The most exclusive club at Duke University hangs the names and numbers of its members from the rafters of Cameron Indoor Stadium. In the Krzyzewski era, a 26-year period that includes 10 Final Fours and three National Championships, just seven players have been given the golden ticket. Only 11 players have been given the honor in over 100 years of Duke basketball. So it seems kind of crazy to suggest that two players graduating in the same year are worthy of Duke's highest basketball honor.
Well, what J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams are doing this season, and what the two have done in their careers is just that-crazy.
The question for Redick is not if but when. It is commonly accepted that the powers that be (Read: Coach K and only Coach K) have already decided that no one will ever wear No. 4 for Duke again. A banner commemorating his incredible career will hang in Cameron forever.
The real question is whether the Landlord will receive the same honor. At first glance, it seems questionable whether Williams belongs in a group that includes names like Battier and Laettner, but when a thorough examination of his career is conducted, his legacy at Duke is pretty hard to ignore.
By the time he leaves Durham, Williams' name will be engraved in Duke's record books nearly as many times as the name of his jump-shooting teammate. The Landlord is already the leading shot-blocker in the history of the Blue Devils and is on pace to set the career rebounding mark during the NCAA Tournament.
In terms of scoring, Williams has averaged 13.4 points per contest for his career and has a total of 1,728 points, putting him 18th on Duke's scoring list. If the Blue Devils get to the finals of the ACC Tournament and the National Title game and Williams continues scoring at his season clip of 18.3 points per game, he'll finish as the 12th-best scorer in Duke history, ahead of Grant Hill, Dick Groat, Jeff Mullins and Bobby Hurley-four of the retirees.
And it hasn't been a down period for the conference. He has had to guard and has been guarded by some of the best big men in the country during his stay in the ACC. Games against Sean May and Eric Williams aren't exactly a great way to pad your stats.
He hasn't been able to avoid these guys either. Since he stepped foot on campus, Williams has been Duke's most talented forward, so May never spent any time guarding Nick Horvath or Lee Melchionni.
Last season, Williams became the first player under Krzyzewski to average in double-figures in both points and rebounding. Yes, that includes Laettner, Hill, Battier and even 1999 National Player of the Year Elton Brand.
This season, Williams is on pace to average a double-double for the second consecutive season. He has been slightly overshadowed, and rightfully so, by Redick, whose dominance has been well-documented.
But Williams has performed at an All-American level this season, too. He is fourth in the ACC in scoring-a difficult feat when someone on your team averages nearly 30 points per game. He's also leading the league in rebounds and shot-blocking yet again.
The common theory on campus is that Williams deserves his jersey retired only if he helps the 2006 squad to a National Championship. In fact, the retiree who played most recently and did not win a national title was Danny Ferry. Even though winning a championship should be one criterion, it should not be the only one.
Ferry, Johnny Dawkins and Mike Gminski all have been honored but wear no rings.
The only area where Williams will be outpaced by season's end by any of these three is scoring. And that's not entirely his fault. For four years, he's had to play alongside Redick, the school's all-time leading scorer, so there just weren't enough points to go around.
If those three are good enough to be honored without a title, Williams should be, too.
Make some room in the rafters.
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