Greatest single-game performances in Duke history

[elvis14]

Laettner vs. Kentucky is the best, taking into account everything including circumstances.

Ferry's 58 was amazing. JJ's Texas performance was outstanding, but he had a game against UVa his senior year where he went for 41 points - on 14 shot attempts. Low-stakes game, relatively speaking, but geez...

31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. 10 for 10 from the field. 10 for 10 from the foul line. History at stake and he literally came through perfectly.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vau...3607/index.htm

i think a few people have mentioned it, but JJ's game at CIS against UVA his senior year was quite something, and maybe his best single game performance. He scored 40 pts on just 13 field goals, and was 11-13 from the field (8-10 from 3). this was in the midst of his wooden award year where every team in the country was trying everything they could to stop him (and only lsu really succeeded).

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketba...ameid=20060128

i am editing this to include the fact that jj was so hot from three that he even got shelden williams to hit one too.

Christian's performance vs Ky is just legendary. Perfect from the field and line with the shot. It just doesn't get any better than that.

JJ's performance against UVa is special to me because I was in CIS for that game. I learned that night that it's possible to have a quiet 40 points in game. A couple of this 3's were from the parking lot they were so deep. By the end of the game I was yelling "lay up" when was shooting 3's!

[jimsumner]

Which Marty?

The one that doesn't foul?

[hsheffield]

Don't know if it was the BEST performance ever, but all these years later I can still see Hurley's amazing intensity against Cal.

Announcers often talk about a player carrying a team on their back, but Hurley became otherwordly in his absolute WILL to try to win
that game. It broke my heart that he had to graduate. I miss watching him more than almost any player...

[jimsumner]

Don't know if it was the BEST performance ever, but all these years later I can still see Hurley's amazing intensity against Cal.

Announcers often talk about a player carrying a team on their back, but Hurley became otherwordly in his absolute WILL to try to win
that game. It broke my heart that he had to graduate. I miss watching him more than almost any player...

It's interesting how many great Duke players went down both barrels blazing in their final game at Duke.

Heyman in '63 (the consolation game doesn't matter), Mullins in '64, Marin in '66 (ditto on the consolation game), Dawkins '86, Ferry '89, Hurley '93, Langdon '99. Warriors all.

And the first person who mentions Langdon traveling in '99 gets a wet noodle beside the head. Without Trajan, Duke gets buried that night.

[hurleyfor3]

And the first person who mentions Langdon traveling in '99 gets a wet noodle beside the head. Without Trajan, Duke gets buried that night.

That was K's decision anyway, not Trajan's. He was certainly the only guy on the court for Duke that night who played as if he had waited his entire life to get there.

[Viking Guy]

I am partial to Zoubek's 16 and 17 against Maryland. It was certainly HIS best game ever!

[turnandburn55]

I feel like I could put Jay-Dubs on this list about a dozen times:

January 27, 2001- Gone in 54 seconds.

March 3, 2001- It looked like Duke was dead in the water with Carlos Boozer's injury and about to play #4 UNC on the road (who had already beaten us in Cameron). "It's over". 33 points and 9 assists later, maybe not...

March 23, 2001- Jason Williams 19, UCLA 0. Nuff said.

December 18, 2001- In serious trouble against #7 Kentucky at the Meadowlands, Williams puts us on his back for 38 points.

January 17, 2002- First game against MD after 4 ridiculous games in 2001. 34 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists. Most fun I've had watching a blowout (Maybe against WV in 2010)...

March 21, 2002- Down 74-70, just as all hope seemed lost, the National Player of the Year drills the 3-pointer, then cleverly intentionally misses the free throw so that future All-Star Carlos Boozer can draw the foul. At least, that's how I remember it. What? What?

[Kedsy]

The one that doesn't foul?

Wasn't that originally Marty "The Puma" Nessley?

[jimsumner]

Wasn't that originally Marty "The Puma" Nessley?

Well, there was Marty Doherty, from the 1950s.

But, yes. Nessley. And the cheer was full of post-modern irony, because Marty Nessley most emphatically did foul. Early and often.

Which gave the Crazies lots of chances to practice the chant.

[BigWayne]

Because of the long injury, I don’t think we can really compare it to other real-life performances whether at Duke or elsewhere. Heck, even Willis Reed only scored 4 points in his famous game coming back from injury. Really, the only proper comparisons are to Hollywood movies.

Hoosiers (1986) is a fictionalized account of the true story of a rural Indiana high school basketball team in the 1950s that makes it way to the state championship where it beats a more heralded team from a metropolitan area. According to a box score projected by Bill Simmons, Jimmy Chitwood played 32 minutes and had 30 points, going 14-18 from the field. As we know, Ryan played 32 minutes and had 36 points, going 10-14 from the field. While Jimmy had a higher percentage of his team’s total points and he did score the game-winning bucket, I’m giving the edge to Ryan because he scored his 36 against a very athletic top-5 D1 team rather than a team of high school players. I mean, how many would Jimmy have scored with 25-year old 6’11” Kenny Kadji in his face?

In Space Jam (1996), Michael Jordan leads a team of Looney Tunes cartoon characters against a team of NBA stars. Jordan scores 44 out of the 78 points scored by the Tunes team, according to an online box score. While Jordan had more points than Ryan, nevertheless I give the edge to Ryan for the following reason: If Ryan’s teammates were a bunch of cartoon characters, obviously Ryan would have had to score more to pick up the slack. He might well have had more than 36. Also, we know what a ball hog MJ was. All of Ryan’s points came completely within the flow of the offense.

In Air Bud (1997), Buddy the golden retriever, with the help of his friend Josh, escapes from the mean Mr. Snively in time to join his team in the state finals basketball game. As to who had the better game, I note the following: Buddy only played the last few minutes of the game, whereas Ryan played 32 minutes. Buddy only had a few field goals (although he did hit key foul shots down the stretch), whereas Ryan went for 36. Buddy was not coming off injury, unlike Ryan; however Buddy had been chained up for a while by Mr. Snively. Having said that, we must take into account the fact that Ryan has opposable thumbs and Buddy does not, making it difficult for Buddy to hold the ball with his paws. So unlike Buddy, Ryan is not forced to shoot the ball with his nose. Because of this last point I would have to give the edge to the performance by Buddy the golden retriever.

In summary, I would put Ryan’s individual performance above that of Jimmy in Hoosiers and that of Jordan in Space Jam, but below that of Buddy the golden retriever in Air Bud.

One of the best posts I have ever read on this or any other board. I sure hope somebody shows this to Ryan, but maybe not until after the season is over.

[basket1544]

Well, there was Marty Doherty, from the 1950s.

But, yes. Nessley. And the cheer was full of post-modern irony, because Marty Nessley most emphatically did foul. Early and often.

Which gave the Crazies lots of chances to practice the chant.

So should the Crazies start chanting Tyler doesn't foul?

[subzero02]

That was K's decision anyway, not Trajan's. He was certainly the only guy on the court for Duke that night who played as if he had waited his entire life to get there.

I will never get over that game... Freshman year... Watched it on the big screen in Cameron... Trajan had a four point play that game too. A bit over a week ago I said that Mason's performance at Maryland was the most disappointing performance I have seen from a big time Duke player; I think Avery's game against Uconn should take that top spot. It's hard to even think about that game.