#22

[SupaDave]

If Jordan taught us anything it was that a jersey can be un-retired.

And Pat Riley showed us that retiring a number can be totally meaningless...

Supa "Michael Irvin sure seems happy with Dez Bryant" Dave

[lotusland]

I don't know if it is a big deal of not. Is it a big deal to have your jersey retired? Retired would mean that it can't be worn again so if Parker wears #22 next year then it was not retired and neither were any of the others. I guess it's not a big deal so let's just call them extra special numbers instead of retired.

[OldPhiKap]

I don't know if it is a big deal of not. Is it a big deal to have your jersey retired? Retired would mean that it can't be worn again so if Parker wears #22 next year then it was not retired and neither were any of the others. I guess it's not a big deal so let's just call them extra special numbers instead of retired.

"Honored Jerseys"

This is much ado about nothing. JMO.

[ForkFondler]

I don't know if it is a big deal of not. Is it a big deal to have your jersey retired? Retired would mean that it can't be worn again so if Parker wears #22 next year then it was not retired and neither were any of the others. I guess it's not a big deal so let's just call them extra special numbers instead of retired.

As long as there aren't two Williams jerseys with the same number hanging up there, it still works. So, what we really need to worry about is running out of of Williams jerseys, meaning Jabari can wear number 22 as long as his last name isn't Williams.

[roywhite]

I don't know if it is a big deal of not. Is it a big deal to have your jersey retired? Retired would mean that it can't be worn again so if Parker wears #22 next year then it was not retired and neither were any of the others. I guess it's not a big deal so let's just call them extra special numbers instead of retired.

Yeah, Jason Williams (and the other denizens of the rafters) have been certified as Duke Basketball Royalty. They then can bestow special favors upon some promising young newcomer. Or something like that.

[kmspeaks]

First Thought: No, no, no! Bad idea. Are Duke's jerseys now "Brett Favre Retired" instead of actually retired?




Upon Further Review: My high school softball team prided itself on having one of the best outfields in the state every year. One day at practice the girl who played center field before me came back to visit and practice with us. I started to move to another position before she told me, "get over there, that's all yours now."

If Jay has no problem handing it over then I've got no problem with Jabari wearing it.

[moonpie23]

it bothers me a little...i mean...why "retire" it as all? kinda negates the meaning of it....

but if Jason is kewl with it...i'm kewl with it...


22-P ?

[HaveFunExpectToWin]

I'm not passionately for or against Parker wearing JWill's number if it came down to it, but it does raise the question whether a retired jersey is as great an honor as previously thought. You can argue for or against Parker wearing #22, but it seems like this definitely changes how all retired jerseys are viewed. It's not a step that should be taken lightly, IMO.

[greybeard]

"It's easy to see without looking too far that not much is really sacred." Bob Zimmerman

[sporthenry]

This does negate the whole point in having it retired. As someone alluded to earlier, this has often been a joke used to prod UNC that they retire and honor the jerseys. Now, it would appear we are no better. And if this was done or suggested anywhere else, it would be mocked. How would Chicago fans feel about someone wearing #23? Dolphins fans about someone wearing #13? How about a baseball player wearing #42 now? Not to mention, this is a kid who hasn't even wore a Duke uniform and is only expected to stay one year. It'd be one thing if Lebron wanted to come to Chicago now and asked to wear #23 and that is a proven All NBA player not a HS kid. Duke prides itself on tradition and this would be a slap in the face to that. Even if Jay Williams comes out in support of it, it would probably just him being gracious about it.

[tommy]

I'd rather him take J-Will's jersey from the rafters than Amile's off his back.

Looking at the list of available numbers, have we ever had a player wear a number in the 50s other than Zoubek and walk ons?

Off the top of my head:

Corey Maggette wore 50.
Marty Nessley wore 51.
Billy King wore 55.
Erik Meek wore 52.

[ForkFondler]

I'm not passionately for or against Parker wearing JWill's number if it came down to it, but it does raise the question whether a retired jersey is as great an honor as previously thought. You can argue for or against Parker wearing #22, but it seems like this definitely changes how all retired jerseys are viewed. It's not a step that should be taken lightly, IMO.

