the Banks dunk

[Olympic Fan]

I'm delighted that the DBR posted the link to the youtube vido of Gene's dunk over Sampson dunk. Over the years, when people have debated the best dunks in Duke history, I've always argued for this one. I didn't know that video of it was out there. I agree with the note on the front page that the slow motion robs the dunk of some of its surprise and power -- it was astonishing to see in person.

I must add however that the caption on youtube is wrong. It identifies Sampson as the reigning national player of the year. That's not the case. While Sampson would go on to win three national player of the year awards, this dunk was in 1980 (you can see Bob Bender, who was a senior that year, in the video). That was Sampson's rookie year and he wasn't even second-team All-ACC that season.

That's not to diminish Banks' accomplishment -- Sampson did block 157 shots that season. That was the most in his career and the highest single-season total in ACC history.

BTW: I agree with Bender who is asking the ref why there was no foul called on the play ... I think the ref was as stunned as the rest of us ar what happened and swallowed his whistle.

[Kedsy]

I'm delighted that the DBR posted the link to the youtube vido of Gene's dunk over Sampson dunk. Over the years, when people have debated the best dunks in Duke history, I've always argued for this one. I didn't know that video of it was out there. I agree with the note on the front page that the slow motion robs the dunk of some of its surprise and power -- it was astonishing to see in person.

I must add however that the caption on youtube is wrong. It identifies Sampson as the reigning national player of the year. That's not the case. While Sampson would go on to win three national player of the year awards, this dunk was in 1980 (you can see Bob Bender, who was a senior that year, in the video). That was Sampson's rookie year and he wasn't even second-team All-ACC that season.

That's not to diminish Banks' accomplishment -- Sampson did block 157 shots that season. That was the most in his career and the highest single-season total in ACC history.

BTW: I agree with Bender who is asking the ref why there was no foul called on the play ... I think the ref was as stunned as the rest of us ar what happened and swallowed his whistle.

Where did that dunk take place? The arena in the clip isn't Cameron, is it?

[JBDuke]

Where did that dunk take place? The arena in the clip isn't Cameron, is it?

Nope - definitely not Cameron. Pretty sure it is University Hall - UVA's home arena in Charlottesville before they built JPJ. Virginia is in their home whites, and Duke in the road blues. The parts of the arena I can see look like old U-Hall - the round structure with the white walls about midway up.

[Kedsy]

Nope - definitely not Cameron. Pretty sure it is University Hall - UVA's home arena in Charlottesville before they built JPJ. Virginia is in their home whites, and Duke in the road blues. The parts of the arena I can see look like old U-Hall - the round structure with the white walls about midway up.

That's what I thought, too. But I only visited U Hall once (I went with James of DBR fame) so I wasn't sure.

I asked because I was wondering how Olympic Fan saw the dunk in person?

[roywhite]

Tinkerbell could fly.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Tinkerbell could fly.

He excelled at making game changing shots and plays. His confidence was so contagious!

[jimsumner]

The Banks dunk was at UVA. Virginia won that game 73-69, the second of a nine-game winning streak against Duke, a streak that culminated in a 43-point win in the 1983 ACC Tournament.

Sampson played in all nine of those wins. After he left, Duke won 16 straight against Virginia.

But if this dunk is A, then Phil Henderson's dunk over Alonzo Mourning in 1989 is 1A. This dunk came at a crucial juncture in the East Regional title game and thus was more important than Banks' dunk in a regular-season game.

Grant Hill's dunk against Kansas in the '91 title game gets top marks for degree-of-difficulty. But he had neither Ralph Sampson nor Alonzo Mourning waiting at the other end.

[miramar]

But if this dunk is A, then Phil Henderson's dunk over Alonzo Mourning in 1989 is 1A. This dunk came at a crucial juncture in the East Regional title game and thus was more important than Banks' dunk in a regular-season game.

Henderson's dunk not only changed the tone of the game just when Georgetown was chipping away at Duke's lead, but it was also a right down the lane, in your face slam. Mourning is not as tall as Sampson, but he had set the season record for blocked shots IIRC, so the dunk is an all time classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIxFvMmcmc

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Henderson's dunk not only changed the tone of the game just when Georgetown was chipping away at Duke's lead, but it was also a right down the lane, in your face slam. Mourning is not as tall as Sampson, but he had set the season record for blocked shots IIRC, so the dunk is an all time classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIxFvMmcmc

Kenny Dennard's "1st backwards dunk" video was listed next to this one! Always fun to watch that again!

