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houstondukie
06-07-2009, 02:48 AM
Alaa Abdelnaby was before my time. I'm trying to get an impression of the kind of player he was from those who remember watching him the best. What memories do you have?

Devils Rock
06-07-2009, 03:51 AM
Alaa Abdelnaby was before my time. I'm trying to get an impression of the kind of player he was from those who remember watching him the best. What memories do you have?

Well, the memories I have of Alaa are not entirely from the basketball court. Alaa and I were the same year at Duke and although I did not rally know him very well at all, I do have some vivid memories from him socially.

But first to your question. My recollection is that Alaa was a solid if not spectacular role player for three years and then became on of our top players as a senior. I remember him having a very solid and efficient low post game in his senior year and in that regard, we probably could have used him he past two years. Without actually looking up any data (since you are asking for impressions), I believe he shot a very high percentage from the field and that he took most of his shots pretty close to the basket. I think he may have averaged about 15 points and 8 rebounds his senior year. Of course, I also remember that all of our big men (including Alaa) fouled out in that melt down against Seton Hall in the tourney that year.

On the social side, I recall Alaa often seeming to be the life a the party at many of the formals and semi-formals that I attended. However, there is one incident for which I will always remember Alaa.

As a somewhat mathematically challenged individual, I avoided math and hard science classes at all costs. However, in order to fulfill my third tier requirements, I took a variation on "physics for poets" my senior year: Acoustics. Duke being Duke, the class still wasn't very easy and my solution was to just avoid going at all. After I had missed about a month of class, I decided to show up one day. When I get to the classroom, there is a sign on the door about how the class got moved a few weeks earlier and it is now on some other part of campus. It turns out that there was someone else who had also been avoiding the class: Alaa. In any case, neither he nor I had been to class in a month and we were both equally clueless about the room change. Alaa was kind enough to give me a ride to the new class site and I think that is the last time that either of us went to that class.

roywhite
06-07-2009, 08:30 AM
Alaa was a good player who lacked consistency.

He had very good physical tools---size, good run/jump athletic ability, and a soft shooting touch. He had a nice short jump shot and kind of a jump-hook that he used effectively near the basket. As a senior, Alaa scored very well in the paint, and was the beneficiary of freshman Bobby Hurley's passes.

To the consistency area, Alaa sometimes lost concentration, or on the flip side, became overly emotional during a game.

He was drafted late in the first round and was in the NBA for 5 years, being traded several times.

To add to the academic story told by the above poster, Alaa said something to the effect that "the only way he could get 5 A's at Duke was to sign his name."

Atldukie79
06-07-2009, 09:01 AM
I also recall a quote from AA's father when he committed to Duke. He told K that he needed to kick his son in the butt because he was lazy...a good kid, but lazy. In some ways, he appeared to be a fun loving guy like Kenny Dennard. There was always a sense that he could have done more, especially after a decent senior season. He was fairly agile with good ups. Not great hands...

grossbus
06-07-2009, 09:16 AM
i recall that some called him the "black hole" because when the ball went into him, it never came out.

blueprofessor
06-07-2009, 09:19 AM
AA was consistent his senior year with 15 ppg and 6.6 rpg. He was in double figures in scoring in all but 4 games.
What I most enjoyed was his 32 points at NCSU and his 27 points and 14 boards vs. UConn in the 1990 regional final won on Laettner's overtime last--second shot.
AA would have been outstanding on last season's team as he would have been a deadly low post scorer (career 59.9%) who was a decent foul shooter (73%) and a good rebounder.As the 25th pick in the draft in 1990,he would have been plenty good enough for us.
Best--Blueprofessor:)

Kedsy
06-07-2009, 10:20 AM
I'm not saying it will actually happen, because they're entirely different players with a huge difference in athletic ability, etc., etc., BUT if Brian Zoubek has the same kind of improvement on a percentage basis between his JR and SR years as Alaa Abdelnaby did, then next year Big Z will play 20 mins per game, with 7.5 pts per game, 7.0 rebs per game, and 2.3 blocks per game.

That'd be nice, wouldn't it?

Olympic Fan
06-07-2009, 12:08 PM
I know Alaa slightly -- we're much more acquaintances than friends -- and I have to agree he's one of the most intelligent, gregarious, fun-loving guys I've ever met. It's hard not to have a smile on your face when he's around.

That said, the characterization of him as lazy is on the mark too.

Alaa was born in Egypt, but grew up in New Jersey. He was a prep All-American at Plainfield HS -- about 6-10, 230 pounds. He ran well, moved well, had a nice soft pair of hands, and he had a variety of effective post moves.

What he didn't have was the work ethic that made guys like Redick and Battier great players or the burning desire to be a winner that made Laettner and Carrawell so tough.

