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View Full Version : Favorite Player Poll - Duhon vs. Alarie



JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 10:52 AM
#8 seed Chris Duhon takes on #25 seed Mark Alaire. I think this one could be a real war despite the seedings not being all that close.

--Jason "this poll will stay open for one day" Evans

bird
10-23-2007, 10:58 AM
'86 is my all-time favorite team. I loved those guys. And they set the table for everything that came afterward. Alarie.

gw67
10-23-2007, 11:14 AM
I'm with Bird on this one. The '86 team was my favorite. They had three locals from DC area (Dawkins, Amaker and Ferry), two blue collar players who gave it their all (Henderson and King) and a terrific forward (Alarie). I voted for Ferry and Alarie and they won't be the last from that team that I will vote for.

King was also a player from Northern Virginia.

gw67

The Gordog
10-23-2007, 11:41 AM
#8 seed Chris Duhon takes on #25 seed Mark Alaire. I think this one could be a real war despite the seedings not being all that close.

--Jason "this poll will stay open for one day" Evans

This seemed like a really hard choice for me, at first.

Duhon, always seemed on the verge of becomming a super-star, but overall his career stats are not at the level I thought they were. goduke.statsgeek (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/players/statlines.php?playerid=123). Still, I loved rooting for him - the little (relativly) guy always seemed like an underdog. I will always treasure his guts in his final game in Cameron. leading us to victory over the hated Heels in spite of a brutal injury. He followed that up by being our best player in the ACC tourney where we lost to MD in overtime in the final. His NCAA performance was nothing too special and we lost to a UConn team we seemingly should have beaten had there been an experienced officiating crew.

Alarie, wow, I forgot how great he was until I looked at his stats; goduke.statsgeek (http://goduke.statsgeek.com/basketball-m/players/statlines.php?playerid=1). Still, he never got us to the promised land either. Of course, my being class of '86 like him gives some extra weight to his candidacy in my eyes. And as someone else mentioned what they did set the table for the K era.

Alarie.

CameronBlue
10-23-2007, 12:06 PM
am I'm not old. I don't like voting against our guys.

He scored the first basket in the Dean Dome.

lmb
10-23-2007, 12:29 PM
Making this choice was a form of sadistic torture. I went with Alarie because he was so great and I'm afraid he's been forgotten.

dukeENG2003
10-23-2007, 12:46 PM
am I'm not old. I don't like voting against our guys.

He scored the first basket in the Dean Dome.

Whoa, like the first EVER basket in the dean dome? I was gonna vote duhon, but that might sway me the other way.

Indoor66
10-23-2007, 12:48 PM
Whoa, like the first EVER basket in the dean dome? I was gonna vote duhon, but that might sway me the other way.

Where is Tom Connelly on the list? He scored the first basket in Duke Indoor Stadium in 1940.

mapei
10-23-2007, 12:48 PM
I'm going with Chris. I loved his hustle and heart. The last pure point guard we have had, too.

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 12:56 PM
So far, all the posts are in support of Alarie, who I voted for as well, but the vote total currently shows Duhon with a slight lead. Anyone in the "silent majority" want to make your case for Duhon.

FWIW, I too voted for Alarie and it was not that much of a close call for me. Chris was a fine player and a great guy, but his career was largely disappointing. Even his freshman campaign, which was probably his highlight because we won a national title after inserting him in the starting lineup and he hit a last-second game winner down the stretch at Wake (I think?), was a season where he mostly played a complimentary role. Chris was dazzling at times (I recall a game against Georgetown where his passing was a stunning weapon), but my overall impression was always that he failed to meet expectations.

Alarie, OTOH, was a rock and a great player. The first in the long line of K-coached PFs who could beat you inside and out. You could tell what a hard worker he was by the way his body improved in every off-season. and how many big men are ultra-reliable 80% FT-shooters? I am convinced he would be higher up in the ranks of the all-timers if he had not gone into an ineplicable shopoting slump in the NCAA tourney in 1986. A guy who you could ordinarily book to hit 50%+ of his shots only hit like 1/3rd of his shots over his final 5 games of his career. The same thing happened to David Henderson. It was maddening and makes no sense (both of those guys easily hit more than 50% of their shots that season). Sigh.

Well, enough dwelling on the pain that is that loss to Louisville. Alarie was a mega-stud who scored, rebounded, and played fierce defense. He was a key part of what I think was the highest scoring class in college basketball history (Alarie, Dawkins, Henderson, Bilas and Weldon Wiliams combined for well over 7000 career points, a sick total). If there had been a 3-point shot, those Duke teams with Alarie and Dawkins would have been unbeatable. In fact, were it not for the specter of his good friend and teammate JD, Alarie would be even more famous and more revered in Duke history.

