Duke at Maryland Game Blog - Earning Our Stripes

This is the game where Duke earned its #3 ranking. By far the most impressive performance yet. I mean - wow. I NEVER thought Duke would be consensus #3 in the country. Oh, I love it and crave it – but to see it in reality? To see it on the floor, backed up game after game, no matter what the competition? I'm just speechless. And unlike a lot of other teams that only got there based on “expectations” (like Indiana this past weekend – no way is it a #7 team, before or after the UConn game), Duke has earned its ranking. Climbing up from #13, to #9, to #7, to #5, to now – this team has just gotten better and better. We are 1 point away from being undefeated. And to think – that this is still, by no means, the best we can be yet. King is still not part of the rotation. LT is on and off. Paulus could be better. Z is still in his sweats. And Singler – we haven’t yet figured out how to get him more touches down low when there’s a good frontline, nor to get him to play aggressive defense for 40 minutes without fouling out.

But – how about Nelson! Henderson! And now, Nolan! What a breath of fresh air! And seeing Coach K getting the T during Maryland’s unstoppable run in the first half was both frustrating and revolutionary. I probably would’ve gotten 5 Ts if I’d been anywhere near the game action. But how his team responded out of that first half – down, for the first time in the entire season – and how he responded – calm, getting good things out of timeouts, taking the Paulus 4 fouls and Singler 5 fouls in stride, putting a smaller lineup on the floor when he went with Scheyer – he got his team to play a GREAT second half that is mind-bogglingly strong in the stats – 51 to 33!!! – and yet, made it seem like clockwork, like it was just part of the routine.

The announcers made one comment right: “Duke keeps playing.” They’d noted, time and again, that Maryland will go on great spurts, but can’t sustain that kind of excellence – “wealth”, they called it – for longer periods of time. The kind of periods that wins games. And for the second straight game, Duke took a 6 point lead and began slowing it down at the 5 minute mark, having stared down a larger opponent and knowing that it was done, that it didn’t have any 10-0 runs that Duke couldn’t answer. If that is the sign of the #3 team in the country – then we’ve earned it. With no legit 5? With only 2 upperclassmen in the starting lineup? (Memphis and Kansas both have 4) We’ve earned it in spades.

Oh, and what’s this about Maryland bringing in the best defensive stats of the ACC? Allowing 93 points . . at home? LOL! You got punk’D!!!

Game blog still to come . . damn audit busy season!?#&^@!

Duke vs Clemson – Statement Game! – Game Blog

The broadcast begins with a huge cheer from the Cameron Indoor crowd: Maryland has toppled mighty #1 Carolina – FINALLY someone steps up to the plate – on its home court!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 82-80!! Carolina looked at times like they didn’t know what hit’em, like they’re still waiting for someone to come in and pick up the pieces and fend off these sharp-beaked Terps. Um, Brandan Wright is off to the NBA now, guys. It’s just down to the 9 of you. And after escaping Clemson (90-88 2OT), after escaping Georgia Tech (83-82), the Heels finally run out of luck, despite the refs blindly handing them every single loose ball in the last 16 seconds. After Maryland takes the lead with a Gist falling-down, off-balance, left-handed layup, the Heels run down, miss, miss, MISS, then bats the ball out of bounds, and even with my slow untrained eyes I can see that its off the UNC player, but, guess what? UNC ball. Oh, sure. So they set up an in-bounds, try again, miss, then it goes out of bounds – and, why not? UNC ball. 1.7 seconds left. Hansbrough tries a Roy Hibbert three, fails miserably, and then it’s all over. MWAHAHAHAAAAAHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (does the Danny Green dance)

In other news . . apparently USC was ripping #4 UCLA a new one out in Pauley Pavilion, but thanks to CBS’s insane policy of scheduling 2 “regional” games at the same time and of course shackling the Chicago region to the Big Ten portion of the duo – I get to watch the scores tick off on ESPN.com rather than the actual game. The end result? USC joins its co-conspirator in knocking off a top 5 league opponent despite being very questionable themselves (1-3 in league play coming in), and its not even close: 72-63. Hello, #3 spot in the polls for Duke!