[Kimist]

Dunks can be separated by "sends a message" and "spectacular" and "degree of difficulty" which means that comparisons can be quite difficult.

For my 2¢ worth, I think the dunk on Mourning (for various reasons, helps greatly if you were around then) might get my vote. Tinkerbell sending it to Ralph in U Hall also is a strong contender for the "sends a message" category.

Dennard's dunk was...well, typical Dennard. Enough said.

And Grant's dunk not only showed some serious athleticism, but had the additional benefit of setting the tone that Duke IS here and ready to play! To modify that old real estate mantra: "Timing...timing...timing!"

Ah...the memories...

k

[Waynne]

Dunks can be separated by "sends a message" and "spectacular" and "degree of difficulty" which means that comparisons can be quite difficult.


And Grant's dunk not only showed some serious athleticism, but had the additional benefit of setting the tone that Duke IS here and ready to play! To modify that old real estate mantra: "Timing...timing...timing!"

And Grant's dunk came early in the 1991 NC game. It sent a message, was spectacular, and had an incredible degree of difficulty. We won our first NC that game, which gives his dunk added significance to me.

[flyingdutchdevil]

Henderson's dunk not only changed the tone of the game just when Georgetown was chipping away at Duke's lead, but it was also a right down the lane, in your face slam. Mourning is not as tall as Sampson, but he had set the season record for blocked shots IIRC, so the dunk is an all time classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIxFvMmcmc

That dunk is outrageous - so quick and so authoritative. Players don't go for quick dunks anymore. They enjoy the air time, the "ups", and the ability to change formation in the last second. Shame - I'd love to see old-school dunking like Henderson more often.

[killerleft]

The Banks dunk was at UVA. Virginia won that game 73-69, the second of a nine-game winning streak against Duke, a streak that culminated in a 43-point win in the 1983 ACC Tournament.

Sampson played in all nine of those wins. After he left, Duke won 16 straight against Virginia.

But if this dunk is A, then Phil Henderson's dunk over Alonzo Mourning in 1989 is 1A. This dunk came at a crucial juncture in the East Regional title game and thus was more important than Banks' dunk in a regular-season game.

Grant Hill's dunk against Kansas in the '91 title game gets top marks for degree-of-difficulty. But he had neither Ralph Sampson nor Alonzo Mourning waiting at the other end.

That Henderson's dunk was at a critical juncture of the game is of paramount importance. Any number of Duke dunks might be considered better, depending on how you define what makes a spectacular dunk. But the Henderson dunk was more than an "aha, gotcha" moment for Phil. For me, it made it plain to both Duke and Georgetown that Duke would not be cowed by the Hoyas. At the time, the Georgetown "aura" of intimidation was probably worth as much as the actual physical play they employed. It should be noted that Henderson was a chippy player to begin with, and his dunk might have meant more to his teammates than it did to Georgetown.

[Kedsy]

That Henderson's dunk was at a critical juncture of the game is of paramount importance. Any number of Duke dunks might be considered better, depending on how you define what makes a spectacular dunk. But the Henderson dunk was more than an "aha, gotcha" moment for Phil. For me, it made it plain to both Duke and Georgetown that Duke would not be cowed by the Hoyas. At the time, the Georgetown "aura" of intimidation was probably worth as much as the actual physical play they employed. It should be noted that Henderson was a chippy player to begin with, and his dunk might have meant more to his teammates than it did to Georgetown.

I was at the Meadowlands for that one, sitting in the end zone where the dunk occurred. Obviously I can't say what it meant to either the Duke players or Georgetown players, but it sure energized us fans. Got us thinking, "Hey, we really can win this thing."

[Olympic Fan]

I can understand the debate over the greatest dunk. In context, I agree that Henderson's dunk over Mourning was more significant -- Duke did lose the Banks game to Virginia after all .

But taken in isolation, I'd still vote for the Banks' dunk over Sampson. And, yes, it was in U-Hall and I was there that night. Again, I repeat, the slow motion doesn't really show the speed and power of that dunk. Keep in mind that in 1980, we had not been treated to the succession of ESPN Sportscenter In-Your-Face dunks that we see today. It was a truly new and awe-inspiring experience.

The loss that night was very disappointing. The only excuse I'll offer is that Kenny Dennard didn't play that night (and he missed the first Duke-Virginia game too). A number of other players were banged up. That was in the midst of a losing streak (compounded by the injuries) that saw a Duke team ranked No. 1 on Jan. 12 drop out of the top 20 by the end of February. Gminski actually outplayed Sampson in C'ville, but Jeff Lamp scored 21 and that was enough.

