2 Questions

[Neals384]

You can go ahead and get the rope ready to hang Kyle’s number. Here are some of his stats (see the Kyle Singler Stat Records thread for details).

Points: 1,995 to date; projected to finish somewhere between #3 and #5 on the all time Duke list.

Rebounds: 837; could finish as high as 6th all time.

Blocks 99; could finish in the top 10

Assists 252

Steals 152

Awards:
• 2007 Maui Invitational MVP
• 2007–08 ACC Rookie of the Year
• 2007–08 ACC All-Rookie Team
• 2007–08 All-ACC Third Team
• 2008 2K Sports Classic MVP
• 2008–09 All-ACC Second Team
• 2009–10 All-ACC First Team
• 2010 ACC Tournament MVP
• 2010 NCAA Tournament Final Four Most Outstanding Player
• 2010 Sporting News College Athlete of the Year

[PADukeMom]

I hear what you are saying & do agree for the most part; you have to be special to go to the rafters. A lot of great players weren't retired.
I feel pain whenever I see a player wearing #21 because, in my heart, that will be Trajan forever. Sending some love MP...no worries.
Okay I will wait until April 5th to make this arguement. That is 3 short months away.

[94duke]

So were Tommy Amaker, Billy King, and Wojo (IIRC).

I think if you are a first-team national AA, you should be eligible for consideration. How many first teamers have we had in the last 30 years who are not hanging in the rafters?


(Edit: drat -- Jim beat me to the "post" button again!)

From the media guide, consensus 1st team AA not in the rafters:

Bob Verga 	1967
Elton Brand 	1999
Chris Carrawell 2000

[slower]

My feelings exactly. If this team continues to develop my opinion, while Kyrie is flat-out the best point guard on the team, would K mess with a winning combination? I can see him coming off as the 6th man off the bench & getting tons of minutes. I would hope Kyrie is in game day shape. Again...fresh legs are a great thing in March.

I can't imagine Kyrie NOT being a starter as soon as he's back in game shape.

[jimsumner]

I've said this before but I think it bears repeating.

The standards for jersey/number retirement at Duke have to be exceptionally high because of the great success of the program. Look at some of the players who have not been so honored. Bob Verga. Jim Spanarkel. Gene Banks. Mark Alarie. Trajan Langdon. Randy Denton. Jon Scheyer. Chris Carrawell. Mike Lewis.

Think about Denton for a second. Career averages of 19.7 ppg and 12.7 rpg, the latter the best in school history. Second-team All-ACC twice, first-team All-ACC once.

How many schools would not have retired the jersey of someone with those qualifications?

Or those of Verga, first-team All-ACC three times, two-time All-America, 22.0 ppg career average? Alarie has 2,136 career points, 833 rebounds, Banks 2,079 points, 985 rebounds, Langdon first-team All-ACC three times, Spanarkel the first Duke player with more than 2,000 points.

And these are the guys who didn't make the cut

What a wealth of riches.

[Reilly]

And both retired prior to the Schweitzer criteria allued to earlier.

Shelden Williams was national DPOY and had his jersey retired.

Amaker, King and Wojo were national DPOYs and didn't. But none of those three ever made All-America or first-team All-ACC. Shelden did and also finished first in career rebounds and blocked shots at Duke.

Hence the retired jersey,

I think we should retire the word "criteria." "Guidelines" is more like it.

I like your comment about 'criteria' v. 'guidelines.' I'd be a hard grader and my guidelines much tougher. I think the player should be some combination of transformative and breathtaking and beloved (how's that for squishy guidelines). Maybe Groat, Johnny D, Laettner, Hill and Battier meet those criteria for me. Even though Shelden racked up numbers and awards, his jersey retirement always seemed to me to not belong.

[superdave]

Shelden Williams was national DPOY and had his jersey retired.

Shelden was also 3rd team All America as a junior and 1st team as a senior.

[jimsumner]

Shelden was also 3rd team All America as a junior and 1st team as a senior.

That was covered one paragraph below the paragraph cited.

[JayZee]

I think we should retire the word "criteria." "Guidelines" is more like it.

Maybe we could use a K word - Standards...

I assume it is a combination of National Awards (NPOY, NDPOY) and Championships (NC and ACC)

And if Nolan wins a major POY award AND another NC, is there any way his jersey is not hung? I say no.