Greatest single-game performances in Duke history

[mike88]

Thinking about Ryan's game last night, I would definitely put it in the top 5 for single game performances by a Duke player that I have seen (starting in my freshman year 1984). If we use the criteria of both outstanding performance and quality of the opponent / importance of the game, I would list:

Laettner vs Kentucky 1992

JJ Redick, ACC championship vs Boston College 2006 (more important / better opponent than the Texas game, IMO)

Ryan's game last night

Jason Williams, gone in 54 seconds game

help me out - I am sure I am missing some other recent ones, plus any from the pre-Coach K era

[Tripping William]

Danny Ferry has 58 good reasons why his name belongs in this thread.

[NashvilleDevil]

Laettner's epic East Regional game is number 1 and you can take your pick for 2nd

[willywoody]

Ferry's 58 is número uno in my book. Wasn't that at Miami? I remember listening to it on the radio.

[Bob Green]

Fred Lind's performance in Duke's 1968 triple overtime win over North Carolina has to be in the discussion.

[Indoor66]

Fred Lind

Artie's final in Duke Indoor Stadium - vs unc.

[Starter]

Thinking about Ryan's game last night, I would definitely put it in the top 5 for single game performances by a Duke player that I have seen (starting in my freshman year 1984). If we use the criteria of both outstanding performance and quality of the opponent / importance of the game, I would list:

Laettner vs Kentucky 1992

JJ Redick, ACC championship vs Boston College 2006 (more important / better opponent than the Texas game, IMO)

Ryan's game last night

Jason Williams, gone in 54 seconds game

help me out - I am sure I am missing some other recent ones, plus any from the pre-Coach K era

I differ on a couple of things: Texas was No. 2 when Redick lit them up. They ended up in the Elite 8, so it wasn't that they fell off a cliff either.

In terms of Jason Williams, I'd have to put his game against Kentucky in the Meadowlands over the Maryland comeback just in terms of a total performance. He carried them that night the way Kelly did last night.

On a somewhat lesser recent scale, I'll throw Nolan Smith's game against Carolina at home his senior year in there. They needed a breakout game from Curry, too, but Nolan was magnificent that day.

[mike88]

Ferry's 58 is número uno in my book. Wasn't that at Miami? I remember listening to it on the radio.

It was a great performance, but I put it lower than the others mentioned here b/c the significance of the game was lower. Same with Redick vs Texas - very good opponent, but an early-season game.

[willywoody]

Thanks for the YouTube . That's the first time I've seen any of that game.

[willywoody]

It was a great performance, but I put it lower than the others mentioned here b/c the significance of the game was lower. Same with Redick vs Texas - very good opponent, but an early-season game.

Yes, I agree that Miami of then does not equal Miami of this year. Is it true Chris Wenke tried to walk onto the Miami team or is that just a rumor I'm starting?

[Matches]

Laettner vs. Kentucky is the best, taking into account everything including circumstances.

Ferry's 58 was amazing. JJ's Texas performance was outstanding, but he had a game against UVa his senior year where he went for 41 points - on 14 shot attempts. Low-stakes game, relatively speaking, but geez...

[Papa John]

Danny Ferry has 58 good reasons why his name belongs in this thread.

...that one was also against Miami (in Miami, though).

[Jarhead]

Some of you have grandparents that weren't born yet when Dick Groat did 48 points against UNC in the final game of the '51-'52 season 61 years ago. In those days, 40 points was a good score for a whole team. According to Wikipedia, he still does basketball color commentary for the Pittsburgh Panthers, soon to be in the ACC.

[hurleyfor3]

Hurley's last game against Berkeley.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

The fact that there is a debate including a number of such special performances by Duke players reflects the rarefied level from which Duke has drawn players for decades. With such riches, determining which is the finest would require the acumen of a King Salomon.

[captmojo]

...determining which is the finest would require the acumen of a King Solomon.

And, an imagination. Just imagine if Bob Verga had played with a 3-point shot and a shot clock.

[OldPhiKap]

I seem to remember a game at State, where Mike Dunleavy outscored them for the first half (maybe 23 a 22 or something like that).

Billy King's defense on Marc Macon was a performance for the ages as well.

[roywhite]

Gary Melchionni had 39 to spark an upset of Maryland at CIS in 1973.

Art Heyman had 40 points and 24 rebounds on Senior Day vs the Heels in 1963.

Just my opinion, but I think Ryan's performance was the best ever by a Duke player at CIS, esp. with the consideration that he was coming off a 7-week injury absence.

[juise]

Just my opinion, but I think Ryan's performance was the best ever by a Duke player at CIS, esp. with the consideration that he was coming off a 7-week injury absence.

I don't know... Shav's debut vs. Army... calling Jason Evans. ;)

[Duke76]

Gary Melchionni had 39 to spark an upset of Maryland at CIS in 1973.

Art Heyman had 40 points and 24 rebounds on Senior Day vs the Heels in 1963.

Just my opinion, but I think Ryan's performance was the best ever by a Duke player at CIS, esp. with the consideration that he was coming off a 7-week injury absence.

