Jim's 3 part on K's first year

[-jk]

For those not paying attention to the front page, the great Jim Sumner wrote a nice three parter on Coach K's first season:

Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part I
Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part II
Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part III

So long and thanks, Dennard and Banks!

And thanks!, Jim.

-jk

[bwl5]

For those not paying attention to the front page, the great Jim Sumner wrote a nice three parter on Coach K's first season:

Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part I
Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part II
Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part III

So long and thanks, Dennard and Banks!

And thanks!, Jim.

-jk

I remember being there for the game with Carolina. It was my freshman year and we were sitting behind Dukes bench. Cameron was emptying out because people did not think we had a chance to win but Gene mad the shot and we ended up winning in overtime. Makes me feel old knowing that Coach K is retiring.

[wsb3]

For those not paying attention to the front page, the great Jim Sumner wrote a nice three parter on Coach K's first season:

Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part I
Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part II
Looking Back: Mike Krzyzewski’s First Year At Duke, Part III

So long and thanks, Dennard and Banks!

And thanks!, Jim.

-jk

Great job Jim.. Man, I wish I had a recording of the Duke Unc game.

[DevilHorse]

I remember being there for the game with Carolina. It was my freshman year and we were sitting behind Dukes bench. Cameron was emptying out because people did not think we had a chance to win but Gene mad the shot and we ended up winning in overtime. Makes me feel old knowing that Coach K is retiring.

I remember that the last few seconds was actually a 2 part play. The ball was coming in from under the UNC basket. Instead of a Grant Hill to Laettner (Emma to Banks) type ending. There was a long (3/4 court) pass to Chip Engelland, who caught the ball near the out of bounds tick mark, off to the left side of the basket across the court from the Duke bench. Chip was already signalling time out as he caught the ball, preserving precious tenths of seconds. Then, from out of bounds at 1/4 court, the pass to Banks and his rainbow shot over Sam (short sleeves) Perkins to tie the game... etc..

My apartment mate had just walked out moments before, but I gave him an accurate description of what transpired..

Larry
DevilHorse

[Indoor66]

I remember being there for the game with Carolina. It was my freshman year and we were sitting behind Dukes bench. Cameron was emptying out because people did not think we had a chance to win but Gene mad the shot and we ended up winning in overtime. Makes me feel old knowing that Coach K is retiring.

You are not too far behind on that retiring thingy. 😎😀

[jimsumner]

I remember that the last few seconds was actually a 2 part play. The ball was coming in from under the UNC basket. Instead of a Grant Hill to Laettner (Emma to Banks) type ending. There was a long (3/4 court) pass to Chip Engelland, who caught the ball near the out of bounds tick mark, off to the left side of the basket across the court from the Duke bench. Chip was already signalling time out as he caught the ball, preserving precious tenths of seconds. Then, from out of bounds at 1/4 court, the pass to Banks and his rainbow shot over Sam (short sleeves) Perkins to tie the game... etc..

My apartment mate had just walked out moments before, but I gave him an accurate description of what transpired..

Larry
DevilHorse

Dennard's pass was much longer than you recall. He was just on the wrong side of half-court. It's easy to find this shot on youtube. But like a soccer player on a throw in, he actually stole about 10 feet from where he should have in-bounded. Clever lad.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xNa8PjqwI

[jv001]

Dennard's pass was much longer than you recall. He was just on the wrong side of half-court. It's easy to find this shot on youtube. But like a soccer player on a throw in, he actually stole about 10 feet from where he should have in-bounded. Clever lad.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xNa8PjqwI

Sporkz for your three part story on the front page. We've been blessed to have writers like yourself and Oly here on DBR. Reading the stories of long ago, not only brings back some wonderful memories but it's like actually being there. Keep 'em coming and I'll keep reading and remembering.

GoDuke!

