ATLANTA - There were a lot of red eyes in the Blue Devil locker room after Duke's loss to LSU Thursday night. A game-an important game-had been lost, but most of the tears were for the end of an era. Those that remained of the "Super Six" recruiting class had put on their Duke uniforms for the last time.
Superstars J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams, along with fellow senior co-captains Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni, won 116 games at Duke, captured three ACC Tournament titles and went to a Final Four in 2004. But for at least one night, none of those accomplishments mattered to them. All that mattered was the fact that they would never again be able to suit up as Blue Devils.
"It's hard to look at the big picture right now," Melchionni said. "There are six guys in this locker room and four senior captains who will never put on a Duke jersey again. That's something that really hits you when the season ended abruptly. It's hard to realize right now."
Dockery echoed Melchionni's remarks, adding, "It will be hard to sleep tonight, and I doubt if I do."
The Blue Devils' underclassmen-including the team's five scholarship freshmen-cried alongside their older teammates, upset that they could not help deliver a National Championship to their senior leaders. They will have other opportunities, but Redick, Williams, Melchionni and Dockery will not get another shot.
"I've always said that you want to end the season where you're cutting down the nets or you're crying in the locker room," head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "Our kids were all crying in our locker room. And they have been a great group of kids, led by these seniors."
At the post-game press conference, Krzyzewski smiled, even as he sat next to teary-eyed Redick and Williams. He said he was surprised to be so happy immediately after his team's loss, but he knew that he was fortunate to have been able to coach his seniors for four years.
"I've been really lucky with these guys," he said. "And so I find it hard to cry right now. I found myself saying a prayer afterwards, saying thanks. Just thanks for letting me have this group again. And then whatever happens, you can handle wins and losses. But the quality of people you're with, that determines the experience. And I've had a hell of an experience with these guys."
All season long, the seniors told the story of how much their recruiting class expected to achieve when they came to Duke. They were going to win multiple National Championships. Four years later, Redick, Williams, Dockery and Melchionni have played their last game for Duke without winning one.
They may not have put a banner in Cameron Indoor Stadium's rafters, but if Duke's teary locker room indicates anything, it is a testament to the strength of the relationships and the quality of the experiences they have had. And that has to count for something.
"We set high standards for one another, so that's why a loss hurts in this locker room so much," Dockery said. "We care about one another."
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