But – oh s***, the first couple of minutes scare the hell out of me. We just saw UNC get beat. We just saw UCLA get beat. Both at home. And in comes Clemson, looking like a totally different team than the one I remembered seeing last year. They can’t miss! They are attacking the post, attacking the glass, circling inside like a swarm of sharks smelling our blood. We have no bigs to contain them, and they are grabbing every rebound, cleaning up around the basket like a cookie monster after crumbs. 2-6 in the flash of an eye. The crowd goes quiet. Then Singler, who is almost becoming Old Reliable these days, travels along the baseline, and gives the ball back???? Didn’t know it was even possible to travel out there??? Shoot. Henderson’s not making good decisions, a little too trigger-happy. And McClure? Why not take a wide-open shot? Especially when they are clearly not going to guard you, thinking we aim to play 4 on 5?

But Nelson. Boy. Having a senior really settles you, huh? Takes a tough, tough off-balance shot in traffic and finishes, despite falling down on his butt. Then Singler seals off his man, grabs the pass off the floor, looks like he may not have acted quick enough to go up for the deuce, but he does, up and under!! OH NICEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And a steal!! Suddenly Duke is clicking, finding its confidence again, and Henderson grabs a steal, which he sends to Scheyer, to Nolan, who steps back on the 3 point line to drain it. 9-8! Awesome!!! Love those transition threes! Off that energy, we trap and press, make their life difficult, and they miss a runner in the lane . . only to have Booker beat a forest of guys underneath and stick it right back. OH, that kills.

But Nolan is already thinking ahead. He grabs the Duke possession, motors up the court, finds absolutely nobody interested in picking him up, and then just zooms straight to the basket, going up and up for the DUNK! Whoa!!! Nice!!! Way to beat their transition D! Off another Clemson runner . . Nolan dribbles out to the left elbow, hears the crowd chant his name, and says “why not?” and pulls up for a 15 footer that looks way too easy. And he’s not done! Next trip down, he offers King a 3 – King wisely says no thanks – so he takes it back, winks at DeMarcus, guns into the lane, finds 3 guys this time taking him seriously and collapsing in on him, and then swiftly does a 180 and finds DeMarcus out on the perimeter for a 3. And he drains it! 16-12! 13:21 left.

And now Duke’s pressure defense is starting to kill Clemson. They can’t get a pass inside. They’re losing balls out of bounds. They’re getting the ball stolen. Then they foul Scheyer attempting a 3 – gotcha! As he steps up for his 3 freebies, they show his parents looking on happily in the stands – undoubtedly due to the fact that they’re escaping the coldest day so far here in Chi-town (high 5, low -7). Jesus, can we not get any boards???? Box out??? All I see is miss, tip, tip, tip, and Clemson with about 4 or 5 chances to get the score until finally the ball decides to bounce Duke’s way and Henderson ends up with it.

OH SCHEYER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ALL THE WAY, BABY!! Just muscles his way inside and lays it in! 23-14 all of a sudden! Are we out of danger? And then Mays gets the ball poked out of his hands, G is streaking down the court all by himself, and I am getting ready for a dunk . . but, oh! What’s this? A kick-out? When we had a wide-open layup? As Scheyer drills the 3 – why not, when we’ll rather have a transition 3????? Oh, Scheyer!!!!! Welcome home, baby! Here’s the cheers for you that you should’ve received in the FSU game. 26-14! Someone needs a timeout! 10:56.

