Most important shots in Duke history

[cascadedevil]

Mods - please merge this with another thread, as I imagine this discussion has happened previously. People with memories of pre-1982 Duke basketball, please help put these in context.

Rating as "most important", instead of "best" or "favorite". What single shot had the most important impact on the Duke program. My list from the top of my head:

1. Laettner - "the shot"
2. Hurley - 3 against UNLV
3. Rivers - "Did that just happen"
4. Grant Hill - the dunk against Kansas
5. JWill - The miracle minute - the three off the steal with 50 seconds left
6. Zoubek - The first free throw
7. Battier - the tip in with the back of his hand
8. Duhon - reverse layup against Carolina
9. Dockery - half court against VT
10. Capel - half court against UNC (would be higher if we had won the game)

Please rip that list to shreds.

[UrinalCake]

Thinking of the 2010 tourney, I'd have to add Dawkins's three against Baylor that allowed us to go into halftime down 3 instead of 6. Also Lance's followup dunk with the and 1 from late in that game that pretty much sealed the win.

[Wander]

As far as single shots go, I've always thought the two that should be remembered from the 2010 season were Lance Thomas' putback and1 dunk against Baylor that got us to the Final Four and Jon Scheyer's game winner against Georgia Tech in the ACC finals to get us the 1 seed. They weren't as dramatic as, say, a halfcourt heave against VT, but they were more important with the benefit of hindsight. Honorable mention to Scheyer, Smith, and Singler making their first shots (all threes) consecutively against UNC in Cameron that year, setting up a hilarious beatdown.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Mods - please merge this with another thread, as I imagine this discussion has happened previously. People with memories of pre-1982 Duke basketball, please help put these in context.

Rating as "most important", instead of "best" or "favorite". What single shot had the most important impact on the Duke program. My list from the top of my head:

1. Laettner - "the shot"
2. Hurley - 3 against UNLV
3. Rivers - "Did that just happen"
4. Grant Hill - the dunk against Kansas
5. JWill - The miracle minute - the three off the steal with 50 seconds left
6. Zoubek - The first free throw
7. Battier - the tip in with the back of his hand
8. Duhon - reverse layup against Carolina
9. Dockery - half court against VT
10. Capel - half court against UNC (would be higher if we had won the game)

Please rip that list to shreds.
Good list (post 1982)!

I'd add Gene Banks' jump shot in Cameron on his senior night vs. carolina in 1981.

And I DON'T think this thread needs to be merged into some old thread.

[JG Nothing]

Mods - please merge this with another thread, as I imagine this discussion has happened previously. People with memories of pre-1982 Duke basketball, please help put these in context.

Rating as "most important", instead of "best" or "favorite". What single shot had the most important impact on the Duke program. My list from the top of my head:

1. Laettner - "the shot"
2. Hurley - 3 against UNLV
3. Rivers - "Did that just happen"
4. Grant Hill - the dunk against Kansas
5. JWill - The miracle minute - the three off the steal with 50 seconds left
6. Zoubek - The first free throw
7. Battier - the tip in with the back of his hand
8. Duhon - reverse layup against Carolina
9. Dockery - half court against VT
10. Capel - half court against UNC (would be higher if we had won the game)

Please rip that list to shreds.

Well, if you are going to use the criterion of "most important impact on the Duke program," then I'm not sure you can include Rivers' shot just yet. We can only speculate what the future impact will be.

[JasonEvans]

Laettner's shot against UConn to send Duke to the Final Four in 1989 (?) has to be pretty darn high on the list too. Hard to equate regular season shots with NCAA or ACC tourney winners.

-Jason

[Danke Shane]

I guess you can't include a series of shots, right? I'd vote Dunleavy's three consecutive 3's vs Arizona was more important than Battier's tip in.

[75Crazie]

I'm sure I'm in a minority, but I rank Hurley's 3 against NLV higher (in terms of importance) than Laettner's shot against Kentucky. The Laettner shot was certainly much more spectacular, but at the time of the Hurley shot Duke had yet to win any national championship and the momentum of the game was starting to go in NLV's favor. Without that shot, Duke doesn't win, and then who really knows how the next year would have gone. In my list, Hurley goes to the top, followed by Laettner's.

And in terms of importance, I don't really know how important Rivers' shot will be long term -- but in terms of satisfaction, it definitely belongs in the top three!

[mike88]

Nate James' tip-in in the 2001 ACC tournament vs Maryland

[_Gary]

Laettner's shot against UConn to send Duke to the Final Four in 1989 (?) has to be pretty darn high on the list too. Hard to equate regular season shots with NCAA or ACC tourney winners.

