It all began on April 4, 1994.
That's when--as fans of the Duke men's basketball team clearly recall--Scotty Thurman hit a late, desperation three-pointer to lift Arkansas to a 76-72 win over the Blue Devils in the NCAA championship game.
And ever since Thurman hit that shot, which barely cleared the fingernails of Duke's Antonio Lang, nothing much has gone right for the Blue Devils. In fact, it would be fair to say--metaphorically, if not directly--that the shot sent the program into a year-long period of misfortune and misery unrivaled in the recent history of Duke basketball.
So it can be well understood if the team breathed a large collective sigh of relief following Monday night's national championship game, in which UCLA defeated Arkansas 89-78. After 364 days of un-Duke-like occurrences--both on and off the court--another season truly began for the Blue Devils as soon as the Bruins had clipped the last thread from the Seattle Kingdome's nets. Finally, a punctuation mark was placed on the 1994-95 season, and immediately talk and activity for the 1995-96 season could begin in earnest.
For Duke, it was not a second too soon.
Right from the start, not long after the Razorbacks cut down the nets in Charlotte, last season was one of frustration and heartbreak. The team's problems have been well-documented, but here's one final refresher:
-The first sign that things were not quite right came in early May, when head coach Mike Krzyzewski cancelled the team's two-week summer trip to Australia, citing poor academic performance as the main reason. For a team that had graduated superstar Grant Hill and key contributors Marty Clark and Lang, it was supposed to be a crucial developmental period. The team was scheduled to play six games against Australian teams, and Duke's young nucleus would have been able to gain valuable experience.
-Shortly thereafter, rumors began to swell that Krzyzewski was looking at possibilities in the National Basketball Association. Some of the rumors--like the one that said NBA commissioner David Stern had personally courted Coach K about taking a pro job--were preposterous. But as days passed, it became evident that Krzyzewski was exploring other opportunities.
Finally, after a week of speculation, Krzyzewski held a press conference May 31 to announce he had decided to stay at Duke and was looking forward to the future.
-But the future turned into an unhealthy one for Coach K and the Blue Devils. In an eerie coincidence which foreshadowed the rest of the season, junior guard Chris Collins and senior forward Stan Brunson went down with injuries within seconds of each other--on Oct. 15, the first day of practice. Brunson tore the lateral meniscus in his right knee and never played again. Collins broke his right foot, and while he began playing again in early December, he never returned to the form of his sophomore year.
Neither of those injuries were contact-related. In fact, both were referred to as "freak" injuries.
Then, on Oct. 21, Coach K had a surgical procedure on his back and missed a week of practice. He returned a week later, but as it later turned out, that was not the best move.
-Duke started out with a 6-1 record, but even then, there were problems. On Dec. 2, sophomore forward Joey Beard announced his decision to transfer to Boston University after the semester. It was a quick end to a career that had been troubled from the beginning.
Then, impressive freshman Ricky Price went down with a sprained ankle prior to the N.C. A&T game Dec. 17. The Blue Devils did win four out of five games without Price--including two of three on a trip to Hawaii--but like Collins, when Price returned, he was not the same player he had been as the injury continued to nag him.
-With the new year came one of the biggest blows in the history of the program. On Jan. 4, Krzyzewski coached his last game of the season--a home loss to lowly Clemson. His back had never healed, and he sat out the rest of the season as the public and the media unfairly speculated about his "true" situation.
Then, in one final blow to the program, sophomore forward Greg Newton was convicted on charges of academic dishonesty on Jan. 17. He played until prior to the UNC game March 4, when he was suspended until the second semester of summer school and missed the team's final three games.
Even last week, the struggles continued. Duke missed out on prized recruit Vince Carter, who chose to attend rival North Carolina, a 1995 Final Four member.
Overall, the Blue Devils lost 15 of their 17 ACC games and were also beaten by 23 at UCLA. But the team was competitive and hung tough in almost every contest while losing in any way imaginable. Its bad luck off the court translated into worse luck on the hardwood.
Now, though, it is likely that one of the most disappointing chapters in Duke basketball's history has been written and completed. There is a new NCAA champion, and Thurman's shot is now far in the past.
To look at the big picture is more encouraging. The Blue Devils have still been to seven of the last 10 Final Fours, and they have played in three out of five national championship games. Krzyzewski is back, healthy and rested after the health problems.
The frontline for next season looks thin, while the backcourt appears to be a strength. And lessons have been learned that will certainly help the team in upcoming seasons.
But right now, analysis of the future does not matter.
After Monday's game, the 1994-95 season became ancient history to those in the Duke basketball office. And that's one of the best things that happened to the program all year long.
Dan Wichman is a Trinity senior and sports editor of The Chronicle.
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