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DukeDevilDeb
02-22-2009, 11:51 AM
Throughout the last three seasons, I have been thinking (and occasionally saying) where is Christian Laettner when you need him? Where is Shane Battier when you need him? Where are Johnning Dawkins and JWill and Brian Davis and Nate and Carrawell and Wojo .... when you need them?

The issue here is not one of skill, although I'm sure any team in the country--with the possible exception of Kentucky-- would be happy to have Laettner or any of those players. The issue is one of WILL--that is the WILL to win. This also includes the WILL to remain in control, to set the pace of the game, to play slap down defense every single time the other team brings the ball down the court, the WILL to hit EVERY free throw and take every charge... and lots and lots of other big and little factors that make a team a winner.

This WILL is not there on the 2008-2009 Blue Devil team. In fact, the last time I saw it was in 2004, and I would argue that Duhon had some of that WILL but not enough to finish.

At times, that WILL appears... the comeback against Wake, for example. But then how in the world do we let them score a layup with .8 seconds left? In the 1991 UNLV game after Christian hit the free throws, and there were 12+ seconds left, I remember saying with great pride, "DUKE can play 12 SECONDS of defense against ANYONE!" and fortunately being right. Obviously Duke couldn't play .8 seconds of defense against a good team this year.

The second part of the first half against Carolina looked like a game filled with WILL. So what happened? Did the team leave its WILL in the locker room at the half? Was it really Duke WILL in the first half, or was it the Tarheels playing poorly? And in the St. Johns game--one that admittedly was against a team not as good as UNC or Wake--we went from having a very comfortable lead to a score that made it look like a close game. We missed free throws, we played lousy defense, we missed shots, and we turned the ball over repeatedly. That is not the Duke WILL to win.

The other common factor among the players listed above was that THEY HATED TO LOSE. HATED IT!!!! Christian missed some free throws at the end of a game early in his career because the crowd was yelling obscenities at him. Did he cry or complain over it? Did he go to a therapist over it? Did he just hope it would be better elsewhere? NO. He collected a bunch of guys, brought them into Cameron and shot free throws while they yelled the worst things in the world. He simulated the game situation as closely as he could because he HATED that his misses lost the game. So when those free throws came up against UNLV, I was confident that he would make them. More importantly CHRISTIAN was confident that he would make them. The WILL to win, the HATRED of losing, playing hard on every single play, never giving up... that is DUKE basketball.

Don't get me wrong. I love the guys on the team now. But when we lost our first game at Michigan, I didn't see the fierce determination and the belief that we WOULD win in the future... As Coach K and Coach Knight said in their wonderful video clip on losing, losses stay with a coach longer than with a player. Players have other things... video games, parties, whatever... that seem to take precedence over gearing everything toward the next win. Watch this if you haven't already. http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=3919428

Finally, two Maryland games from the 2001 season best demonstrate the Duke WILL to win... At Maryland, down by 10 with a minute left... JWILL had the WILL to win. He wasn't going to let Duke lose. And the other players played off that and played well. And in the Final Four that year, down by 22 points, not a single player lost a step in running down the court or in playing defense... and we won. We had a lot further to go in both of those games than we did at Wake or really than we did against UNC this year... but WILL wasn't anywhere to be seen.

And don't forget, the Crazies and the upstairs crowd need that same WILL too! Maybe more than ever, tonight's game will benefit from the WILL of the crowd.

Go Devils!

moonpie23
02-22-2009, 01:43 PM
i'm not sure where it originated, but i heard pat riley say it once..

"the will to win is nothing compared to the will to PREPARE to win"..


this team has to find that mindset..

Grey Devil
02-22-2009, 06:31 PM
I'm replying to this thread to bring DevilDeb's post back to the top. I think this is an important issue. Unfortunately, I'm doing this shortly before the Wake game and it may not get seen by as many as I would like.

