It was a thrilling weekend in Atlanta, as Duke survived two of its toughest tests of the season to advance to the Final Four. A few thoughts from I-85:
J.J. Redick, as good as he is, may be extremely overrated, while Daniel Ewing might be the most underrated player in the country. Before I get hate mail from the Redick fan club of America, let me point out that I'm not saying the Virginia native is not a valuable player, because he most certainly is; I'm merely saying that his stature is a bit out-of-whack with his ability, especially when you stack him up against his extremely talented but highly under-appreciated co-shooting guard, Ewing.
I applaud Redick for the great strides he's made in his all-around game, but the fact remains that he's essentially a one-trick pony. He's worked hard to turn himself into a mediocre defender, a decent passer and a solid rebounder, but J.J. Redick plays for Duke and not Valparaiso solely because he has one of the most deadly three-point shots in the country.
Problem is, Ewing's been an even better shooter: The junior led the Blue Devils in three-point shooting at 41.4 percent, while Redick shot 40.3 percent from beyond the arc. It makes you wonder if Ewing hoisted up as many shots a game as Redick, which of the two would lead the team in scoring and earn second-team All-ACC honors?
Now take into account the fact that Ewing often draws the opponents' top scorer-in the ACC, which meant guarding the likes of Rashad McCants, Tim Pickett, B.J. Elder and Justin Gray, while Redick usually guards the weakest link. This weekend in Atlanta, for instance, Ewing teamed up with Duhon to pester the star guard tandems of Illinois (Dee Brown and Deron Williams) and Xavier (Lionel Chalmers and Romain Sato). Meanwhile, Redick fared quite nicely on his men, but in the Xavier game when he found himself isolated against Sato or Chalmers, he was often left wondering who just blew past him.
Last but not least, you've got to love the way Ewing just quietly goes about his business, doing what he can to help the Blue Devils, whereas Redick may be one of the most disliked players in the ACC for his trash-talking and on-court arrogance. Duke is Duke because it wins and wins with class, and Redick running downcourt screaming, with his hand frozen in a follow through motion after hitting a three-pointer, only hinders that image.
Redick is a very valuable player, and his long-range shot can change the course of a game. But if I'm coaching the Blue Devils and I have to choose between Redick and Ewing for a must-win game--especially against an uber-talented team like, say, UConn--I take Ewing 10 times out of 10. I guess that just proves two things: One, it's good I'm not coaching the Blue Devils; and two, it's good that Duke has the luxury of playing both its shooting guards.
Luol Deng, with just another year at Duke, could already have himself in the discussion of the greatest players in school history. If he takes the Jason Williams route and opts to stay three years while earning his degree in an accelerated program...Wow. Deng has the potential to make Laettner, Hill, Battier and Brand look average.
I said it yesterday, and I'll say it again today: Deng had his coming out party in the second half against Xavier. He flat-out put the Blue Devils on his back and carried them, showing the flashes of greatness you just don't expect to see from freshmen this side of Carmelo Anthony.
One of the most amazing plays I've seen in my four years at Duke came during the 2001 National Championship game against Arizona. Late in the second half with Duke clinging to a three-point lead and desperate for a bucket, senior All-American Shane Battier somehow, someway tipped in a missed shot with the back of his hand.
"It was one of the great plays I've seen in a championship game," Coach K said at the time. "I don't see how he could explain how he did it. I think it's his will to win."
Sunday in Atlanta, it was déjà vu all over again; only it wasn't a senior All-American coming to the rescue for Duke, it was a freshman.
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