Great Duke shots/comebacks

[heath_harshman4]

I have been a Duke fanatic for the last 9 years of my life. ( I am 17) and really got into it in 2000. My favorite moment of my lifetime was the comeback against Maryland in the final minute. I have never jumped or screamed so loud in my life. Up with that is the 2001 National Championship and the Duhon layup against UNC to win it. all great, also up there is the Dockery and McClure shots from the past few years.

What are some others that were not in my lifetime? Apart from the obvious Laettner.

And if anyone knows of any videos of Great Duke shots or cool Duke vids on youtube or google I would very much appreciate a link!

GO DUKE

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

How about Gene Banks in his last game in Cameron? Of course, it was Carolina! Before the game he walked around throwing roses to the crowd......

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I have been a Duke fanatic for the last 9 years of my life. ( I am 17)

What are some others that were not in my lifetime? Apart from the obvious Laettner.


You are SO young.

How about the other (first) Laettner shot!

Duhon's end to end drive to beat carolina. Dockery's 40' shot to beat VT. Chris Collins' shot to beat NC State in 1996. Capel's 40' shot to tie carolina in overtime (unfortunately we lost in the next OT). Wojo's 3 second end to end drive to beat UVA.

There are so many!

[Sir Stealth]

Nick Horvath's hideous prayer bank shot against DePaul! haha

[Sir Stealth]

My first Duke buzzer beater that I was able to see in person was actually Ricky Price sending us to OT at GT in '96. We lost the game though, which was a shame....Best actual buzzer beater that I've seen in person was Nate James's tip in to beat Maryland in the ACC Tourney in the Georgia Dome in 2001. That was some season...

[dukemomLA]

Nothing in my lifetime has ever equaled the will to win exhibited by J Will in the game at Maryland. Unbelievable!! And yeah, yeah, yeah...there are SO MANY awesome moments (thank you God) to remember and remember.

[godukerocks]

I became a fan after their '01 comeback at Maryland. I was in 2nd grade. Heck of a game.

[GrayHare]

What are some others that were not in my lifetime? Apart from the obvious Laettner.

A couple of particularly memorable finishes on the womens side:

1995. UNC at Duke.
Ali Day took the final shot, which was still bouncing on the rim at the buzzer. When it finally fell through, Duke had beaten UNC, the undefeated defending national champion.

2004. Duke at UConn.
UConn was attempting to set the record for consecutive home wins at 70. Duke trailed 17 points at the half and 11 points with two minutes to go. Duke tied the score, but UConn took a two-point lead on a shot by Diana Taurasi. With 4.7 seconds to go, Lindsey Harding pushed the ball up the court and passed to Jessica Foley. Jess's 3-pointer dropped through at the buzzer.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

I became a fan after their '01 comeback at Maryland. I was in 2nd grade. Heck of a game.

And you are even younger!

[3rdgenDukie]

Hell, MD '01 gave us 'gone in 60 seconds', the Nate Dogg tip-in and the 24ish pt. comeback in the FF. More unforgettable moments in one season against one team than many programs have in their history.

IMO, best comeback may have been '98, when Brand and Roshown were unstoppable down the stretch on senior day vs. Chapaheeya - coming back from 17 down with ~9 minutes left, IIRC.

And obviously, Laettner's shot is the greatest in CBB history, but the comeback we made in the FF game vs. IU was pretty damn impressive as well.

[EarlJam]

And you are even younger!

To read a post that says Laettner was not in his/her "lifetime" is just, well, gosh dang. Is time going by that fast? Anyway, a couple of others (the Horvath mention was a good one):

1. A "mini-huge" comeback - UNLV. The Rebs had just gone up by five in the closing minutes when the greatest college point guard to ever suit up (Bobby Hurley) nailed a critical three. It was ice cold. It stunned the evil Rebels, and they never recovered. Duke goes on to win their first championship.

2. Duhon vs. Wake Forest - Can't remember the year but he hit a floater to win a big game.

3. J.J. and the ACC Tourney - Against N.C. State, we were down, and down BIG. J.J. caught fire and nailed about 48 three pointers from distances of 30, 40, and 567 feet. He totally went off.

