Grant Hill Wins NBA Sportsmanship Award
For the fourth year in a row, a former Duke basketball player has won the Joe Dumars Trophy, awarded to the winner of the annual NBA Sportsmanship Award. This year, Grant Hill took home the trophy for the second time, the only player in the history of the award to win it twice. Shane Battier was once again selected as a divisional award winner. After Hill won his first Dumars Trophy in 2005, fellow Blue Devils Elton Brand and Luol Deng followed in his footsteps for the next two years. Duke has had more Sportsmanship Award winners than any other school, and is one of only two schools to boast multiple winners (Michigan State has had two winners).
As part of the award, the NBA will donate $25,000 in Grant’s name to HopeKids, a charitable organization that provides support to children with cancer and other life-threatening illnesses. The league also donates $10,000 to each of the divisional winners’ charities of choice.
Top Performer
The Utah Jazz hold a 3-2 lead over the Houston Rockets in their first-round series with Game 6 approaching Friday, and Carlos Boozer is a huge reason why. After Boozer’s heroics last year got Utah one step from the NBA Finals, it’s certainly no surprise to see Carlos posting impressive numbers. In the opening game of the series, Boozer finished with 20 points, 16 rebounds, and 3 assists to lead the Jazz to a 93-82 win on the Rockets’ home floor. His 16.2 points and 12.0 rebounds through the first five games have powered Utah to its current margin, and the numbers are even more impressive considering that they’ve come against the best team defense in the West, led by former Duke teammate Shane Battier.
Battier Impressive in Series
With Boozer dominating the paint, there wasn’t much the Rockets could do to slow down the Jazz in the first game of the series, but Shane Battier kept things competitive. Usually known more for his outstanding work on the defensive end, Shane lit up the scoreboard with a perfect night from the field, scoring 22 points on 7-of-7 from the floor and 4-for-4 from long range. He is shooting 52% from behind the arc for the series and averaging 11.0 points per game. Battier also finished third in the recently-released NBA Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Boston’s Kevin Garnett and Denver’s Marcus Camby.
Hill Sidelined
After losing several years of his career to a troublesome ankle injury, Grant Hill ended the season struggling with a groin injury that limited him all series against San Antonio. Without Hill at full strength, the Suns fell to the Spurs 4-1. After signing with Phoenix this summer with the hopes of winning an NBA Championship, it was a frustrating end to an otherwise terrific season for Grant.
Playoff Notes
Two other Blue Devils are enjoying the playoffs this year. J.J. Redick’s Orlando Magic knocked out the Toronto Raptors 4-1, while Shavlik Randolph and the Philadelphia 76ers trail the Detroit Pistons 3-2. Shavlik saw his first career playoff action Friday night, scoring two points from the free throw line in a convincing win.
Quote of the Week
“The thing that surprised me is that [Coach K’s] got a great sense of humor. He’s very, very funny. You see him coaching the games, and you see his intensity, you see him barking out orders, but you don’t realize what a standup comedian he is. That was fun to see.”
-Team USA Superstar Kobe Bryant
30thApr
Nike Honors Coach K With Commemorative Shoes
Posted by DBradley under Center of the Universe
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On March 1st, Duke defeated NC State in a thriller, leaving the RBC Center with an 87-86 victory. The win was Coach K’s 800th, making the NCAA’s active wins leader one of just six Division I coaches all-time with 800 or more victories.
To honor Coach K’s amazing feat, Nike produced an incredible, one-of-a-kind pair of Air Force Ones. The shoe box itself is constructed of old basketball floor boards with the names of Coach K’s parents William and Emily, brother Bill, wife Mickie, and three daughters Debbie, Lindy and Jamie lasered into the wood. The gray flannel and brass eyelets on the shoe were inspired by the cadet uniform sported by Coach K while at West Point. “Duke” is marked in suede on the side of the shoe and the soles have “Coach” on one and “K” on the other. “800″ presented in white with gold trim is featured on the back heel area of the shoe on blue suede.