I was there on the front row where Bucky Waters now sits so I am biased. I have written about it many times, the other four Duke players just went to the four corners and Gary took on all comers and no one could stop him....they had len elmore tom macmillan and john lucas....he mainly torched Lucas I believe but the others tried to stop him as well...had the most beautiful left handed turn around floater time and time again...Md was ranked in the top 3 that yr...was that the yr NCST won everything but MD was favored to win it all....anyway what Ryan did was 1a for me but only because I will never forget Cameron that night being there for the whole game it was so loud you tears came to your eyes...nothing like Cameron in person...nothing...well for a sports event

[Kedsy]

help me out - I am sure I am missing some other recent ones, plus any from the pre-Coach K era

I was in the arena for the Christian Laettner game against Kentucky and the JJ Redick game against Texas. Both pretty amazing. I'd put Ryan's game yesterday above JJ's game (because of the haven't-played-in-two-months thing) but below Christian's. I'd probably also put it above Jason Williams's gone-in-54-seconds game because, frankly, Jason had played pretty poorly until about a minute to go in that game.

I would also nominate the Gene Banks game, Coach K's first home game against UNC (a team that appeared in the national championship game that year). Banks scored 25 (out of Duke's 66 points) including a shot at the buzzer to send the game into OT and the rebound putback to win it in OT.

Also, and I know he's not so popular around here these days, but you have to consider Austin Rivers against UNC last season as one of the all-time best single-game Duke performances.

[devildeac]

Shoot, I'll even post it here, too, 'cuz if K (and Adam Gold!) think it's true (read to end of article), then it must be true (;)) :

I'll put this in a couple places so no one misses it:

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/kelly-s...ages/12175963/

[Kedsy]

Shoot, I'll even post it here, too, 'cuz if K (and Adam Gold!) think it's true (read to end of article), then it must be true (;)) :

I'll put this in a couple places so no one misses it:

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/kelly-s...ages/12175963/

Something's wrong with your link.

[Duke76]

I was in the arena for the Christian Laettner game against Kentucky and the JJ Redick game against Texas. Both pretty amazing. I'd put Ryan's game yesterday above JJ's game (because of the haven't-played-in-two-months thing) but below Christian's. I'd probably also put it above Jason Williams's gone-in-54-seconds game because, frankly, Jason had played pretty poorly until about a minute to go in that game.

I would also nominate the Gene Banks game, Coach K's first home game against UNC (a team that appeared in the national championship game that year). Banks scored 25 (out of Duke's 66 points) including a shot at the buzzer to send the game into OT and the rebound putback to win it in OT.

Also, and I know he's not so popular around here these days, but you have to consider Austin Rivers against UNC last season as one of the all-time best single-game Duke performances.


all time performance anywhere and for its impact and what it did for our program....but in Cameron we do indeed have so many to choose from...would like to see a video put together of all the great ones

[Wander]

Context must be taken into account. With that in mind, if this ends up being the first game in a string of wins that ends with a national championship, I think it's above everything (in the K era) except for the Laettner-Kentucky game. Otherwise, I'd put it behind JJ dropping 41 on Texas, and maybe the following game, which I think deserves serious consideration: Nolan scoring a (then) career high against Baylor to put us in the Final Four 30 years after his dad's Louisville team. Without that, we have one less national championship and Duke is in an eight year Final Four drought.

[jimsumner]

Depends on how we define the variables.

If we factor in the long absence, I cannot come up with any Duke parallels. Not sure I can come up with any college parallels.

If we just look at the game without that context, it was an exceptional performance but one that has been bettered in Duke history.

Ironically, many of the best individual performances in Duke history came away from Cameron, e.g. Laettner's game against Kentucky, JJ v. Texas, Jason Williams against Kentucky, Dick Groat's great game against Tulane in the Dixie Classic.

Verga scored 41 against Ohio State.

Randy Denton had some jaw-dropping games, 33 points and 18 rebounds against Gil McGregor and Wake Forest in 1971 being an example. Denton had 28 and 21 against Dan Issel and Kentucky, 23 and 25 against Northwestern.

Let me throw three more into the hopper.

1-3-67. Vic Bubas suspends darn near the whole team for a curfew violation. Bob Verga and a bunch of guys named Moe take on Penn State. Verga goes 16-31 from the field, scores 38 points and Duke somehow escapes with an 89-84 win. Verga was the only starter not suspended for that game.

12-4, 1976, Duke v. Washington. Tate Armstrong scores 35 points on 13-23, 9-9 shooting and nails a buzzer-beater to beat Washington 83-81. 35 points and a game-winning buzzer-beater.

And the game that might have been the best individual performance in Duke history, Laettner included. 1964 East Regionals. Third-ranked Duke against seventh-ranked Villanova. Duke won with unexpected ease, 87-73 behind a 43-point performance by Jeff Mullins. 28 of those came in the first half, including a mid-court buzzer-beater. Mullins also shut down Villanova's leading scorer, Richie Moore, holding him to eight points. Mullins shot 19-28, 5-6 and pulled down 12 rebounds.

Of course, none of these relate directly to what Ryan did yesterday. You have to go to NBA guys like Chamberlain and Jordan to find guys coming off long injuries with the kind of performance we saw from Kelly.

[ricks68]

Depends on how we define the variables.

If we factor in the long absence, I cannot come up with any Duke parallels. Not sure I can come up with any college parallels.

If we just look at the game without that context, it was an exceptional performance but one that has been bettered in Duke history.

Ironically, many of the best individual performances in Duke history came away from Cameron, e.g. Laettner's game against Kentucky, JJ v. Texas, Jason Williams against Kentucky, Dick Groat's great game against Tulane in the Dixie Classic.

Verga scored 41 against Ohio State.

Randy Denton had some jaw-dropping games, 33 points and 18 rebounds against Gil McGregor and Wake Forest in 1971 being an example. Denton had 28 and 21 against Dan Issel and Kentucky, 23 and 25 against Northwestern.

