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View Full Version : Coach K -- Game 1K at Duke



roywhite
02-12-2010, 10:07 AM
Congatulations, Coach K, and thanks very much for all you've done for our University.

You're the best.

Olympic Fan
02-12-2010, 11:12 AM
1,000 games is mindboggling ....

I was just looking up Game 1 to remind myself -- a 67-49 victory over Stetson on Nov. 29, 1980 -- before any current Duke players were born.

Leading scorer in the game was Tom Emma ... leading rebounder was Gene Banks ... leading assist man -- Mike Tissaw (you can win a lot of bar bets with that one). The starting lineup was Banks and Dennard at forward, Tissaw at center, Emma and Vince Taylor at guards. All were Bill Foster recruits -- Coach K's first recruit -- Doug McNeely from Texas -- played one minute in the game and didn't score.

Most eye-opening thing I saw was the attendence -- just 8,100 fans listed in Cameron (well, it was Thanksgiving break for the students).

I think we got our first hint of how good K was going to be in Game 3. Matched against North Carolina (James Worthy, Sam Perkins, Al Wood) in the old Big Four Tournament in Greensboro, K took the team that would reach the national championship game to the wire, losing 78-76. Later that season, Duke beat UNC in OT in Cameron, but I've always thought of that one as Gene Banks' win (he hit the incredible shot over Perkins to force OT, then scored the game-winner on an offensive rebound in OT).

Wow ... 30 years ago. I'm getting old. How come Coach K still seems so young??

Of the 1,000 games K has coached at Duke, I think I've seen 500-plus. My personal top 10 of his 1K:

1. 1998 victory over UNC in Cameron -- the great comeback, capped by the Wojo dash

2. 1991 victory over UNLV in the NCAA semifinals -- beating the "greatest team in history" to set up Duke's first NCAA title.

3. 1992 victory over Kentucky in Philly -- I wasn't there ... but I was in the next best place, watching the game in Rick Pitino's joint in Lexington, surrounded by hundreds of delirious/devastated Kentucky fans.

4. 2005 victory over UNC in Cameron -- they were so sure they were going to stick it to Duke that day. I'll never forget the look Ray Felton and Rashad McCant's shared after the final buzzer after JJ Redick spoiled their game-winning play with his defense!

5. 2001 victory over UNC in the ACC Tourney finals -- Actually, call this one a dual entry with the regular season finale a week earlier. Coming days after Boozer's injury seemingly spoiled the season, the first one was a bigger shock, but the rematch a week later was sweeter because it proved the first one wasn't a fluke ... and because the Tar Heels flat out quit. Loved that.

6. 2001 victory over Maryland in College Park -- the Miracle Minute. Again, I'd call this one a trifecta with the ACC Tourney win (Nate's tap-in) and the NCAA semifinals (the 22-point comeback).

7. 1988 victory over UNC in the ACC finals -- completing the Triple Crown with Quin Snyder running down King Rice on a breakaway and blocking the game-tying layup in the final seconds.

8. 1989 victory over Georgetown in the East Regional finals -- it's hard to remember how intimidating Alonzo Mourning was thought to be going into that tourney. The fact that not only did Duke beat them, but Duke's freshman center (what was his name, again?) kicked his &^% made this one sweet.

9 1988 victory over Temple -- Billy King shuts down Mark Macon.

10. 1992 victory over Michigan in the NCAA finals -- actually, while the game was sweet, but even sweeter was after the game when the Duke players pulled out tee-shirts that said something like "You can talk the game ... we can play the game" -- the ultimate answer to the trash-talking Fab Five.

I can't believe I left out the national title game wins over Kansas and Arizona, the Laettner buzzer-beater vs. UConn, Grant outplaying the Big Dog in '94 or K's breakthrough win over UNC in the '84 ACC Tourney. No games from the 1986 team (my favorite K team)? No games from '99 (the best K team)? Wow, maybe when I have more time, I'll pick a favorite 50 ... or 100 ... or 1000.

