I am just as against the hoarding of talent in sports as the next fan. I never liked the Lakers when they had both Shaq and Kobe, nor did I like the Avalanche when there was at least one All-Star on each line. And as a Bostonian, I have naturally come to resent the Yankees and their ability to hand-pick which future Hall of Famer they want for their upcoming season.
So why do I choose to root for Duke basketball year in and year out?
With their revered coach, lineups stacked with McDonald's All-Americans, hallowed home arena and perennial success, they are the closest thing to the Yankees in any other sport. I thought I was supposed to have an inherent contempt for such teams.
For the last 15 years, the Blue Devils have thrived on using their good-guy image to get all the calls in all the big moments. Everyone knows that Jay Williams climbed onto the back of Jason Gardner in the 2001 title game and was never whistled for the foul, or that Christian Laettner stepped on the chest of a Kentucky player in the 1992 regional finals and wasn't given a technical.
So what's my problem? How did someone like me, who started out as a Red Sox fan and always liked rooting for the underdog, become intertwined with Durham's evil empire?
My favorite play in sports history, apart from the final out of the 2004 World Series, came courtesy of the Blue Devils in that aforementioned game against Kentucky. Grant Hill heaved an 80-foot pass to Laettner, who subsequently buried a turnaround jumper to give Duke the win. That burned such a deep memory in my mind that I even remember Vern Lundquist's call ("Here's the toss to Laettner... puts it up...YES!!!") and Antonio Lang on the Duke sideline sobbing with joy. As a 7-year-old with no real sports memories up to that point, it made me a permanent Dukie. It's a little hard to criticize the involuntary actions of a 7-year-old, isn't it?
The Blue Devils have players that the average Joe can relate to, even if they are the college basketball equivalent of vanilla ice cream. With the notable exceptions of Grant Hill, Elton Brand and Shane Battier, most Duke players are one-trick ponies - normally shooters - that are proud of their single skill. Yet they apply that one talent to the game so effectively that as a team they almost always come out on top. Plus, as a 5'6" kid from the suburbs, I can't help but admire jump shooters. Sure, J.J. Redick is not the nicest guy in the world, and if I ever played against him we would probably come to blows, but he is a phenomenal shooter. Who else can nail a 30-foot shot while maintaining perfect form?
While we're on the subject of sharpshooters, I'm sure most college hoop fans will remember Trajan Langdon, who had possibly the finest nickname in sports history: the Alaskan Assassin. Just for that I'm a Duke fan.
I have accepted the fact most Duke players will have rather lackluster pro careers (see Ferry, Danny and Hurley, Bobby), so I have grown accustomed to enjoying them while they're at their peak. Guys like Daniel Ewing and Shelden Williams will probably not be enshrined in Springfield 20 years from now, so I might as well root for them now, rather than feel sorry for them later.
Finally, I know this is possibly the tritest argument of them all, but Duke wins the right way. They graduate close to 90 percent of their players, and their last early entry into the NBA, Luol Deng, left so he could make money to help his war-ravaged homeland of Sudan. Duke basketball is all about fulfilling one's original commitment by staying all four years, taking advantage of the educational opportunities and, more importantly, continuing a legacy of winning. There are no scandals, no out-of-control players driving around in booster-paid Explorers and no head-case freshmen. What's not to like?
So I understand the abuse that comes with rooting for the evil empire of college basketball. I, too, shiver when Dick Vitale constantly compares Chris Duhon to Derek Jeter. I, too, get pissed at J.J. Redick when he doesn't shake hands with the opposing team after a loss. I admit that compared to their high-flying ACC counterparts, especially UNC, the Blue Devils play boring basketball. But you cannot argue with results. Mike Krzyzewski is in the Basketball Hall of Fame and he's still coaching. They have won more national titles over the last 15 years than anyone else. Even if you don't like them, you have to admit: that Laettner shot was pretty cool.
Next week Herald Sports Editor Chris Mahr '07 will be writing columns about his love of the Shaq-Kobe Lakers and Real Madrid. But not the Yankees; they still suck.