Let me throw three more into the hopper.

1-3-67. Vic Bubas suspends darn near the whole team for a curfew violation. Bob Verga and a bunch of guys named Moe take on Penn State. Verga goes 16-31 from the field, scores 38 points and Duke somehow escapes with an 89-84 win. Verga was the only starter not suspended for that game.

12-4, 1976, Duke v. Washington. Tate Armstrong scores 35 points on 13-23, 9-9 shooting and nails a buzzer-beater to beat Washington 83-81. 35 points and a game-winning buzzer-beater.

And the game that might have been the best individual performance in Duke history, Laettner included. 1964 East Regionals. Third-ranked Duke against seventh-ranked Villanova. Duke won with unexpected ease, 87-73 behind a 43-point performance by Jeff Mullins. 28 of those came in the first half, including a mid-court buzzer-beater. Mullins also shut down Villanova's leading scorer, Richie Moore, holding him to eight points. Mullins shot 19-28, 5-6 and pulled down 12 rebounds.

Of course, none of these relate directly to what Ryan did yesterday. You have to go to NBA guys like Chamberlain and Jordan to find guys coming off long injuries with the kind of performance we saw from Kelly.

Jim,

Man, I was just going to put that one in there and you beat me to it. Also, of note is that there was no 3 point shot then, and the vast majority of those shots would have been 3 pointers today. I was there, and on some of them, he would take the ball down after the inbounds pass and take a few steps past mid-court and bang! The big chant back then was "two Verga, two!" while holding up two fingers like a "V".

When I first put up the post that started this stuff, I had a feeling that it would generate a whole bunch of comparisons, etc., so for those of you that are not aware of a nice additional review by Al Featherston, here it is:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205385854

The main point of my original post, however, was the statement alluding to the fact that we should all appreciate just how lucky we are to have experienced such a great program that has produced, and surely will continue to produce, so many exciting moments by such fine people-----from the athletes and coaches, themselves, to all of those other people related to the program, the Crazies, alums, and Duke in general.

ricks

[lawdevil]

Laetner's game against UK has to tbe number one. But I am surprised noone has mentioned JJ's performance as a freshman against NCState in the 2003 ACC Championship. Duke was down about 15 with 10 minutes to go when JJ went off and scored something like 23 in the last ten minutes! It was incredible - especially for a freshman who had not had a very good tournament to that point.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Jim,

Man, I was just going to put that one in there and you beat me to it. Also, of note is that there was no 3 point shot then, and the vast majority of those shots would have been 3 pointers today. I was there, and on some of them, he would take the ball down after the inbounds pass and take a few steps past mid-court and bang! The big chant back then was "two Verga, two!" while holding up two fingers like a "V".

When I first put up the post that started this stuff, I had a feeling that it would generate a whole bunch of comparisons, etc., so for those of you that are not aware of a nice additional review by Al Featherston, here it is:

http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=205385854

The main point of my original post, however, was the statement alluding to the fact that we should all appreciate just how lucky we are to have experienced such a great program that has produced, and surely will continue to produce, so many exciting moments by such fine people-----from the athletes and coaches, themselves, to all of those other people related to the program, the Crazies, alums, and Duke in general.

ricks

I think this is the overriding point to any discussion of which was the best at Duke (individual games, individual players, coaches, etc.). When the pool of games and individual or team team performances is so rich, it's not about which was the best of the best so much as it is about appreciating the depth of talent and accomplishments. That these accomplishments have occurred where players actually go to class and many attain admirable grades for their academic performance is indeed worthy of celebration.

[nmduke2001]

31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. 10 for 10 from the field. 10 for 10 from the foul line. History at stake and he literally came through perfectly.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003607/index.htm

[Monmouth77]

In terms of performances in Cameron, I think the all-time best by Redick (better to my mind than his 41 in the Garden -- and I attended both) was his 38 against Chris Paul's Wake team in 05. He was 9-15 from the field with 6 threes and 14-15 from the line, and we were underdogs vs a Wake team that was looking unbeatable. People remember that game bc Coach K started a bunch of bench players as a motivator, but Redick played all 40 minutes and just dominated.

Kelly's game last night given opponent and circumstances was better though.

[devildeac]

Something's wrong with your link.

Dang. Swore I just copied and pasted. Maybe wralsportsfan blog just doesn't want to be read/linked:

Try again:

http://www.wralsportsfan.com/kelly-s-return-was-one-for-the-ages/12175963/

Wonder if it expires after a certain time 'cuz I'm certain I verified it when I previewed it before actually submitting it. Did the same now-verified/previewed before submitting.

Crazy.

Edit: clicked on link myself and it went right to wralsportsfan/Adam Gold's blog.

[roywhite]

Another very fine performance by a Duke player at Cameron was Kyrie's 31 point performance vs 6th ranked Michigan State. It was part of his introduction to the basketball world and certainly one of the best performances ever by a Duke freshman.

Duke 84 -- Michigan State 79 (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=20101201)

An interesting note in the boxscore -- sophomore Ryan Kelly played 17 minutes and scored 2 points. It's a tribute to Ryan that he's worked so hard to turn himself into an excellent player, and a reminder to us that young players often take a while to develop.

[captmojo]

I got thru to it.
You're straight...they're crooked.

[NovaScotian]

i think a few people have mentioned it, but JJ's game at CIS against UVA his senior year was quite something, and maybe his best single game performance. He scored 40 pts on just 13 field goals, and was 11-13 from the field (8-10 from 3). this was in the midst of his wooden award year where every team in the country was trying everything they could to stop him (and only lsu really succeeded).

