Favorite Player Poll Sweet 16 - JWill vs. Ferry

[JasonEvans]

This pits our #1 seed Jason Williams versus the #17 seed Danny Ferry.

Good luck figuring out who to vote for!!

--Jason "call up your friends and get out the vote!!" Evans

[JasonEvans]

I voted quickly to give Danny an early lead

[EarlJam]

Oh my. This is a tough one. Never thought I'd "not vote" for Ferry but JWill was/is, well, JWill. Both of these former Duke players are in my top eight.

-EarlJam

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Oh my. This is a tough one. Never thought I'd "not vote" for Ferry but JWill was/is, well, JWill. Both of these former Duke players are in my top eight.

-EarlJam

Yup, me too. I'd put Ferry in my top 5, along with J-Will, Laettner, Shane and Spanarkel. Now that would be quite a starting five...

[Karl Beem]

Ferry is the 2nd most important player in the K era, behind JD.

[JasonEvans]

Ferry is the 2nd most important player in the K era, behind JD.

Getting one star or one great class can be luck sometimes... sustaining it, creating momentum out of it, and landing more and more studs is the way to build a lasting juggernaut.

By that logic, one could argue that Danny Ferry is THE MOST IMPORTANT recruit of the Coach K era.

I don't think we have ever, before or since, landed so highly touted a recruit. Danny was the landslide #1 recruit in the land. The only comparable kids in terms of recruiting hype were Brand and JWill and there wasn't nearly as much consensus on them as there was on Ferry.

I could go on and on about this kid. For ages I have felt he was the most under-appreciated member of the Coach K greats. When folks on this board talk about forming our unbeatable team from Duke's past, he is never mentioned. It is just assumed that Laettner and Battier and Grant Hill were the greatest forwards in modern Duke history. Well, the folks who assume that did not watch Danny closely enough. He was a collegiate version of Larry Bird. He mad everyone around him better. He did not play with studs most of his career and yet his teams always found a way to win and make the Final Four.

--Jason "Vote for FERRY!!!!!!!" Evans

[-jk]

I'll never forget the 1989 ACC tourney, with Reid and Ferry banging away inside. Were any fouls called between them? It was just brutal!

Perhaps if his heave had dropped, he's be on everyone else's all-time lists.

-jk

[Bostondevil]

Remember how well Ferry saw the floor? His passing was to die for. When I watch his Duke games on ESPN Classic I can understand why his long but not Hall of Fame pro career came as a disappointment.

But, the title of the thread is favorite Duke player, and at the end of the day, JWill is my favorite of the two.

[greybeard]

Very, very difficult, but in the end for me the choice is clear: JWill.

Here's why:

1. Clutch.

2. He scared people just walking into the gym, in a good way.

3. Aside from the fact that he set a lot of his game up with a right to left backwards cross-over from behind the 3 that involved a carry and made it impossible to guard him because he would make that step-back three all night, the guy had a diversity to his offensive game and an ability to "get" his own shot that was amazing;

4. Notwithstanding 3, I don't remember myself saying, "That guy shoots too much," or "that was a bad shot," or, "he's slowing the ball, and therefore the offense, down," "he failed to give it up quickly when a temmate had time and space," etc.

5. He got Duke a lot of balls others wouldn't have; rebounds, loose balls, outright steals, and defended his position in the context of the team defense well;

6. He completely got K's system and his teammates seemed to love playing with him; rare for that kind of scorer;

7 & 8. I think he was/is a terrific face and voice for Duke basketball. Heard him cover some games and thought that he was terrific doing color on broadcasts. Terrific. Fresh, thoughtful, unordinary. Showed an ability to articulate the things that he sees in the game that, apart from his exceptional physical attributes and skills, made him the best player in college.

9. He clearly made the correct choice by going to Duke; it showed on the court in spectacular fashion, and to me, off the court as well.

JWill wins against the greatest of matchups.

[killerleft]

Another one where I feel I have betrayed a great player and person. Jason gets the nod, but I am not sure why. Both are easily in my top 10. Danny's successful recruitment WAS huge for Duke and Coach K.

[VaDukie]

Another one where I feel I have betrayed a great player and person. Jason gets the nod, but I am not sure why. Both are easily in my top 10. Danny's successful recruitment WAS huge for Duke and Coach K.

you have to think of it as voting for someone than voting against another. otherwise, these final rounds are going to be brutal.

[Bob Green]

These are going to become tougher and tougher. I voted for Danny Ferry because he was such an integral part of Duke's resurgence to the top of college basketball.