I watched the Coach K/Knight conversation before I read DevilDeb's post and was very interested to hear them talk about the players' attention being distracted by many other interests, such that losing doesn't bother them as much as it bothers the coaches. Of course, that's always been true since the coach's job is potentially on the line with each game and the player's can just come back for the next game, but I think it's true of all young people today. (And I say that as a college professor, not some old guy who doesn't have much contact with the younger generation). There are so many other distractions and possible outside interests today than there were just a decade or so ago that is easy to lose your focus/intensity. (Heck, I, too, have that problem, it's not just students....just think of the time I spend reading the DBR!) This is not a condemnation of today's younger generation (in some respects it could be the fault of the older generation, but I don't want to get into intergenerational arguments with this post). I think it's actually very remarkable when people are able to excel at a world-class level, more remarkable now than it was a few decades ago when people had fewer distractions and more time to focus. In my opinion, it takes unusual discipline these days to perform at a consistently high level.

Comments? Thoughts?

kmspeaks
02-22-2009, 10:29 PM
First to comment on the original post. I find this kind of absurd. How can we, as fans, sitting away from the action, or even viewing on TV judge anyone's WILL to win. Our interpretation of a player's facial expressions or body language may be very different from what they actually mean. I feel like you're equating effort to performance. In other words saying Duke hasn't won games this year because the guys weren't trying, or even worse that they didn't care enough about the game. Please correct me if I'm wrong but this is how I read your post and it is a major issue I have as a college athlete. Maximum effort does not always equal a win. Sometimes the other team is just better and sometimes things just happen.

Now to Grey Devil. I'm not sure if this is a generational or personal difference but I just don't see what good comes out of allowing yourself to be bothered by losses. Analyze what happened and find what needs to be improved then move on. Anything else is just making yourself miserable IMHO.

Also another angle to consider. Sometimes losses by teams I cheer for bother me more than losses by teams I play for and I am always more nervous watching a close Duke game than playing in one. When I'm playing I'm in control of the outcome and I know that when or lose it is in my hands. Perhaps this is part of the reason losses stick with coaches. Yes they have more control over the game than a fan but when push comes to shove it is up to the players to execute. Maybe this lack of control makes it a little harder to move on after a loss. Just a thought.

DukeWarhead
02-22-2009, 10:43 PM
I find it a bit silly, too, to suggest that recent teams are lacking a will to win. Nobody embodied a will for winning more than J.J. - often times he did it all on his own. I look across the college basketball scene over the last ten years and don't see other teams that seem to eclipse Duke in thier desire to win.
I would agree that players such as Christian L. and Jason W. had a certain killer instinct that was easily visible on the court - but they were also so skilled and effective that it is hard to duplicate.

Sure, I'd like to see more killer instinct - almost a ruthlessness - when Duke plays. Ultimately,however, I just want to see them play to their full potential and give 100% and the rest will take care of itself.

No more psycho babble.

yancem
02-23-2009, 12:21 AM
Tonight, I saw a tremendous will to win from both Henderson and Scheyer. I think that on many occasions over the past two seasons, Singler and Paulus have also shown a will to win. All the will to win in the world can't change the outcome if you don't have the skill/ability to do something about it. And don't forget, sometimes its just not your day. Even the greats of Duke's past suffered losses.

Jumbo
02-23-2009, 12:43 AM
First to comment on the original post. I find this kind of absurd. How can we, as fans, sitting away from the action, or even viewing on TV judge anyone's WILL to win.

Agreed. The original post was, largely, absurd. The "will to hit a free throw?" What does that mean? Did J-Will not have the "will to win" when he missed that FT against Indiana as a junior, or when he struggled against Florida in the NCAA Tourney as a frosh? Duhon didn't have enough "will" to finish in 2004? What? That ending was about Duhon's will? Seriously? The James Johnson play at Wake was about "will?" What did "will" have to do with a miscommunication on a switch. Maybe, just maybe, there are some other factors that are more important in basketball games than this nebulous "will to win."