4. TEAM Comeback Story - 2001 - Boozer goes down with an injury. The Hoops World writes off the Blue Devils. Coach K rolls eyes and says, "Shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiit baby." Performs his voo doo and Duke wins yet another national title.

-EarlJam

[hurleyfor3]

To 1. A "mini-huge" comeback - UNLV. The Rebs had just gone up by five in the closing minutes when the greatest college point guard to ever suit up (Bobby Hurley) nailed a critical three. It was ice cold. It stunned the evil Rebels, and they never recovered. Duke goes on to win their first championship.

Bobby Who nailed a critical what?

[EarlJam]

Bobby Who nailed a critical what?

Some "Hurkly" or "Hamly" kid. Can't remember the name exactly. Many around these parts considered him to be a pretty decent player though.

-EarlJam

[dukeENG2003]

the greatest buzzer beater that never was :(

Duke down 4 to Indiana in '02, J-Wil somehow hits a 3 AND gets fouled. . .

and misses the free throw. If only he had hit the free throw, that could have eclipsed Laettner's shot, I mean, who ever heard of a player making a 4 pt play when his team needed it. Still amazes me to this day that he even put himself in that position (to have the free throw). SUCH a shame he couldn't deliver (or that they didn't call the shove in Boozers back on the rebound).

[asbcheeks]

I mean, who ever heard of a player making a 4 pt play when his team needed it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=XP7l592SrXI

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/basketball/nba/1999/playoffs/eastern/news/1999/06/05/pacers_knicks_game3/index.html

[SilkyJ]

To read a post that says Laettner was not in his/her "lifetime" is just, well, gosh dang. Is time going by that fast? Anyway, a couple of others (the Horvath mention was a good one):

2. Duhon vs. Wake Forest - Can't remember the year but he hit a floater to win a big game.

-EarlJam

that was gonna be mine. it was spring '01 AT wake forest. score tied 81-81 or something like that and we run a play with 10seconds or so left and after a pass or two duhon end up with the ball 1 foot behind the 3 pt line on the wing with a defender closing fast. he pumps, then takes one dribble inside the 3 pt line as the defender flies by, but didn't have enough time to take a full jumper so he did a sort of 18ft floater that swished. game.

[willywoody]

dawkins blocking david rivers' shot.

will avery coast to coast in the acc tourney, was it clemson?

[EarlJam]

dawkins blocking david rivers' shot.

will avery coast to coast in the acc tourney, was it clemson?

Speaking of Clemson, last season, David McClure.

Also don't forget Sean Dockery's VA Tech killer.

-EarlJam, hater of sodium

[VaDukie]

My Top 10: Shots/comebacks (only in games won - sorry JC)
10. Horvath bank shot over DePaul
9. Collins vs. State, 1996
8. McClure vs. Clemson
7. Duhon "Giant Killer" over Wake
6. James' tip in
5. Hickery Dickery Dockery > VT
4. Duhon coast to coast vs. UNC
3. 2001 Final Four: from down 39-17 to up 95-84
2. Gone in 60 seconds
1. The Shot

*My institutional memory is limited to the early 90's, so I'm sure I've missed some key shots in the 70's and 80's. Anyone have any good examples from that era?

PS: No wonder Maryland hates us: every time we beat them in 01 it was a cannon shot to the gut.

[Indoor66]

My Top 10: Shots/comebacks (only in games won - sorry JC)
10. Horvath bank shot over DePaul
9. Collins vs. State, 1996
8. McClure vs. Clemson
7. Duhon "Giant Killer" over Wake
6. James' tip in
5. Hickery Dickery Dockery > VT
4. Duhon coast to coast vs. UNC
3. 2001 Final Four: from down 39-17 to up 95-84
2. Gone in 60 seconds
1. The Shot

*My institutional memory is limited to the early 90's, so I'm sure I've missed some key shots in the 70's and 80's. Anyone have any good examples from that era?

PS: No wonder Maryland hates us: every time we beat them in 01 it was a cannon shot to the gut.

I would have to put Laetner's shot against Conn in that list.

[Uncle Drew]

Two odd shots in my mind that led Duke to victory or won the game were by Tommy Amaker and another by Gminski.