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=20060128

i am editing this to include the fact that jj was so hot from three that he even got shelden williams to hit one too.

[Billy Dat]

Last night reminded me of the 1998 ACC finale when freshman Elton Brand, recently returned from 2 months off for his broken foot, lead an improbable comeback, after being down 17 in the second half, against a stacked UNC squad (Cota, Jameson, Carter et al) on Wojo's Senior Day. Kelly's performance was more epic, but that win over the Heels kind of closed the door on the 1995 - 1997 rebuilding era. Plus, Haywood choked free throws to help us win.

[Jim3k]

And the game that might have been the best individual performance in Duke history, Laettner included. 1964 East Regionals. Third-ranked Duke against seventh-ranked Villanova. Duke won with unexpected ease, 87-73 behind a 43-point performance by Jeff Mullins. 28 of those came in the first half, including a mid-court buzzer-beater. Mullins also shut down Villanova's leading scorer, Richie Moore, holding him to eight points. Mullins shot 19-28, 5-6 and pulled down 12 rebounds.



Admitting my bias as a Mullins classmate, that game has always been a gobsmacker. For the long term it punctuated that Bubas-coached Duke teams were Final Four quality and deserved to be in all future conversations about college basketball excellence. Among other things, Jeff had 12 rebounds (along with 12 more by Jay Buckley) (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=19640313) and controlled the boards against a fine Villanova team (Bill Melchionni and Wally (later Wali) Jones, dispatching them with relative ease. Jeff's terrific defense of Moore was kind of ignored, though Bubas' overall defense became recognized as a standard for others to meet.

Principal point: Landmark game for Duke basketball.

The subsequent wins over Connecticut and Michigan were consistent with that. Even the UCLA loss in the championship game didn't override Duke's arrival on the national scene. (Yes, I know the previous year was excellent--a Final Four year--(losing in the semis to Chicago Loyola), but actually getting to the Final game was a clear step beyond. And the 1964 performance against Villanova was a breakthrough.

[Ian]

I know it's not often mentioned because we lost that game, but I actually think the 41 pt game JJ had against Georgetown to be his most impressive game. Because he had very little help in that game and singled handedly kept us in the game. Every point he scored in that game was needed, unlike blowouts where a lot of points were in garbage time any way.

That's also why Kelly performance stands out. It was against a top opponent who had beaten us earlier and we needed all of his points. There was no stat padding in this one.

[sagegrouse]

I know it's not often mentioned because we lost that game, but I actually think the 41 pt game JJ had against Georgetown to be his most impressive game. Because he had very little help in that game and singled handedly kept us in the game. Every point he scored in that game was needed, unlike blowouts where a lot of points were in garbage time any way.

That's also why Kelly performance stands out. It was against a top opponent who had beaten us earlier and we needed all of his points. There was no stat padding in this one.

JJ also scored 40 points against Virginia with only 13 shots. It is hard to see how anyone realistically could score 40 points with fewer shots. -- sage

[OldSchool]

Because of the long injury, I don’t think we can really compare it to other real-life performances whether at Duke or elsewhere. Heck, even Willis Reed only scored 4 points in his famous game coming back from injury. Really, the only proper comparisons are to Hollywood movies.

Hoosiers (1986) is a fictionalized account of the true story of a rural Indiana high school basketball team in the 1950s that makes it way to the state championship where it beats a more heralded team from a metropolitan area. According to a box score projected by Bill Simmons (http://espn.go.com/page2/movies/s/simmons/020827.html), Jimmy Chitwood played 32 minutes and had 30 points, going 14-18 from the field. As we know, Ryan played 32 minutes and had 36 points, going 10-14 from the field. While Jimmy had a higher percentage of his team’s total points and he did score the game-winning bucket, I’m giving the edge to Ryan because he scored his 36 against a very athletic top-5 D1 team rather than a team of high school players. I mean, how many would Jimmy have scored with 25-year old 6’11” Kenny Kadji in his face?

In Space Jam (1996), Michael Jordan leads a team of Looney Tunes cartoon characters against a team of NBA stars. Jordan scores 44 out of the 78 points scored by the Tunes team, according to an online box score. While Jordan had more points than Ryan, nevertheless I give the edge to Ryan for the following reason: If Ryan’s teammates were a bunch of cartoon characters, obviously Ryan would have had to score more to pick up the slack. He might well have had more than 36. Also, we know what a ball hog MJ was. All of Ryan’s points came completely within the flow of the offense.

In Air Bud (1997), Buddy the golden retriever, with the help of his friend Josh, escapes from the mean Mr. Snively in time to join his team in the state finals basketball game. As to who had the better game, I note the following: Buddy only played the last few minutes of the game, whereas Ryan played 32 minutes. Buddy only had a few field goals (although he did hit key foul shots down the stretch), whereas Ryan went for 36. Buddy was not coming off injury, unlike Ryan; however Buddy had been chained up for a while by Mr. Snively. Having said that, we must take into account the fact that Ryan has opposable thumbs and Buddy does not, making it difficult for Buddy to hold the ball with his paws. So unlike Buddy, Ryan is not forced to shoot the ball with his nose. Because of this last point I would have to give the edge to the performance by Buddy the golden retriever.

In summary, I would put Ryan’s individual performance above that of Jimmy in Hoosiers and that of Jordan in Space Jam, but below that of Buddy the golden retriever in Air Bud.