I do have a soft spot for the Dennard reverse dunk against Villanova. Remember how Doug Gottlieb dissed the 2010 team, calling Duke's big men "alarmingly unathletic"?

Well, something similar happened in Providence during that NCAA regional. Duke got caught in a very tough slowdown game against Penn in the Sweet 16 and barely pulled out the victory. During the off day, Villanova coach Rollie Massimino was laughing about Duke's lack of speed. He compared the Devils to "a herd of elephants."

The next afternoon, Duke's elephants trampled Villanova. Banks and Dennard got out on the fast break and just destroyed Massimino's team. Dennard's reverse dunk was the icing on the cake. I'll never forget visiting the team hotel that night and seeing a very tipsy Bill Foster use his arm to mimic an elephent's trunk and shout, "The elephant's are stampeding!" followed by a honking sould that I think was supposed to be an elephant's bellow (can't be sure, I was a bit tipsy too).

[mapleleafdevil]

Henderson's dunk not only changed the tone of the game just when Georgetown was chipping away at Duke's lead, but it was also a right down the lane, in your face slam. Mourning is not as tall as Sampson, but he had set the season record for blocked shots IIRC, so the dunk is an all time classic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GbIxFvMmcmc

I agree. This was one of the best dunks of all time imo.

[fuse]

Not taking anything away from Banks over Sampson, but my vote for all time best dunk has to be the Corey Maggette backboard slap against Florida in Cameron. Maybe not the best video but this is one of the most jaw dropping feats of athleticism I have ever seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLsuG9dCckE

Grant's dunk against Kansas (how did he get that high???) and Dante Jones pushups at UVa were pretty darn spectacular, too.

[Indoor66]

I can understand the debate over the greatest dunk. In context, I agree that Henderson's dunk over Mourning was more significant -- Duke did lose the Banks game to Virginia after all .

But taken in isolation, I'd still vote for the Banks' dunk over Sampson. And, yes, it was in U-Hall and I was there that night. Again, I repeat, the slow motion doesn't really show the speed and power of that dunk. Keep in mind that in 1980, we had not been treated to the succession of ESPN Sportscenter In-Your-Face dunks that we see today. It was a truly new and awe-inspiring experience.

The loss that night was very disappointing. The only excuse I'll offer is that Kenny Dennard didn't play that night (and he missed the first Duke-Virginia game too). A number of other players were banged up. That was in the midst of a losing streak (compounded by the injuries) that saw a Duke team ranked No. 1 on Jan. 12 drop out of the top 20 by the end of February. Gminski actually outplayed Sampson in C'ville, but Jeff Lamp scored 21 and that was enough.

I do have a soft spot for the Dennard reverse dunk against Villanova. Remember how Doug Gottlieb dissed the 2010 team, calling Duke's big men "alarmingly unathletic"?

Well, something similar happened in Providence during that NCAA regional. Duke got caught in a very tough slowdown game against Penn in the Sweet 16 and barely pulled out the victory. During the off day, Villanova coach Rollie Massimino was laughing about Duke's lack of speed. He compared the Devils to "a herd of elephants."

The next afternoon, Duke's elephants trampled Villanova. Banks and Dennard got out on the fast break and just destroyed Massimino's team. Dennard's reverse dunk was the icing on the cake. I'll never forget visiting the team hotel that night and seeing a very tipsy Bill Foster use his arm to mimic an elephent's trunk and shout, "The elephant's are stampeding!" followed by a honking sould that I think was supposed to be an elephant's bellow (can't be sure, I was a bit tipsy too).

We were all tipsy at the hotel that night. The bus ride back from the game was an experience of being with a lot of horse people. Massimino ate a lot of crow that day. I loved it!

[fogey]

I was at the Meadowlands for this one, crowd went ballistic. Here is Utube link to "top 5" Duke dunks, and Johnny is in there:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...&v=Ri4d7sPGXXg.

Great athlete, superb guy, Duke was so lucky to have him jump start the program after K arrived.

[jimsumner]

Not taking anything away from Banks over Sampson, but my vote for all time best dunk has to be the Corey Maggette backboard slap against Florida in Cameron. Maybe not the best video but this is one of the most jaw dropping feats of athleticism I have ever seen:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lLsuG9dCckE

Grant's dunk against Kansas (how did he get that high???) and Dante Jones pushups at UVa were pretty darn spectacular, too.

I take points off the Maggette dunk for excessive and pointless showboating. Same with Dahntay but not as much, because he was being guarded and it was on the road, where a team can use some juicing.

Go ahead, call me an Old Fogey. I've been called worse.