Look, I agree that toughness, character, determination, etc. are all important qualities. But, as kmspeaks says, it's awfully hard for us, as fans, to tell anything about a kid's will. Sometimes we can make educated guesses -- it was hard to watch Nate James play and think of him as anything other than strong-willed, determined and tough. But sometimes looks can be deceiving, too.

If this team didn't have the "will to win," it wouldn't have won tonight. Period.

ice-9
02-23-2009, 05:52 AM
If this team didn't have the "will to win," it wouldn't have won tonight. Period.

True, that. When Wake sliced the lead to 2, I was thinking "uh-oh"...but this team displayed toughness, made the right defensive adjustments, and pulled through.

I think "will to win" is better thought about in terms of discipline, full and consistent effort, preparation and confidence. When you have all four factors it'll appear as though the team has a "will to win."

micah75
02-23-2009, 07:48 AM
I think "will to win" is better thought about in terms of discipline, full and consistent effort, preparation and confidence. When you have all four factors it'll appear as though the team has a "will to win."

Also, and perhaps this is included in "preparation and confidence", but I'm of the opinion that it wasn't a mere coincidence that Duke just happened to play their best game of the season, offensively anyway, on the same night Coach K came out more fired up than we've seen him in ages. To quote DBR's write-up of the game: "Coach K was as pumped up as we’ve ever seen him. In fact, we’ve only seen him at that level of competitive fervor twice that we can recall."

I'm thinking that part of what DukeDevilDeb was alluding to was having that emotional spark plug on the team. Last night, Coach K provided that spark and the players responded. Also, if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe DDD is as far away from the action as most of us. I happen to respect her opinion based on her affiliation (past and/or present) with the Duke athletic dept. At the same time, I can understand why this would be a controversial topic.

DukeDevilDeb
02-23-2009, 11:01 PM
I'm thinking that part of what DukeDevilDeb was alluding to was having that emotional spark plug on the team. Last night, Coach K provided that spark and the players responded. Also, if I'm not mistaken, I don't believe DDD is as far away from the action as most of us. I happen to respect her opinion based on her affiliation (past and/or present) with the Duke athletic dept. At the same time, I can understand why this would be a controversial topic.

That's exactly what I was referring to... and the sight of Coach last night brought the same feelings as the sight of Wojo slapping the floor in 1998 or Christian throwing his arms up after hitting the shot.


Agreed. The original post was, largely, absurd. The "will to hit a free throw?" What does that mean? Did J-Will not have the "will to win" when he missed that FT against Indiana as a junior, or when he struggled against Florida in the NCAA Tourney as a frosh? Duhon didn't have enough "will" to finish in 2004? What? That ending was about Duhon's will? Seriously? The James Johnson play at Wake was about "will?" What did "will" have to do with a miscommunication on a switch. Maybe, just maybe, there are some other factors that are more important in basketball games than this nebulous "will to win."

If this team didn't have the "will to win," it wouldn't have won tonight. Period.

Jumbo, most of the time I think you're terrific. But to call the original post absurd was really to reveal your lack of understanding of the intangible that I was calling "the will to win" and that others on this thread have used better terms to define.

Sometimes the will to win isn't enough; you play a far superior team (e.g., UNLV 1990) and nothing you are working for or toward makes any difference. But what led us to our 1991 win over UNLV? Different personnel? Maybe because Grant was a big addition. Worse players on UNLV? No way... they were the team of the decade, guaranteed to go back-to-back, when this scrappy team from Durham fought its way to the biggest upset in Blue Devil history.

And as to JWill and the will to win, just take a look at your tape of the 2001 Maryland game. You don't think Jason had the WILL to win that night of the Miracle Minute? The play of the entire team in the overtime (esp. Shane) reflected their WILL. And no, certainly WILL doesn't explain everything; I never said it did. But I think it makes the difference between a 25-7 team and a National Championship team.

micah75 made an extremely important point in using the term "spark plug." As I watched the beginning of the game last night, I was really struck by Coach K's approach... as he said, "You don't tell them you MUST win; you tell them you WILL win..." and that's exactly why WILL is so important.