[captmojo]

Seriously, I think back to when Laettner was a freshman, and missed the free-throw at the end of the lost effort to Arizona, at the Meadowlands. That miss made him become the perfect shotmaker he was against Kentucky.

But right now, on the History Channel, Moses is parting the Red Sea.
All else falls short.

[OldPhiKap]

Seriously, I think back to when Laettner was a freshman, and missed the free-throw at the end of the lost effort to Arizona, at the Meadowlands. That miss made him become the perfect shotmaker he was against Kentucky.

But right now, on the History Channel, Moses is parting the Red Sea.
All else falls short.

As to the first part, I credit Dick Nixon's post-game locker talk to Laettner where he told him, and I quote, "don't worry, I've blown the big one, too."

As to the second, well -- not sure that anyone had a harder test than Abraham. (Excellent program)

[duke96]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

[OldPhiKap]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

10 for 10 from the field, 10 for 10 from the line IIRC.

Hit the shot of a generation.

Hard to dispute.

[jimsumner]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

Bill Walton shot 21 for 22 in an NCAA title game. He didn't make a buzzer-beater. Didn't need to.

[mdj]

A different direction, but do we think anyone has ever had a better performance (significance x accomplishment) in a college BB game than Laettner vs. Kentucky?

I'd put Mannings NC game in 88 above Laetnners game. He went for 31 and although he had a lower shooting % (obviously) he had a higher % of his teams points (31/83) and to win a national championship with that supporting cast against a great OU squad was a miracle. He also had 18 rebounds. As I remember the game he was a 1 man wrecking crew against a much better opponent on the biggest stage.

[jimsumner]

I'd put Mannings NC game in 88 above Laetnners game. He went for 31 and although he had a lower shooting % (obviously) he had a higher % of his teams points (31/83) and to win a national championship with that supporting cast against a great OU squad was a miracle. He also had 18 rebounds. As I remember the game he was a 1 man wrecking crew against a much better opponent on the biggest stage.

Gail Goodrich in the '65 title game and Goose Givens in the '78 title game make the short list.

[ricks68]

Because of the long injury, I don’t think we can really compare it to other real-life performances whether at Duke or elsewhere. Heck, even Willis Reed only scored 4 points in his famous game coming back from injury. Really, the only proper comparisons are to Hollywood movies.

Hoosiers (1986) is a fictionalized account of the true story of a rural Indiana high school basketball team in the 1950s that makes it way to the state championship where it beats a more heralded team from a metropolitan area. According to a box score projected by Bill Simmons (http://espn.go.com/page2/movies/s/simmons/020827.html), Jimmy Chitwood played 32 minutes and had 30 points, going 14-18 from the field. As we know, Ryan played 32 minutes and had 36 points, going 10-14 from the field. While Jimmy had a higher percentage of his team’s total points and he did score the game-winning bucket, I’m giving the edge to Ryan because he scored his 36 against a very athletic top-5 D1 team rather than a team of high school players. I mean, how many would Jimmy have scored with 25-year old 6’11” Kenny Kadji in his face?

In Space Jam (1996), Michael Jordan leads a team of Looney Tunes cartoon characters against a team of NBA stars. Jordan scores 44 out of the 78 points scored by the Tunes team, according to an online box score. While Jordan had more points than Ryan, nevertheless I give the edge to Ryan for the following reason: If Ryan’s teammates were a bunch of cartoon characters, obviously Ryan would have had to score more to pick up the slack. He might well have had more than 36. Also, we know what a ball hog MJ was. All of Ryan’s points came completely within the flow of the offense.

In Air Bud (1997), Buddy the golden retriever, with the help of his friend Josh, escapes from the mean Mr. Snively in time to join his team in the state finals basketball game. As to who had the better game, I note the following: Buddy only played the last few minutes of the game, whereas Ryan played 32 minutes. Buddy only had a few field goals (although he did hit key foul shots down the stretch), whereas Ryan went for 36. Buddy was not coming off injury, unlike Ryan; however Buddy had been chained up for a while by Mr. Snively. Having said that, we must take into account the fact that Ryan has opposable thumbs and Buddy does not, making it difficult for Buddy to hold the ball with his paws. So unlike Buddy, Ryan is not forced to shoot the ball with his nose. Because of this last point I would have to give the edge to the performance by Buddy the golden retriever.

In summary, I would put Ryan’s individual performance above that of Jimmy in Hoosiers and that of Jordan in Space Jam, but below that of Buddy the golden retriever in Air Bud.

This, I believe, may be the best tongue-in-cheek performance ever on the boards--------unintentional, or not.;) Now, all we need is a long follow-up review of fictional basketball events that we can conjure up from the past to debate about. Uncle Drew vs. some of Kyle's "Buckets" videos could be a start.:) Well done, whether you meant to do it or not.

ricks

[Son of Jarhead]

One of my favorite single game performances was back in the '76-'77 season when senior Tate Armstrong put up 33 as Duke won at UVA in overtime. And, oh, by the way... he scored 31 of those 33 after breaking his wrist (an injury that ended his Duke career and sank our season) in the first few minutes of the game, but stayed in the game and played all 45 minutes. Check out his stat line:

Tate Armstrong vs. UVA, 1/17/77 = Min: 45 ~ FG: 14-24 ~ FT: 5-6 ~ Reb: 3 ~ PF: 1 ~ Ast: 3 ~ TO: 1 ~ Blk: 0 ~ Stl: 1 ~ Total Points: 33

Different circumstances than Ryan's gem from Saturday, but still one of the great games ever by a Duke player.