I know Coach was very frustrated by Alaa for three years. He barely played as a freshman in 1987 (191 minutes all season) and was still less than 10 minutes a game in 1988 for a team that really could have used his size (that was a team that started 6-5 Robert Brickey at center). As a junior, Alaa finally became a significant contributor, averaging 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13 minutes a game off the bench.

Everything changed as a senior, when Alaa got off his butt and worked like a fiend to become the best player he could be. Supposedly, the motivation was his desire to earn a spot in the NBA. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds for a team that played for the national title. He started in the post and averaged about 26 minutes a game. He led the team in blocked shots and in shooting percentage (62.0 percent).

He was drafted late in the first round, got a multi-million contract and promptly lost the fire that made him an outstanding player in 1990. He hung around the league five years, then moved over the broadcasting.

He's still a great guy who gave Duke one outstanding season (and one more useful one). The only negative is that he could have given so much more.

As much as I'd like to see Zoubek make the kind of jump Alaa did as a senior, I'm not sure that it's a fair analogy. Alaa was an underachiever who became a top player when he finally decided to work hard. The talent was always there.

Brian has had injury problems, but by and large, he's been a hard, hard worker who has done the most to maximize his talent. While I think experience and maturity will make him a better player next season than he's been (and big men usually develop late), I don't see him making the kind of quontom jump that Alaa did.

-bdbd
06-08-2009, 01:05 AM
I know that Alaa has stayed in touch with the program, though I don't know where he's at professionally these days. I attended the first of the Coach K Executive Ed Weekend events at Fuqua about 6-7 years ago. I remember seeing Alaa at the Coach K "roast" (hosted hilariously by one Jay Bilas, but also with Charles Barkley, Bobby Cremmins and other notable speakers; raising money for the community center which now bears K's mother's name), with a very attractive young lady on his (Alaa's) arm.

To add a little to the Alaa lore, I remeber reading a story back years ago about Alaa playing in the NBA, I think it was for Portland at the time. He was a bench player who wasn't getting many minutes (actually not getting into most games at that point). The story goes that, on a bet or something (recall that Portland had a rep as a team with several players, let's just say, lacking discipline...) Alaa didn't wear his shorts under the warmups one night. Needless to say, the coach DID call his number at some point that night, and the rest is, well, history...

-BDBD :eek:

miramar
06-08-2009, 08:55 AM
To add a little to the Alaa lore, I remeber reading a story back years ago about Alaa playing in the NBA, I think it was for Portland at the time. He was a bench player who wasn't getting many minutes (actually not getting into most games at that point). The story goes that, on a bet or something (recall that Portland had a rep as a team with several players, let's just say, lacking discipline...) Alaa didn't wear his shorts under the warmups one night. Needless to say, the coach DID call his number at some point that night, and the rest is, well, history...

-BDBD :eek:

are you suggesting that Alaa is all flash, no substance?

killerleft
06-08-2009, 09:05 AM
"Abdelnaby is perhaps best known for his infamous quote regarding Duke University's academic requirements: "The only way I can make five A's is when I sign my name."[1]


This is as written on Alaa's Wikipedia page. Reckon a Tar Heel might be responsible?

Highlander
06-08-2009, 09:28 AM
When I was in middle school, we had a math project where we had to follow an athlete for an entire season and collect his statistics. Being a Duke fan, I chose Aala. I cut out every article about every game Duke played that year, and watched his stat line for the entire year. I don't remember much, only that he was pretty consistently in double figures that year, with a couple of breakout games. I remember one of his nicknames was "the alphabet" or something like that. I wrote him a letter at the end of the season, but I didn't get a response unfortunately.

Anyway, Alaa was always a player I had a more than passing interest/connection with, if only because of my 7th grade math teacher.

mr. synellinden
06-08-2009, 09:34 AM
I know Alaa slightly -- we're much more acquaintances than friends -- and I have to agree he's one of the most intelligent, gregarious, fun-loving guys I've ever met. It's hard not to have a smile on your face when he's around.

That said, the characterization of him as lazy is on the mark too.

Alaa was born in Egypt, but grew up in New Jersey. He was a prep All-American at Plainfield HS -- about 6-10, 230 pounds. He ran well, moved well, had a nice soft pair of hands, and he had a variety of effective post moves.

What he didn't have was the work ethic that made guys like Redick and Battier great players or the burning desire to be a winner that made Laettner and Carrawell so tough.

I know Coach was very frustrated by Alaa for three years. He barely played as a freshman in 1987 (191 minutes all season) and was still less than 10 minutes a game in 1988 for a team that really could have used his size (that was a team that started 6-5 Robert Brickey at center). As a junior, Alaa finally became a significant contributor, averaging 8.9 points and 3.8 rebounds in 13 minutes a game off the bench.