And frankly, I'm not sure the team would have won without the WILL to win last night. Interesting thing that the person who had the will last night didn't take a single shot, didn't pass the ball once or steal the ball or play great defense or anything else... because he was on the sidelines in a white shirt and a Duke blue tie! Now, if his will is contagious, and the players can feed off it, this team can go places!

AMEN. The end. GO DEVILS!

FireOgilvie
02-23-2009, 11:29 PM
That's exactly what I was referring to... and the sight of Coach last night brought the same feelings as the sight of Wojo slapping the floor in 1998 or Christian throwing his arms up after hitting the shot.



Jumbo, most of the time I think you're terrific. But to call the original post absurd was really to reveal your lack of understanding of the intangible that I was calling "the will to win" and that others on this thread have used better terms to define.

Sometimes the will to win isn't enough; you play a far superior team (e.g., UNLV 1990) and nothing you are working for or toward makes any difference. But what led us to our 1991 win over UNLV? Different personnel? Maybe because Grant was a big addition. Worse players on UNLV? No way... they were the team of the decade, guaranteed to go back-to-back, when this scrappy team from Durham fought its way to the biggest upset in Blue Devil history.

And as to JWill and the will to win, just take a look at your tape of the 2001 Maryland game. You don't think Jason had the WILL to win that night of the Miracle Minute? The play of the entire team in the overtime (esp. Shane) reflected their WILL. And no, certainly WILL doesn't explain everything; I never said it did. But I think it makes the difference between a 25-7 team and a National Championship team.

micah75 made an extremely important point in using the term "spark plug." As I watched the beginning of the game last night, I was really struck by Coach K's approach... as he said, "You don't tell them you MUST win; you tell them you WILL win..." and that's exactly why WILL is so important.

And frankly, I'm not sure the team would have won without the WILL to win last night. Interesting thing that the person who had the will last night didn't take a single shot, didn't pass the ball once or steal the ball or play great defense or anything else... because he was on the sidelines in a white shirt and a Duke blue tie! Now, if his will is contagious, and the players can feed off it, this team can go places!

AMEN. The end. GO DEVILS!

I think it's silly to pretend that you have any idea what is going on in these kids' heads. "The WILL to win?" I think it's completely ridiculous, definitely "absurd." Paulus probably has just as much of "the WILL" as anyone... he's a "spark plug," but he's never been past the Sweet Sixteen. JJ didn't get past the Sweet Sixteen his senior year... I guarantee you he had the WILL. Sometimes things don't go your way... the other team wants to win too. It's not because of WILL. I think your post is actually incredibly insulting to the current team. They work their butts off and you question their "WILL."

Jumbo
02-24-2009, 12:56 AM
Jumbo, most of the time I think you're terrific. But to call the original post absurd was really to reveal your lack of understanding of the intangible that I was calling "the will to win" and that others on this thread have used better terms to define.
I understand intangibles quite well, thank you. As other posters have pointed out, though, none of us is in a position to determine who has "will" and who doesn't on this team. And "will" isn't simply about being vocal. You can have just as much will and do so in a quiet, determined fashion as what Coach K showed last night.


Sometimes the will to win isn't enough; you play a far superior team (e.g., UNLV 1990) and nothing you are working for or toward makes any difference. But what led us to our 1991 win over UNLV? Different personnel? Maybe because Grant was a big addition. Worse players on UNLV? No way... they were the team of the decade, guaranteed to go back-to-back, when this scrappy team from Durham fought its way to the biggest upset in Blue Devil history.