[EarlJam]

you have to think of it as voting for someone than voting against another. otherwise, these final rounds are going to be brutal.

Totally agreed - which is why I posted earlier in the following manner:

Never thought I'd "not vote" for Ferry but JWill was/is, well, JWill.

-EarlJam

[johnb]

Before Danny gets wiped from the board...

Ferry was the first recruit we'd had in years who chose us over Carolina and was the first ever who was the consensus best hs player. Even more important, his dad was an NBA GM, which was a very early vote of confidence for Duke and Coach K. Before the DBR or even the internet, I called up the athletic department on signing day and asked if there had been any good news about him. The woman who answered said in a rapid drawl, "we aren't announcing anything for a couple of hours, but it's GONNA BE GOOD NEWS." Very exciting. In addition to leading the team to three final fours, he's the only player in Duke history among the top 10 in points, rebounds, and assists. He wasn't an NBA ALL Star, but he played pro for 14 years, and since his 2003 retirement, he was hired by his 2nd NBA team to be director of basketball operations, and then by his 1st team to be its GM. Okay, so he wasn't Bird, but his two teams must have seen something they liked. JWill is among my all time favorites, and he remains a solid ambassador for the team, but Ferry has been at the pinnacle of the sport for over 20 years.

[EarlJam]

Before Danny gets wiped from the board...

Ferry was the first recruit we'd had in years who chose us over Carolina and was the first ever who was the consensus best hs player. Even more important, his dad was an NBA GM, which was a very early vote of confidence for Duke and Coach K. Before the DBR or even the internet, I called up the athletic department on signing day and asked if there had been any good news about him. The woman who answered said in a rapid drawl, "we aren't announcing anything for a couple of hours, but it's GONNA BE GOOD NEWS." Very exciting. In addition to leading the team to three final fours, he's the only player in Duke history among the top 10 in points, rebounds, and assists. He wasn't an NBA ALL Star, but he played pro for 14 years, and since his 2003 retirement, he was hired by his 2nd NBA team to be director of basketball operations, and then by his 1st team to be its GM. Okay, so he wasn't Bird, but his two teams must have seen something they liked. JWill is among my all time favorites, and he remains a solid ambassador for the team, but Ferry has been at the pinnacle of the sport for over 20 years.

Great post. I just went on You Tube to see if there was a compilation of Ferry highlights from his Duke days. There wasn't - bummer. He WAS very Bird-like with his passing and offense while at Duke. Behind the back and behind the head passes that were smooth like butta and would make you Ooooooooooooh and Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh almost nightly. He WAS amazing to watch.

Would there be any other source for putting together or obtaining a Ferry highlight reel from his Duke days?

-EarlJam

[EarlJam]

Also,

I know I was good at hoops when I was younger, but there was something about Danny Ferry that people really saw in my game. I can't really explain it but he's the guy they apparently always compared me to. Everywhere I went I'd hear:

-Man, you're such a Ferry!
-Why do you always have to act like a Ferry?
-Man, you're the biggest Ferry out here on the court!

One guy refused to even pick me for his team because my game was so much like Danny's. I distinctly remember him saying, "I don't want that Ferry on my team!" Then, after we won the game and I started mocking him with cartwheels and such, "Get that Ferry out of here!" Ha! Must have been a UNC fan! Anyway, the joke was on HIM!

Great times.

-EarlJam

[SilkyJ]

Also,

I know I was good at hoops when I was younger, but there was something about Danny Ferry that people really saw in my game. I can't really explain it but he's the guy they apparently always compared me to. Everywhere I went I'd hear:

-Man, you're such a Ferry!
-Why do you always have to act like a Ferry?
-Man, you're the biggest Ferry out here on the court!

One guy refused to even pick me for his team because my game was so much like Danny's. I distinctly remember him saying, "I don't want that Ferry on my team!" Then, after we won the game and I started mocking him with cartwheels and such, "Get that Ferry out of here!" Ha! Must have been a UNC fan! Anyway, the joke was on HIM!

Great times.

-EarlJam

he'll be here all year (gulp)

[greybeard]

he'll be here all year (gulp)

Must be the meatloaf, or maybe the lima beans. Gotta get me some.

[RelativeWays]

I cut my teeth as a new Duke fan 20 years ago with Danny Ferry. I think JWill is great but I'm sticking with #35.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

...to see Ferry get clobbered in this round. If there hadn't been a Ferry wearing Duke Blue, there well may never ever have been a JWill wearing it either.
Love, Ima