Jeff Frosh
02-12-2010, 11:28 AM
Thanks, Olympic Fan, as always, for your great trip down memory lane. I still have the 1992 championship t-shirt. "You can talk the game, but can you play the game? Duke . . . we can play."

hurleyfor3
02-12-2010, 11:28 AM
He has 1K status (http://www.united.com/page/middlepage/0,6823,1168,00.html)! Those six systemwide upgrades you get every year sure are sweet. Not to mention trumping everyone else on the standby list.

Kedsy
02-12-2010, 11:34 AM
1,000 games is mindboggling ....

I was just looking up Game 1 to remind myself -- a 67-49 victory over Stetson on Nov. 29, 1980 -- before any current Duke players were born.

I was at that game, and several of the others (although nowhere near 500). I was a junior at Duke. We wondered why Tom Butters would hire such an unknown with a losing record at Navy, but figured Bob Knight's recommendation must have clinched it. He seemed like a pretty good coach once he got a few games under his belt. Especially on defense (I never liked Foster's 2-3 zone). A couple of rough early years when we cursed Bill Foster for leaving us, but K always seemed to "get" what being at Duke meant. He wasn't using us as a stepping stone (like Foster and several of our football coaches), and obviously he righted the ship fairly quickly.

Although it took a couple years -- I've often wondered what would happen if K had started within the last ten years, now that everyone seems so impatient about everything, especially winning. Would he have made it past 1983? Would we have watched him become one of the greatest coaches ever, but for another school? The good news is, either because times were different or Butters was a visionary, it's a subject for empty conjecture instead of bitter regret.

I think the 70s proved that Duke is not an easy job -- K has been one of the truly remarkable men in sports history.

Devil in the Blue Dress
02-12-2010, 11:47 AM
I was at that game, and several of the others (although nowhere near 500). I was a junior at Duke. We wondered why Tom Butters would hire such an unknown with a losing record at Navy, but figured Bob Knight's recommendation must have clinched it. He seemed like a pretty good coach once he got a few games under his belt. Especially on defense (I never liked Foster's 2-3 zone). A couple of rough early years when we cursed Bill Foster for leaving us, but K always seemed to "get" what being at Duke meant. He wasn't using us as a stepping stone (like Foster and several of our football coaches), and obviously he righted the ship fairly quickly.

Although it took a couple years -- I've often wondered what would happen if K had started within the last ten years, now that everyone seems so impatient about everything, especially winning. Would he have made it past 1983? Would we have watched him become one of the greatest coaches ever, but for another school? The good news is, either because times were different or Butters was a visionary, it's a subject for empty conjecture instead of bitter regret.

I think the 70s proved that Duke is not an easy job -- K has been one of the truly remarkable men in sports history.
Don't let Coach K hear you say he coached at Navy.

BlueintheFace
02-12-2010, 11:47 AM
Anybody know what alumni might be around?

Devil in the Blue Dress
02-12-2010, 11:52 AM
Anybody know what alumni might be around?

Scroll on down this article and you'll see a few names of those who said they would be there.
http://www.newsobserver.com/sports/college/story/334344.html

And, of course, I'll be there.

mgtr
02-12-2010, 11:58 AM
Olympic Fan - Thanks for an informative and interesting post. 30 years and 1,000 games is a long, long time. And yes, I was definitely alive at that time, but not yet a Duke fan -- too busy working.

MChambers
02-12-2010, 12:00 PM
Congatulations, Coach K, and thanks very much for all you've done for our University.

You're the best.

He really is the best, and we are so lucky to have him. I remember watching the Duke-Temple regional final game years ago, I guess 1988 or 1989, with a fellow alum, and at the end, when Coach K was being interviewed, my friend said, "Coach K is perfect for Duke, even he doesn't win." So he's the best at basketball, but he's also perfect for Duke in other ways.

Doesn't he also turn 63 on Saturday?

BlueintheFace
02-12-2010, 12:02 PM
Under K.....

- 856 games Duke has been ranked in the Top 25 (85.6 percent of Coach K’s games)

- 190 games Duke has been ranked #1 in the country (19 percent of Coach K’s games)

- Meaning, Coach K has led more Duke games being ranked #1 (190) than being unranked (144).

