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  1. #21
    Join Date
    Jun 2008
    Location
    Asheville, NC

    Thank you Seniors

    I just want to thank the seniors for yet another exciting season. I'm really glad they got to experience what they did last year-there will be nothing like it in their lives, I'm sure.

    Looking forward to next season, do you think we could schedule UNC as our third game so that K could beat the Holes to get to 903?

  2. #22
    Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler are special Blue Devils who had wonderful careers. Here's hoping for long and prosperous NBA careers for both, and for Kyrie if he goes.

    (Selfishly, by the way, I admit to wanting him to come back. I haven't had my fill yet. But I'd be stunned if he didn't view it as the best move at this point to go, and Austin Rivers may satisfy that craving for a dynamic playmaker)

    I think next year's new-look Blue Devils will be a lot of fun to watch, and to grow with.

  3. #23
    Quote Originally Posted by NYC Duke Fan View Post

    We really did not beat any good team except UNC twice all year.


    http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bask...ke-blue-devils

    great year, tough ending. thanks to all of the players for a wonderful ride and represnting duke with heart and class.

  4. #24
    Yeah, especially thankful for the seniors. Kyle Singler = warrior, now go get healed up for the draft.

  5. #25
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Colorado Springs, Colorado

    We are the Lucky Ones

    I'm only 40 but my love for Duke basketball started at age 16. Even though I was from Arkansas and the only attachment I had for the program was growing up with Thomas Hill, I could see from afar something special, unique and wonderful about Duke and the bball program. Some 24 years and 4 National Titles later, that respect and love is still there. I always dread this day, whether in the middle of March or early April, this is the darkest day of the year for many of us. Mixed with the knowledge that lesser programs, both in terms of class and integrity, continue "marching" on and with the knowledge that our boys didn't quite reach our expectations, this day is always the low point of the sports year.

    And yet, we fans are the lucky ones. We get to know these classy kids, we continue to respect the incredible Duke staff and eventually we will begin talking of hope and a new season.

    Thank you Kyle and Nolan, we will miss you more than you know!

  6. #26
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Jacksonville, NC

    Well Played

    Another successful season for Duke is in the books. Sure we are all down based on how it ended but I am trying to turn over a new leaf and focus on the good. Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith deserve a lot of praise right now.

    Both tough as nails competetors were excellent representatives of Duke University as a basketball program and as an academic instiution. They will graduate with a degree from one of the most prestigious universities in the country and have a wealth of life experience having played with one of the greatest life teachers.

    The guys that return will provide a solid nucleus with which to build around and the team will be good once again next season.

    As a fan I couldn't be prouder to be a Dukie the players and coaches represent us well as we should all do the same. So while it is a sad day we should all take a moment to be thankful for what we have as fans. Doesn't always work out the way we want to but such is life.

  7. #27

    Thank you, seniors!

    Like everyone else, I'm sad the season ended earlier than I'd hoped, but I can honestly say I enjoyed the whole ride this year. It was just a treat to watch this team grow and gel, even when the outcomes were not what I hoped. It's hard to believe I won't get to see Nolan and Kyle (and Casey!) play in Duke jerseys again, but I am so proud to be a Dukie with those young men representing my alma mater.

    Wearing my Duke gear today with pride, and ready to cheer on the women this weekend!

  8. #28
    How long till next November? Let's go Duke!
    ~rthomas

  9. #29
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Jacksonville, NC
    Quote Originally Posted by rthomas View Post
    How long till next November? Let's go Duke!
    Football season first and hopefully Cut will give us something work watching till then. Don't forget the trip to China which will give us a nice appetizer for next season.

  10. #30

    From boys to men

    After last night I kept thinking of this poem by Kipling:


    Rudyard Kipling
    If
    If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
    Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
    And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

    If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
    If you can meet with triumph and disaster
    And treat those two imposters just the same;
    If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
    Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
    And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

    If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
    And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breath a word about your loss;
    If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
    And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

    If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
    If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
    If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
    Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
    And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

    Kyle, Nolan, and the entire Duke team did all this and more.
    I loved watching them grow from boys to men. I am grateful.
    Best of fortune for the future, but don't forget to enjoy the present.

