Run a Google search for “Duke,” and the bulk of your results will be related to Jalen Rose’s recent comments about Duke recruits being “Uncle Toms” and the imminent return—or non-return—of Kyrie Irving.
This isn’t unexpected in our fast-paced world of right now, but even as we dive headlong into the media frenzy over Fab Fives and turf toes and March Madness, it’s time for a moment of appreciation for two Blue Devils.
The Duke Basketball program fell into something of a slump following its 2004 run to the Final Four. J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams played out their junior and senior years without making it past the Sweet 16. Things seemed headed downward from there, as the 2006-07 squad was bounced from the Tournament in the first round.
Then, in 2007, along came two of the nation’s top recruits. ESPN ranked Kyle Singler fourth in the class, with Nolan Smith nipping at his heels at No. 6. Singler started right away, averaging nearly 30 minutes per game and chipping in 13.3 points per game, and Smith contributed off the bench. But that wasn’t enough as the Blue Devils narrowly escaped 15th-seeded Belmont in the first round before losing to West Virginia two days later.
There were three more years to grow, though, and as Singler made incremental improvements to his game, Smith made even bigger strides. He jumped from 15 minutes and six points per game in his freshman year to 22 minutes and eight points as a sophomore before breaking out last year, to the tune of 36 minutes and 17.3 points per game.
Meanwhile, they grew into the team’s emotional leaders, especially after Greg Paulus’s graduation and Gerald Henderson’s leap to the NBA prior to last season: Singler with his understated style and unexpected grace with a basketball, and Smith wearing his feelings on his sleeves, right beside the tattoo of his late father.
Singler’s place in Duke’s rafters ought to be assured already. He doesn’t, and won’t, possess a National Player of the Year award, but he does rank fourth in Duke history in scoring with 2,350 points, and the three men ahead of him on the scoring list—Redick, Johnny Dawkins, and Christian Laettner—were all easy choices to have their jerseys retired.
The first time he grabs a missed shot against Hampton on Friday, he’ll also have his thousandth rebound, making him the seventh Duke player to break that mark. Four rebounds later he’ll pass Danny Ferry for sixth all-time, which is likely where he’ll finish his career.
If he can accumulate just 55 more tallies between points, rebounds and assists, which he’s likely to do by the end of the first weekend of the Tournament, he’ll place second behind only Laettner in the sum of those statistics.
Smith might require a little March magic if he’s to see his jersey retired. His 1,870 points are good for 18th all time, but if he can score 58 in the Tournament, he’ll move up three spots to pass Grant Hill. Five more assists and 12 more rebounds will see him crack the 400 barrier in both those categories.
On a purely statistical level, that still probably won’t be enough to put No. 2 in the rafters, but March Madness affords him the opportunity to put one more very important statistic on his resume: a second championship. Of the four players to start for Duke in two NCAA championship victories, three have their numbers hanging in Cameron, so those odds can’t hurt.
The odds get even better if you forgive him somewhat for the playing time he didn’t get early in his career, as his senior season isn’t so different from Jason Williams’s sophomore season at Duke, which is often regarded as one of the better individual campaigns in Duke history. Williams’s all-around contributions were remarkable for a guard: 21.6 points, 3.3 rebounds, 6.1 assists and two steals per game as his team won the NCAA title.
Smith’s 21.2 points and 5.2 assists per game look strikingly similar. If he can match the National Player of the Year award that Williams won that season, Smith would prove hard to turn down.
In a statement issued yesterday, much of which was featured as a guest column for the New York Times’ college sports blog, Grant Hill wrote about Smith.
“All of us are extremely proud of the current Duke team, especially Nolan Smith,” he wrote. “He is the quintessential young Dukie.”
So for Singler and Smith, there’s more at stake than right now. Because while the tweets of today will get lost in the talk of tomorrow, banners hang forever.
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