And Clemson goes back to what they do best – namely, with a put-back. The slaughter continues on the boards. LT then shows why he cannot be counted on for a put-back with one hand – not even with both hands – as he botches a goal despite being 2 inches away AND with NOBODY in his way! It rolls out! Ah, at least he grabbed the board and got fouled. At the other end, though, it’s frustrating – Duke plays great defense, picks them up at half court, really tries to deny the entry pass – but even if we do run some time off their shot clock, all they have to do is make one good pass inside, or move the ball around, and then – bam! – we are stretched too thin and some 6’9” guy comes flying up to make their statement with a rim-rattling dunk. Or put-back – one handed or not (Mays wears an oven mitt on his non-shooting hand). It’s quite disheartening. And then you see Paulus basically walk the ball back upcourt, forgetting all our “run, run, run” principles, and then simply hands it over to Nelson or Scheyer, without much of a playmaking ability at all. Sigh.

Henderson is dribbling, dribbling, making me wonder what the plan is, Nelson is pushing, pushing his guy away in front of him, slowly moving out of the left wing – and then – BOOM! Henderson circles in with a stride that is unreal, flies towards the basket, and slams down a loud, emphatic DUNK! Way to throw that down, G!!!! And mad props to Nelson, who was quite hilarious, clearing out that space for him, playing the goon for his teammate, giving him the room to work. 38-27, 4:50 to go.

Then Paulus undoes all the hard work by running into the lane, turning and thinking he can get DeMarcus an open shot, but instead puts the ball right into a Tiger’s hands, and they run down the court and lay it in with no resistance whatsoever in about 4 seconds. Nice. And Singler, despite being praised right and left by every single broadcaster from here to Anchorage, is not having a good game. Missed a couple threes, and now loses the ball while making his move in the post. Sure, he’s a mismatch for them – but if he’s not making moves, he’s not much of a match to begin with. Meanwhile, Clemson is starting another run. Pounding it inside, making nice jumpers, they cut the lead down to 38-33, much sooner than I thought. You don’t want us to reach 17 first? Yeah, how can we, if you’re gonna outrebound us by 10 – and the first half’s not even over yet!?!?!?

And here comes outrebound #11, #12, and #13, as they miss, tip, miss, tip, miss, tip, and then finally back off when the ball is safely through the net. We have no answer for them. And unlike Pitt, this is evident from minute 1. Nolan turns it over . . but just as I type this, the 2 freshmen make up for their mistakes. Nolan charges into the lane, draws the sharks, kicks it out to Singler, and – is this a familiar sight or what? – with the lead dwindling down to precariously single digits, Singler NAILS a big 3. 41-35, 40 seconds left. Unfortunately, we lose Oglesby behind a screen, and he nails a 3 to answer right back. We hold for the last shot . . and Nolan, with his feet just 1 inch inside the circle, takes the jumper and drains it. 43-38. Halftime.

I am very worried as we begin the second half. Never in recent memory have we gone into the locker room with such a precarious lead. It’s always been double digits. Then we have a scare in the second half and the other team makes a game of it. Does Clemson not like that script? Uh oh . . .

Nelson! Off the inbounds! That’s the easiest basket so far! But Clemson will win this game. I just know it; they’re killing us down low. 47-47. And now Kyle Singler takes the ball, making the first drive of the night for him, wanting the ball in his hands, wanting to make a play or draw a foul. And . . he draws the foul! 3rd on Booker. Swishes both. 49-47. As they come down the other end – I am cringing for another easy dunk – Mays in the air – but Singler goes for the BLOCK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HOLY COW! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! No more Mr. Nice Guy! With the game on the line – finally, an act of aggression! And there, is the turning point of the game, because off that terrific defense, Henderson takes the ball and throws it ahead to a streaking Nolan, who loves those fastbreak opportunities – and just slides inside for the two. 51-47, just like that, for a 4 point turnaround! 16:28.

Clemson comes roaring back, 51-51, in about a minute. Now it’s Henderson who takes us on his back, and he gets exactly what he wants, ushered to the free throw line to make 3 of 4. 54-51. But then we leave a Tiger alone on the 3 point line, and he is clutch, getting it right back to 54-54, tied game. 14:11 to go, and this is gonna be a fistfight. Henderson throws the first punch, bursting into the lane and turning the corner on turbo power, bringing the ball back like a fist ready to punch – but MISSES THE DUNK!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Are you kidding me????? How can he miss????? As he falls onto his butt, looking about as stunned as we are. Poor Scheyer was charged with that ripping rebound and stepped out of bounds. Oh, but on the replay they show Sykes getting up just enough to put a hand in his face, thus blocking his vision. Awwwww.