- Coach K has spent more weeks with a team ranked in the top 25 (442), top 10 (381) and at #1 (93) than any other active coach.

- Led Duke to 294 wins in the decade of the 2000-09 – the most in the history of the game by any school in any decade.

- 22 banners have been hung in Cameron since 2000 – NCAA champions (1), Final Fours (2), Retired Jerseys (4), ACC Tournament Champions (7), ACC Regular Season Champions (4), Final #1 Ranking (4)

roywhite
02-12-2010, 12:05 PM
He really is the best, and we are so lucky to have him. I remember watching the Duke-Temple regional final game years ago, I guess 1988 or 1989, with a fellow alum, and at the end, when Coach K was being interviewed, my friend said, "Coach K is perfect for Duke, even he doesn't win." So he's the best at basketball, but he's also perfect for Duke in other ways.

Doesn't he also turn 63 on Saturday?

Yes, it's his birthday. A pretty fortuitous combination of circumstances---game #1000, Coach K's birthday, and a key conference game at home. Hope Gary and the Terps don't spoil the party.

Can't spell D-U-K-E without K.

Kedsy
02-12-2010, 02:49 PM
Don't let Coach K hear you say he coached at Navy.

Did I say Navy? Oops, how stupid. Obviously I knew it was Army and wasn't paying attention. The rest of what I said is true. I promise.

phaedrus
02-12-2010, 02:56 PM
Anybody know what alumni might be around?

Saw David "McLcure" McClure, with a Davidson or two in tow, around town last night.

Lord Ash
02-12-2010, 05:32 PM
I can't believe more names haven't been released... I thought this would be really, really publicized...

Acymetric
02-12-2010, 05:40 PM
I can't believe more names haven't been released... I thought this would be really, really publicized...

Why? Its not like they need to really promote the event to get fans to show up. I think they're playing sort of as a "we're going to give our fans some cools surprises when they show up to the game" kind of thing.

Starter
02-12-2010, 05:42 PM
Anybody hear anything about potential recruits who might be there? I know the Duke-UNC game would be more attractive for recruits, but this is on a weekend, and with all the fanfare about K, I could see this potentially being a great game to have them at -- a la (I hate to say it...) the UNC thing last fall with Jordan and Vince.

Lord Ash
02-12-2010, 06:43 PM
Why? Its not like they need to really promote the event to get fans to show up. I think they're playing sort of as a "we're going to give our fans some cools surprises when they show up to the game" kind of thing.

Well, just things like announcing who will be there I think is fairly standard for any event... you rarely hear "Tonight, a big big star is coming to this event, but we aren't saying who!" I would think it would lead to interesting stories beforehand, good PR for recruiting... stuff like that? I know that the UNC 100 Years thing was pretty darn hyped, and really lived up to it...

Newton_14
02-12-2010, 08:30 PM
1000 Games!

A great acheivement by a great man and coach. We are beyond blessed to have enjoyed 30 years of having Coach K leading our team. Here's to many more years and games to come!

I have narrowed it down to two favorite memories. One is a game, the other, a season.

2nd Favorite Memory- The first win against the holes. I was 14 years old and in the hospital with appendicitis. My mom was there with me watching the game. When Tinker Bell (Gene Banks) hit the shot to force OT I about came out of the bed and screamed to the top of my lungs. My mom was trying to quiet me down in fear of my health not realizing that shot was better than any medicine I would get that day.

1st Favorite Memory- Totally revamping the offense after Boozer goes down with the broken foot in 2001, and winning out from there to take the ACC and the National Title beating the holes and the twerps 2 times each in the 10 game run. I stand by my belief that that was the greatest coaching job in the history of college basketball. I do not believe there is any other coach who could have done that given the situation and circumstances. Watching them dismantle the holes in Chapel Hell no less in the very first game after the change was a thing of beauty.

Jay Bilas was asked last year if Coach K was the best coach in college basketball. Jay's response was that not only is Coach K the best coach in college basketball, he believes he is the best coach on the planet in any sport, period.

I am inclined to agree.