Originally Posted by
Newton_14
Banquet was awesome. K was great, Quinn was great. K said the newly created One Shining Moment award was for the top play of all the top plays in the title game. Grayson won it for the attempted steal on Jackson where Jackson ended up fouling Grayson. K described it like this: "Grayson went after that ball maniacally (much applause and laughter) then K looks at Grayson and says "In a good way> It was controlled maniacal", said that "In all my years of doing this, that is the hardest a kid has ever gone after a ball, ever", he then says "Grayson actually saved that ball from going out of bounds despite being fouled by Jackson"... he then says "then Grayson looks at the bench and"... K then yells "Let's GO!!". K says, "then he says it again in case the team didn't hear him the first time.."Let's GO!!"... K said that play shot lightning into the teammates on the floor with Grayson, and into the players on the bench including the two kids in foul trouble, and into his head coach and assistant coaches. Said that everybody did their jobs better after that moment, players and coaches, and that led to all the good things that happened afterwards to secure the win.
K also through mad praise at both Matt Jones and Amile Jefferson. Pointed out that Matt locked down Dekker all night and totally shut Dekker down during the stretch where Grayson went nuts, and as the tweet post above mentioned, K said that during that stretch, Amile tapped Capel on the shoulder and said "Put me in. I can guard Kaminsky" and finally K restated again that Capel suggested they go to the set with the high ball screen out top for Tyus, and the rest was history.
K gave Quinn the highest of compliments and said he was the best Captain and Leader he had ever had. K gave props to Cook's mom as well for helping Quinn become that leader especially after a meeting right after last season ended between K, Cook, and Momma Cook. K laid down the law and told Quinn what was expected of him. As they left the meeting Momma Cook was saying "alright you going to do this and this and this" Pretty cool. Props to Quinn too for sharing during his speech, the lowest moment of his career. It happened in the lockerroom after the Maui semi-final game against Michigan his Freshman season. Quinn said Duke was playing great and every Duke player in the game was playing great and on the bench every player was jumping up and down screaming after every good play except one. There was one player sitting there, head in hands, not cheering at all. "Me". He said "I was young and inmature and highly embarrassed by the fact I was not playing". After the postgame meeting in the lockerroom, K tell Quinn to sit down he isn't leaving. Quinn said "I was like, oh good, I'm going to get my PT in tomorrow's game". K says that have some game clips to show him. Quinn said "I was like, Clips? but I didn't get in the game". Said it was clips of the kid not cheering. Very stern heart to heart and Capel tells him he should be embarrassed and should take that Duke shirt off and go home. Quinn then talked about how that meeting turned him around and got him pointed in the right direction. Thanked the coaches for that lesson in life. Really cool story. TO go from that moment to being told tonight he was the best Captain and Leader ever at Duke is phenomenal.
Awards that I can remember off the top of my head:
Team MVP: CO: Quinn Cook/Jahlil Okafor
Best Defender: Justise Winslow
FT Percentage: Tie: Quinn/Tyus Jones
Top Academic: Amile Jefferson
Top Rebounder: Jahlil Okafor
FG Percentage: Jahlil Okafor
One Shining Moment Award: Grayson Allen
Matt won an award for something akin to top team player, in essence being the consummate team player and doing all the important little things that go unnoticed but are key to wins.
Marshall won an award for being the guy who played with heart and energy, and giving his teammates an emotional lift every time he came in.
K named the captains for next season, they are Amile Jefferson, Matt Jones, Marshall Plumlee.
K also singled out the parents for this season's teams thanking them for being so supportive in home games, away games, tourney games, and how they helped take the family togetherness of this team to a higher level.
3 new banners, 1 for Final Season Ranking of #1, 1 for the Final Four, and lastly the Natty Banner which was unveiled at the end of the night. It was on stage. The raising to its final resting place will likely happen at CTC this fall like last time in 2010.
A great evening. Well worth going.