If you could add one former Duke player..

[IsInTheDetails]

On seeing the title of this thread, I immediately thought "Ross Martin." Silly me.

But for the right sport, I'll throw in another vote for Duhon. The guy could run the offense and be a force on defense, but his hustle and verve were always tops.

My second choice would be senior year Quinn Cook, the ultimate leader.

[jafarr1]

On seeing the title of this thread, I immediately thought "Ross Martin." Silly me.

But for the right sport, I'll throw in another vote for Duhon. The guy could run the offense and be a force on defense, but his hustle and verve were always tops.

My second choice would be senior year Quinn Cook, the ultimate leader.

Funny. I was about to write in Vince Oghobaase, but Martin's an excellent choice as well.

[quahog174]

Koubek for leadership and intangibles.

[WWBD]

Bobby Hurley, winner.

Loser. Follow the rules.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

..to this year's team, who would it be? To make things more interesting, let's exclude one and dones as well as players who have their numbers in the rafters.

Dave Brown and Doug Peterson. Oh, you meant basketball.

Dave Brown and Ben Bennett were my first two thoughts. Tommy Amaker was my next. 😎

Retire 34! You just got Spanarkel'd!

[dukelifer]

Wojo- can play the point AND coach the big men. Seriously- Grant Hill. Great defender- versatile and he nearly won a NC as a senior with no real bench. He was arguably the most important player in Duke's history.

[ipatent]

Wojo- can play the point AND coach the big men. Seriously- Grant Hill. Great defender- versatile and he nearly won a NC as a senior with no real bench. He was arguably the most important player in Duke's history.

I think he was the best player in Duke history, Dawkins may have had more impact as a program changer.

[InSpades]

No one has mentioned one of my favorite Duke players so I'll do it...

Give me Kyle Singler on any Duke team ever. LOVED watching him play and he could basically fit in anywhere except the point (which admittedly might be our biggest need). Still think it's a shame his # isn't hanging in the rafters. I will always remember him coming in his freshman year and spending time banging in the low blocks to keep Duke in games. Then by the time he was a senior he could basically play shooting guard.

If you really want a PG... give me Scheyer. Steady as it comes.

Another name not mentioned... Will Avery. Always thought he had tremendous talent, though maybe it wasn't ever as focused as it could have been. Would be fun to watch him run the show w/ as much talent as this team will put on the court.

[Edouble]

No one has mentioned one of my favorite Duke players so I'll do it...

Give me Kyle Singler on any Duke team ever. LOVED watching him play and he could basically fit in anywhere except the point (which admittedly might be our biggest need). Still think it's a shame his # isn't hanging in the rafters. I will always remember him coming in his freshman year and spending time banging in the low blocks to keep Duke in games. Then by the time he was a senior he could basically play shooting guard.

If you really want a PG... give me Scheyer. Steady as it comes.

Another name not mentioned... Will Avery. Always thought he had tremendous talent, though maybe it wasn't ever as focused as it could have been. Would be fun to watch him run the show w/ as much talent as this team will put on the court.

No, Avery has been mentioned throughout the thread:

Quin Snyder played key role to help his team get to 3 Final Fours in 4 years as pg
or Will Avery. I loved that 99 team who I watched in Cameron, so I'm biased.

No one has mentioned Spanarkel yet, but I think the consensus is we would want someone who could apply defensive pressure. Amaker, Duhon, Snyder, Wojo would all do nicely. Avery, Ewing, Scheyer, Smith were more combo guards, which we don't need on this team because of Luke and Grayson.

Slight nod to soph Will Avery over senior Chris Duhon. Guy was a straight baller, and has long been underrated on this board.

[InSpades]

No, Avery has been mentioned throughout the thread:

Guess I missed it! But definitely agree... I love Duhon but from a talent perspective... I think Avery was closer to the J-Will/Kyrie level. He obviously never put it all together but he was spectacular at times. Maybe this team doesn't need spectacular but... it would be something to see for sure.

[Richard Berg]

Laken?

[fidel]

I'll take Tyus Stones back to stir this drink. We have lots of scoring and leadership, I'd be happier with a sure-thing distributor.

This was a pleasure remembering all the great-not-legendary players we have had. Most would be legendary at other schools.