[DevilHorse]

Dennard's pass was much longer than you recall. He was just on the wrong side of half-court. It's easy to find this shot on youtube. But like a soccer player on a throw in, he actually stole about 10 feet from where he should have in-bounded. Clever lad.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xNa8PjqwI

I appreciate the correction. Still, the subtlety of the 2 part last play instead of the single pass, in the final seconds, was an excellent plan, and (obviously) excellent execution.

I enjoyed the 3 part series very much. It reminded me that I had a front row seat during that Alabama NIT game. I was told afterward that when an Alabama player hit his head and was being cared for under the basket, my buddy and I were shown on the regional TV (perhaps because we looked so concerned).

Larry
DevilHorse

[chrishoke]

Thanks Jim, great to relive that time. I too was at Gene's final game. I've had season tickets since 1962 and Gene's shot at the end of regulation to tie the game is my favorite moment in the old barn. With apologies to Johnny Dawkins, whom I love, Gene Banks was the most important recruit in Duke Basketball history, IMHO. We just could not lose his senior day game. It seemed like THE shot hung in the air forever as Gene had to arch it unusually high to get it over the long outstretched arm of Sam Perkins. When it finally fell through the hoop it was delirium, bedlam, mass hysteria. I was actually crying and for the first and last time ever, I got on my knees and kissed the dirty Cameron floor in Section 15 Row H Seat 19. Of course it helped that Duke won the game on a Gene Banks follow shot. Ah sweet memories.

[chrishoke]

Great job Jim.. Man, I wish I had a recording of the Duke Unc game.

Here is a link to a highlight reel of the game from wral.

https://history.capitolbroadcasting...-vs-duke-1981/

[jimsumner]

Thanks for the compliments.

Or is that complements?

As an aside, Gene has told me several times how often people come up to him and tell him they remember that last-second shot as the game winner.

[chrishoke]

Thanks for the compliments.

Or is that complements?

As an aside, Gene has told me several times how often people come up to him and tell him they remember that last-second shot as the game winner.

It was certainly celebrated like one.

[wsb3]

DBR.jpg

This is not the first year but a pretty important step in the early days of Coach K.

In our attempt to declutter I was going through a box of magazines that I brought down from the attic this morning. Lots of things need to go but this program I will keep. Unlike so many of you, I have not been to a lot of Duke games. Maybe 15.

This was back in the days when you could buy tickets for games when the students were out. That was mostly the Christmas break but sometimes Thanksgiving weekend was the opening game.

Looking back, I always thought it neat that I saw the first game played by the then-freshman of the class that saved Coach K's job. It was a really good game & if memory serves me correctly ECU led for much of the game.

[House P]

I enjoyed the series and look forward to the next 123 installments - you are doing a 3 part article on each of Coach K's 42 seasons at Duke, aren't you Jim?

Joking aside, I really appreciated Jim's overview of Coach K's first season because this was before I started following Duke. For example, I have always wondered why there was such a dropoff between Foster's last year (24-9, Elite 8) and Coach K's first year (17-13, NIT). As Jim points out, Foster left Duke with a solid core of talented upperclassmen - including future NBA players Banks, Dennard, and Taylor. Jim's article provides context about the ACC being exceptionally competitive and Foster failing to recruit a replacement for Gminski. Several of the centers Foster missed out on (according to Jim's list) were fairly mediocre players, but I wonder how things might have been different if Duke signed someone like Steve Stipanovich, or even Greg Kite.

-------------------

Speaking of 'what-ifs' from Coach K's early years, perhaps someone can help with the following. I remember hearing somewhere at many folks expected Duke to hire one of "three guys whose names start with W" as Foster's replacement. Does this sound familiar to anyone? If so, does anyone know who this might have been?

I assume that one of the "W candidates" was probably Foster's assistant Bob Wenzel. Wenzel went on to have modest success as the head coach for Jacksonville and Rutgers. For what it is worth, Wenzel is a couple years younger than Coach K, but hasn't coached in 24 years.

[jimsumner]

I enjoyed the series and look forward to the next 123 installments - you are doing a 3 part article on each of Coach K's 42 seasons at Duke, aren't you Jim?