-Jason

Yep. That one ranks just under the "shot" against Kentucky because it too was a buzzerbeater in a win or go home scenario. I'm always going to rank those two Laettner shots as the highest until I see another buzzerbeater in a NCAA game again*. Just the way it is in my book.

*Note I said "again", in anticipation of more to come. Hope I get points for that type of optimism. :)

[devildeac]

Laettner's shot against UConn to send Duke to the Final Four in 1989 (?) has to be pretty darn high on the list too. Hard to equate regular season shots with NCAA or ACC tourney winners.

-Jason

The play was "Special" as K changed the plan with Laettner and Davis (?) as he saw ucon's D set up. The other 3 guys on the court were ready to run a completely different play.

I'm an old geezer but I'm thinking it was 1990 so I could be misremembering it.

[_Gary]

The play was "Special" as K changed the plan with Laettner and Davis (?) as he saw ucon's D set up. The other 3 guys on the court were ready to run a completely different play.

I'm an old geezer but I'm thinking it was 1990 so I could be misremembering it.

No, it was 1990. I know because I was married in the summer of '89 and remember watching that game with a friend in the apartment my wife and I had as our first "home" together.

[superdave]

The play was "Special" as K changed the plan with Laettner and Davis (?) as he saw ucon's D set up. The other 3 guys on the court were ready to run a completely different play.

I'm an old geezer but I'm thinking it was 1990 so I could be misremembering it.

1990 indeed, (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-03-25/sports/9003253693_1_laettner-duke-blue-devils) and a trip to the Final Four where we beat Arkansas. I have forgotten how we eventually lost that year.

UConn was coming off Tate George's 0.1 second miracle vs. Clemson. The NCAA changed the rules after that one so you had to have at least 0.7 seconds to catch and shoot.

The following year the two teams played again (http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-03-27/sports/1991086175_1_sellers-laettner-elbow)and Rod Sellers slammed Laettner's head into the floor on a loose ball. I have hated those guys ever since.

[cascadedevil]

I can't believe I missed that. I watched in TJ Hoops during my first ever visit to Durham. Decided to go to Duke 10 minutes later. Another fun list might be Top 10 reasons to have disdain for the UConnvicts. Might need to expand that to a Top 100 list.

[Reilly]

... and a trip to the Final Four where we beat Arkansas.....

... and on Friday night before the Final Four Saturday game, Spike Lee opened his talk in Page by pulling money out of his pocket, waving it, saying something like "I got $5 on Arkansas ... 40 minutes of hell ..." as everybody hooted at him ....

[diveonthefloor]

Good list (post 1982)!

I'd add Gene Banks' jump shot in Cameron on his senior night vs. carolina in 1981.

And I DON'T think this thread needs to be merged into some old thread.

Don't discount the role that the Banks shot played in the decision of Butters to unhesitatingly stick with K through the two lean
years which followed.

[oso diablo]

I'm sure I'm in a minority, but I rank Hurley's 3 against NLV higher (in terms of importance) than Laettner's shot against Kentucky.
so does Coach K

[cascadedevil]

1. Laettner - "the shot" (I argue that no single shot has ever had such an impact to exposure, recruiting and the overall image of the University)
2. Hurley - 3 against UNLV (it did break us through for the first title)
3. Laetnner - the UConn shot (extra points for being in the NCAAT, being against the UConnvicts and showing Christian he could make these shots)
4. Banks - Senior night against Carolina (any shot that kept K at Duke needs to be high on the list)
5. Rivers - "Did that just happen" (optimistically thinking we win the ACC tournament and reach the Final Four)
6. Grant Hill - the dunk against Kansas (I am not sure about this one, but I remember watching it live in Cameron and thinking that there was no way we were going to lose if he could pull that off)
7. JWill - The miracle minute - the three off the steal with 50 seconds left
8. Lance - Put back dunk against Baylor
9. Scheyer - 2010 ACC championship winning shot (a signal that the 2010 team would never quit)
10. Duhon - reverse layup against Carolina

Still needs shots from pre-1982.

[DU82]

1990 indeed, (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-03-25/sports/9003253693_1_laettner-duke-blue-devils) and a trip to the Final Four where we beat Arkansas. I have forgotten how we eventually lost that year.

UConn was coming off Tate George's 0.1 second miracle vs. Clemson. The NCAA changed the rules after that one so you had to have at least 0.7 seconds to catch and shoot.

The following year the two teams played again (http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1991-03-27/sports/1991086175_1_sellers-laettner-elbow)and Rod Sellers slammed Laettner's head into the floor on a loose ball. I have hated those guys ever since.

Tate George's shot was with 1.0 seconds, not 0.1 seconds left. It was a legal shot.