Everything changed as a senior, when Alaa got off his butt and worked like a fiend to become the best player he could be. Supposedly, the motivation was his desire to earn a spot in the NBA. He averaged 15.6 points and 6.6 rebounds for a team that played for the national title. He started in the post and averaged about 26 minutes a game. He led the team in blocked shots and in shooting percentage (62.0 percent).

He was drafted late in the first round, got a multi-million contract and promptly lost the fire that made him an outstanding player in 1990. He hung around the league five years, then moved over the broadcasting.

He's still a great guy who gave Duke one outstanding season (and one more useful one). The only negative is that he could have given so much more.

As much as I'd like to see Zoubek make the kind of jump Alaa did as a senior, I'm not sure that it's a fair analogy. Alaa was an underachiever who became a top player when he finally decided to work hard. The talent was always there.

Brian has had injury problems, but by and large, he's been a hard, hard worker who has done the most to maximize his talent. While I think experience and maturity will make him a better player next season than he's been (and big men usually develop late), I don't see him making the kind of quontom jump that Alaa did.


This is all right on about Alaa, except he went to Bloomfield HS, not Plainfield. And he made the McDonald'S All-American team.

CLT Devil
06-08-2009, 09:57 AM
I love the way the Crazies would greet Alaa when he was announced; They would hold both arms out and bow up and down, I suppose how they used to worship the Pharoah's way back when. Otherwise, only person I know whose name starts with 5 vowels, much less all the same letter.

Good player, but like everyone else says didn't maximize his talent. He wasn't bad in a McRoberts sense where it looked like he didn't want to be the man, but more like Brandon Costner, where you know he has it in him but is content giving less than his all.

JimBD
06-08-2009, 11:53 AM
Went from a role player his first three years to third team All ACC his senior year and 25th selection in NBA draft. Played 5 years in the NBA. His senior year was one the greatest improvements I've ever seen by a Duke player.

hurleyfor3
06-08-2009, 11:55 AM
Alaa's senior year (1990) was my freshman year. In terms of career arc he wasn't too different from Lee Melchionni. A more talented but less versatile Lee Melchionni, and much better on defense.

Alaa helped make the 1990 team one of K's most physical. Think of all the big men you could rotate in and out -- Alaa, Laettner, Koubek, Crawford Palmer. (Clay Buckley never played, and come to think of it the 1989 team had all those players and Danny Ferry, too.) Those teams had some of the greatest free-throw discrepancies ever, years before anyone not affiliated with unc decided to hate Duke. Getting good big men was the least of our problems back then.

jimsumner
06-08-2009, 12:51 PM
This is the first time I have ever heard Lee Melchionni and Alaa Abdelnaby mentioned in the same sentence. It's also the first time I've ever heard Greg Koubek referenced as a big man.

I can't add a lot to OF's fine post. Alaa was a Parade and McDonald's A-A and his high-school coach predicted that he would be a better player than Kelly Tripucka, who had previously played at the same high school.

Alaa may well have been the most athletically gifted 5 in Duke history. And he had a decent skill set and an NBA body. But he was unfocused and undisiplined and it took him much too long to harness his abilities.

Still, he had his moments in 1989 and was quite effective in 1990, his senior year. The highlight of his career was the 1990 Eastern Regional title game against UConn. We all remember Laettner's buzzer-beater in that game but how many remember Alaa's 27 points and 14 boards? Without those, Laettner doesn't have a chance to be the hero. He followed with a 20-point game against Arkansas in the FF and played about as well in the UNLV debacle as anyone in Duke blue.

So, you thank him for the good moments but with a sneaking suspicion that he should have had more of those.

hurleyfor3
06-08-2009, 01:04 PM
This is the first time I have ever heard Lee Melchionni and Alaa Abdelnaby mentioned in the same sentence. It's also the first time I've ever heard Greg Koubek referenced as a big man.

Well, I went out of my way to mention their differences... and I keep thinking Koubek was taller than the 6'6" he really was.


Still, he had his moments in 1989 and was quite effective in 1990, his senior year. The highlight of his career was the 1990 Eastern Regional title game against UConn. We all remember Laettner's buzzer-beater in that game but how many remember Alaa's 27 points and 14 boards? Without those, Laettner doesn't have a chance to be the hero. He followed with a 20-point game against Arkansas in the FF and played about as well in the UNLV debacle as anyone in Duke blue.

Alaa could have won the UConn game in regulation. For those not aware of this, with about 0.3 left and the score tied, we were inbounding (Laettner IIRC) under our own basket. Henderson got through a screen at the 3-point line. This turned out to be a decoy, as Alaa was waiting under the basket unimpeded and got the ball. He missed the layup, however.

But in all he did have a great senior year.

jimsumner
06-08-2009, 01:17 PM
If you're looking for big teams, the 1989 team not only was the biggest team Duke ever had, it was about as big a team as anyone ever had.