[Durham Thunder]

Not the best, but it's one of them: Elton Brand 16 pts on 6-8 shooting against UNC in 1998.

He came back from (recent) injury, he was a freshman going against the NPOY Antawn Jamison, and he literally put the team on his back when they were down by double digits in the biggest game of the year. PRESSURE! It was huge circumstances, and he was more than clutch.

[heyman25]

I was 9 and saw Art Heyman's 40 point 24 rebound performance live against The Holes.He was up against Brooklyn's Billy Cunningham, an NBA hall of famer I believe. I witnessed Gary Melchionni's 39 point game as a Duke undergrad against Durham's own John Lucas and the Maryland juggernaut. Ryan Kelly's performance was right up there with those 2 Cameron performances.

[jv001]

One of my favorite single game performances was back in the '76-'77 season when senior Tate Armstrong put up 33 as Duke won at UVA in overtime. And, oh, by the way... he scored 31 of those 33 after breaking his wrist (an injury that ended his Duke career and sank our season) in the first few minutes of the game, but stayed in the game and played all 45 minutes. Check out his stat line:

Tate Armstrong vs. UVA, 1/17/77 = Min: 45 ~ FG: 14-24 ~ FT: 5-6 ~ Reb: 3 ~ PF: 1 ~ Ast: 3 ~ TO: 1 ~ Blk: 0 ~ Stl: 1 ~ Total Points: 33

Different circumstances than Ryan's gem from Saturday, but still one of the great games ever by a Duke player.

Tate is still my favorite Duke player of all time. But it's a close race. GoDuke!

[Cameron]

My favorites have a J.J. theme to them, but he just had so many great games that I want to list as many as I can. They deserve it. I also kept it more recent.

J.J. versus N.C. State. 2003 ACC final. He was paying h-o-r-s-e with the Wolfpack and he finished the game without any letters. It was the single-most dominating 10 minutes of basketball I've ever seen from a single player at the college level. He dropped 23 points in the final 10:05, almost single-handedly erasing a 15-point second-half lead for State on his way to 30 points for the game and keeping Duke's streak of consecutive ACC titles alive at five.

J.J. against Virginia at home in 2006. Forty points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from downtown. The only person who could have stopped J.J. that night was God, and he would have had to have used a box-and-one.

J.J.'s breakout party as a freshman in 2003, also against Virginia. In just his second-ever ACC game, Redick went for 34, setting the Duke record for most points in a game for a rookie and foreshadowing the legendary exploits to come with a sensational performance from the floor, hitting 5-of-6 from three and 9-of-13 from the field overall. While watching that game I remember thinking that I was watching what would become the greatest player in Duke history. While J.J. didn't quite reach that level, he gave it one hell of a run.

J.J. at North Carolina in 2006. Thirty-five points and four consecutive threes at one point in the second half that turned the lights out in the Dome.

Andre Dawkins against Wake Forest in 2012. The kid topped even Ryan's Miami performance with 21 points in the first half against the Demon Deacons, including knocking home 7-of-9 from three in the opening stanza. It was the greatest display of streak shooting I've ever seen at Duke. Just think about it for a moment. By the time the first half concluded, he was on pace to hit 14 threes. It was remarkable. Unlike Ryan, however, the the curtains closed after the first act and Dre never scored again.

Also, any game Marty ever dressed.

[devildeac]

My favorites have a J.J. theme to them, but he just had so many great games that I want to list as many as I can. They deserve it. I also kept it more recent.

J.J. versus N.C. State. 2003 ACC final. He was paying h-o-r-s-e with the Wolfpack and he finished the game without any letters. It was the single-most dominating 10 minutes of basketball I've ever seen from a single player at the college level. He dropped 23 points in the final 10:05, almost single-handedly erasing a 15-point second-half lead for State on his way to 30 points for the game and keeping Duke's streak of consecutive ACC titles alive at five.

J.J. against Virginia at home in 2006. Forty points on 11-of-13 shooting, including 8-of-10 from downtown. The only person who could have stopped J.J. that night was God, and he would have had to have used a box-and-one.

J.J.'s breakout party as a freshman in 2003, also against Virginia. In just his second-ever ACC game, Redick went for 34, setting the Duke record for most points in a game for a rookie and foreshadowing the legendary exploits to come with a sensational performance from the floor, hitting 5-of-6 from three and 9-of-13 from the field overall. While watching that game I remember thinking that I was watching what would become the greatest player in Duke history. While J.J. didn't quite reach that level, he gave it one hell of a run.

J.J. at North Carolina in 2006. Thirty-five points and four consecutive threes at one point in the second half that turned the lights out in the Dome.

Andre Dawkins against Wake Forest in 2012. The kid topped even Ryan's Miami performance with 21 points in the first half against the Demon Deacons, including knocking home 7-of-9 from three in the opening stanza. It was the greatest display of streak shooting I've ever seen at Duke. Just think about it for a moment. By the time the first half concluded, he was on pace to hit 14 threes. It was remarkable. Unlike Ryan, however, the the curtains closed after the first act and Dre never scored again.

Also, any game Marty ever dressed.

Which Marty;)?

[Cameron]

Which Marty;)?

The one from the 2000s whose game many here would have you believe resembled a cross between a Moron Mountain Monstar and Larry Bird.

Guess I should have clarified. :D (Having played in pickup games with him at the Duke Camp, the other Marty from the 1990s probably thinks of himself that way too. Ha. He never lacked confidence, and was a hell of a performer when called upon.)