  11. #31

    Thank You Kyle and Nolan

    Kyle and Nolan-

    I choose to have my memory of this year captured in the image of you cutting down the nets in Greensboro, and the obvious team camraderie which your leadership created. I very much enjoyed watching you both grow your games and your character to heights we could not have guessed at four years ago. I am certain that you are both better for having been at Duke, and Duke is better for you having been here. For the rest of your lives, you will continue to be part of something special that you helped build. There is no more satisfying an accomplishment in life. You have made me proud to be a Duke fan, and I look forward to watching you both graduate and join the ranks of Duke alumni.

    Many thanks-

    Cascade Devil

  12. #32

    Thank You For Representing Duke

    I don't post much on these boards, but I want to say thank you to the Players and to the Coaching Staff for representing this great university.

    I wish Nolan, Kyle, Casey (and possibly Kyrie) had a better farewell game, but any game besides a national championship would have been a disappointment for these young men, K, and the rest of the team.

    I want to thank our Coach as well. He has, time and time again, found a way to get the best of his players in many different situations. What he did with our team throughout the season is truly sensational. Most coaches would have NEVER been able to still win 22 times without their best point guard.

    Thanks again for a great season! Kyle, Nolan, and Casey you are champions...always remember that...we, as fans, will!

  13. #33
    Quote Originally Posted by AsiaMinor View Post
    After last night I kept thinking of this poem by Kipling:


    Rudyard Kipling
    If
    If you can keep your head when all about you
    Are losing theirs and blaming it on you;
    If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
    But make allowance for their doubting too;
    If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
    Or, being lied about, don't deal in lies,
    Or, being hated, don't give way to hating,
    And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise;

    If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
    If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
    If you can meet with triumph and disaster
    And treat those two imposters just the same;
    If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
    Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
    Or watch the things you gave your life to broken,
    And stoop and build 'em up with wornout tools;

    If you can make one heap of all your winnings
    And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
    And lose, and start again at your beginnings
    And never breath a word about your loss;
    If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
    To serve your turn long after they are gone,
    And so hold on when there is nothing in you
    Except the Will which says to them: "Hold on";

    If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
    Or walk with kings - nor lose the common touch;
    If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
    If all men count with you, but none too much;
    If you can fill the unforgiving minute
    With sixty seconds' worth of distance run -
    Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
    And - which is more - you'll be a Man my son!

    Kyle, Nolan, and the entire Duke team did all this and more.
    I loved watching them grow from boys to men. I am grateful.
    Best of fortune for the future, but don't forget to enjoy the present.

    I must say...the only time I EVER think of this poem is when tennis is being played at the All England Lawn Tennis and Croquet Club for the Championships Wimbledon. "If you can meet with triumph and disaster and treat those two imposters just the same" is quoted right before you step onto Centre Court from the player lockerrooms.

  14. #34
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Seattle, WA
    One of the best and worst parts of following college basketball is the finite duration of the players' careers. You know when you meet them as freshmen that they'll only be there on the court four years (at the most). Turnover and goodbyes are both inevitable and predictable - you know, for example, that when you see Kyle and Nolan check out of the game with 2:01 to play that you're never going to see them playing for Duke again. You get used to this, to a degree, as the years go by - it's never as hard as it is the first couple times, when the only players you've ever known as part of the Duke team leave. I was reminded of this last night when my wife, who is a Duke fan for no other reason than that she is married to me (a fine reason to be a Duke fan, if I do say so myself) was in tears* over the fact that Kyle and Nolan would be gone - she's only been following the team since they were freshmen, and she's never known Duke without them.

    *it's only fair that I admit that my throat has been a little choked up and my eyes a little dusty as I write this post. It may get easier to say goodbye, but it's never really easy.

    But we're also blessed to see players at a time of unique growth. They come to school as, in many ways, children - big, strong, talented children, but children nonetheless - and over the four years we spend with them we get to watch them grow and develop and mature until they leave Duke as adults.

    One of the most rewarding things about this season for me was getting the opportunity to watch this team - and each of the players on this team - grow over the course of the season.

    I loved Josh's infectious enthusiasm, which never left him through many minutes on the bench. Seeing how he harnesses that energy into what will almost certainly be a much larger role next season will be fun to watch.

    I loved watching Tyler capitalize on opportunities that many thought he wouldn't get this year, and I'm looking forward to see what he can bring to the table next season. People in other threads are talking about a potential leadership void next year - I think Tyler can be a guy who steps into a leadership role. He seems a natural for it, and is someone who can set a tone for how the team plays, particularly on the defensive end of the court.