Yeah, gee, you think Grant Hill might've been just a slightly important addition to the team? And this is the other thing about that game that is somewhat amusing -- in the long run, UNLV didn't have the superior talent. UNLV's best player was Larry Johnson, who was a good NBA player. Duke had Grant Hill, who was an even better NBA player. UNLV had Stacey Augmon. Duke had Laettner, who was a better NBA player. UNLV had Greg Anthony. Duke had Bobby Hurley, and we'll never know who would've been the better NBA player because of his accident. Anderson Hunt never sniffed the NBA. Brian Davis actually got some time in the league. Tony Lang got more time than that. That Duke team was really, really talented and doesn't get nearly the respect in that area in comparison to UNLV that it deserves.


And as to JWill and the will to win, just take a look at your tape of the 2001 Maryland game. You don't think Jason had the WILL to win that night of the Miracle Minute? The play of the entire team in the overtime (esp. Shane) reflected their WILL. And no, certainly WILL doesn't explain everything; I never said it did. But I think it makes the difference between a 25-7 team and a National Championship team.
That was exactly my point. Jason clearly had whatever you define as "will" in the comeback at Maryland. But you started talking about the "will to hit free throws," which means you have to talk about the loss to Indiana, too, right? Or do players simply have "will" on some nights and not others?

DukeWarhead
02-24-2009, 05:33 AM
The orginal post tried to tie in to the recent Coach K and Bobby Knight interview where Knight suggested that college players these days are not as determined to win as past generations, and maybe there is something to that. Nevertheless, I still think that all of our Duke teams of the past 10-15 years have had just as much of a will to win as any of the teams they met on the court. Sure, there are some games that make you wonder - the recent blowout at Clemson - but losses like that are so rare for Duke that it only strengthens notion that these Duke teams are as comitted to winning night in and night out as any team in the country.
To suggest that J.J. did not possess a will to win as strong as any Duke player in recent memory is, IMO, redickulous.
In all of Duke's disappointing losses over the last few seasons, it would be hard to say that the other team just "wanted" it more. Something else was usually the issue.
The miracle minute in Maryland was mentioned as an example of will to win, but something else contributed to JWill making those steals and 3 pointers....crazy good skill and concentration.
As true as it is to say "You can't win if you really don't want to win," it is just as true to say "Just the will to win isn't enough...you have to make the plays and hit the shots."

In sum, Duke players over the past 5-6 seasons have played with as much will and determination as thier predecessors, and certainly thier opponents. If you want to compare them to the very, very special Duke teams that won National Championships, then fine, but remember that those teams had extremely skilled players who made the plays and sunk the shots - in addition to great drive and determination.

These recent teams aren't lacking the will.... they're lacking a JWill...or a Elton Brand...or a Johnny Dawkins. And those players only come around so often..

Wander
02-24-2009, 09:00 AM
This is just like the nonsense about UNC not trying hard enough on defense... they have plenty of will, they're just not very good perimeter defenders.

I don't understand how you can watch Greg Paulus for almost four years and come to the conclusion that there's a single player in the country who wants to win more than he does. Intangibles count for sure, but people in general severely underrate how much more talent and skill count...

DukeDevilDeb
02-24-2009, 09:47 AM
This is just like the nonsense about UNC not trying hard enough on defense... they have plenty of will, they're just not very good perimeter defenders.

I don't understand how you can watch Greg Paulus for almost four years and come to the conclusion that there's a single player in the country who wants to win more than he does. Intangibles count for sure, but people in general severely underrate how much more talent and skill count...

Greg has the will to win... what he doesn't have is the speed and talent. I wrote that you need both...

As to knowing what is in the kids' heads, I work with them every single day and have since 1986. I bet I know at least a little bit what's in their heads!

Jumbo
02-24-2009, 11:43 AM
Greg has the will to win... what he doesn't have is the speed and talent. I wrote that you need both...

As to knowing what is in the kids' heads, I work with them every single day and have since 1986. I bet I know at least a little bit what's in their heads!

So by teaching them in a class, you know how hard they play on the court? I'm pretty sure my professors -- even my favorite ones -- didn't have a clue as to what I was like in various other settings.

InSpades
02-24-2009, 12:00 PM
JJ didn't have the will to win? To even think about saying that seems ridiculous. I know one guy can't do it alone so... Shelden didn't have the will to win either? Demarcus didn't?