Joking aside, I really appreciated Jim's overview of Coach K's first season because this was before I started following Duke. For example, I have always wondered why there was such a dropoff between Foster's last year (24-9, Elite 8) and Coach K's first year (17-13, NIT). As Jim points out, Foster left Duke with a solid core of talented upperclassmen - including future NBA players Banks, Dennard, and Taylor. Jim's article provides context about the ACC being exceptionally competitive and Foster failing to recruit a replacement for Gminski. Several of the centers Foster missed out on (according to Jim's list) were fairly mediocre players, but I wonder how things might have been different if Duke signed someone like Steve Stipanovich, or even Greg Kite.

-------------------

Speaking of 'what-ifs' from Coach K's early years, perhaps someone can help with the following. I remember hearing somewhere at many folks expected Duke to hire one of "three guys whose names start with W" as Foster's replacement. Does this sound familiar to anyone? If so, does anyone know who this might have been?

I assume that one of the "W candidates" was probably Foster's assistant Bob Wenzel. Wenzel went on to have modest success as the head coach for Jacksonville and Rutgers. For what it is worth, Wenzel is a couple years younger than Coach K, but hasn't coached in 24 years.

The three W's were Wenzel, Old Dominion coach Paul Webb and Mississippi coach Bob Weltlich. Weltlich had been an assistant at IU for Bob Knight and he was the subject of Tom Butters' call to Knight, the one in which Butters asked Knight if there was anyone else he should be asking about and, well, we know the rest.

[dudog84]

Dennard's pass was much longer than you recall. He was just on the wrong side of half-court. It's easy to find this shot on youtube. But like a soccer player on a throw in, he actually stole about 10 feet from where he should have in-bounded. Clever lad.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-7xNa8PjqwI

Anyone else still have the poster from after that game? "Gene Says Goodbye"

[wsb3]

Anyone else still have the poster from after that game? "Gene Says Goodbye"

No, but I remember buying one for my niece. I purchased it at the first NIT team game when Banks broke his wrist. My first game in Cameron.

[jimsumner]

No, but I remember buying one for my niece. I purchased it at the first NIT team game when Banks broke his wrist. My first game in Cameron.

So, now we know who to blame.

[House P]

The three W's were Wenzel, Old Dominion coach Paul Webb and Mississippi coach Bob Weltlich. Weltlich had been an assistant at IU for Bob Knight and he was the subject of Tom Butters' call to Knight, the one in which Butters asked Knight if there was anyone else he should be asking about and, well, we know the rest.

Thanks. I figured if anyone knew if would be you.

Webb is the only guy from the list I had never heard of, so I Googled him.

Due in large part to success at DII Randolph-Macon prior to arriving at ODU, Webb entered the 1981 season with 17 fewer lifetime wins than Dean Smith. Webb was only 2 years older than Dean, so there may be an alternate universe where Webb gets hired at Duke and ends up as the all-time NCAA wins leader (only to be eventually passed by DePaul's Mike Krzyzewski). Then again, Webb retired in 1985 at the age of 55, so who knows how long he would have coached if he were offered the Duke job.*

Webb also seems to have a bit of a different personality than Coach K. Here is a story from a recent profile.

"The Richmond Coliseum was packed and VCU fans, especially black-and-gold clad students, were hurling insults at [ODU].

Danny Kottak, a 6-foot-5, gifted and gritty forward from Louisville, was VCU's resident bad boy and he was in the proximity of things as players mixed it up late in the second half.

As officials were restoring order, Webb saw something headed towards him through the corner of his eye and ducked. The Budweiser bounced off his chest and he caught it on the rebound.

...

Webb held up the beer, looked up at Kottak and deadpanned, "You want a beer?"

Even with emotions running so high, Kottak laughed and shook his head no."

Somehow I don't think Coach K would have reacted the same way.





*There are also plenty of alternative universes where Webb goes 45-75 after four years at Duke and gets fired.