Score still tied, 54-54 . . and LT decides to give them 2 chances to grab the lead, committing his 4th foul. They brick the first . . but gets the second. 54-55. Paulus with a long miss, but G with great hustle tracks it down, runs into a brick wall double-team, and goes to the line for a 1 and 1. Missed. My heart is racing. Then – DEMARCUS NELSON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Just a blur right out of the screen, and next thing you now, what you were watching is gone, and replaced entirely by the DeMarcus Nelson one-man fastbreak, as he blurs right by his man and goes up for the exclamation point DUNK. What great anticipation!!!! That’s the way to break it open! 56-55. Then Hammonds throws the ball away. Clemson switches to a 1-3-1 zone, and Nelson misses a jumper. How come we don’t try a little zone to stem this Clemson headache-inducing pounding inside? LT has 4 fouls – why don’t we try to hide him? But I’m thinking too much. It is clearly much more effective simply to steal the ball away from them. Mays is double-teamed, throws the ball into Paulus’ general direction, and next thing you know, Paulus is turning tail fast as he can go and laying it up against a taller defender, Perry. 58-55! Clemson asks for a timeout.

But the Tigers still won’t go away. They fire up a 3. Nelson answers with a 3. Paulus has lost his magic touch from beyond the arc, having fired 5 long ones and only hit 1. Oh – but the freshman Oglesby bails him out by kindly fouling him (and Paulus helps his own cause by flopping a bit). 3 free throws coming right up! The commentator Fran shares an aside: “I had a chance to work with Paulus at the Steve Nash PG camp last summer. What a great kid. I said to him, “I didn’t realize you were such a good guy,” and he said, “Why? Cause I play at Duke?” Ha. Ha. Ha. As he swishes all 3, making it 64-60, 10:10 to go.

Oglesby tries a 3 pointer of his own, also falling down just in case he missed it – and – well, he missed – no call. Good job. Nelson eyes the paint, decides to try his luck, NOBODY even moves! HA! And suddenly Nelson is slashing to the rim with no defender in sight! Awesome!!!! “They’re not a good driving team. They’re not a better than average driving team. They may be the best driving team in the COUNTRY!” OH? Based on one pretty drive by our irreplaceable senior? Thanks, guys! 66-60! And as the Tigers glance up at the score – it’s PAULUS, with a STEAL! Just so smoothly picks the pocket of a stand-still Oglesby, who never knew what hit him, and before he could recover, our fleet-footed point guard had stormed down the lane and laid it in. 68-60! The crowd is going nuts!!!!

Clemson scores one, but it doesn’t help. Offensive charge, drawn by Henderson, and they give the ball right back. Singler throws a looooong outlet to a streaking Scheyer, who corrals it and gets fouled. Two swishes later, it is 70-62. LT with a nice tip to deny the ball being thrown inside! Great Lance! Off the inbounds pass – STOLEN, by Scheyer! Though he can’t finish, but nearly steals it back for a second try. At this rate, it’s almost too much fun to worry about stuff like that, because clearly the momentum has shifted. We are hitting on all cylinders. They can pound it inside all they want, but we are quicker, faster, more alert, more eager to run, and we will foul you or double-team you to make you earn your points inside. And the crowd, knowing the tide has turned, is bouncing off the walls. We can beat them!!!! We can assert our domination on the ACC!

