Originally Posted by
JBDuke
This was a very tough poll for me.
Shelden and Johnny are two rafter-hangers that were also favorites of mine. I just loved watching Shelden's game grow and mature over the four years he was at Duke, but as much as that, I appreciated the way he silenced the haters that wanted to drag him down due to that hotel incident before he enrolled. He did it not by angry defiance, but by quiet demonstration of his sterling character. Best post defender I recall in Duke history, too. How much fun would it be to watch a Duke defensive squad with Shelden, Shane, Grant, Billy, and Tommy? Would anybody ever score? :-)
And then there's JD. I did not grow up a Duke fan, so my love for Duke really started when I decided I wanted to go there in my junior year of HS. My freshman year was 1986, when K's first team was having its great run. Johnny was the unquestioned leader on the court. Watching Johnny play is one of the reasons I've been the passionate Duke fan I am. I still vividly remember that block on David Rivers to preserve the win over Notre Dame, as well as a hundred other JD moments that season. And, on top of his play, he's a prince of a man. Gotta have JD on the list.
Interestingly enough, the other retired jersey on the list, Christian, is not one of my favorites. Oh, I love that he was on my team. He's probably the greatest player in Duke history, and if I'm picking a team to win a game, he's my first pick. But he was also an arrogant jerk. "Best", yes, "Favorite", no.
Lee, David, and Carmen are all favorites of mine as well. Carmen never elevated to be more than a role-player. Lee made it to the starting lineup, but was never more than the third banana. And David - well, he still has two years left, so we don't know where he'll end up, but he's already my favorite player on the current team. All of these guys are players that don't have superstar talent, but that gave (or still give) everything they've got when they're on the floor. They're energy guys, going after loose balls, fighting for rebounds, what have you. I love those kind of guys. And how great is it when they come though in a clutch moment? Dave's basket against Clemson was perhaps my favorite moment from last season.
And then there's Billy King. I agree with Jason - he's the best one-on-one defender I've seen play at Duke. His shot may have been ugly, but his D was beautiful. On top of that, he's another man of impeccable character. I met Billy during one of my pre-enrollment trips to Duke. My family and I were touring campus, and we stopped by Cameron. Billy was there practicing free throws, (He needed the practice!) and he stopped to chat with us for a while. Just a classy individual.
So, I ended up voting for six this poll.