--Jason "Vote for Mark-- honor the 1986 studs who started the K-led glory years!!" Evans

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 01:01 PM
'86 is my all-time favorite team. I loved those guys. And they set the table for everything that came afterward. Alarie.

Alarie was the reason I wore 32 in my basketball playing days. Thirty-two became my favorite number because of him. All things 32 became....good. Then came Laettner.

-EarlJam

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 01:07 PM
Alarie, OTOH, was a rock and a great player. The first in the long line of K-coached PFs who could beat you inside and out. You could tell what a hard worker he was by the way his body improved in every off-season.
--Jason "Vote for Mark-- honor the 1986 studs who started the K-led glory years!!" Evans

The first time I saw Mark Alarie in person was at the Greensboro Coliseum in 1986 for the 1st round of the NCAAs. My first impression: "Dudes got bruises on his body from head to toe."

I thought it was cool - in that Meagher (sp) kind of way and it inspired me to play physical basketball for the rest of my all-star career. He was a workhorse, and a great guy.

VOTE ALARIE!

-EarlJam

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 01:11 PM
Whoa, like the first EVER basket in the dean dome? I was gonna vote duhon, but that might sway me the other way.

Yup-

From the (blech) TarheelBlue.com report (http://tarheelblue.cstv.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/011806aab.html) on the game:


The building, which was originally known as the Student Activities Center before being rechristened the Dean E. Smith Center, actually opened a few games late. The Tar Heels played two "last" games in Carmichael Auditorium--one the season finale for the 1984-85 season and another midway through the 1985-86 campaign. But the delay worked out perfectly, because the Smith Center's debut came with top-ranked Carolina taking on third-ranked Duke.

Duke's Mark Alarie spoiled the suspense surrounding the first basket in the building by making an early hoop, but Warren Martin soon followed with the first Tar Heel two-pointer.

--Jason "vote for Mark!!" Evans

Rich
10-23-2007, 01:17 PM
As Jason pointed out, the Dean Dome was originally known as the Student Activities Center before being rechristened the Dean E. Smith Center. We affectionately referred to it as Dean's SAC. Ahh, the good ol' days!

southgater
10-23-2007, 01:18 PM
I loved Duhon's game - he had great heart and leadership qualities, was unselfish and played great defense. His gutsy play near the end of his senior season when he played quite well with a fairly serious rib bruise (as I recall) was really inspirational. I also loved the way he improved throughout his career. As I recall, he came in as a very highly regarded recruit but didn't do much for his first several years. However, he stuck with it, kept improving, and by his senior year, was the leader of the team. Also, I've been impressed with him since leaving Duke and joining the Bulls. Again, he has a record of steady improvement and being a true team player. He's also done well in helping his hometown in the aftermath of Katrina.

I don't think he's the best player from Duke, but he's likely my favorite not just in this runoff but overall.

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 01:28 PM
133

-EarlJammmmmmmmmmmmm

dukeENG2003
10-23-2007, 01:31 PM
thats just too cool about him hitting the first shot in the dean dome

my vote has been placed

Jfrosh
10-23-2007, 01:34 PM
I can't believe this is a first round head to head and it is going to get harder from here. I love Duhon, but Alarie was part of K's first great recruiting class and first great team, and Senior during my Freshman year. Got to vote for Alarie.

CameronBlue
10-23-2007, 01:35 PM
133

-EarlJammmmmmmmmmmmm

Ahh, the first negative ad of the campaign season... I can see this is going to get really nasty before our favorite Dukie is crowned. Somebody's going to get Swift-boated and I bet Dennard will be involved.

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 01:39 PM
Ahh, the first negative ad of the campaign season... I can see this is going to get really nasty before our favorite Dukie is crowned. Somebody's going to get Swift-boated and I bet Dennard will be involved.

First of all, Alarie put me up to it. He just called me. Man, that is one crazy son of a beach! But negative? Only to UNC - not to Duhon or another Duke player. That type of mud slinging cannot, must not happen at allllllllllllllllllllll!

True though, if it's going to happen, look out for Dennard!

-EarlJam

DevilCastDownfromDurham
10-23-2007, 01:55 PM
Despite playing beside arguably the greatest point guard in Duke history (JWill), CDu put up historically great numbers:

#1 all-time in steals, #2 (behind only NCAA leader Hurley and more than 100 ahead of #3 Amaker) in assists, #2 in A/TO, #3 in A/per game (both while sharing the ball with #2 JWill). Top 50 in points and rebounds(!) Three of his four seasons were in the top 12 in assists and assists per game in Duke history and all four were in the top 13 in A/TO ratio.