Oh, a little zone! Finally! And see how great that worked out? They try to penetrate, loses their footing, and the ball careens perfectly into Nelson’s hands, who throws it ahead to a running Nolan, who lets it bounce in front of him, like a yo-yo, before reaching out, tapping the ball to him, and flipping it up into the net – all the while going at least 70mph, with a hot-streaking Scheyer and Singler right behind him, making sure that this time, this fastbreak won’t go unconverted. As they both crash the glass, the ball happily slides into the net, 72-63!!! And it’s too much fun! Nolan and Scheyer fall over each other trying to get back up on D, scrambling to their feet, looking like 2 kids just down the bunny slopes and too eager to get back for more. Oh, the adrenaline’s gotta be pumping through them now – they are unstoppable, uncatchable, and what was once a tight game has been blown back out to the stone age. No more menacing brutes patrolling the lane. No more power dunks raining down on them right and left. Duke has imposed its will on them, taking control of everything except the boards, and perhaps even the boards, as the disparity is nowhere near as bad in the second half. Duke was in the passing lanes, the driving lanes, controlling the fastbreak points, the steals, and just completely messing up their game. It is a complete turnaround, with 7:22 left to play.

Then, in about a minute, we reel off 9 more points. It is dazzling. Singler misses a 3, we grab the rebound, Scheyer hits up Singler for another try . . and in it goes! A big 3-ball from Kyle! 75-65. Wow, look at Henderson go! It is breathtaking. Off the Clemson make, he just bounds upcourt, the ball bounds along in front of him, and from 75 feet out he must’ve taken only 4 or 5 steps, tops, and that’s all he needs to get right up by the goal and put it in despite the hard contact and foul. AND ONE! Oh, Duke in the open court is just a thing of beauty. 78-65. Then, “see the zone,” Fran instructs. “It’s not the best zone ever.” That is ok. It sure is the best zone Clemson has ever seen, as they cough up their possession, right on cue. YES!!! Henderson gladly takes off with that gift, circles in, kicks it out to Scheyer, who touch-passes it immediately to Singler, who wastes no time – giving them the final dagger to the heart – a perfect THREE! 81-65!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Unbelivable!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And the Tigers are done. In the space of 1 minute, we have completely turned the game around. This is much more impressive than the FSU game. If you don’t have the guards to play with us, you might as well go home. We don’t care who your big men are. This is college, baby. And Clemson just burned its last timeout, with 5:43 left to play. 21-4 run in the last 4:17.

Clemson comes out of the timeout with the same gameplan they had 2 hours ago – attack the paint. So, they get the ball inside to Mays – and Nolan clobbers him. To his credit, he makes both (possibly also tired of the commentator’s 512th mention of his clubs’ terrible FT %). We miss . . but then Clemson offers up another bad pass, and Nelson races upcourt with it, easily beating Oglesby to the basket – and one! The free throw is no good . . but in the ensuing melee, someone is nice enough to tip it out to a stand-still Scheyer, who calmly accepts the possession. He then gives it to Paulus . . who forgets that we still have 4:47 left to play in the ballgame, anything can happen, and . . wait, what’s the score again? 83-67? Well, never mind. Do what you will with the ball, Greg.

Duke starts to relax, letting a couple things go: giving up an easy inbounds pass and immediate layup, taking a Mays flop for an offensive charge, G missing 2 FT, etc. That’s all okay. In order to make a comeback, Clemson will have to play lights-out defense for the last 5 minutes, shoot the 3 well, and at least try to generate a few turnovers from us. Yeah, ain’t gonna happen. Oglesby’s having a rough night, ending up with only 3 of 11, and their PG Hammonds will not fare much better, going underwater with a 2/3 A/T ratio.

And NELSON is still lighting up the night!!!!!! Tipping in a Singler miss! Gorgeous! “There are glue guys, and then there are super glue guys. That describes DeMarcus Nelson to a T.” What will we do next year without you, DeMarcus? Will Greg similarly step up, like you’ve done this year? Hold on a sec – is Nolan limping? 2:15, as he trails the action after a missed floater in the lane. Well, no mention of it by the announcers. 87-74, 1:35 left, and they’re coming to their feet in Cameron Indoor. There is no threat left. We will go into Chapel Hill in 2 weeks undefeated in ACC play. Heh, maybe Maryland will give us a hiccup – right, Carolina?