Kyle Singler doesn't have the will to win? Jon Scheyer?

Whatever intangibles you'd want to see out on the court, the above mentioned have shown them on plenty of occasions (and you can add to that list). If you haven't seen them since 2004 then you haven't been looking.

They've just come up a bit short that's all, there's no crime in that.

ncexnyc
02-24-2009, 01:00 PM
Alright, so the original post was a poor generalization, but if you think every player that dons a Duke uniform has one common goal and they all work exactly the same to perfect their game and achieve that goal then you are sadly mistaken.

Those of us with years of life experience know people who've crossed our path that had immense potential, but didn't apply themselves and just cruised through life. They aren't failures, but they could have been so much more. We also know those who had talent, but strayed from their path and were complete washouts.

We've had transfers and obviously those kids didn't buy into the common goal, they had their own agendas. There are probably a few who don't transfer, but are more than happy to devout more time to their classroom efforts than developing their game, afterall we are always bragging about that world-class education Duke provides. If a kid realizes they won't be moving on to the next level, could we really fault a kid for spending more time with his books than in the gym?

It's just important to remember all people aren't the same and they all have different agendas.

DukeWarhead
02-24-2009, 04:19 PM
I no longer have the WILLto stay in this thread. The discussion is spiraling into an inane debate about who can understand others motives and what their personnel agendas are.

Duke teams, even the recent ones, work just as hard and want to win as much as anybody. Period. Although desire is crucial, it takes more than just desire to get to the Final Four.

DukeDevilDeb
02-24-2009, 04:30 PM
I no longer have the WILLto stay in this thread. The discussion is spiraling into an inane debate about who can understand others motives and what their personnel agendas are.

Duke teams, even the recent ones, work just as hard and want to win as much as anybody. Period. Although desire is crucial, it takes more than just desire to get to the Final Four.

It's not as if every other thread focuses on a rational, logical, and relevant topic!

But let me clarify something. What leads a team to be able to win an NC is a lot of things: basic talent, basketball savvy, fundamentals, coaching, other things, team chemistry, and LUCK. No one ever said that the desire to win (since everyone seems not to like the word will) was the only or even the most important factor... but as a psychologist, I happen to believe that it contributes something... and teams without the strong desire, no matter how talented they are, often don't make it.

I find Jumbo's statement below amusing:

"So by teaching them in a class, you know how hard they play on the court? I'm pretty sure my professors -- even my favorite ones -- didn't have a clue as to what I was like in various other settings."

I'm 100% sure that's true, Jumbo. But I don't only see these kids in class. I meet with them individually, I talk with them about academic and non-academic challenges, I try to help their families when a problem I know something about occurs... and I have had multiple guys sitting in my office talking about frustrations and issues about Duke basketball.

You don't agree with me. Others don't either. That's OK. I was just getting tired of reading about some of the other topics that had been thrown around all season long. This too shall pass!

mike88
02-24-2009, 07:12 PM
I have yet to understand from this thread what anyone means by the "will to win" Much of the oriiginal post described it in terms of outcomes: "the WILL to remain in control, to set the pace of the game, to play slap down defense every single time the other team brings the ball down the court, the WILL to hit EVERY free throw and take every charge."

If there is to be any meaning to this idea it needs to be something that can be identified in advance, and that is independent of the outcome (winning or losing, I guess). As others have noted, you have to account for both the outcomes that support (beating MD) and speak against (losing to Indiana) your theory. Right now, I can't tell how you would know if someone has "the will" until after the fact. In that sense, it is not very helpful (at least to me) in understanding what we (or the coaching staff) should look for or develop in our players. Maybe there really is something, but it is very hard to differentiate it from all the other factors, like relative talent, or even luck.

micah75
02-24-2009, 09:01 PM
I have yet to understand from this thread what anyone means by the "will to win"