If history serves my memory well Duke was playing NCSU in the ACC tourney. (I think the year Friday games got snowed out.) Gminski got fouled with very little time left and Duke was down 1 point. Apparently there was some confusion as to whether the foul shot was a two shot or one and one. But Gminski missed the first free throw and the ball bounced right back to him at the free throw line. He grabbed the ball and moved in for an easy uncontested layup that turned out to be the game winner. Nobody other than the G-Man and the refs realized what type of foul shot it really was.


Then Amaker's senior year of 1987 Duke was playing at Clemson and trailing late in the game. Amaker took a 3 point shot and it clanged off the rim straight up into the air above the rim. It hit high on the backboard (but of course not too high) and literally bounced back and forth like a pin pall before falling through for three points. That shot gave Duke the lead for good and caused me to jump up and knock a hole in the sheet rock ceiling of our den.


The greatest Duke shot I ever saw in person (and I saw all of Duhon's games at Lawrence Joel.) was Mike Dunleavy's junior year. Mikey D was on fire the first half having one of those games where he couldn't miss. Towards the very end of the half Wake had free throws and was trailing badly (as most teams did that year against Duke). The rebound came off the side of the rim and Dunleavy grabbed the ball, took one dribble and launched it probably ten feet from inside the half court line. I was sitting on the end directly in line with him and the basket and I knew it had a chance to go in because it was dead on line. Not thinking I ran out into the aisle and as the ball went through the hoop to deflate all Wake hope for the second half I turned and lifted my arms in the air like Rocky Balboa. 500 Wake fans were looking at me like they wanted to push me off a ledge. I quickly came to my senses and headed to the concession stand. Thankfully by the start of the second half most of those fans realized their team was toast and didn't show back up.

[heath_harshman4]

the greatest buzzer beater that never was :(

Duke down 4 to Indiana in '02, J-Wil somehow hits a 3 AND gets fouled. . .

and misses the free throw. If only he had hit the free throw, that could have eclipsed Laettner's shot, I mean, who ever heard of a player making a 4 pt play when his team needed it. Still amazes me to this day that he even put himself in that position (to have the free throw). SUCH a shame he couldn't deliver (or that they didn't call the shove in Boozers back on the rebound).

another almost. Down by 4 to UCONN in the 2004 Final 4 and Duhon hits a halt-3/4 court shot....lose by one...what coulda been...

[Sir Stealth]

Spread in that game was UCONN -2

[Indoor66]

Spread in that game was UCONN -2

Yeah and I was watching in a casino in Carson City, NV. :D

[pamtar]

I became a fan after their '01 comeback at Maryland. I was in 2nd grade. Heck of a game.

That is the worst moment in my Duke fandom. I was so pissed at the one minute mark I turned the game off rather than deal with the loss. I called my mom the next day to mutually complain about the result when I learned of the comeback. I had to wait for the rise of Youtube a few years later to actually watch it. I have since never turned off a loss (only the volume). Please forgive me, entitlement my I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.I'm a real wanker for saying this.!:D

[Atldukie79]

I am sure I have the details wrong, but the first round NCAA game in 1979 was in Charlotte against Rhode Island.
Duke was trailing by 5 or 6 points with a couple of minutes to play. No shot clock or 3 pointer back in the day. And Duke stayed in its patented 2-3 zone.
For some reason, RI drove to the hoop and was swatted by Gman on 2 or 3 straight possessions while he scored on each subsequent possesion.
I am too lazy to check the actual score, but I think we won by a point to pave the way to the final four run.

[VaDukie]

I would have to put Laetner's shot against Conn in that list.

Ah how did I forget that! I'd put that at 4 and move the rest down. Sorry Nick.

[Uncle Drew]

I am sure I have the details wrong, but the first round NCAA game in 1979 was in Charlotte against Rhode Island.
Duke was trailing by 5 or 6 points with a couple of minutes to play. No shot clock or 3 pointer back in the day. And Duke stayed in its patented 2-3 zone.
For some reason, RI drove to the hoop and was swatted by Gman on 2 or 3 straight possessions while he scored on each subsequent possesion.
I am too lazy to check the actual score, but I think we won by a point to pave the way to the final four run.