If numbers don't do it for you, however, how about voting for a guy that came back from some really dark times in the middle of his career to lead a bunch of underclassmen to a one-point (um, questionably officiated) loss in the Final Four. If one Okafor "foul" isn't called then CDu's shot at the buzzer would have won the FF game and led us to a very winnable championship game against Ga. Tech (who we had defeated twice already). That shot is totally forgotten today, but would have been one of the biggest in Duke history.

Chris struggled in the middle of his career, but he came in and did some outstanding things his freshman season, and was simply amazing his senior season (Wooden/Rupp All-American, 1st team ACC/ACC Defensive). CDu was one of the greatest defenders in Duke history, one of the steadiest point guards, and an amazing leader for teams that didn't have much other leadership. (Dahntay and Dan were great players, but never really good leaders).

He also single-handedly broke Carolina's heart with the sweetest coast-to-coast reverse layup in history. Silencing thousands of UNC fans with that shot in the Dean Dome has to be worth something. Vote for The Rib. Vote for Thomas crowd-surfing through Cameron. Vote Duhon.

blazindw
10-23-2007, 02:14 PM
I could never vote against a member of my class. Duhon forever!

Cameron
10-23-2007, 02:24 PM
Have to go with Chris. He's my favorite college basketball player of all-time. No question.

For those of you who voted Alarie, you definitely weren't looking into the eyes of a Chris Duhon picture when you made that decision. If you had been, the angelic frequency would have paralyzed you and left you no other choice.

dkbaseball
10-23-2007, 02:26 PM
I'm with Bird on this one. The '86 team was my favorite. They had three locals from DC area (Dawkins, Amaker and Ferry),
King was also a player from Northern Virginia. gw67

Make that at least five. John Smith was from Fort Washington. Also, George Burgin was from Fairfax Co. (HS teammate of Amaker's), though I don't think he played any in '86.

CameronBlue
10-23-2007, 02:30 PM
Have to go with Chris. He's my favorite college basketball player of all-time. No question.

For those of you who voted Alarie, you definitely weren't looking into the eyes of a Chris Duhon picture when you made that decision. If you had been, the angelic frequency would have paralyzed you and left you no other choice.

some of us were afraid that Dennard would show up and beat the crap out of us. It's a completely different type of paralysis you understand.

monkey
10-23-2007, 02:32 PM
So far, all the posts are in support of Alarie, who I voted for as well, but the vote total currently shows Duhon with a slight lead. Anyone in the "silent majority" want to make your case for Duhon.



Exhibit A, Your honor:http://graphics.fansonly.com/photos/schools/duke/sports/m-baskbl/auto_action/a-duhon020504.jpg Also see this link (http://www.goduke.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=4200&ATCLID=146953&SPID=1845&SPSID=22724)

Exhibit B: Li'l Duhon (http://media.collegepublisher.com/media/paper884/thumbs/t_3d767bca55b52-59-3.jpg). Beat that Alarie.

Exhibit C: Making Duke proud (http://www.nba.com/bulls/community/duhon_update_050922.html)

oh, and Exhibit D (from Wikipedia):

"Duhon finished his career as Duke's all-time leader in steals (300) and minutes played (4,813), and second in assists (819). He had one of Duke's top assists to turnover ratios as well. In Duhon's four years, Duke compiled a 123-21 record, making Duhon the second winningest player in Duke and ACC history, behind Duke's Shane Battier (131 wins)."

bdh21
10-23-2007, 03:01 PM
Duhon was 5th on the team in scoring his senior season yet was 2nd in ACC POY voting. It's not often that you can say one player owned a team, but that memorable 03-04 squad was Duhon's and Duhon's alone. That's good for my vote.

SilkyJ
10-23-2007, 03:01 PM
Have to go with Chris. He's my favorite college basketball player of all-time. No question.

For those of you who voted Alarie, you definitely weren't looking into the eyes of a Chris Duhon picture when you made that decision. If you had been, the angelic frequency would have paralyzed you and left you no other choice.

You obviously weren't watching him try to shoot 3s. His decline in that area significantly impacted our teams Junior/Senior year.

As I said before, I love to booze with the guy, but he never LED us to the promised land...

I also wrote my essay to get into Duke about being on a plane at 1.5 yrs of age heading to Dallas (i think) to see the Final Four with my parents and they told me I was walking up and down the aisle of the plane in full duke gear chanting "Al-a-rie! Al-a-rie! Al-a-rie!"

bdh21
10-23-2007, 03:15 PM
You obviously weren't watching him try to shoot 3s. His decline in that area significantly impacted our teams Junior/Senior year.

