Favorite Player Poll- Spanarkel vs. T. Hill

[JasonEvans]

The legendary leader of "Forever's Team" versus one of the great supporting characters from the back-to-back title teams of the early 90s.

It is our #11 seed Jim Spanarkel versus the #22 seed Thomas Hill.

--Jason "this poll will stay open until Monday morning" Evans

[YmoBeThere]

Got in the first vote, Thomas was a classmate...

[JasonEvans]

Is it just me or is Thomas Hill best known for "the shocked face" in 1992?

--Jason "anyone got an image/screen cap of that?" Evans

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Jim Spanarkel. The first Duke player I know of who had a newspaper reporter create a verb out of his name, as in "so and so got Spanarkeled last night". That's how good he was. When he graduated, he was Duke's first career 2000+ point scorer and obviously leading all time scorer (past by in the succeeding 3 years by Mike Gminski and Gene Banks).

#34 to the rafters!

[Olympic Fan]

Real tough kid ... played on the same high school team as UNC's Mike O'Koren.

O'Koren (a year behind Jim) was the big prep All-American ... Spanarkel was a relatively overlooked recruit.

He turned out to be the first piece in Foster's rebuilding effort -- and a better college player than O'Koren. Not that O'Koren was a bust -- he was pretty good, but Jimmy was better -- Spanarkel was the ACC's first rookie of the year in 1976, second team All-ACC in 1977, and first-team All-ACC in 1978 and 1979. He was a consesus second-team All-American in 1979.

He was also a two-time first-team academic All-American.

He not only finished his career as Duke's all-time leading scorer, but he set a record for career steals that stood until Tommy Amaker broke it -- he still has the record for steals per game.

The thing about Jim is that he was a smart, polite kid -- a great representative of the school. I always thought he'd end up as a coach.

[dkbaseball]

The guy who began the turnaround from the mid-'70s nadir. Also pitched a shoutout for Duke against a very good Clemson baseball team.

I loved THill, and don't mean to dis him, but he lost me a little bit in his senior year when he seemed to be auditioning an outside shot he didn't have for the NBA.

[JasonEvans]

This is a kinda close one-- Spanarkel by 22 votes but with a lot of votes still to be cast. Does THill have a Sunday comeback in him?

--Jason

[Lavabe]

I voted for "Jimmy."

If I didn't, my wife (T'80) would kill me.

Cheers,
Lavabe

[Indoor66]

I voted for "Jimmy."

If I didn't, my wife (T'80) would kill me.

Cheers,
Lavabe

and quite rightly so!

[throatybeard]

Here it is, although like most images of us, it's from a site whose owners hate us:

[SilkyJ]

Is it just me or is Thomas Hill best known for "the shocked face" in 1992?

--Jason "anyone got an image/screen cap of that?" Evans

definitely what I remember most. its funny cause he started while grant came off the bench, for two years no less (I think) but was just overshadowed...

[Jumbo]

its funny cause he started while grant came off the bench, for two years no less (I think) but was just overshadowed...

Huh?

[dkbaseball]

Huh?

I guess he means McCaffrey.

[SilkyJ]

^I'm and talking about Thomas Hill. He managed to start and play ahead (semi directly. Grant was more of a SF and Hill a SG, but they definitely competed for overall minutes as both could play the other's position) of one of the best players in Duke history for two years and yet he is only known for being on the bench semi-crying after a big shot. You'd think someone like that would have a more memorable moment when he was actually IN the game. or at least I would...

[JasonEvans]

This poll is closed now. Spanarkel moves on to face Laettner in the Sweet 16.

-Jason

[Lavabe]

This poll is closed now. Spanarkel moves on to face Laettner in the Sweet 16.

-Jason

So much for my marriage! My wife will not be pleased with the matchup.
Cheers,
Lavabe

[EarlJam]

Is it just me or is Thomas Hill best known for "the shocked face" in 1992?

--Jason "anyone got an image/screen cap of that?" Evans

I remember looking up at the screen, seeing T. Hill's face and exclaiming, "They didn't count the shot!" I thought T. Hill was upset because Duke had lost. A split second later, and the truth hit me. A split second after that, I was hugging an elderly man at the Ramada in Burlington while telling him I loved him.

-Earl, Jam