Danny Ferry
Alaa Abdelnaby
Christian Laettner
Crawford Palmer
Clay Buckley
John Smith
George Burgin

Ferry, Smith, and Burgin were seniors.

Now, that's some size. Buckley, btw, had chronic back problems. Always wondered how he would have done had he been healthy.

killerleft
06-08-2009, 01:37 PM
"Ferry, Smith, and Burgin were seniors."

Hadn't George Burgin given up basketball by his senior year?

roywhite
06-08-2009, 01:54 PM
If you're looking for big teams, the 1989 team not only was the biggest team Duke ever had, it was about as big a team as anyone ever had.

Danny Ferry
Alaa Abdelnaby
Christian Laettner
Crawford Palmer
Clay Buckley
John Smith
George Burgin

Ferry, Smith, and Burgin were seniors.

Now, that's some size. Buckley, btw, had chronic back problems. Always wondered how he would have done had he been healthy.

Yet Robert Brickey, at 6'4" or 6'5", started many games, jumped center, and played a key role inside, including being 2nd on the team in rebounding (behind Ferry).

Don't know if this means much to the 2009-10 team, or means much in general, other than that size alone does not lead to success or even playing time.

jimsumner
06-08-2009, 02:13 PM
Brickey jumped center on the '88 team. He started the '89 season but on the wing. The addition of freshmen Laettner and Palmer and the maturation of Abdelnaby eliminated any need for Brickey to play inside in 1989. In fact, John Smith played much of the 1989 season as a 3, after playing the post his first three seasons.

roywhite
06-08-2009, 02:28 PM
Brickey jumped center on the '88 team. He started the '89 season but on the wing. The addition of freshmen Laettner and Palmer and the maturation of Abdelnaby eliminated any need for Brickey to play inside in 1989. In fact, John Smith played much of the 1989 season as a 3, after playing the post his first three seasons.

Have to disagree with you there. Brickey was second on the team in rebounding. Individual rebound totals were as follows:
Ferry 260
Brickey 207
Laettner 170
Alaa 125
Smith 118

In addition Brickey shot 57% from the field, most from inside and many dunks; he was certainly not an outside shooter (6 3-pt FG attempts for the season).

Despite the size differential, Brickey was a very important inside player on that team.

jimsumner
06-08-2009, 02:58 PM
Roy, you're confusing 1988 with 1989. Brickey was the second-leading rebounder on the 1989 team because Laettner and Abdelnaby split the 5, with Ferry at the 4. But Brickey did not play the 4 or the 5 in 1989.

Let's go to the scorecard.

That team played 36 games. 80 minutes per game at the 4/5. That's 2880 minutes.

Now let's look at the minutes played

Ferry 1162
Laettner 608
Abdelnaby 531
Buckley 141
Palmer 120
Burgin 32

That's 2594. Plus Smith played some of his 716 inside.

Doesn't leave much for Brickey inside. Doesn't leave any actually.

As for the other stats, that simply demonstrates that Brickey never developed any perimeter offensive skills, which was why he never played in the NBA, despite jaw-dropping athleticism and starting for three FF teams. Note that in 1990, when Laettner and Abdelnaby averaged well over 70 mpg as the inside starters, Brickey shot 51.2% from the field, was 0-2 on 3s, and had 21 more turnovers than assists. He also averaged 5.4 rpg. Doesn't mean he was playing the 4, just means he had mediocre perimeter skills.

Olympic Fan
06-08-2009, 04:36 PM
The late 1980s are an interesting period that illustrate how flexible Coach K was about lineups. In different years players played very different roles and he played very different lineups.

Because of that, people make a lot of mistakes about the roles various people played. I think Jim is right about Brickey's role and about the 1989 team.

Let me survey the era, starting with 1986, K's first great year. Jay Bilas, the starting center in 1985 was injured to start the year. Duke opened with freshman Danny Ferry in the post. Although he later evolved as more of a wing player, Ferry was strickly an inside guy as a freshman (he was fourth on the team in assists with 1/4th as many as Amaker, 1/2 as many as Dawkins). Alarie played the other post spot -- with a game very much like the inside/outside game of Singler. Henderson and Dawkins were on the wings with Amaker at the point. At midseason, Bilas returned to the starting lineup and finished the year, turning Ferry into the team's sixth man. Sophomore Billy King was the top wing reserve (Snyder and Strickland played less than 10 minutes a game).

1987: The graduation of Dawkins, Alarie, Bilas and Henderson left a big void. Sophomore John Smith, who played just 91 minutes as a freshman, started at center at 6-7 with the 6-10 Ferry taking a more inside/outside role -- with 141 assists, he led the team with Amaker down from 241 in '86 to 120 as a senior. King, Strickland and Snyder split the two wing spots almost equally with Brickey getting almost 20 minutes a game as a frontcourt reserve and Marty Nessley getting just over 10 minutes a game.