And Nelson provides the exclamation point. As they double Scheyer down in the lane, he spots a cutting “21” turn the corner and easily threads him the bounce pass – DeMarcus for the dunk! But instead of going up strong, he instead lays it in – and the announcers point out astutely that he may have tweaked his back. Yep, on the replay, he reaches and grimaces a little at his back underneath the basket. Hope you’re alright, Markie. As he comes off to a roaring ovation. 24 points!!! Matching a career high! As the buzzer sounds, and the happy Duke bench comes out to greet its players – Mike Patrick roars, “Statement game!” 93-80. I am dancing!

And what a statement. What a turnaround from the FSU game. Knowing we won’t outwork them on the glass – we shore up our turnovers (from 21 at FSU to 11 today) while forcing them into 20. We grabbed 13 steals!!! We completely took them out of their game in the second half. For the first time in a long time – perhaps the first time all season – we played an outstanding second half, much better than the first half. We adjusted. We exploited their weaknesses. We took their advantage – size – and turned that right around into a disadvantage for them. Wow . . I am just in awe. This is a classic example of how your defense turns into your offense. 37 fastbreak points!!!!!!! Amazing!!!

Does K know how to coach, or what? This was an extremely well-prepared team. They didn’t get rattled, didn’t get into foul trouble, and just rallied at all the right spots, making it a team effort in the process. Everyone contributed. Everyone crashed the glass. Everyone had a steal or two, taking it end to end for the layup. And the substitution patterns were right on, with Nolan and Scheyer coming in and immediately providing an offensive kick, and Nolan and Greg spelling each other at the right times to give grief to their PG, Hammonds. We focused on Oglesby, their sharpshooter, and shut him down. We crowded their big guys on defense and forced them into bad passes, then on offense drove straight at them and made them foul. Against a bigger team – we made more foul shots than they attempted. The only place where we got out-done was the glass, with the rebounding margin a frightening 26-42. But, just like in the Wisconsin game, we knew that will happen and it didn’t matter. Not when we controlled every other aspect of the game.

But the thing I love most is how together this team played. In order to take down a bigger team, you have to be focused and work seamlessly together as one, and that’s what Duke did tonight. The switches on the screens and on D were amazing. Everyone was alert, and as soon as any pass was made, that Tiger immediately found himself confronted by 1 and ½ or 2 Dukies, looking for the steal, looking for the indecision. And on offense, we shared the ball extremely well. Six Blue Devils had 9 points or more. And when they tied the game . . when they took the lead . . we didn’t let it go for a second before we answered . . and we answered . . and then we just shut the door on them with about 5 minutes to play. Singler’s block was HUGE. It led right away to a fastbreak bucket for us, but more than that, it told them that we had the ability to control the low block too, that this was the end of their freebies around the rim. Nelson, Henderson, and Scheyer all played GREAT. Nolan – was a revelation. Having him at the point really got me excited. 4 assists and 6 of 9 shooting! And Singler showed once again the uncanny ability to knock down huge threes with the game very much in doubt. He actually took 7 threes – making 3 – which is the most attempts of anyone on the team. Usually you’ll think King will take those – but Singler? I think it’s because he didn’t want to mix it up inside, but he also did it to stretch their defense, and on the majority of those, he was wide open. King, however, was surprisingly absent, but I think that’s due to matchups more than anything, and K wanted at all times 3 or 4 fleet guards out on the floor.

Bring it on, Carolina!

The Lion in Winter

The greatest rivalry in sports doesn’t just happen on the hardwood twice a year. Not anymore. It isn’t just Feb 6 and March 8 this year. It’s already begun. The first shots have already been heard, from Texas, to California, to Madison Square Garden. And the lion, so used to the balmy glow of the sun, suddenly finds itself in the cold drags of winter.

Jan 3: 6’10” 5-star John Henson (2009) commits to Carolina.

Jan 4: 6’9” 4-star twins Travis and David Wear (2009), former teammates of Taylor King, commits to Carolina.