[jaytoc]

Robbie West's jumper at the buzzer to beat Carolina in '72.

[hurleyfor3]

About a year ago I came up with this list (http://www.dukebasketballreport.com/forums/showthread.php?23373-Top-5-Three-Point-Shooters-in-Duke-History&p=454483#post454483) of the biggest three-pointers in Duke history. Not overall shots, just threes. The main criteria were the stakes involved and the consequences if the shot had missed.



10. Hurley @ Michigan, December '91
9. Laettner @ LSU, 1992
8. JJ vs. BC, 2006 ACC Tournament
7. Scheyer vs. Baylor, 2010, late in game after rebounding missed free throw
6. Williams @ Maryland, 2001, the one after he stole the inbounds pass
5. Capel vs. unc in Cameron, 1995
4. Trajan vs. Michigan State (his only three of the game I believe), 1999 regional semifinal
3. Dunleavy's third of three straight vs. Arizona, 2001
2. Hurley vs. Kentucky in overtime, 1992
1. Hurley vs. Unlv, 1991


We really don't know how important Rivers' shot is until we play out the season. Right now I'm willing to stick it at ninth and bump out either Hurley or Laettner. It would certainly not bump off any of the top four.

[hq2]

I'm sure I'm in a minority, but I rank Hurley's 3 against NLV higher (in terms of importance) than Laettner's shot against Kentucky. The Laettner shot was certainly much more spectacular, but at the time of the Hurley shot Duke had yet to win any national championship and the momentum of the game was starting to go in NLV's favor. Without that shot, Duke doesn't win, and then who really knows how the next year would have gone. In my list, Hurley goes to the top, followed by Laettner's.

Yup. That one shot is the dividing line of the history of Duke basketball; the entire history is before and after. When it went in, it was like after the A-Rod glove slapping play in the incredible Boston New York series; it hit like a bolt of lightning - THE RED SOX ARE GOING TO WIN THIS GAME. The Hurley shot was the same thing; DUKE IS GOING TO WIN THIS GAME, AND WIN THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. It was incredible.

As for Austin's, will take time to see how far up it gets on the list; might make the top 10, which also has to include Gene's shot in '81 and Robbie West's shot in '72. The fact
that it topped an incredible comeback, aided by boneheaded Carolina play, may push it up near the top over time.

[75Crazie]

1990 indeed, (http://articles.orlandosentinel.com/1990-03-25/sports/9003253693_1_laettner-duke-blue-devils) and a trip to the Final Four where we beat Arkansas. I have forgotten how we eventually lost that year.
I wish I could forget.

[-bdbd]

1. Laettner - "the shot" (I argue that no single shot has ever had such an impact to exposure, recruiting and the overall image of the University)
2. Hurley - 3 against UNLV (it did break us through for the first title)
3. Laetnner - the UConn shot (extra points for being in the NCAAT, being against the UConnvicts and showing Christian he could make these shots)
4. Banks - Senior night against Carolina (any shot that kept K at Duke needs to be high on the list)
5. Rivers - "Did that just happen" (optimistically thinking we win the ACC tournament and reach the Final Four)
6. Grant Hill - the dunk against Kansas (I am not sure about this one, but I remember watching it live in Cameron and thinking that there was no way we were going to lose if he could pull that off)
7. JWill - The miracle minute - the three off the steal with 50 seconds left
8. Lance - Put back dunk against Baylor
9. Scheyer - 2010 ACC championship winning shot (a signal that the 2010 team would never quit)
10. Duhon - reverse layup against Carolina

Still needs shots from pre-1982.

Much better list.
I might put Rivers' "gone in 150 seconds" shot ahead of the Banks' one, mostly b/c it happened AT Kerlina, and last night had long since seemed quite lost. (I've spoken to more than one Duke fan who'd actually turned the ghame off with minutes to go...) We'll see if Duke can build on this big win.

And I might move up the JWill "gone in 60 seconds" 3-pointer and the Duhon layup to beat NC. But those are quibbles. Good list.

I'm just thrilled that I have the whole thing on TIVO. I'll be watching again tonight, and tomorrow, and this weekend....

:rolleyes: :D ;)

[1 24 90]

so does Coach K

I'm sure our very own "hurleyfor3" agrees.

As do I.

And of course I missed the fact that hurleyfor3 has already chimed in. Still sleepy today.

I would also like to submit Scheyer's 3 against Baylor with 2:37 left that gave us a 6 point lead late and preceded Lance's dunk. Scheyer's 3 with 5:18 left tied the game so it was probably more important and started the 3 barrage but I remember squealing like a little girl when he hit the 3 with 2:37 left to put us up 6 because at that time I thought we had it in the bag.