Having your jersey hung in the rafters is an honor. The number retirement thing I don't get.

[basket1544]

Retired jerseys have been bestowed upon others before as a huge honor at other schools. I think that West Virginia had a player on their team in 2010 that was wearing a retired jersey. Sometimes a younger brother or a son will wear a family member's retired jersey. Sometimes a player will wear a coach's number even though that coach had a retired jersey. My only real issue with it is that it seems to me that Parker is looking at college as a short stint on his way to the NBA and not concerning himself with making his own history with his own number. If Jay doesn't have a problem with it, I don't.

[OldPhiKap]

"It's easy to see without looking too far that not much is really sacred." Bob Zimmerman

But even the President of the United States sometimes must have to stand naked.


The times, they are a' changing.

[weezie]

If JWill and K are on board, I don't feel my opinion is worth much either way. Let's see what happens.

I've noticed, lately, that all the brass railings and banner hangers in Cameron are getting a tad dingy and are in need of polishing. I nominate all the fraternity/sorority pledge classes. Cameron should shine.

[-bdbd]

I guess I'm in the minority on this. Not bothered by any number controversy.

Much more interested in Jabari's game than his jersey number.

I'm with ya. Don't really care...though it does open up a can of worms down the road. That's the real issue. (Though I suppose anyone who made this type of issue a sticking point, isn't really a fit for us character-wise. It would concern me if this was a sticking point for Jabari, though I doubt it is. No harm in asking from his side, especially given that this is post-commitment. Shows he's just asking, its not really something that matters. Can't hold that against him.)

Yeah. Agreed.

I'm more of a conservative/historical type in that, if it were me, I wouldn't want to touch a retired jersey of someone that came before me. But that's just me. At the end of the day, if Jay, K, and Jabari are all OK with it - it's really up to them. And I'll support their collective decision.

- Chillin

I really agree - it just doesn't matter. It is J-Will's jersey. If he's ok with it, then who are we to say otherwise. I'm much more interested in JP's game than the number on his shirt. (That said, I'd personally not want that kind of my pressure were I the younger kid, nor risk stepping on any toes.) But if DOES wear 22, then we need to all be happy for him (and J-Will), and move on. As for the improbable concern of "retiring the same number twice," I recall it happening occasionally in baseball and they usually work something out (like the younger player eventually taking a different number... and possibly the later number gets honored). Just not a big deal -- it Jay's number and it's his call alone.

[Jarhead]

Not much respect for tradition here, is there? Now we have somebody named Adam Rowe who decides that he wants to muddy up an old Duke tradition. Who is he, and how did we get so jaded about tradition that so many folks in this thread think it's okay? We even had a post here that failed to recognize that the two retired jerseys with the Williams name on them are for Jason Williams and Shelden Williams. Shelden's Number is 23.

I wondered this as well. I would hope a kid like that would want to make a name (or number) for himself and not be compared to someone else. Unless he has a very good reason for wearing the #22 and even then, I would hope he doesn't. Although that Williams guy does have #22 and #23 up in the rafters so perhaps he can share one of his numbers.

[basket1544]

Not much respect for tradition here, is there? Now we have somebody named Adam Rowe who decides that he wants to muddy up an old Duke tradition. Who is he, and how did we get so jaded about tradition that so many folks in this thread think it's okay? We even had a post here that failed to recognize that the two retired jerseys with the Williams name on them are for Jason Williams and Shelden Williams. Shelden's Number is 23.

I believe it was sarcasm.

[arlight]

Does the #22 mean anything significant to Jabari or is it just because he wants to wear his high school number?

Thanks in advance if anybody can shed some light on this.

[licc85]

I'd rather him take J-Will's jersey from the rafters than Amile's off his back.

Looking at the list of available numbers, have we ever had a player wear a number in the 50s other than Zoubek and walk ons?

oh yeah . . i forgot we already had a #21. Silly me.