To Marty Pocius's credit, he could fly. Against State in the 2007 ACC opening round, I'm convinced he levitated.

[bballanj]

It might not be better than Kelly's performance against Miami, but one that stands out to me was J William's performance against UCLA in the 2001 Sweet 16. In a game that was neck and neck deep into the second half Jason Willliams scored 17 straight points for Duke, and we went on to win that game by 13, and of course the Title three games later.

[Cameron]

It might not be better than Kelly's performance against Miami, but one that stands out to me was J William's performance against UCLA in the 2001 Sweet 16. In a game that was neck and neck deep into the second half Jason Willliams scored 17 straight points for Duke, and we went on to win that game by 13, and of course the Title three games later.

Not only did Jason score 19 points in a row for Duke, but nobody from UCLA put a single point on the board during that stretch either. For those few brilliant minutes, the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia had become Jason's own personal playground. He was magnificent in that game. Good call.

Another game I would throw out there is Michael Dunleavy against Arizona in the 2001 national final. He electrified the Hubert H. Humphrey Dome with 18 second-half points against the Wildcats, including an otherwordly stretch of three straight three-pointers in a span of 45 seconds that rivals any significant championship moment in Duke history. It was surreal it was so good.

[davekay1971]

It might not be better than Kelly's performance against Miami, but one that stands out to me was J William's performance against UCLA in the 2001 Sweet 16. In a game that was neck and neck deep into the second half Jason Willliams scored 17 straight points for Duke, and we went on to win that game by 13, and of course the Title three games later.

That stretch is right up there with Reggie Miller's Spike Lee inspired 25 point quarter in MSG against the Knicks as single-player within-game moments that were truly unbelievable. Jason just took over, and there was nothing anyone on UCLA could do about it.

As for single game performances (whole game), Ryan's was right up there. I lean toward Laettner's against KY because Laettner's of the perfection of the shooting line, the size of the moment, and The Shot. Ferry's game was astounding. There have been lots, but Ryan's performance, coming off a significant time out with injury, was the equal of just about any.

[sagegrouse]

Not only did Jason score 19 points in a row for Duke, but nobody from UCLA put a single point on the board during that stretch either. For those few brilliant minutes, the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia had become Jason's own personal playground. He was magnificent in that game. Good call.

.

I know it's hard to keep track of a 17YO arena that has had four different names. At the time, it was the First Union Center, as in "eff you," which the ever-polite jason would never have uttered to UCLA, although he was entitled to. It is now the Wells Fargo Center. At other times, it was Core States and Wachovia.

I was in the house that day, and I also remember the forlorn throngs from Kentucky, after it got bounced by USC.

sagegrouse
'When First Union Bank, feeling some PR heat for its name, approached Wachovia about acquiring it, the FU rep said something like: "You're going to like this deal. You get to keep your name."'

[Cameron]

I know it's hard to keep track of a 17YO arena that has had four different names. At the time, it was the First Union Center, as in "eff you," which the ever-polite jason would never have uttered to UCLA, although he was entitled to. It is now the Wells Fargo Center. At other times, it was Core States and Wachovia.

I was in the house that day, and I also remember the forlorn throngs from Kentucky, after it got bounced by USC.

sagegrouse
'When First Union Bank, feeling some PR heat for its name, approached Wachovia about acquiring it, the FU rep said something like: "You're going to like this deal. You get to keep your name."'

Thanks for the clarification. Even as I typed it I wasn't sure what the name of the building was then. I just remembered one of the previous names and took a shot in the dark, similar to Dexter Strickland when he shoots.

[elvis14]

Laettner vs. Kentucky is the best, taking into account everything including circumstances.

Ferry's 58 was amazing. JJ's Texas performance was outstanding, but he had a game against UVa his senior year where he went for 41 points - on 14 shot attempts. Low-stakes game, relatively speaking, but geez...


31 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals. 10 for 10 from the field. 10 for 10 from the foul line. History at stake and he literally came through perfectly.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/vault/article/magazine/MAG1003607/index.htm


i think a few people have mentioned it, but JJ's game at CIS against UVA his senior year was quite something, and maybe his best single game performance. He scored 40 pts on just 13 field goals, and was 11-13 from the field (8-10 from 3). this was in the midst of his wooden award year where every team in the country was trying everything they could to stop him (and only lsu really succeeded).

http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/games/boxscore.php?gameid=20060128

i am editing this to include the fact that jj was so hot from three that he even got shelden williams to hit one too.

Christian's performance vs Ky is just legendary. Perfect from the field and line with the shot. It just doesn't get any better than that.

JJ's performance against UVa is special to me because I was in CIS for that game. I learned that night that it's possible to have a quiet 40 points in game. A couple of this 3's were from the parking lot they were so deep. By the end of the game I was yelling "lay up" when was shooting 3's!

[jimsumner]

Which Marty;)?

The one that doesn't foul?

[hsheffield]

Don't know if it was the BEST performance ever, but all these years later I can still see Hurley's amazing intensity against Cal.

Announcers often talk about a player carrying a team on their back, but Hurley became otherwordly in his absolute WILL to try to win
that game. It broke my heart that he had to graduate. I miss watching him more than almost any player....

[jimsumner]

Don't know if it was the BEST performance ever, but all these years later I can still see Hurley's amazing intensity against Cal.

Announcers often talk about a player carrying a team on their back, but Hurley became otherwordly in his absolute WILL to try to win
that game. It broke my heart that he had to graduate. I miss watching him more than almost any player....