Jan 9: 6’5” 5-star Reggie Bullock (2010), commits to Carolina.

Jan 13: 6’3” 5-star Dexter Strickland (2009), playing in the Nike Super 6 at MSG, commits to Carolina.

Then, on Jan 16: 6’10” 4-star Erik Murphy (2009), one of 4 highly coveted Duke recruits, commits to Florida . . without even a single Duke visit.

Son of a b**ch.

Al Featherston on DBR tries to allay the fears, reminding us that “Many - maybe most - of K’s major recruiting victories have been as good as advertised. That string of great players stretches from Johnny Dawkins to Danny Ferry to Grant Hill to Elton Brand to Shane Battier to Jason Williams to J.J. Redick to Luol Deng . . .

. . . to Kyle Singler.”

Oh, lord.

You don’t know, what you’ve got, do you? Seeing his name up there, alongside the greats . . I was totally unexpecting it. Recruiting is all about looking forward, to the next big thing, the next one, the next one. But what about our current roster? How about G? Scheyer? . . Kyle? Last night, his face was black and blue – an ugly gash right under his right eye, a cut above his eyebrow that had required stitches 2 months ago and was just healing up – and now his chin was cut open, bleeding only a few seconds ago. Oh Kyle. We are so lucky to have you. When Duke was on the ropes, when it could do nothing as its pretty lead all but vanished . . who puts us on his back? Who steps up to the 3 point line and demands the ball for a point-blank shot? To see him, putting his arms around his teammates in the huddle . . to hear him say, someone’s got to do it, we might be thin up front but we’re gonna do team defense and someone’s got to step up. I’ll do it. I don’t mind. I never signed on to play the 5, but . . I’ll do this. For Duke.

“I’ll be back.”

It’s been an eventful night. Scheyer went absolutely ballistic on Florida State, playing like an all-world, playing like a kid with a slingshot who’d just figured out what he can do with it, and gleefully running around, snickering. They are all ribbing on him, teasing him, mimicking his moves, laughing and having a good time in the back of the bus. Coach K looks back at them – a wide grin on his face. His young team had faced a tough road opponent tonight, the same opponent that had gone into LittleJohn and pushed Clemson into double OT – and he knew what this win meant to them.

Believe me, there was a reason why he didn’t schedule any “true” road games earlier in the season. A reason that no one else knew about. It was games like these, that sometimes tries his patience as a Hall of Fame coach. He needs to maintain composure – he’s got to remember that. But it kills him, when opposing fans cannot appreciate the hard work and effort that his kids had just put forth tonight. No matter the win – no matter if it was a loss or draw – whatever – any basketball player, should deserve more respect and more courtesy than the s*** doled out to his team tonight. No matter who you are – no matter what's on the front of your jersey – hey. These kids are putting their life on the line for you. For your enjoyment. They are sacrificing their bodies. They are sacrificing their time and effort and heart. The least you can do is show some respect. You don’t need to throw things. You don’t need to hijack the ESPN broadcast to show your dirty mouth to the world. Some of the stuff that the kids said . . my God. That was why Coach K was on the sidelines, putting his arm around Greg, pulling his eyes down. Don’t look at the students. They don’t deserve your attention. Look at me. Look at the person who believes in you. Sometimes, Greg, it’s us against the world.

So they are pulling out of the arena, onto the highway to the airport. The night is dark, 10pm, and they stop by to grab food before heading to the terminal. “Away” games are the toughest when they are on Wednesday nights, because you have to jet in on Tuesday, then miss an entire day of classes on Wednesday as you practice and scout. On Thursday, you’re tired, still shot with adrenaline, and looking forward to Friday already. But that is the life of a student-athlete. And when he looks back on them . . when he sits in his seat and reclines back and can almost close his eyes to the blissful sounds of laughter and teasing and the awful rap noises Taylor King was making to accompany Nolan Smith’s bass-voiced play by play of Scheyer’s 21 points in 75 seconds against the Noles . .

