Duke becomes Shav Country

In his free time, which has been scarce between a recent plethora of recruiting visits, Shavlik Randolph walks through the woods to his friend's house.

The house, or as Randolph calls it, the palace, has a full-size basketball court in the backyard with durable rims and adjustable fiberglass backboards. In the spectacle that follows, Randolph and his friends lower the rims to about eight-and-one-half feet, take a smaller-than-regulation-size basketball, roll the cameras and play.

Randolph then spends part of his technology class, and much of his spare time, editing that tape and making highlight reels. By now he's on volume four.

This is what the thoughtful, slow-talking Raleigh native did for relaxation during the biggest recruiting battle on Tobacco Road since David Thompson signed with N.C. State--a war that ended only a few weeks ago when Randolph committed to Duke.

"I'm pretty quiet. I don't really talk too much except to the people that know me," he said. "The people that know me and that I'm real good friends with--I'm not quiet around them; I'm just myself."

What Randolph does not say to the media, he says on the court. Entering his senior season at Broughton, the same high school thelegendary Pete Maravich attended, he was a consensus top-10 recruit in the nation. Last season, Randolph averaged 27.9 points and grabbed 13.2 boards. He also broke Maravich's school record of 47 points in a game. He scored 50.

"There's not much he can't do on the court," said future teammate J.J. Redick, who played with Randolph over the summer and may room with him next year. "He can shoot threes, he's 6-foot-10-and-a-half. To do that at that height is special. He's got ballhandling skills like a guard. He blocks shots, he rebounds, he scores in numerous ways. Inside, he gets to the free-throw line. He's a complete player."

Over a year ago, coach Mike Krzyzewski put Randolph on a list of six players he wanted to get for the Class of 2006. The Blue Devils brought No. 42 to campus many times, both unofficially and officially. They worked him out and showed him around campus. At night, the players took him around the town and played heated games of Madden 2002 on Playstation 2.

As odd as some may find it, Randolph maintains it will not be hard for a pair of Tar Heel alumni to pull for Duke if it makes their son happy. However, he did say it was hard to turn down a scholarship offer he received from N.C. State the summer after his freshman season.

"Right after it happened and my Dad told me what it was, I didn't know what to say," Randolph said. "I was real close to going to State. At the time they offered me the scholarship I was one of those kids who, if I'd seen the players at the mall, would have gone up and asked them for an autograph. I was a little kid trying to get tickets to the game and all of a sudden they're saying they want me to play basketball for them. That was kind of weird for me."

As Randolph gets used to the superstardom that he says makes him feel like Michael Jordan-whom, incidentally, he played against this summer-he still maintains that it's not weird to be both a superstar and a kid playing around in the editing room. Most of the people he plays with he has been around all his life, and the girls "still fawn over some of my teammates more than me," Randolph said, despite the fact his school makes T-shirts for him that say "Shav Country."

"Seeing the Cameron Crazies wearing it would be kind of cool," Randolph admits.

A pianist and deeply religious person, Randolph's talents, which he says were given to him from God, extend well beyond the basketball court. Many people, including future teammate Lee Melchionni, say he is one of the genuinely nicest people they have met. However, he and others say he can be a bit of a jokester.

"He's just fun to be around," Redick said. "He makes everybody laugh. He draws attention to himself just because he has a great sense of humor and a great personality. And you've got to admire him for his faith and his religion."