As I said before, I love to booze with the guy, but he never LED us to the promised land...



A lot of great players in the rafters at Cameron never led duke to an NCAA championship. That is a harsh standard to hold great players to. While Duhon certainly had his struggles his junior year that made his senior year all the sweeter. What a juicy story-line of redemption!

I'd also say that with Redick, Ewing, and Deng taking more 3s on the 04 team, Duhon's senior year 3pt shooting did not have as significant negative effect as you'd say. Also, don't forget his ballsy 23 footer with less than a minute left to give Duke the win against an underdog FSU team.

I would argue that Duhon's senior year more than redeemed his struggles during his junior year.

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 03:19 PM
It's all tied up! Jason (a.k.a. Scorekeeper), how much time's left on the clock!?

-EarlJam

Cameron
10-23-2007, 03:42 PM
Silky:

Hey, you have your favorite Duke player and I have mine. There's no reason to get angry over it:)

While Chris did have a somewhat humbling junior season, to say the least, he always stepped up when it counted. As a freshman, there was the USC Regional Final game, in which Duhon scored 13 points and nailed three clutch threes to help break open the lead for us. As a junior, during the season when many national critics (and Blue Devil fans) were throwing him under the bus, there was his HUGE, HUGE game against North Carolina in Cameron, where Chris scored 12 points and dished out 10 assists in leading Duke to an 83-74 victory.

He hit two of my most favorite shots in Duke-UNC history that night. The first being a dead on, straight-away three from 24 feet out with just precious minutes to go, which Dicky followed with his memorable line, "For a guy shooting 18 percent, he's certainly not bashful." Love that line; gives me chills every time I watch the shot and Chris shaking his head up and down at the Carolina players on his way back to the defensive end. The second shot being his famous 8-foot runner from the left baseline in which he followed by running down the court with his angelic eyes (God I loved those:)) appearing to be demonically possessed. I remember the camera zooming in on him after that play. Chills again. Just chills.

And, of course, we all know the OT reverse layup in Chapel Hill. One of the truly great plays in Duke history. That was just Chris showing he had more heart than anyone he ever competed against. Racing the entire length of the court for the game winner in the Dean Dome. Doesn't get much better than that.

His heart and intensity were the two main reasons I loved Chris so much, and why he ultimately became my favorite Blue Devil of all-time. There has never been a Blue Devil who wore the Duke uniform more proudly than Duhon. Never.

While your Alarie plane ride story is pretty cool (seriously, I like it a lot), I'm taking Chris.

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 03:51 PM
It's all tied up! Jason (a.k.a. Scorekeeper), how much time's left on the clock!?


A tight race like this one-- we'll keep it open until morning, for sure.

This has been quite an exciting race so far. Duhon raced out to an early lead, at one point he was up by more than 10 votes, then Alarie stormed back to tie it (I am not sure if he ever went ahead) and now Duhon has crept back into a 2 vote lead. A real nail-biter folks!!

It is clear there are some folks who are very passionate about these two players, which is why I think whoever wins this will have a very real chance against the G-man in the next round. One or two votes could be the difference in a round of 32 exit and going really far in this tourney.

--Jason "it is all about Get Out The Vote efforts now, email your friends and tell them to vote!!" Evans

merry
10-23-2007, 03:53 PM
Make that at least five. John Smith was from Fort Washington. Also, George Burgin was from Fairfax Co. (HS teammate of Amaker's), though I don't think he played any in '86.

John Smith went to my high school!

As for this poll, it's ridiculously impossible. Until I saw this match up, I never would have thought I could vote against Duhon for anything, but Mark Alarie...just wow.

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 03:56 PM
This is totally captivating me - like watching a nail biter in the NCAA Tournament! Come on Alarie! How many time outs do we have? How much time's left?

No stall ball!

-EarlJam

P.S. Thanks Jason for bringing "Madness" to October!

bdh21
10-23-2007, 04:02 PM
For those who have not voted yet, please look at this picture:

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h112/bludvl27/Duke/chrisbeattarheels.jpg

phaedrus
10-23-2007, 04:07 PM
let me ask you this: which of the two is a profile in courage?

EarlJam
10-23-2007, 04:11 PM
For those about to vote, Alarie salutes you! Look at THIS picture!

VOTE MARK ALARIE! Starter, on the '86 Duke Team that laid the foundation for Coach K's legacy! He was part of the seed that grew into the massive Oak that is Duke today. A vote for Alarie is right on the "Mark!"