I'm not sure that there is a precise word or phrase to describe what Deb is referring to. The '69 Mets coined it "Ya gotta believe!" Sure, everyone wants to win. Everyone hates losing. No one's arguing that. But, as Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins and other movitavional gurus have all explained, desire alone isn't enough. One has to believe it, feel it, live it, know it to be a reality in every fiber of one's being. I'm pretty sure the '83 Wolfpack had this mindset during their amazing postseason run. UK probably had it in their 17 point comeback win over Duke in '97 on their way to an NCAA title. JWill in Gone in 54. Milan HS in 1954 (or Hickory, as depicted in Hoosiers.) And yes, players can have off-nights in being "psyched up", just as they can have off-nights in other aspects of their games. That's why coaches give pep talks before the games, and at halftime. Sometimes players need to become more emotionally intense and fired up in order to play at a higher level. Especially for a team like Duke, that gets everyone's best shot, night after night.

DukeDevilDeb
02-25-2009, 04:00 PM
I'm not sure that there is a precise word or phrase to describe what Deb is referring to. The '69 Mets coined it "Ya gotta believe!" Sure, everyone wants to win. Everyone hates losing. No one's arguing that. But, as Norman Vincent Peale, Dale Carnegie, Tony Robbins and other movitavional gurus have all explained, desire alone isn't enough. One has to believe it, feel it, live it, know it to be a reality in every fiber of one's being. I'm pretty sure the '83 Wolfpack had this mindset during their amazing postseason run. UK probably had it in their 17 point comeback win over Duke in '97 on their way to an NCAA title. JWill in Gone in 54. Milan HS in 1954 (or Hickory, as depicted in Hoosiers.) And yes, players can have off-nights in being "psyched up", just as they can have off-nights in other aspects of their games. That's why coaches give pep talks before the games, and at halftime. Sometimes players need to become more emotionally intense and fired up in order to play at a higher level. Especially for a team like Duke, that gets everyone's best shot, night after night.

I agree totally with you, Micah. We say "everyone hates losing" but the fact is, that's not totally true. There are some people who can't eat, can't sleep, can't talk after they lose (take a look at Coach K again and what he says in the video with Bob Knight)... those people HATE to win. The others, sure, they hate to win... they would much rather be victorious, but it doesn't obsess them and overcome them, and they don't work for the next 48 hours to get better on the things that made them lose... That is EXACTLY what Coach Knight said... kids are different today. When Player Johnny Dawkins lost, do you think he went home and played video games or texted his girlfriend or went out for a smoothie? I'll bet a lot that what he did was shoot more, practice more, watch more tape, etc. Johnny graduated my first year here at Duke, so that info isn't first hand. But I've known lots of the players since then, and today's players take a different approach.

When Bobby Hurley lost, he got on the stairmaster and worked and worked and worked until he couldn't stand up. He left his own graduation ceremony early because his dad had rented a gym in Raleigh and he wanted to practice before he went to visit several NBA teams. He was a gym rat; so was Christian.

I don't know what the players do now or have done in the last 5 years. Maybe at 3 am they go over to Card Gym and shoot. But certain former players thought it was more fun to go to George's and exercise their elbows there than to make playing basketball and getting better the only priority in their lives.

We have seen this and heard it called many different things over the years in sports. Tiger Woods has this. Michael Jordan, Tarheel that he is, also had it. There was one playoff game when MJ played for the Bulls where he was sick as a dog with the flu. The whistle blew and he was on fire... when play stopped, Scottie and others had to virtually carry him to the bench. That's what I mean.

I am not saying that no one on this team has it. What I am seeing is that I haven't seen the whole team gel with this the same way that the 86 team or the 92 team or the 2001 team did. And if Coach Knight is correct--that for kids today, losing isn't as loathsome as it used to be--then odds are that we won't have the dominant kind of team that we had those years.

But actually, it doesn't look like there is another team with it either... This year's route seems to be win a critical game, get to be #1, then lose...

GO DEVILS!!!