1988: This was a small team -- at least in the post. The 6-7 Smith, who had started 30 games as a soph, started just nine as a junior and his minutes dropped from 23 a game to 17. The 6-5 Brickey and 6-10 Ferry started in the post -- as Brickey jumped center and played down low while Ferry was inside/outside again -- leading the team in scoring, rebounding and was second in assists. Snyder started at the point and led the team in assists. Strickland and King played on the wings. Smith and soph Phil Henderson were the two top reserves while Abdelnaby and freshman Greg Koubek played about 10 minutes a game each.

1989: This team got a lot bigger as Strickland and King's minutes were dived among Laettner/Abdelnaby -- with some going to Phil Henderson. Nominally, Abdelnaby (started 19 early games), then Laettner (started 16 latter games) and Ferry started in the post with Brickey on the wing, but it was a very flexible frontline. Defensively, Abdelnaby/Laettner and Ferry were usually down low with Brickley guarding a wing. Offensively, Abdelnaby/Laettner and Brickey were usually close to the basket with Ferry ranging on the perimeter. Laettner's minutes went up as the season went on -- he ended up starting 16 games. John Smith was again a top frontcourt reserve. Koubek also got about 17 minutes a game, but most of it on the wing. Henderson and Snyder were the backcourt.

1990: Abdelnaby emerged as a key player -- he and Laettner started in the post all year with Brickey playing on the wing. Hurley and Henderson started in the backcourt with Koubek, Thomas Hill and Brian Davis (who played little as a freshman) getting significant minutes on the wing.

The interesting difference between 1989 and 1990 is that in the former year, K almost always had a big frontline with Ferry, Abdelnaby, Laettner, John Smith and Brickey getting almost all the significant minutes up front. In 1990, Coach K started big with Laettner, Abdelnaby and Brickey, but every substitution made Duke smaller -- with Davis and Koubek especially getting key minutes up front. He had big men Clay Buckley and Crawford Palmer up front, but that played just 256 minutes between them (less than 7 a game ... almost most of those came in blowout games).

The other interesting thing is the evolution of several players. Ferry, as a freshman, was almost exclusively a low post banger. By 1987, he had evolved into a real inside/out player, becoming one of the best perimeter-oriented big men in college basketball history. Laettner followed a similar career path. He was strictly a post player as a freshman, but evolved into another of the great inside/outside big men in NCAA history.

Many people remember Brickey as a 6-5 center ... a role he played as a sophomore in 1988 ... his last two years, he was more of a legit wing forward, especially defensively.

I think all this is all relevant because it illustrates that K will play big and he will play small to fit his talent. It reminds us that he's the master at developing great inside/outside forwards from Alarie to Ferry to Laettner -- especially since that's the role Singler will play last year. It reminds us that roles can change and just because a player is a marginal player one year (John Smith for '86 to '87/Alaa from '89 to '90) doesn't mean he can't emerge as a significant player. And Smith (as Paulus last year) should remind us that even though a player is a key player one season doesn't mean he will have the same role again -- he has to re-earn his role.

I'll be fascinated to see how K uses his talent this upcoming season. He has a young center in Mason Plumlee who is reputed to have great potential as an inside/outside player ... but history would suggest that he'll start off this year as strictly a low post player. I expect to see Lance Thomas, an undersized post player for three years (as Brickey was in '88) to see more action on the wing (as Brickey did in '89 and '90).

Most of all, I expected to see Singler get most of his minutes on the wing, while still contributing inside -- as Ferry and Laettner did later in their careers.

jimsumner
06-08-2009, 05:00 PM
John Smith is a great example of how a player can adapt his game to new circumstances. In 1987 and 1988, Smith took exactly one three-point shot. Prior to the 1989 season, K suggested to Smith that he would play more on the perimeter and might profitiably expand his perimiter game. Smith went 25-53 on threes as a senior. That's an astonishing change for a senior.

It wasn't just shooting. Smith had 13 assists in 1987, 7 in 1988. As a seniorin 1989, he had 32 assists. Again, a stunning improvement.

Not saying that Lance Thomas can or will make that kind of improvement but the example is out there.

miramar
06-08-2009, 05:23 PM
IIRC, in 1988 Brickey played down low on offense, but on defense Ferry would often play the opposing team's center. So that's another example of how Coach K adapts to his players.

-jk
06-08-2009, 08:55 PM
Didn't Alaa get the ACC record for consecutive field goals? He had a fabulous FG% from the floor.

-jk

jimsumner
06-08-2009, 09:46 PM
Alaa made 20 consecutive field goals over several games at the beginning of his junior season. That is the ACC and Duke record.

Dukeford
06-08-2009, 10:03 PM
Thanks Olympic Fan. That was a great writeup and I enjoyed reading it immensely.