Patented 2-3 zone, okay it doesn't sound quite as fnny this year as it would in past years. But after seeing Coach K man to man for over twenty five years, patented 2-3 zone sounds as much of an oxymoron as Duke football running the score up on someone. :cool:

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

That ally oop that made the cover of SI. It was in the first minute or so of that game and set the tone for everything else that happened. What a beauty!
Love, Ima

[blazindw]

Yeah and I was watching in a casino in Carson City, NV. :D

I was in Row 1, Seat 4 at the Alamo Dome. The final game of my senior year. Never was I more crushed than that moment. :(

[blazindw]

that was gonna be mine. it was spring '01 AT wake forest. score tied 81-81 or something like that and we run a play with 10seconds or so left and after a pass or two duhon end up with the ball 1 foot behind the 3 pt line on the wing with a defender closing fast. he pumps, then takes one dribble inside the 3 pt line as the defender flies by, but didn't have enough time to take a full jumper so he did a sort of 18ft floater that swished. game.

82-80 was the final score. The patented "Duhon Floater" to win it

[blazindw]

10. McClure beats Clemson - After Dockery's shot, I knew it would happen again
9. Horvath Takes it to the Bank - The first national glimpse of He Who Leads the Hill People
8. Nate's Bad-@ss Tip-In in the '01 ACC Semis against UMd - literally the only thing I saw of that game. My friends and I were on a plane to Florida for Spring Break. When I got off the plane, I scurried to the nearest TV to see the Tip-In. Absolutely awesome, but not as cool as the beatdown we put on UNC the next day :)
7. Jessica Foley's 3 beats UConn - Also a great comeback, down 9 with under 4 minutes left
6. Dockery beats VT - I threw my laptop into the air unconsciously when he hit it because I called the shot while chatting with my friend online. It wasn't till the laptop fell into my hands while yelling and screaming that I realized that I had even thrown it
5. Down 22 against UMd in the '01 Final Four - I only remember Steve Blake and Chris Duhon colliding and Duhon being carried off. But the feeling of victory will always live with me
4. Jeff Capel's version of "The Shot" against UNC in '95 - still gives me goosebumps when I see it
3. Duhon's reverse layup - I cannot believe I was at that game
2. The Shot - enough said
1. Gone in 54 - hands down the greatest comeback I've ever seen in any sport on any level. EVER.

[4decadedukie]

Most of these have been already mentioned, but I place the "magic minute" against Maryland in College Park first, followed (in no particular order) by:
> "The Shot" against Kentucky in Philadelphia
> Banks' last minute heroics against UNC during his senior year
> Doc's mammoth three-pointer in Cameron against Virginia Tech
> McClure's Clemson finale (no ref second-guessing allowed)
> James' ACC final backhand tip against the Terps in Atlanta
> Wojo '98 Cameron versus UNC (for inspirational leadership, floor tactics, and defense)

[DukeCO2009]

Some that jump out at me, in no particular order (they were all awesome). The more recent ones obviously jump out at me since I'm only 21.

* JWill at Cole--gone in 54 seconds
* The Final Four that same year against Maryland--down by 22 (IIRC) in the first half and came back to win. 'Twas destiny.
* JJ against State in the ACC Tourney his freshman year. As a team, we scored something like 35-40 points in the last 10 minutes of the game and JJ had about half of them. Up until that point I thought he might end up being a legend--after that game, I knew he'd be one of the best players to come through these parts in a long, long time.
* The Shot
* Duhon against Wake
* Duhon at the Nose Dome going coast-to-coast
* Ricky Price
* Horvath against DePaul--possibly the most hideous looking buzzer-beater I've ever seen, but hey, it got the job done.
* The Dock Shot
* McClure in stoppage time

[calltheobvious]

Regrettably, I had forgotten Ricky Price's game-tying shot at Tech in 1996. I still can't recall anything about it.

What I do remember is Ricky hitting a game-winning three later that season at Maryland to win by 2. I have to put that shot above the Horvath game-winner, as every win in 1996 was so very important. We were an 8 seed that year, If Ricky doesn't hit that shot, only one or two more close games need have gone the other way for us to have been locked out of the NCAAT for the second consecutive year.

