of a team player, and Louis Hawks Tournaments and two NIT he wanted to make everyone else on the team better.” in the first berths. Mullins coached his UNC-C team against Duke in One game, in particular round. Cameron Indoor Stadium. demonstrated Mullins’ value. Jeff and Candy Mullins In December 1963, Duke have been married more than 45 years. played South Carolina in Columbia. South Carolina was coached by Chuck They have two daughters, Kelly and Kristen, and three grandchildren. He Noe. Noe’s freshmen team sat right spends his days investing in real estate behind the Duke bench and yelled and playing a lot of tennis, and divides at the top of their lungs while Bubas talked to his team, prompting a move to his time between his homes in Lake the middle of the floor. After the move, Norman, near Charlotte, and Vero Beach, Florida. the South Carolina cheerleaders got “College is a very formative into the act, performing a foot-stomping experience, and when I think of things routine and cheering right around the that have molded me, impressed me Duke team. The crowd booed loudly or stayed with me through my life, the upon every attempt at a free throw by things I learned from Vic Bubas, the a Duke player, and the South Carolina things I learned from classmates about band played very close to the Duke bench. Fans threw paper balls at Duke classroom competition, the polishing part of my life, Duke had a great role players. Despite all this, the Winston in.” Salem-Journal reported, “Jeff Mullins Just as Jeff attributes much of his took charge when it appeared the success to Duke, Duke University is Roosters (South Carolina) might stage proud to call Jeff Mullins one of its own. a big upset. Mullins ripped six straight points through the hoop to give Duke Lewis Bowling is the author of a 68-66 lead with three minutes to play. several books, including Wallace Wade: He also added a three point play in the Championship Years at Alabama and final seconds to salt the game away. Duke and Duke Basketball: A Pictorial The young sharpshooter was as cool History. He is also a writer for Go Duke The as ice in the face of such yelling and screaming and bad behavior as seldom Magazine. Contact Lewis at 919-530-6224 or lewis_bowling@yahoo.com. has been seen in these parts.”
badgers From Page 7
During the NCAA Tournament, Kaminsky has averaged 22.9 points per game. There’s been no way for Wisconsin to simulate Kentucky’s length and athleticism in practice, Kamin-
sky said. So the Badgers just have to go out there on the court tonight in Lucas Oil Stadium and play ball like they know how to play it, Wisconsin forward Nigel Hayes said. “We definitely will have to play well. You can’t have a bad game and think you’re going to beat them,” Hayes said. “Per fect game? Maybe close to that. But I think we’ll have to play exceptionally well to get the job done.”
wisconsin
Nov. 14 Northern Kentucky W, 62-31 Nov. 16 Chattanooga W, 89-45 Nov. 19 Green Bay W, 84-60 Nov. 22 Boise State W, 78-54 Nov. 26 UAB# W, 72-43 Nov. 27 Georgetown# W, 68-65 Nov. 28 Oklahoma# W, 69-56 Dec. 3 Duke L, 80-70 Dec. 6 at Marquette W, 49-38 Dec. 10 at Milwaukee W, 93-54 Dec. 13 Nicholls W, 86-43 Dec. 22 at California W, 68-56 Dec. 28 Buffalo W, 68-56 Dec. 31 Penn State W, 89-72 Jan. 4 at Northwestern W, 81-58 W, 62-55 Jan. 7 Purdue Jan. 11 at Rutgers L, 67-62 Jan. 15 Nebraska W, 70-55 W, 82-50 Jan. 20 Iowa Jan. 24 at Michigan W, 69-64 (OT) Jan. 31 at Iowa W, 74-63 Feb. 3 Indiana W, 92-78 Feb. 7 Northwestern W, 65-50 Feb. 10 at Nebraska W, 65-55 Feb. 15 Illinois W, 68-49 Feb. 18 at Penn State W, 55-47 Feb. 21 Minnesota W, 63-53 Feb. 21 at Maryland L, 59-53 W, 68-61 March 1 Michigan State March 5 at Minnesota W, 76-63 March 8 W, 72-48 Big Ten Tournament March 13 Michigan$ W, 71-60 March 14 Purdue$ W, 71-51 March 15 Michigan St.$ W, 80-69 (OT) NCAA Tournament March 20 Coastal Carolina% W, 86-72 March 22 Oregon W, 72-65 March 26 North Carolina^ W, 79-72 March 28 Arizona^ W, 85-78 # — Paradise Island, Bahamas $ — Chicago % — Omaha, Neb. ^ — Los Angeles
The Herald-Sun | Bernard Thomas
Duke’s Jahlil Okafor battles Gonzaga’s Przemek Karnowski for a rebound during the NCAA Tournament South Region championship game Sunday in the NRG Stadium in Houston.
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Saturday, April 4, 2015
CONGRATULATIONS
BASKETBALL 2015 MEN’S SOUTH REGIONAL CHAMPIONS