Since you seem to be a great historian of the program, maybe you can shed some light on something that I have always wondered about.
I thought Greg Newton was very athletic and I kept waiting for him to break out. But if anything, he seemed to regress his Sr. year.
All I ever recall was that he showed up on TV during a weeknight game in the middle of the season with a shaven head, and it seemed like it was all downhill from there. Anyway, that was in 1997, no internet info like the here and now to get the scoop on things.
So what happened??

JasonEvans
06-09-2009, 12:49 AM
Alaa Abdelnaby was before my time. I'm trying to get an impression of the kind of player he was from those who remember watching him the best. What memories do you have?


Hadn't George Burgin given up basketball by his senior year?

Wow, is this thread ever a trip down memory lane for me.

You see, I was in the class of 1989 and George Burgin was one of my good friends at Duke. He even attended my wedding a few years after graduating. More on him in a moment.

As for Alaa, as some of you who know me a bit know, Alaa and I lived next door to each other for a couple years and he roomed with one of my best friends at Duke. It would not be at all inaccurate to say that Alaa and I partied together well over a hundred times during our time at Duke. Anyone remember Alaa getting a DWI while at Duke? I knew everyone in the car when the minor accident happened. Heck, it was only blind luck that did not have me in that car. So, I have a lot, lot, lot of Alaa memories I could share... but I am going to stick to the basketball stuff ;)

My most vivid basketball memory of Alaa was in the wake of his 20 straight FG streak early in his junior season. A bunch of us who were good friends, including the buddy of mine who was Alaa's roommate, were having dinner at the Oak Room and talking basketball. Alaa was not there but his roommate asked me if I thought Alaa would ever make the NBA. I proceeded to go down a list of 6-10 other players in the ACC who would be dead-lock cinches to be All-ACC ahead of Alaa next year (Alaa was a junior at the time). I opinined that Alaa had almost no chance at all to be All-ACC, even 3rd team, and that if he could not be All-ACC, it was insane to think that he might become an NBA player.

Then I paused and said, "unless he actually starts trying. Then, the sky is the limit for him."

Thank goodness for that post-pause comment or I'd have been dead wrong ;)

http://www.checkoutmycards.com/CardImages/Cards/007/997/05F.jpg

As for George Burgin, I am trying to remember the whole story but I think it was this-- He was on a 5-year program to get a double major in Computer Science and Mechanical (or was it Electrical?) Engineering. It was a 5-year program to get degrees in both subjects and was extremely demanding academically. George redshirted his freshman year for academics but later in his academic career he decided to drop the 5 year program and just graduate with the class of 1989 after 4 years at Duke. As a result, it may appear that he skipped his senior season but he was still at Duke for 4 years and just chose not to stick around and use that 4th year of elligibility. Frankly, while he had height, he did not posess many of the other skills to be a successful basketball player so there really was no reason to stick around for another season.

As an aside, after leaving Duke George went to work for GE Aerospace. So, when he would walk down the street and people would look at his 7-1 size and ask the inevitable question, "are you a basketball player?"

George would respond, "No, I'm a rocket scientist."

http://www.ahajokes.com/cartoon/bagjoke.jpg

--Jason "wow, the memories are really flowing back at me right now... many a drunken night spent with both these guys-- they could pound beer at an impressive rate" Evans

miramar
06-09-2009, 09:17 AM
Thanks Olympic Fan. That was a great writeup and I enjoyed reading it immensely.

Since you seem to be a great historian of the program, maybe you can shed some light on something that I have always wondered about.
I thought Greg Newton was very athletic and I kept waiting for him to break out. But if anything, he seemed to regress his Sr. year.
All I ever recall was that he showed up on TV during a weeknight game in the middle of the season with a shaven head, and it seemed like it was all downhill from there. Anyway, that was in 1997, no internet info like the here and now to get the scoop on things.
So what happened??

He was kicked out of school for cheating on a test and came back, but he had his share of problems his senior year. He had trouble keeping on weight, plus he had a child by that time and his personal situation seemed to make him lose focus. Instead, he would shave his head and get tatoos. The team desperately needed a big man, but unfortunately by the end of the year they ended up playing better with him on the bench. John Feinstein's "March to Madness: The View from the Floor in the Atlantic Coast Conference" has a lot of information on that season.

Olympic Fan
06-09-2009, 12:22 PM
Miramar has it right -- Greg was a head case, who drove the staff crazy.

He was a highly touted player out of Canada -- a fairly quick, agile 6-10 player without much bulk. He played little as a freshman on the 1994 Final Four team and in 1995 -- with Parks and Meeks ahead of him, there wasn't much time in the post.

He became a starter in 1996 -- K's "Bridge Team" -- and put up some good numbers, playing just under 30 minutes a game and averaging 12.2 points and 8.2 rebounds. Although that was solid production, Newton was somewhat frustrating because he often screwed up assignments and lost focus on the court.

