DBP looks back at some of the best Duke games and moments of the past decade
Top 10 Duke Games of the Decade
1. 2001 National Title Game – Duke vs. Arizona (Duke wins the NCAA title)
2. 2001 Final Four – Duke vs. Maryland (Duke erases record 22-point deficit to advance)
3. 2001 – Duke at Maryland (Miracle Minute – Duke rallies from 10 down in the final 54 seconds)
4. 2001 – Duke at UNC (With Boozer down, Devils respond in Chapel Hill)
5. 2004 – Duke at UNC (Duhon’s OT layup pushes Duke to 13th win over UNC in 15 games)
6. 2003 – Duke vs. NC State (Redick’s 2nd half explosion leads Duke to 5th straight ACC title)
7. 2006 – Duke vs. Texas (No. 1 vs. No. 2 in the Meadowlands and JJ goes off for 41)
8. 2006 – Duke vs. VA Tech (Dockery buzzer-beater in Cameron)
9. 2004 – Duke vs. UNC (Duke D holds strong on last possession as Devils win)
10. 2008 – Duke at NC State (Furious Duke comeback gives Coach K his 800th win)
10 Memorable Moments
The National Title in 2001… Perhaps the most talented squad in Duke history, led by five future NBA starters (Battier, J. Williams, Dunleavy, Boozer, Duhon) and an All-ACC pro (current assistant coach Nate James), the Blue Devils went 35-4 and won it all. The season also included an ACC Tourney title, an ACC regular-season crown, the Preseason NIT championship, and the final No. 1 ranking in the polls. Shane and J-Will both earned separate National Player of the Year honors as well as Duke won every possible championship for which we competed. “Coach K is such a tremendous influence in my life,” Battier said after winning the national title. “To give him his third championship, and separate him from the pack that has won two is the best way that I could go out. It’s my going-away present to him. I am the luckier person to have the relationship with him for the last four years. And I know that he’ll be one of my most valuable friends for the rest of my life.”
2004 Final Four… Paced by a savvy veteran (Chris Duhon) and a precocious freshman (Luol Deng), the Blue Devils won 31 games in 2004 and advanced to the Final Four with a tough win over Xavier in the regional final. Deng earned NCAA Tournament regional MVP honors and Duhon was an All-American on the year, with the team reaching the No. 1 ranking in America and winning the ACC regular-season title as well. “This is probably my favorite team since I’ve been at Duke,” Duhon said that year. “It’s an amazing feeling to go out and battle with these guys. I hope they enjoy it as much as I have.”
Duke wins fifth straight ACC Title in 2003… NC State had Duke on the ropes in the 2003 ACC title game, leading by 15 midway through the second half. Freshman sharpshooter J.J. Redick then produced one of the best performances of his Duke career when the Devils really needed it, scoring 23 points over the final 10:05. Duke rallied and eventually won 84-77, thus becoming the first team to ever win five straight ACC Tournament crowns. “I watched the last four years on TV and I didn’t get to experience it in person, but it’s a huge honor to carry on the tradition of guys like Elton Brand and Shane Battier and Jason Williams,” Redick said after the game. “That’s the reason I came to Duke, to continue the tradition of being one of the top programs in the country.”
JJ breaks the Duke scoring record in 2006… In typical J.J. Redick fashion, the guard slipped around a screen, took a feed in front of the Duke bench and launched a three-pointer that captivated the entire arena. This shot was worth more than three points, however, as the bucket pushed J.J. to first on the all-time Duke scoring chart. The previous top scorer, Johnny Dawkins, was there on the bench coaching Redick and shared in the celebration of a historic night in Cameron. Said Coach K after the game, “When you’re that scorer, you’re marked, and in our league, you’re usually marked by athletes. And you’re not only being played by them, but you’re being double-teamed by another athlete. In a league like ours, for him to do what he has done is truly amazing.”
Coach K wins gold in 2008… The 2008 Olympic basketball gold medal game was contested in the early morning hours back on the east coast but many die-hard Blue Devil fans were still awake. In one of the great gold medal games of all-time, the Coach K-led U.S. National Team fought past a Spain team that was firing on all cylinders. At the under 8:00 timeout, it was a one-possession game before Kobe Bryant took over and the Americans finished strong. Representing Duke in grand style all the way in China, Coach K watched his Team USA players celebrate a mission accomplished. “We played with great character in one of the great games in international basketball history. Spain was fabulous, we couldn’t stop them completely. Everyone played at the highest level, and it brought out the best in us — and we’re ecstatic, just ecstatic.”
Coach K Inducted into Basketball Hall of Fame… In his first year of eligibility, Coach K received basketball’s highest honor with induction into the Hall of Fame in October 2001. “I hope that all of those youngsters who have played for me and the people who have worked with me will share in this honor, said Coach K. “My mom always told me to associate myself with great people and great institutions. I’ve tried to do that at the United States Military Academy and at Duke University, two of the great institutions in the world. As a result, I’ve been around some amazing people.”
Duke Unveils Krzyzewski Center… In February 2008, Duke officially opened our brand-new training facility, the K Center. The new building offers two basketball courts, a weight room, a cardio room, a locker room for former players, a video room, a theater, a banquet space for meals, and academic support for all Duke student-athletes. The world-class facility provides our players with the finest resources in the country to improve and develop on and off the court. Said Chris Duhon, “It ranks right there with the best because they have everything. They have the courts, the locker room, the weight room — everything is right there and accessible to you. It is a beautiful, beautiful facility. It probably would be the best of all the training facilities I have seen in the NBA and college.”
Four Jersey Retirements… During the past decade, four amazing Duke players saw their jerseys retired and immortalized in the rafters of Cameron. Shane Battier was first in 2001, followed by Jason Williams (2003), Shelden Williams (2007) and JJ Redick (2007). Redick, Duke’s all-time leading scorer, stated on his Retirement Day, “Records are something that kind of just happen as you’re playing, but an honor like having your jersey retired means somebody has to recognize you, somebody has to honor you. So, for Duke to do this … I am just extremely humbled. Every time now that I walk into Cameron, it’s going to mean something more. This is something that I crazily dreamed about years ago.”
Cameron Court Named in Coach K’s Honor… On November 17, 2000, Duke named Cameron Indoor’s storied floor “Coach K Court” in honor of the legendary Duke coach after his 500th Blue Devil win. Said Coach K, “My love for Duke and this building and the people in it — I can’t love it more. And so to have my name on that court is great. You couldn’t have honored me in a better way.”
Emily K Center Opens in Durham… A constant theme in the Duke program is giving back, and in spring 2008, Coach K and the Blue Devil family did that at the highest level when the Emily Krzyzewski Center opened in Durham’s West End. The center serves the local community by inspiring economically disadvantaged students to dream big, strive for excellence, build strong character and reach their highest potential. Said Coach K shortly after the center opened, “The community center in the neighborhood where I grew up had a significant impact on the direction of my life. Our goal is to create that type of environment and experience for the youth in this community. It’s a wonderful thing, and it’s something that will go on forever. When you’re able to help people help themselves, that eventually helps the community and helps everyone. That’s the person my mom was. I named it after her so people understand you don’t get there alone.”