Ricky Price...sooooo much promise.

[Devil in the Blue Dress]

Go farther back in time than the K era and you'll find some amazing moments in Duke basketball. During the time Frank McGuire was at UNC and Vic Bubas was at Duke, there were several "games for the ages." A few were games between the freshman teams. There was an ongoing feud between Duke football coach Bill Murray and UNC basketball coach Frank McGuire. Frank McGuire claimed he didn't feel safe in Indoor Stadium.

One of the most dramatic games took place in Durham in February 1961. It was a snowy night in Durham. (Duke always plays better when it snows!) Art Heyman had been spat upon by Doug Moe in an earlier game. UNC was on probation. The hostility between the two schools was so great that there were additional policemen from Durham stationed in what was then Indoor Stadium. In the freshman game which was played first, three players fought and were ejected;a Carolina player had tackled a Duke player as he went in for a layup. In the second half of the varsity game a fight broke out between Larry Brown and Art Heyman. It took the policemen about 10 minutes to restore order. When the game ended Duke won 81-77.

The game was televised regionally and as far north as Pennsylvania. People to this day still argue about who threw the first punch.

Why this history lesson? Duke basketball was storied long before the arrival of Coach K. Every true blue Duke fan should read Blood Blood by Art Chansky. As George Patton was fond of pointing out, you can't understand today without knowing about what happened in the past.

[buddy]

In the 1966 ACC Tournament, Deano played stall ball. Duke was actually down I think 17-12 in the second half. Five points doesn't sound like much, but with no shot clock and the other team refusing to shoot, 5 points was ENORMOUS. Duke tied the score at 20, and Lewis got fouled with only a few seconds left. I believe he missed the first shot, and admitted later he was so nervous his legs were shaking when he made the second. Duke won 21-20. In those days, if you lost the ACC Tournament you lost everything--no at large NCAA bid, no NIT. So that was a PRESSURE foul shot.

[jimsumner]

Surprised nobody has mentioned the greatest comeback in college basketball history. I've written about this several times but none are online. So this is cut and paste from an article on Dick Groat from the November Basketball Times.


"The new Dick Groat exploded on the national scene in December 1950. Every year between Christmas and New Year’s, North Carolina State hosted the Dixie Classic, a three-day, eight-team event that actually lived up to its name. State and its fellow Big Four members Duke, North Carolina, and Wake Forest comprised half the teams, major powers from around the nation rounded out the field. Duke lost its 1950 opener to Colgate, defeated North Carolina and was matched against Tulane in the fifth-place game.

Tulane led 22-19 when they went on a 22-0 run. During a stoppage in play, referee Arnold Heft quipped to the scorekeeper “I better change basketballs. This one is so hot, I can’t handle it.” Duke trailed 54-22 late in the first half before closing to 56-27 at intermission.

Most of the crowd took advantage of halftime to leave. After all it was Saturday and there were those New Year’s Eve parties to get ready for. They gave up a chance to witness history. The comeback started slowly. It was still 72-52 with eight minutes to play. Then Dick Groat did what truly exceptional athletes do. He imposed his will on the game. Groat scored a dozen points in a five-minute span. The Raleigh News and Observer wrote that Groat was “a wizard with the basketball, hitting from all angles and driving through the weary Tulane defense for basket after basket.”

As the lead got smaller and smaller, Tulane went into full-panic mode. Tulane was a fast-break team. They weren’t accustomed to holding the ball and they weren’t very good at it. Stalls turned into turnovers, turnovers turned into Duke fast breaks. Groat tied the game at 72 with a minute left. Tulane coughed it up again and Dayton Allen scored the game-winner for Duke.

Duke’s 74-72 win after trailing by 32 remains the largest comeback in NCAA history. Groat scored 24 of his 32 points after intermission, as Duke won the second half 47-16. Tulane did not score during the final eight minutes.

Dick Groat played a lot of ball games but says “I remember this one vividly. It stands out. When you’re that far behind, you just plug away and hope to hit a hot streak. I got a hot hand and everything fell into place. Sometimes you get that feeling and you just ride it.” "