The shoes were designed by Nike’s Eric Lautenbach, Chi McBride and Jason Badden, and produced in Nike’s Innovative Kitchen. Coach K owns the lone pair of the shoes in existence.
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Johnny Dawkins, perhaps Duke’s all-time greatest player and gentleman, has accepted the head coaching position at Stanford. Coach Dawkins joins an elite university that combines academic and athletic excellence as well as any school in the nation. The move breaks up a Duke coaching staff that had been intact for an NCAA-best eight years and Coach Dawkins leaves Durham after 10 years of service as a terrific coach and mentor.
Said Coach K, “In my 28 years at Duke, no one did more to build our program as a player, coach or a person than Johnny Dawkins. He is as responsible as anyone for the success we’ve had for more than two decades. Johnny is certainly ready to become a head coach at a high level, and that is exactly the opportunity he’s been presented. He will identify completely with what Stanford does, both in the classroom and on the court, and will maintain its strong basketball tradition. This is a great fit for both Stanford and Johnny.”
Coach Dawkins in the News
DeMarcus and I headed over to our new practice facility to give you guys a tour. The facility will help us improve in every area, from the weight room, to the cardio room, to the academic center, to the new courts, to the events center for meals, to the video area. We think you guys will be impressed…
(Filmed by Dave McClure)
25thApr
Kobe Bryant Shares Why He Would Have Been a Blue Devil
Posted by DBradley under Courtside Q&A
Towards the end of the NBA’s regular season, we caught up with 10-time NBA All-Star Kobe Bryant at the Lakers practice facility. Kobe shared his thoughts on Duke, Coach K, USA Basketball, Gerald Henderson and even offered a shout-out to the Crazies…
You have said in the past that if you had decided to go to college, you would have played for Coach K at Duke. Why?
Well, I love Coach K’s passion, his intensity for the game. He and I had some conversations when I was in school about the system and the style of play, and I just really found him to be a person that I can get along with, not only on the basketball court, but off the court as well. We just hit it off and I’m very fortunate to be playing for him this summer.
Well, I love Coach K’s passion, his intensity for the game. He and I had some conversations when I was in school about the system and the style of play, and I just really found him to be a person that I can get along with, not only on the basketball court, but off the court as well. We just hit it off and I’m very fortunate to be playing for him this summer.
Talk about your experience playing for Coach K last summer with the National Team?
For me it was just a great experience because I’ve been looking forward to playing with him for a while. So, it was almost as if I’d gone to college, and I was excited, I was looking forward to it. The thing that surprised me is that he’s got a great sense of humor. He’s very, very funny. You see him coaching the games, and you see his intensity, you see him barking out orders, but you don’t realize what a standup comedian he is. That was fun to see.
What is something you have taken from Coach K into this season?
One of the things that Coach K was stressing to me all the time is that he wanted me to just be who I am, which is to be a scorer. I’ve never had a coach come up to me and say, “We want you to just shoot it, shoot it, shoot it, shoot it,” but that’s one of the things that he preached to me this summer. “You just go out there and be who you are. We have a lot of scorers on the team,” but he said, “I want you to set the pace, set the tempo.” That’s what I tried to do — When I had the shot, just take it, and get after guys defensively.
Finish this sentence. Coach K is…
One of the greatest coaches of all-time. Period. No question about it.
Gerald Henderson is a big fan of yours. Talk about his game…
G is a very talented basketball player. He has a lot of gifts, a lot of physical gifts. He just has to continue to work on his skills, on his fundamentals to be a great basketball player. He has all the tools, he has all the talent, and all the physical attributes to be that. It’s just a matter of putting the work in.
What do you think about this year’s Duke team?
I think they’ve had a fantastic season. They should be really proud of the season they’ve had. They’re a young team, I think they’ve achieved some great things. Being that they’re young, they’re going to make noise for many years to come, but they’ve had a terrific season. And tell the Cameron Crazies I said “What’s up!”