136

-EarlJam

johnb
10-23-2007, 04:21 PM
let me ask you this: which of the two is a profile in courage?

uhm, I voted for Alarie, but I'm not sure which is a profile in courage...

mapei
10-23-2007, 04:37 PM
His heart and intensity were the two main reasons I loved Chris so much, and why he ultimately became my favorite Blue Devil of all-time.

Exactly.

It's tough to beat out a sentimental old-timer, though, especially since the old-timers are already restless. ;) Go Chris!

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 04:50 PM
4:49pm and there have been 102 votes cast.

It is currently 51 to 51. This is a real nailbiter!!!

-Jason "this is Bush vs. Gore Florida 2000 all over again!!" Evans

mapei
10-23-2007, 04:53 PM
You're saying that winning the vote means nothing? ;)

Ima Facultiwyfe
10-23-2007, 04:55 PM
Almost didn't vote at all. Then I put my personal test into operation. (Which one would I feel most comfortable with having over to supper with the family?) Chris won that in a heartbeat. He would definitely be the most fun.

When my little grandson was a ball boy, Chris used to crook his finger at him, inviting him out to "guard" him....then stutter step and fly past. They'd get the biggest kick out of their little game. He was always so nice to everybody. And who could forget his attending the women's games and beating the bass drum on the sidelines. His being so approachable to everybody put him over the top for me.
Love, Ima

SilkyJ
10-23-2007, 05:01 PM
Alarie takes the lead! 52-51!!


Silky:

Hey, you have your favorite Duke player and I have mine. There's no reason to get angry over it:)

While Chris did have a somewhat humbling junior season, to say the least, he always stepped up when it counted. As a freshman, there was the USC Regional Final game, in which Duhon scored 13 points and nailed three clutch threes to help break open the lead for us. As a junior, during the season when many national critics (and Blue Devil fans) were throwing him under the bus, there was his HUGE, HUGE game against North Carolina in Cameron, where Chris scored 12 points and dished out 10 assists in leading Duke to an 83-74 victory.

He hit two of my most favorite shots in Duke-UNC history that night. The first being a dead on, straight-away three from 24 feet out with just precious minutes to go, which Dicky followed with his memorable line, "For a guy shooting 18 percent, he's certainly not bashful." Love that line; gives me chills every time I watch the shot and Chris shaking his head up and down at the Carolina players on his way back to the defensive end. The second shot being his famous 8-foot runner from the left baseline in which he followed by running down the court with his angelic eyes (God I loved those:)) appearing to be demonically possessed. I remember the camera zooming in on him after that play. Chills again. Just chills.

And, of course, we all know the OT reverse layup in Chapel Hill. One of the truly great plays in Duke history. That was just Chris showing he had more heart than anyone he ever competed against. Racing the entire length of the court for the game winner in the Dean Dome. Doesn't get much better than that.

His heart and intensity were the two main reasons I loved Chris so much, and why he ultimately became my favorite Blue Devil of all-time. There has never been a Blue Devil who wore the Duke uniform more proudly than Duhon. Never.

While your Alarie plane ride story is pretty cool (seriously, I like it a lot), I'm taking Chris.

Not sure why you think I'm angry...i guess its just hard to interpret "tone" online....

I loved/love C-du. The only reason I said "you obviously weren't watching..." was just a play on when you said "for those of you who voted for alarie, you definitely haven't seen...." and then you went on about those eyes...and then you went on about them again...a little creepy if you ask me ;)

Seriously though, its definitely a tough vote, and I wasn't trying to bash him or you or anything.


For those who have not voted yet, please look at this picture:

http://i62.photobucket.com/albums/h112/bludvl27/Duke/chrisbeattarheels.jpg

I LOVE that jersey too, we need to bring that back...

SilkierJ
10-23-2007, 05:10 PM
i expected more from you silkyj, you're helping knock out all my favorites

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 05:22 PM
i expected more from you silkyj, you're helping knock out all my favorites

I wan to stress that any effort to stuff the ballot box by creating new identities will be strongly frowned upon by me. SilkierJ is a brand new member of the DBR boards who just joined a short time ago. If you are someone who already have voted under a different user name, please let me know as I will have to delete your vote.

We all know this whole thing is in good fun people, lets please keep the effort to cheat the system to a minimum, shall we.

SilkierJ, if you are a bonafide new member of these forums and have not yet voted in this poll, please forgive me for inferring otherwise. Welcome to the boards!