    I loved watching Andre continue to refine his game beyond being a spot-up jump shooter with ridiculous range. His defense is so much improved from fall of last year, and his offensive game will continue to be more multi-faceted with more off-season work.

    I loved watching Ryan develop from a high school player into a college player, and get his body to catch up to what has always been a very savvy basketball IQ. He's one of those guys who often seems to be in the right place at the right time. His hot shooting stretch in the middle of the season and his surprisingly (at least to some) high block totals give a hint at where further growth can take him as a player.

    I loved watching how much better Miles is now than when he was a freshman. He looks more and more confident with the ball in the post, and his defensive fundamentals are continuing to grow. He'll never be a star, but his performance has been on a steady upward trend since he started his career.

    I loved watching Mason show more and more of the skills that have people talking about him as a first-round draft pick. During the ACC tournament, when we ran the offense through him at the high post he consistently made good things happen. He's an underrated post passer with great athletic ability. If he comes back, I think he'll be much more of an offensive focal point.

    I loved watching Seth play defense. Yes, his scoring was great, and yes, his performance against UNC in Cameron was marvelous, but his ability to stay locked up on guys on the perimeter is my favorite part of his game. He plays Duke defense the way it's meant to be played. His growth from his struggles in the early part of the season to being a deadly sixth man and then a starter played a huge part in keeping Duke a top 5 team all season long.

    I loved the glimpses of Kyrie that we got as a player, but even more loved the extended time we got to watch Kyrie as a teammate. K talks about getting people to "unpack their bags" when they come to Duke, even if they only intend to be here for a short while - Kyrie unpacked his bags. It was a joy to watch how much he enjoyed being a part of this team. I hope, selfishly (even if I don't think it will happen), that we get to see him in a Duke jersey again. He never got the chance to really leave his mark as a player, but he left an indelible mark as a great teammate.

    And then there's Kyle and Nolan. I'll always think of them that way, as "Kyle and Nolan," as a unit even though in many ways they couldn't be more dissimilar. Kyle, the introvert, the artist and the warrior, who took to any role he was given and only did whatever anyone asked of him as a player. Nolan, the extrovert, the comedian and the virtuoso, who initially struggled with his roles and his identity as a player, whose climb was rockier but whose peak proved higher. Their career arcs were very different, as well - Kyle was a starter from day one who showed us during his freshman year almost everything we would see from him over the next four - his toughness, his tenacity, his diverse offensive skills, and his heart. This is not to say he didn't grow - he's absolutely a better player today than he was when he first showed up, but he's been so consistently good for so long that people almost took it for granted. We'll miss Kyle tremendously next season - trying to find a way to replace all his contributions on the offensive and defensive end could be our most difficult off-season task. Nolan, on the other hand, developed from a role player into a starter into a star into one of the absolute best players in the country. He had so many amazing moments this season, so many times that he put the team on his back and carried us to a victory, so many "wow" plays. And he did it all with such tremendous enthusiasm and joy for the game. Nolan was the best ambassador for the program since Battier, and I hope he goes on to great things. Even if it doesn't get retired (or even if, many years in the future, it gets retired for some future star, yet to be born), #2 will always and forever be Nolan Smith to me.

    Last night, the season ended in a loss. Most do. Kyle and Nolan had to finish their careers not in a shower of confetti, not with One Shining Moment, not with another national title, but with a sad, slow jog off the court, a hug and a consoling word from Coach K, and tears. But they had marvelous careers. They defended the home court in ways no other players have done. They won every preseason tourney, they won three ACC titles, and they won the national championship. They may not have won it all this year, but they are still leaving Duke as champions.

    And, of course, hard as it is to picture the team without Kyle and Nolan, there will be Duke again next year. There will be 903. There will be continued opportunities to see the players on this team develop and mature. There will be a whole new class of kids come in and start their growth - Austin, Michael, Quinn, and Marshall (and maybe DeAndre?), we're all excited to have you come and be a part of our Duke family. And there will be another round of goodbyes whenever the season draws to an end. November can't get here soon enough. Let's go Duke.
    Just be you. You is enough. - K, 4/5/10, 0:13.8 to play, 60-59 Duke.

    You're all jealous hypocrites. - Titus on Laettner

    You see those guys? Animals. They're animals. - SIU Coach Chris Lowery, on Duke

  15. #35

    Thank you!