It's interesting how many great Duke players went down both barrels blazing in their final game at Duke.

Heyman in '63 (the consolation game doesn't matter), Mullins in '64, Marin in '66 (ditto on the consolation game), Dawkins '86, Ferry '89, Hurley '93, Langdon '99. Warriors all.

And the first person who mentions Langdon traveling in '99 gets a wet noodle beside the head. Without Trajan, Duke gets buried that night.

[hurleyfor3]

And the first person who mentions Langdon traveling in '99 gets a wet noodle beside the head. Without Trajan, Duke gets buried that night.

That was K's decision anyway, not Trajan's. He was certainly the only guy on the court for Duke that night who played as if he had waited his entire life to get there.

[Viking Guy]

I am partial to Zoubek's 16 and 17 against Maryland. It was certainly HIS best game ever!

[turnandburn55]

I feel like I could put Jay-Dubs on this list about a dozen times:

January 27, 2001- Gone in 54 seconds.

March 3, 2001- It looked like Duke was dead in the water with Carlos Boozer's injury and about to play #4 UNC on the road (who had already beaten us in Cameron). "It's over". 33 points and 9 assists later, maybe not...

March 23, 2001- Jason Williams 19, UCLA 0. Nuff said.

December 18, 2001- In serious trouble against #7 Kentucky at the Meadowlands, Williams puts us on his back for 38 points.

January 17, 2002- First game against MD after 4 ridiculous games in 2001. 34 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists. Most fun I've had watching a blowout (Maybe against WV in 2010)...

March 21, 2002- Down 74-70, just as all hope seemed lost, the National Player of the Year drills the 3-pointer, then cleverly intentionally misses the free throw so that future All-Star Carlos Boozer can draw the foul. At least, that's how I remember it. ;) What? What?

[Kedsy]

The one that doesn't foul?

Wasn't that originally Marty "The Puma" Nessley?

[jimsumner]

Wasn't that originally Marty "The Puma" Nessley?

Well, there was Marty Doherty, from the 1950s. :)

But, yes. Nessley. And the cheer was full of post-modern irony, because Marty Nessley most emphatically did foul. Early and often.

Which gave the Crazies lots of chances to practice the chant.

[BigWayne]

Because of the long injury, I don’t think we can really compare it to other real-life performances whether at Duke or elsewhere. Heck, even Willis Reed only scored 4 points in his famous game coming back from injury. Really, the only proper comparisons are to Hollywood movies.

Hoosiers (1986) is a fictionalized account of the true story of a rural Indiana high school basketball team in the 1950s that makes it way to the state championship where it beats a more heralded team from a metropolitan area. According to a box score projected by Bill Simmons (http://espn.go.com/page2/movies/s/simmons/020827.html), Jimmy Chitwood played 32 minutes and had 30 points, going 14-18 from the field. As we know, Ryan played 32 minutes and had 36 points, going 10-14 from the field. While Jimmy had a higher percentage of his team’s total points and he did score the game-winning bucket, I’m giving the edge to Ryan because he scored his 36 against a very athletic top-5 D1 team rather than a team of high school players. I mean, how many would Jimmy have scored with 25-year old 6’11” Kenny Kadji in his face?

In Space Jam (1996), Michael Jordan leads a team of Looney Tunes cartoon characters against a team of NBA stars. Jordan scores 44 out of the 78 points scored by the Tunes team, according to an online box score. While Jordan had more points than Ryan, nevertheless I give the edge to Ryan for the following reason: If Ryan’s teammates were a bunch of cartoon characters, obviously Ryan would have had to score more to pick up the slack. He might well have had more than 36. Also, we know what a ball hog MJ was. All of Ryan’s points came completely within the flow of the offense.

In Air Bud (1997), Buddy the golden retriever, with the help of his friend Josh, escapes from the mean Mr. Snively in time to join his team in the state finals basketball game. As to who had the better game, I note the following: Buddy only played the last few minutes of the game, whereas Ryan played 32 minutes. Buddy only had a few field goals (although he did hit key foul shots down the stretch), whereas Ryan went for 36. Buddy was not coming off injury, unlike Ryan; however Buddy had been chained up for a while by Mr. Snively. Having said that, we must take into account the fact that Ryan has opposable thumbs and Buddy does not, making it difficult for Buddy to hold the ball with his paws. So unlike Buddy, Ryan is not forced to shoot the ball with his nose. Because of this last point I would have to give the edge to the performance by Buddy the golden retriever.

In summary, I would put Ryan’s individual performance above that of Jimmy in Hoosiers and that of Jordan in Space Jam, but below that of Buddy the golden retriever in Air Bud.
One of the best posts I have ever read on this or any other board. I sure hope somebody shows this to Ryan, but maybe not until after the season is over.

[basket1544]

Well, there was Marty Doherty, from the 1950s. :)

But, yes. Nessley. And the cheer was full of post-modern irony, because Marty Nessley most emphatically did foul. Early and often.

Which gave the Crazies lots of chances to practice the chant.

So should the Crazies start chanting Tyler doesn't foul?

[subzero02]

That was K's decision anyway, not Trajan's. He was certainly the only guy on the court for Duke that night who played as if he had waited his entire life to get there.

I will never get over that game... Freshman year... Watched it on the big screen in Cameron... Trajan had a four point play that game too. A bit over a week ago I said that Mason's performance at Maryland was the most disappointing performance I have seen from a big time Duke player; I think Avery's game against Uconn should take that top spot. It's hard to even think about that game.