-Jason

SilkyJ
10-23-2007, 05:24 PM
i expected more from you silkyj, you're helping knock out all my favorites

HEYYY SISTER (somebody please tell me you get that arrested development quote)

all ur favorites? there have only been two polls, and I voted for Jwill in the other one!

also, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery :)

(Jason/Mods, SilkierJ is my sister who created an ID so she could vote in the poll. J is the initial of our last name so she was just doing it to make fun of me a little. Our family is a big Duke family and she is a big Duhon fan, so she wanted to participate. She is a big DBR reader but has never posted before, so naturally had to create a handle...)

on another note...alarie still leads, 54-53!!!

Al-a-rie! Al-a-rie!

9F!!

Its almost hoops season...is anyone else going stir crazyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 05:29 PM
HEYYY SISTER (somebody please tell me you get that arrested development quote)

all ur favorites? there have only been two polls, and I voted for Jwill in the other one!

also, imitation is the sincerest form of flattery :)

(Jason/Mods, SilkierJ is my sister who created an ID so she could vote in the poll. J is the initial of our last name so she was just doing it to make fun of me a little. Our family is a big Duke family and she is a big Duhon fan, so she wanted to participate. She is a big DBR reader but has never posted before, so naturally had to create a handle...)

on another note...alarie still leads, 54-53!!!

Al-a-rie! Al-a-rie!

9F!!

Its almost hoops season...is anyone else going stir crazyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!! AHHHH!!!!!!!!!

Thanks for the clarification, Silky. As you see from my post above, I suspected something nefarious. I am glad to see nothing untoward was going on.

--Jason

SilkierJ
10-23-2007, 05:48 PM
HEYYY SISTER (somebody please tell me you get that arrested development quote)

all ur favorites? there have only been two polls, and I voted for Jwill in the other one!


true maybe i'm just bitter that danny is def gonna go out first round.

SilkyJ
10-23-2007, 06:13 PM
Thanks for the clarification, Silky. As you see from my post above, I suspected something nefarious. I am glad to see nothing untoward was going on.

--Jason

Yea, and I figured you suspected that it was me, so I wanted to clarify. Also, you can see that she voted for Duhon and I voted for Alarie.

On another note I just PMed with the moderator "JK" who I assume you know and I tried to PM you but you don't receive PMs, so I am passing along my message publicly:

My sister registered as both em113 and silkierj and voted for duhon using both handles, so its probably most fair to remove one of those votes.

Feel free to PM her if you want validation (since I voted for alarie and you might be skeptical that I am trying to boost his score...she doesn't go on DBR 20 times a day like us though, so it might take her some time to respond.)

FYI, she created the em113 handle so that she could vote in the poll, then she saw my handle on the board (silkyj is an old nickname of mine so she figured out that it was me) and decided she wanted to make fun of me a little by creating silkIERj...I think you get the idea...

point is no malicious intentions, she's just a noob

Clipsfan
10-23-2007, 06:19 PM
Wow, it is tight! After my vote it is tied at 57 all. Once again, I have to vote for the guy I watched and liked a ton. I even pick him up in fantasy bball off and on.

Cameron
10-23-2007, 06:35 PM
Not sure why you think I'm angry...i guess its just hard to interpret "tone" online....


The smiley was supposed to let you know I was only playin' around. I didn't actually think you were angry over me liking Chris Duhon. If you were, then I'd have to ask you to see a doctor of some sort:)

GO CHRIS!!! #21 FOR LIFE!!!

SilkyJ
10-23-2007, 06:48 PM
The smiley was supposed to let you know I was only playin' around. I didn't actually think you were angry over me liking Chris Duhon. If you were, then I'd have to ask you to see a doctor of some sort:)

Gotcha...

as always, calmer'n you are :)

Go Mark!

Cameron
10-23-2007, 06:57 PM
^^Lol, that's pretty good.

Chris with the one point reverse layup advantage!!!

Bob Green
10-23-2007, 06:58 PM
The 86 team was special. I voted for Alarie.

mph
10-23-2007, 07:07 PM
Tough call for me, but I went with Chris. I really enjoyed watching Alarie play and I loved the 1986 Duke squad. If I were voting for the better player, I would have voted for Alarie.

I know Duhon didn't live up to expectations when he first arrived at Duke, but I just loved his effort. Even when he wasn't playing well, it was fun watching him play. He was a critical part of the 2001 Championship. I remember the final 8 game against USC when Duhon hit a couple of critical three pointers to help beat the Trojans. In the 2004 NCAA Tournament he was inspiring while playing with bruised ribs. In the Sweet 16 game against Illinois he played defensive stopper against Deron Williams and still managed 8 assists and 10 rebounds. And I still smile when I remember his game-winning reverse layup in the 2004 game at the Smith Center.