He can almost see them, each one clearly, without even having to turn around and open his eyes. They were there, in his mind – the result of months of hard recruiting and then weeks and months and for some of them 3 and a half years of daily practices and dinners and one-on-ones, to ingrain them in his mind. Their smiles. Their frowns. Their wide eyes . . tired breaths . . and their brilliance, that bounce in their steps, once they got it. Oh, and they got it tonight. Those first half minutes, when they went on that 16-0 tear – he had so wanted to run out on the court to join them. How much fun was Scheyer having? The smarts, the court vision, the stunning awareness! How much of an improvement had Taylor King made over the last couple of games? Nolan Smith? And Kyle Singler. Oy! How clutch, was that 3 point shot? Of all the 3 point specialists on the team . . for him, to want it! A 6’8” freshman!

But then comes the call that can ice your heart. Erik Murphy is on the other line. His voice is scratchy . . hello coach . . I’m calling to let you know . . um . . well . . I’m sorry, coach. I was very interested in Duke University. I’ve really thought it through. But, in the end . . my gut tells me, Florida. I know I’ll fit right in with their style of play. Yes . . yes, I know. I’m sorry, coach. I really am . . . Okay. Thank you. Best of luck.”

Click.

The noise has died down. The kids have scooted back into their seats, starting to feel the drag of the long night ahead of them, many pulling on their earphones. In the silence, Coach K could still hear one voice: Kyle Singler, talking on the phone to his parents in Oregon. The snippets of conversation wafted slowly towards the front of the bus. “I’m fine, mom . . really, it’s no big deal, it’s already healed! . . haha, okay . . oh, did you see that dunk by G?? Off that missed free-throw? No?? That was sick! . . hey EJ . . how was your game last night? . . . ”

Silently, Coach K leans forward until his forehead rests on his knuckles, squeezing his eyes tight. It is all he can do to keep his emotions inside. Kyle Singler. I have to surround you with better talent. I just have to. I’m not going to make the same mistake that I’d made with JJ Redick. I owed him a national championship. Not the other way around. I owed him. He should never have been 90% of our offense. Kyle, I made you a promise. I told you, when I was recruiting you, that you would become a National Player of the Year for Duke. And you will. But in order to develop you . . in order to prolong your life from all those goons out there . . I have to give you a better low-post player than I have so far. Lance Thomas is . . well, let’s not go there. Brian Zoubek is still, alarmingly, light years away. You need help now – and I can’t give that to you. I can’t protect you against a bruising 23 year old such as Tyler Hansborough. And now . . now the kid that I would’ve loved to come in and learn from you have gone somewhere else. Isn’t Florida all out of scholarships??? #$&^!*&@#!?!!

But, hey . . not every kid is a Duke kid. Not every kid is going to say, “Duke was my first – and only – choice.” No. We’ll be alright. Next play.

“I’ll be back.”

Those words echoed in his ear. In the era of one-and-done’s . . to hear your best player tell you, emphatically, that he’s coming back . . that’s something, isn’t it? And the team . . they’ve just won their first ACC road game tonight. They are ranked top 7 in both polls. They are 1 point away from being undefeated – isn’t that enough? Isn’t that a testament to some kind of success? Sure, there were some bad turnovers tonight. And 3 point shooting wasn’t great. But that’s all for tomorrow. Let the worries come tomorrow. Tonight? Let’s just enjoy this. Let’s enjoy what we have, rather than what we don’t have. Best of luck to Erik Murphy. But (aside from joining a club with 6 legit big guys playing in front of him) – he’s missing out on this. On the sound of Taylor King, 2,000 miles from home, but with not a care in the world, rapping with the best of them . . until Nolan Smith tackles him from behind, pulling the blue hood over his eyes, their incessant laughter catching as Gerald joins them . . and Kyle Singler, his eyes closed, his voice quieting as he listened to his brother thousands of miles away . . but his grin, his sleepy, wide-toothed grin, said it all. As the bus rolled on into the night . . somewhere between Tallahassee and Durham, beamed the smile of a boy, right at home.