[Wahoo2000]

With all due respect to Amaker, Duhon, Wojo, Cook, and every other guy mentioned in this thread that fits the parameters of NO 1-and-done, and NO jerseys in the rafters:

I don't think it's definitive that any of those guys would play a major role for you this year ahead of Kennard, and obviously not ahead of Allen or Tatum (if you slide Kennard and Allen down to off-guard/wing). When the best guy you can come up with is coming off the bench (or at least it's a possibility he'd come off the bench)...... you're BEYOND stacked.

This is just another exercise in how absurd your roster is this year. Much like Kentucky a couple of seasons ago, I'm going to enjoy watching Duke play - aside from the fact that my Hoos are supposed to be "battling" you for a spot in the ACC pecking order.

[flyingdutchdevil]

With all due respect to Amaker, Duhon, Wojo, Cook, and every other guy mentioned in this thread that fits the parameters of NO 1-and-done, and NO jerseys in the rafters:

I don't think it's definitive that any of those guys would play a major role for you this year ahead of Kennard, and obviously not ahead of Allen or Tatum (if you slide Kennard and Allen down to off-guard/wing). When the best guy you can come up with is coming off the bench (or at least it's a possibility he'd come off the bench)... you're BEYOND stacked.

This is just another exercise in how absurd your roster is this year. Much like Kentucky a couple of seasons ago, I'm going to enjoy watching Duke play - aside from the fact that my Hoos are supposed to be "battling" you for a spot in the ACC pecking order.

A true PG - ie one who is either a better passer than scorer (Amaker) or a great combination of both (Duhon, Cook) - who also provides defensive pressure is exactly what this team is missing. It's cherry picking at this point, and hopefully it isn't too much of a liability. And I absolutely believe that a senior Cook, senior Amaker, and senior Duhon would start ahead of Kennard, M Jones, or F Jackson any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Those three players are legends. Kennard is building his own legacy, and we'd be lucky if Kennard is put in a similar bucket as those players.

[jldukie]

I think a little dose of Martin 'the Puma' Nessley is what this team needs.

[MChambers]

A true PG - ie one who is either a better passer than scorer (Amaker) or a great combination of both (Duhon, Cook) - who also provides defensive pressure is exactly what this team is missing. It's cherry picking at this point, and hopefully it isn't too much of a liability. And I absolutely believe that a senior Cook, senior Amaker, and senior Duhon would start ahead of Kennard, M Jones, or F Jackson any day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Those three players are legends. Kennard is building his own legacy, and we'd be lucky if Kennard is put in a similar bucket as those players.

+1

I was going to say essentially the same thing.

[COYS]

I accept the rules and I'll also follow some other conditions of my own. As much as Elton would be an obvious choice, even with the front court talent on the team this year, there's just no realistic way recruits like Giles and Bolden commit to Duke if Elton were on the team, already, so I'm not gonna go there. I feel like the same could be said about Boozer and Kyle (who probably would have stopped Jayson from committing). So I'm not counting them because otherwise it would just be too hard to choose. And while I remember the '91 and '92 seasons, I was far too young to REALLY remember them, so I don't feel qualified to pick between some of the talented players on those rosters or any preceding year (yeah, I know, that excludes a bevy of amazing players, but that's just how it is).

As for this year's Duke team, I see our main question marks being defense, point guard, and shooting, which puts me in a bit of conundrum. If Grayson and Luke are able to handle point guard duties on offense and defense, then my choices would open up a bit. But I'm going to assume that pg stays our weakest area (even if it doesn't prove to be a liability, as I don't think it will, at least not on offense).

On the one hand, a pure point who plays excellent defense at the point of attack and can relieve Grayson and Luke from shouldering ball handling duties like Duhon could be perfect. But his streaky three point shooting gives me pause, especially since only Grayson and Matt have proven to be consistent threats from three and Matt is really only a threat when completely wide open.

Nolan was a sensational defender his last two seasons, though probably never quite as quick as Duhon. By his senior year he flashed some solid combo guard skills. He also is more of a threat from three point range. But Nolan was never a pure point guard and, with the wealth of offensive talent we have on the team, I'm not totally sure how he would fit, but maybe I shouldn't worry and just embrace the fact that a senior Nolan/Junior Grayson backcourt would probably end up being the highest scoring backcourt in Duke history . . . with Luke and Frank to back them up.