_Gary
10-23-2007, 07:11 PM
Just my opinion, but it seems like some are still looking at these polls from the "who was better" position. And that's not the purpose of these polls as I understand them. I'd have to give Alarie the nod if that were the case. But since the polls are about "favorite" players (not favorite teams - and there is a difference, IMHO) I had to go with Chris.

Gary

jimbonelson
10-23-2007, 07:17 PM
what happens if there is a tie

pamtar
10-23-2007, 08:40 PM
Duhon all the way - my favorite player of all time. I'm just hope no one else votes Alarie 'cause I just put Chris up by one!

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 09:40 PM
Yea, and I figured you suspected that it was me, so I wanted to clarify. Also, you can see that she voted for Duhon and I voted for Alarie.

On another note I just PMed with the moderator "JK" who I assume you know and I tried to PM you but you don't receive PMs, so I am passing along my message publicly:

My sister registered as both em113 and silkierj and voted for duhon using both handles, so its probably most fair to remove one of those votes.

Feel free to PM her if you want validation (since I voted for alarie and you might be skeptical that I am trying to boost his score...she doesn't go on DBR 20 times a day like us though, so it might take her some time to respond.)

FYI, she created the em113 handle so that she could vote in the poll, then she saw my handle on the board (silkyj is an old nickname of mine so she figured out that it was me) and decided she wanted to make fun of me a little by creating silkIERj...I think you get the idea...

point is no malicious intentions, she's just a noob

Of course. Obviously no malicious intent. One vote for Duhon will be removed.

-Jason

Troublemaker
10-23-2007, 09:44 PM
Since these two are so close and declaring a "winner" would be statistically meaningless, I would advance both to the next round for a 3-way poll. Hopefully with 3 options, the clutter would be reduced.

Thanks for doing these, Jason.

YmoBeThere
10-23-2007, 09:44 PM
point is no malicious intentions, she's just a noob


Don't all the noobs have to sing Dear Old Duke with all in attendance?

JasonEvans
10-23-2007, 09:52 PM
Since these two are so close and declaring a "winner" would be statistically meaningless, I would advance both to the next round for a 3-way poll. Hopefully with 3 options, the clutter would be reduced.

That is not how it works.

I will not let there be a tie. I will say right now that this poll will close at 10am ET. In the event that the poll is tied at 10am, I will watch and try to catch the next vote that sends one of the players over the top and I will close it upon getting that vote.

This has been as close as it gets on DBR. I doubt any other poll will be so tight. I hope there are no hard feelings regardless of who wins. Both players are amazing representatives of Duke University and have a cherished spot in our hearts.

--Jason "this has been exciting though... currently Duhon by one" Evans

77devil
10-24-2007, 07:59 AM
Of course. Obviously no malicious intent. One vote for Duhon will be removed.

-Jason

Jason: I'm shocked my daughter is stuffing the ballot box. :D As of this morning, both votes still show when one clicks on the vote total.

JasonEvans
10-24-2007, 08:37 AM
Jason: I'm shocked my daughter is stuffing the ballot box. :D As of this morning, both votes still show when one clicks on the vote total.

Even though both votes still exist in the list of Duhon voters, I took Duhon's total down by 1. So, there are currently 74 votes for Duhon but if you could the number of voters there are 75 voters. In other words, the problem of the extra vote has been fixed ;)

As an aside, the late-reporting precincts appear to have been in strongly pro-Duhon neighborhoods as he now has a 5-vote lead with about an hour and a half left before the polls close. I think Alarie is going to come up short.

--Jason "I must say, some of the memories and defenses of Duhon in this thread have me feeling a lot better about Alarie losing than I would have at this time yesterday" Evans

gw67
10-24-2007, 09:01 AM
Jason - Thanks for thinking of the polls and managing them. They are a lot of fun and another chance to refresh our memories of great Duke players. The polls are also a nice way to lead up to the season.

As a variation on a theme that should make Wander happy, I, as an old timer, have resigned myself to seeing all my favorites from pre-90's teams go down in flames. For someone to have seen and admired Alarie and many others, they would have to be in their 30's or older. I suspect that many who voted in this poll never saw Alarie play. This is not taking away from Duhon but to those who didn't see him play, Mark was a terrific player. He averaged 16 ppg and 6.3 rpg, shot 50% from the field and 80% from the line, and he was atough defensive player. These stats were made against MJ, Bias, Hammonds, Salley and others during a time when the quality of play was very high in the ACC.

gw67

Cameron
10-24-2007, 09:04 AM
Well at least I can get morning off to a good start now!!!

