I second that. I was thinking about this earlier, has there ever been a Duke kid that improved as much as Nolan has over the course of their career? Ever? What about a non-Duke player? I cannot think of a Duke player off the top of my head, even though stats wise, Battier and Nolan are similar. But Shane came in as a top 3 recruit on a loaded team and was asked to play a role his first two years. We all knew he would be a star. We had no idea where Nolan was headed. As for other teams, Lorenzo Charles made a big jump, though not as big as Nolan.
K made a comment last spring that I admit not fulling believing. He said that Nolan obviously made a huge improvement in his game from his sophomore to junior year, but he would make an even bigger jump his senior year. I was skeptical to say the least. However, I went over to Central in August to watch the summer league, and at that point I believed K. Nolan had made tremendous strides from the National Championship game in April to that hot August evening. Watching him play was captivating. His confidence, ball handling, mid-range jumper, etc were just amazing to watch.
He has come a long way since that dreadful night at Clemson in 2008. I for one think we are witnessing the greatest level of improvement in a Duke player there has even been. I hope he brings home several of the recognized NPOY awards as he darn sure deserves them. No offense to Jimmer, who is a great player, but for me, Nolan's defense and total game gives him the nod over Jimmer and the others in my book.
The level of improvement is just insane..