That problem got worse in 1997. He did have academics problems (reported to be plagarism -- although the details were supposed to be confidential) and was suspended from school, but he rejoined the team in time to start the season.

He wasn't the same player in 1996-97. As noted, he had numerous off-the-court issues ... he began to cover his body in tattooes and piercings.

The staff kept trying to reach him, but he got less and less productive. That Duke team -- which was much stronger overall in '97 with the addition of McLeod, Langdon (out 1996 with knee problems), Carrawell, Chappell and James (although he was hurt much of the year) -- played well at times, but Newton became more and more of a problem.

He got his butt kicked by Andrae Patterson (who had 39 points) in a loss to Indiana in the finals of the preseason NIT. A week later, "Tractor" Traylor ran him down as Duke blew a big lead and lost to Michigan. The key play in the game came late with Traylor barrelling to the basket ... Newton was in perfect position to take a charge, but he ducked out at the last moment.

In early January, Newton had a chance to win the game at Clemson in regulation, but he blew a wide-open layup and Duke lost in OT.

In his next game, Newton got whipped by Duncan (26 points, 14 rebounds) in a home loss to Wake. Now, a lot of guys got whipped by Duncan ... Newton's problem was that after the game, he ripped the Deac star, saying "he's not that good."

The last straw came in late in January at Maryland. Newton was awful in a game Duke barely lost. Hoping to light a fire under his increasingly erratic big man, K benched him for the next game -- a home game with UNC, starting 6-6 Chris Carrawell in his place. It was a stunt -- Newton still played 28 minutes and Carrawell just 14 as Duke beat UNC for the first time in four years.

Even though Newton hag just 3 points and 3 rebounds in the game, he did what K asked him and that was enough to move him back to the starting lineup. But the next timeout, he resumed his undisciplined, unfocused play (although Duke beat Georgia Tech anyway).

So the NEXT game -- at Wake Forest -- K benched Newton again. This time was no stunt: Carrawell played 25 minutes and Newton six. Most importantly, Carrawell was in the game at the end and he succeeded in denying the Deacon All-American the ball down the stretch (he did NOT as is often asserted shut down Duncan -- he still had 26 points and seven rebounds -- but he did shut him down in the final three minutes).

From that point on, Newton was buried on the bench ... he didn't even play a week later in the famous ice bowl game against Virginia or at FSU a few days later. Taymon Domzalski was getting more minutes.

Well, as you know, Duke won seven straight ACC games down the stretch to win the ACC regular season title. But the Devils were clearly out of gas at the end of February, suffering tough losses at UCLA, at UNC and -- worse of all -- to 8th seeded NC State in the ACC Tournament opener.

Coach K wanted to give his tired team a little spark going into NCAA play, so he gave Newton one more chance. He wanted to use the troubled big man in much the same role that he gave Casey Sanders in 2001 after Boozer's injury -- rebound, play defense and on offense, set good screens to free the team's plethora of 3-point shooters.

There was one small problem -- Newton had a bad habit of raising his forearms on screens ... ramming them into the defender. That is a foul. So all week before the NCAAs, the staff worked with Newton to set a proper screen.

So in the NCAA opener against Murray State, Newton gets in the game. The last words out of K's mouth are to hold his arms down on the screen. So, the first screen Newton sets, he raises his forearms and draws the foul.

That pretty much sums up the sad end of Greg Newton's career at Duke.

jimsumner
06-09-2009, 03:51 PM
Ah, Greg Newton. The stories.

OF mentions the Clemson game at Death Valley in '97. Newton may have had the worst minute in Duke history in that game.

Duke up by four with about a minute left. Clemson's super-quick guard Terrell McIntyre has the ball about forty feet from the basket. For some inexplicable reason Newton decides to come out and double-team McIntyre. The result was predictable and the two foul shots cut the Duke lead to two.

Duke comes up empty and Clemson has the ball down by two. McIntyre has the ball, trying to create something when darned if Newton doesn't do the same thing. Leaves his man, jumps McIntyre and commits a monumentally stupid foul.

McIntyre ties the game from the line.

Duke doesn't call time, gets the ball to Wojo, who pushes it upcourt. Newton, to his credit, has beaten everyone down the court and is all alone under the basket. By all alone, I mean all alone. He's got 10, 15 feet from the nearest Clemson defender and he's just standing there. Wojo makes a perfect pass and Newton fumbles it out of bounds.

Clemson wins in OT. I'm not sure Newton ever recovered from that epic collapse and I'm not sure he ever regained the confidence of his coaches or teammates.