Screw this Hilary crap! Chris Duhon for President!

JasonEvans
10-24-2007, 09:12 AM
Jason - Thanks for thinking of the polls and managing them. They are a lot of fun and another chance to refresh our memories of great Duke players. The polls are also a nice way to lead up to the season.

As a variation on a theme that should make Wander happy, I, as an old timer, have resigned myself to seeing all my favorites from pre-90's teams go down in flames. For someone to have seen and admired Alarie and many others, they would have to be in their 30's or older. I suspect that many who voted in this poll never saw Alarie play. This is not taking away from Duhon but to those who didn't see him play, Mark was a terrific player. He averaged 16 ppg and 6.3 rpg, shot 50% from the field and 80% from the line, and he was atough defensive player. These stats were made against MJ, Bias, Hammonds, Salley and others during a time when the quality of play was very high in the ACC.

gw67

I am not so sure. I think JD will do quite well in this contest and I think he is on the easier side of the draw (no Battier, no Grant Hill, no Christian Laettner). I could easily see Dawkins making the finals against the Battier-Hill winner.

In fairness, the pre-80s players are also all pre-championships. I have no problem at all with Hill, Hurley, Laettner, Battier, JWill, and others from their teams doing well in these polls as those are the most successful guys in Duke history.

The notion of a strong bias toward present-day players is defeated by the close showing in the Alarie-Duhon poll and the strong performance of Verga and Groat in the qualifying polls. I have been most impressed with the collective will of the voters so far.

--Jason "thanks for participating everyone-- this has been fun" Evans

gw67
10-24-2007, 09:50 AM
Jason - I expect Dawkins and Amaker to do well in these polls. Unlike Alarie, they have remained in the public eye and Dawkins continues to have a Duke connection.

I really enjoy the posts commenting on the players. I was simply noting that many of the posters may not have seen the players of the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s and, therefore, it was hard to be a “fan” of players from those eras.

gw67

killerleft
10-24-2007, 09:52 AM
The seedings are fixed! I voted for Duhon. He needs some love here, and nobody really deserves to go head-to-head with a senior on the '86 team. Besides, I just love to hear Lucinda Williams sing Sli-daa-ell. She mouthed it just for me at the Carolina Theater in GBO just a couple weeks ago.

JasonEvans
10-24-2007, 10:03 AM
Duhon wins by 3 votes... naah, that wasn't close ;)

-Jason

EarlJam
10-24-2007, 10:22 AM
On this "grand" occassion of my 1,000th post, I find myself weeping.

I weep for Alarie.

-Sad EarlJam

P.S. But no doubt, Duhon rocks. I'll never forget his passion, diving into the stands, the shot at UNC to win the game - and wasn't there a buzzer beater against Wake Forest? OH! And how classy was it when, during his freshman year, he handed the ball to Jason Williams as the clock was running out in the national championship game. He wanted Jason to have the ball. Awesome.

OldPhiKap
10-24-2007, 10:51 AM
No offense to Duhon, but I'm not sure how this one should even have been close.

Alarie's number should have been retired long ago.

-jk
10-24-2007, 10:52 AM
No offense to Duhon, but I'm not sure how this one should even have been close.

Alarie's number should have been retired long ago.

It's not about the best; it's about the favorite.

-jk

OldPhiKap
10-24-2007, 11:17 AM
It's not about the best; it's about the favorite.

-jk

Agreed. But I still think this is time-skewed. Alarie was the 86 team's poster boy. Cover of SI, etc.

I suspect that this endeavor will be heavily slanted to the post-ESPN players, when almost every game became televised.


Don't mind me. I'm feeling old and grumpy. Must be the rain, which we get so little of down here these days.

Cameron
10-24-2007, 01:05 PM
Earl:

There most certainly was a buzzer beater against Wake Forest. "The Floater" :) Wake Forest senior Robert O'Kelley hit a deep 25-footer to tie the game with about 8 seconds to play, then Jason raced down the court and dished off to Duhon with barely any time remaining, and the famous Chris floater was born! (I still laugh thinking O'Kelley must have thought he was the Senior Day hero after hitting that shot, especially with all the family the announcers had said he had in attendance that day, but nope. Chris Duhon.)

I remember Dahntay (I think it was) sprinting across the court with his legs flailing Barry Sanders-style in his dress clothes right after the shot hit. Great memories. I still put it in the VCR from time to time to pump myself up during the off-season.

Congratulations, Chris, on the victory here today. I think you could have a chance to go the distance (or at least until you run into Shane:)).