    Thank you for starting this thread!

    And thank you to our wonderful young men who played their hearts out providing us with so many hours of basketball enjoyment. It's not easy being a college athlete - so many hours of dedication, hard work, physical challenges, publicity obligations, all while trying to simultaneously manage academic work. How do they do it?

    A special thanks to our seniors Nolan, Kyle and Casey. Nolan was so much fun to watch. Dribble, dribble, dribble and then that sneaky drive into the basket. I just loved that! He developed into such a wonderful team leader.

    And Kyle - the amazing warrior! So physically resilient. I often thought he played basketball like a football player, but without the protective armor.

    Not every team wins a national title, or even makes it to the Sweet Sixteen (not to mention the ACC title). You have spoiled us with more than our fair share of banners in Cameron.

    Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  16. #36

    Gratitude

    Kyle and Nolan didn't go out the way we wanted, but they left behind a ton of memories: three ACC championships, one NCAA title, and 125 wins.

    While the 2010-11 Blue Devils may not have coalesced as well as last year's team, they overcame a lot of obstacles (such as a major injury, a protracted shooting slump, limited inside scoring, and some inconsistent shooting) in a season that made us all proud. Arizona played an extraordinary half after winning two games by a total of three points, but that's basketball.

    Thanks for the memories and good luck at the next level.

  17. #37
    Quote Originally Posted by davekay1971 View Post
    No way we should let 20 minutes of pain take away from another great season. 30+ wins, an ACC championship, a Sweet 16 (I know, we all wanted more), and one of the most unforgettable senior seasons in Duke history.
    I wasn't going to come to DBR today (because I didn't think I could take the expected whining and sniping), but because of this thread I'm glad I did. Thanks for starting it.

    Quote Originally Posted by pfrduke View Post
    Last night, the season ended in a loss. Most do. Kyle and Nolan had to finish their careers not in a shower of confetti, not with One Shining Moment, not with another national title, but with a sad, slow jog off the court, a hug and a consoling word from Coach K, and tears. But they had marvelous careers. They defended the home court in ways no other players have done. They won every preseason tourney, they won three ACC titles, and they won the national championship. They may not have won it all this year, but they are still leaving Duke as champions.
    Absolutely spectacular post. I couldn't agree more. No season should be judged on its final game, and certainly a player's career cannot and should not be judged that way.

    Considering everything, this was a great season. I'm thrilled to have had the opportunity to follow this Duke team, and I'm proud to have graduated from the school that produced such great players and great people like Nolan and Kyle.

  18. #38
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Location
    Durham
    Quote Originally Posted by kinsman_bob View Post
    When an opponent is unconscious , you are going to lose. I am proud of our guys for playing with class, not like UofA. They should be reminded that they haven't won anything yet, but there they were woofing and pounding their chests. Not a lot of class.
    Shrug. We do that too, especially after big plays...screaming, dancing, and pounding of chests are all fair game. AZ played a heck of a game and had every reason to be excited. I saw that they were happy for themselves. I didn't see them taunting in any way, though.
    1200. DDMF.

  19. It was NOT a good season.

    We beat Carolina twice, one of them a total drubbing in the ACC Tournament Championship. We saw a group of young men overcome the loss of the best player on the team and arguably the best PG in the country and remain the DOMINANT representative of the conference. We saw the culmination of what I believe to be the most incredible four year transformation of a player in Duke Basketball HISTORY (remember when Nolan was considering transferring after JD left?), which has already earned him many NPOY nods and will likely end with his jersey hanging in the rafters. We witnessed the greatest college basketball coach of all time achieve his 900th win.

    Not a good season at all.

    It was a GREAT season.

  20. #40

    Thank you Nolan and Kyle

    For all of the thrills, wins and good representaion of this University, I thank both of you. Don't let the loss last night to UA dampen what you have contributed to Duke as you both are in a special class and will be missed by every single Duke fan. Hopefully, we will get to see both of your jerseys hanging in the rafters as you deserve so much for your work for Duke basketball. Take your degree and go out and show the world why you stayed and got your education. Yes, play in the pros but when those days are over, you will always have your degree and Duke fans cheering you on in life as long as you live. Come back to Cameron as often as you can and you will always be a big part of this place. THANK BOTH OF YOU AGAIN FOR BEING WINNERS.

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