It should be noted that Newton represented his native Canada internationally, including at least one Olympics. So give him credit for hanging in there.

miramar
06-09-2009, 08:12 PM
I just dug out this blurb on Alaa in the college basketball section of Sports Illustrated (12/12/1988):

CHECK HIS STAATS

Alaa Abdelnaby, the 6’ 10” junior center for top-ranked Duke, is called Alphabet, for obvious reasons, and the Pharaoh, because he was born in Egypt. Now point guard Quin Snyder has come up with another nom de hoop, which was previously applied to the Boston Celtics’ Kevin McHale. Noting that Abdelnaby didn’t get his first assist of the season until the Blue Devils’ third game and has a grand total of only 10 for his career, Snyder said, “We call him the Black Hole, because when the ball goes in to him, it doesn’t come out.”

But that’s at least partly because Abdelnaby does a pretty good job of losing it in the other hole, the one with the twine attached. After making his last two shots in Duke’s opener against Kentucky, Abdelnaby went 8 for 8 against the Citadel and 9 for 9 against East Carolina. His 19-for-19 streak put him four over the old ACC record but six short of the NCAA mark set by American University’s Ray Voelkel in 1978.

In Duke’s 86-62 win over Northwestern on Saturday, Abdelnaby made his first shot, but he missed his second to end the run. “Alaa was just taking what was there,” said Blue Devils’ coach Mike Krzyzewski. “You have to credit the guys who are passing him the ball.”

One of those guys, forward Robert Brickey, has a Spanish teacher who noted that Abdelnaby’s rebounding numbers are almost as modest as his assist stats—he had only one rebound in the first two games. The prof asked Brickey, “Why does your starting center have one more rebound than a dead person?” Abdelnaby heard about the crack and said later, “I thought it was pretty funny—but I kept it in the back of my mind.” Apparently so. By week’s end he had hauled down 11 more rebounds.

Dukeford
06-09-2009, 09:20 PM
Olympic Fan, thanks again for the great detailed history.

I do remember good moments for Newton. As a soph, in the legendary double overtime loss to UNC he provided a great spark off the bench for a few moments. I seem to recall him blocking a shot and pinning it on the backboard.

Also in his Jr year he had a great putback slam right as the buzzer sounded to end the 1st half. I think that was against Wake Forest.

6th Man
06-09-2009, 10:18 PM
I do have a funny story abour Alaa. My dad and I went to watch Duke play Davidson in what was then Davidson's new home basketball court. (Yes they actually played them in their gym and not the Charlotte Coliseum) Anyway, Duke is blowing out Davidson so it was not a very intense game. I look at Alaa on the bench and he is trying to get this girl's attention across the floor. Not sure if he knew her or had picked her out. I watch him go on for a minute or two (maybe longer) making face gestures, waving, and just trying to get her attention. The guy beside me yells out...Hey Alaa, GET IN THE GAME!. He punches Brickey beside him and points at where we are sitting and just starts laughing as he knew he was busted. He thought it was funny that someone called him out. Seemed like a pretty good natured guy.

jimsumner
06-09-2009, 11:44 PM
Many of us remember Abdelnaby and Newton with some frustration because neither ever lived up to their potential, at least on a consistent basis.

Newton certainly had his moments. He had a very strong junior year in 1996 and started 1997 like he was heading for the NBA. That season's early Florida State game is remembered because of Jeff Capel's poor game and the crowd reaction to it. But Duke did win in overtime, largely because of Newton's 21 points and 13 rebounds. And that was against some decent bigs, Randall Jackson and Corey Louis among them. But Tractor Taylor and Michigan were next and Newton just couldn't build on the good moments and his career at Duke went into free fall.

In case you're wondering, there have been some Newton sightings at Duke in recent years, so apparently all is forgiven.

JasonEvans
06-11-2009, 11:35 AM
I do have a funny story abour Alaa. My dad and I went to watch Duke play Davidson in what was then Davidson's new home basketball court. (Yes they actually played them in their gym and not the Charlotte Coliseum) Anyway, Duke is blowing out Davidson so it was not a very intense game. I look at Alaa on the bench and he is trying to get this girl's attention across the floor. Not sure if he knew her or had picked her out. I watch him go on for a minute or two (maybe longer) making face gestures, waving, and just trying to get her attention. The guy beside me yells out...Hey Alaa, GET IN THE GAME!. He punches Brickey beside him and points at where we are sitting and just starts laughing as he knew he was busted. He thought it was funny that someone called him out. Seemed like a pretty good natured guy.

This sounds a great deal like the Alaa I knew. He had a different girl every night-- well maybe not EVERY night but if he skipped one night he made up for it the next by hooking up with two different girls.

--Jason "TMI" Evans

miramar
06-11-2009, 02:54 PM
This sounds a great deal like the Alaa I knew. He had a different girl every night-- well maybe not EVERY night but if he skipped one night he made up for it the next by hooking up with two different girls.

--Jason "TMI" Evans

And here everyone was saying that Alaa didn't start scoring until his senior year...