There is Will Avery. He was super fast with the ball and could help Duke push the tempo, allowing Harry, Jayson, and Grayson to get out in transition for what would be a parade of highlight reel fast-break dunks. While he was far from the only star on that dominant '99 team, he probably deserves more credit than he gets for piloting the offense to an undefeated ACC record, an ACC Title, and the NCAA Tourney Final. He clearly demonstrated he could play on a team with an array of offensive talent. And though KenPom rankings don't go back that far, I'd be surprised if that team didn't have a top 5 defense. I was younger and not quite as well versed in the nuances of defense at the time, so it's hard for me to remember just how good Will was on that side of the ball, but he clearly could not have been bad.

Quinn is also an obvious choice even if he wasn't running the offense his senior season. He showed incredible humility and commitment to the team by playing a reduced offensive role to perfection. He adds leadership and shooting and heart. And he was no slouch in the scoring department, either, and, despite being undersized, transformed into a solid defender by the end of his career.

Finally, there's Jon. If I were picking entirely with my heart, it would be Jon. To this day, I believe that if he had been given the keys to Duke's offense earlier in his career, he would have his jersey in the rafters. And his defense has long been underrated. Actually, he and Kyle both are two of the best off-ball defenders Duke has ever had. While we'd probably have to play at a slower tempo with Jon running the show compared to Will Avery, the upgrade in pure efficiency might be worth it. Also, with Jon, Grayson AND Luke on the court to close out games, we'd have three lights out free throw shooters to shut the door on opponents trying to make a comeback. Plus, Jon was a great scorer and an underrated play-maker.

Honestly, I'd love to have any of these five guys. But out of those five, I'm going with Will Avery if only because I think it would be really, really fun to see this team have a point guard with real jets leading the offense. I think it's a risky pick passing on ACC POY senior Nolan, ACC POY runner up and national champ senior Jon, national champ senior Quinn, and All ACC steady hand and strong defender senior Duhon. Avery's individual accomplishments don't quite reach the level of Jon or Nolan (nor are they necessarily better than Chris or Quinn), but why not give this team some flair? Avery averaged over 14 ppg, handed out 5 apg, and shot better than 40% from three. His ability to push the ball would add an extra dimension to a team that already has plenty of talent at the combo and wing spots. He was a solid free throw shooter, too, so he'd be a deadly weapon to have on the court in a "death" lineup that featured Avery, Grayson, Luke, Jayson, and Harry. I just can't imagine how much fun it would be to watch next year's team play at a fast pace with a guy like Avery leading the way. Many Duke fans have likened the talent of this coming year's team to the '99 team. So why not have the point guard of that team lead this one? And this time, we finish the job.

As a side note, guys like DeMarcus and Capel need to be mentioned for their virtuoso defensive abilities and versatility. I can't believe Dunleavy hasn't been mentioned yet, as we could play him at shooting guard and have a ridiculous size advantage at every position. Again, though, he could have posed a road block for Jayson. Trajan would solve our three point shooting problems and was a seriously talented player that sometimes gets lost and is very much worth considering. Ewing was mentioned upthread, but he also deserves some love. And I'd even consider Gerald Henderson, who, despite not being a three point shooter or a ball handler, would make this team ridiculously physically strong. Plus, watching Grayson and Gerald compete for most ridiculous dunk all year would be really fun (Gerald would win. Grayson has hops, but Gerald would win). Dahntay is another guy that deserves at least a mention, even if we're probably set on the wing this year. And he'd also throw down some ferocious jams. Duke has had so many amazing players. It's really hard to choose.

[Spanarkel]

Danny Meagher, as every great team NEEDS an enforcer.

[Turk]

I think a little dose of Martin 'the Puma' Nessley is what this team needs.

Especially if "The Big Cat" is rocking his 'stache...

But Alex, let's go with "Wacko Canadians" for $1000.

Question: "This player was the first take-no-prisoners BAMF in the Coach K era, the prototype for later players such as Nate James."

Answer: "Who is 'Thunder' Dan Meagher?"

[OldPhiKap]

I think a little dose of Martin 'the Puma' Nessley is what this team needs.

True. Especially because Marty never fouls.