Who is Duke's on the floor leader?
Let me first state that I'm probably one of the biggest Duke fans in here but, I'm also not blind. I have a "devils advocate" side to me.
My best friend and I are big Duke fans (I have to get him on these boards ASAP) and we talk about this all the time, so please go easy in your responses.
One thing I've noticed from Duke (and this may be the reason for losing large leads) is a lack of on the floor leadership. Recently I've actually seen Scheyer show allot of intensity and think this guy could be the next leader.
I think Henderson could be as well, and I love this guy's potential.
However, I look back a bit to Jason Williams and realize how strong of a leader he was at the time he left. He was so dominant and made every guy on the court better. I fully believe if it wasnt for Jason, Chris Duhon would have been lost in many situations.
I remember when Jason was a freshman, playing in a preseason tourney in Madison Square Garden and Duke lost (it was his first or second game I think and I dont remember who they lost to). I remember, along with my buddy that game and how bad Jason looked. He took HORRIBLE shots and made horrible decisions with the ball.
That first season you literally could see him struggle and grow at the same time. His second season (all stats aside) he was becoming dominant. You could just see his leadership ability on the floor. He had a charisma about him and a personality that every Duke fan loves and that every other fan hates. He was a nice leader as a sophmore (even though Duke had other leaders).
I fast forward to Paulus. His freshman year was so nice. I saw allot of potential and thought he may end up with as much potential as Jason. In fact I saw Hurley in him with his assist ability. However, in this sophmore season (all stats aside), he just seems to not be there. I see McRoberts being the emotional one (though not held in check enough) and Scheyer sort of leading the way. Obviously we all love "Mr. Buzzer Beater" but, where is Paulus in leadership?
brand, jwill, battier team
Quote:
Originally Posted by
civileng68
I think the Brand,JWill,Battier team was truly exceptional and very unique to today's game.
it's also very unique to your memory. but i agree, they would make a hell of a team.
as a former duke varsity athlete i might also add that it's a very unique individual who can lead without being one of the best players on the team. it's simply hard to lead without being at the front of the pack.
battier or williams in 2001
Quote:
Originally Posted by
civileng68
Well now, wait a second. First off you use the term "the leader". Jason was "A" Leader on a team with "many" leaders. This team has yet to find ANY true leader.
I have to disagree with this statement. Battier was THE leader of that team. Williams was the most-talented player and, as has been noted, they are not necessarily the same thing.
The next year, Williams was the team's leader, or he tried to be. Trouble was, he had never been in that position before. No one on the team had. As a result, he and the rest of that incredibly talented group failed whenever an opponent was actually able to challenge them -- which wasn't often.
Duke's recent history seems to suggest that a player needs to try, and fail to at least a small degree, for one year attempting to lead before he figures it out and performs extremely well at it the next year.
Some examples: Shane Battier, Chris Duhon (the clearest of them all), Trajan Langdon, JJ Redick. I'm hoping DeMarcus Nelson's name gets added to the list next year -- unless he turns into a great leader down the stretch this year.
One notable exception to this pattern is Grant Hill, who took the reins from Bobby Hurley and led a relatively underwhelming to within a couple of minutes of a national championship in 1994.
Please do not mistake my words here as bashing certain players. I think that the ones I have singled out for praise demonstrated an ability to lead above and beyond even the very good. They were truly great. This is debatable, of course, so hopefully folks will find it worthy of discussion.