Originally Posted by
CDu
I'm sorry that you don't remember Deng and Maggette. I remember Deng's Carrawell-like dribbling ability but tremendous length and athleticism at the PF spot, and his ability to drive the baseline. I remember him carrying us to a win over UNC on Duhon's senior night. And I remember being very frustrated that Coach K refused to go with Deng against Okafor, even for just a few minutes, to help keep our 3 big guys from fouling out. I remember Maggette's ridiculous hops, dunking over teams left and right. I remember the game in Cameron against Florida where he had a vicious dunk, got T'd up for doing a chinup and slapping the glass. And then, a few minutes later, he did the exact same thing, and the official blew the whistle (lost in the frenzied crowd noise) but Coach K talked him out of giving the second technical. I remember thinking how awesome he'd have been on the 1999-2000 team, and being sad that he was gone.
I have no problem with Deng. He was a guy who LOVED Duke and planned to stay for 3 years to get his degree like JWill. But his draft stock soared, and he had a TON of family pressure to strike while the iron was hot. So he went pro. It was a surprise, but it was completely understandable. But there was never a doubt in my mind that he was fully invested in the Duke way.
I guess I just see things differently than you. I remember things about each season. Last year, it was Irving's smoothness in getting to the basket - cradling the ball like a RB and launching toward the basket, scooping the ball up off the glass at the last moment. I'll remember Singler's defensive toughness, taking on Barnes and any other tall wing player and meeting the challenge. I'll remember Smith stepping up after the Irving injury and becoming a star. In 2009, I'll remember Henderson's dunks in Maryland. I'll remember Elliot Williams taking over for Paulus at guard and Scheyer taking over the PG duties, and seeing the flashes of brilliance from Williams late in the season. This past year, I'll remember the shot. I'll remember Mason's post move, repeated so often. I'll remember Miles stepping up late in the year. I'll remember Austin's crazy-good moves and ability to hit tough shots, and I'll remember my frustration that he couldn't consistently make good decisions and had only one real play in his playbook (the iso).
My memories of all of the Duke guys are based on what they did while they were there - not how long they were there. I'll have trouble remembering a guy like Gbinije and Michael Thompson, but I'll have no trouble remembering Elliot Williams, Olek Czyz, Irving, Maggette, Deng, and Rivers.