The national title in the words of Nolan Smith

When that last shot went up, I glanced and had to look away.  If it was going in, I didn’t want to see it.  I waited for the crowd’s reaction and turned to the Duke fans.  I looked at that sea of blue and I saw their arms go up.

Yessir!!  My teammates and coaches were so excited.  My mom and my family out there, I saw tears coming down their faces knowing how special it was for father and son to win in the same city.  That means everything to me.

Looking back on that moment, I think about how hard it was to do it and the work that we put in to get it done… All the hard labor that we put in during the summertime to become a together team and win a championship.

Our team was so close, mainly because we did things off the court — really starting with the workouts in the summertime with the ROTC.  That was something that none of us had done and was very challenging.  It really taught us a lot about fighting for one another and being a unit, being as one on the court.  We took that from there and we won on and off the court all year long.

We knew it’s really not the way you start, it’s the way you finish.  Everybody did everything they could to stay fresh, stay in great shape all year, because we didn’t want to get tired down the stretch.  We started this year off losing a tough game to NC State, on the road to Georgia Tech…we knew that together we were going to have to get better from there and we did.

We had the best seniors and they led us from day one.  One of our standards was one that Lance said, and that was “have a final mentality.”  When he said that, from that day forward, we just played with that mentality.

Our experience definitely helped us throughout this season.  When games got tight and we were down, we found a way to get a win.  To give you an example—the Miami game—we were down 12 at halftime but kept after it.  We’re a tough team and we stayed poised all year long.  That showed in the NCAA Tournament versus teams like Baylor in their hometown and Butler in their hometown.

When you look around at other programs and teams throughout the years, you ask, “Well, who won it?”   I can look at the different programs that I follow and I can call myself a winner.  We can all call ourselves winners.  I definitely feel honored I’ll be mixed with some of the great players and teams ever here at Duke.

It still feels unreal, you know?  I’m trying to soak it all in.  Going to the White House, the Governor’s House, everything we’ve had the opportunity to do…It’s been very exciting.

When I go to the mall, go out to eat, get gas at the gas station…I’m always getting love.  A lot of fans are coming up to me and saying thanks, and I just thank them back.

A personal account of the national title by Chris Carrawell

Chris Carrawell, currently our grad assistant assistant coach, played at Duke from 1997-2000.  The St. Louis native was a member of our 1999 Final Four team, won two ACC Tournament titles and earned the ACC regular-season crown all four years of his Duke career.  Like our 2010 senior class, C-Well saved his best season for last, earning first-team All-America honors and the ACC Player of the Year award in his final year on campus.  Below, Chris shares his thoughts on this year’s national championship team…

It hit me when Hayward missed the shot.  It was such a dramatic moment, so when it clanked off, it hit me right away.  It wasn’t the confetti, it was that shot.  That shot didn’t go, and then, “it’s party time!”  It was just that quick.  That shot doesn’t go and we’re national champions.

Our path, the way our guys got here, dealing with the critics, the unbelievably tough road we had to face, made it even more special.  I will never forget all the joy on the faces of our players and staff on the floor at Lucas Oil Stadium.  It was a genuine love for one another and a celebration that we were the best team in the land.  We may not have the best talent, but we were the best team, and the best team usually wins this thing.  Sometimes the talent can overmatch a team, but this Duke group?  No way.   2010 national champions, it’s a special thing, a special thing.

For me, it’s huge.  Coming from where I come from in St. Louis, to be at a place like Duke, first of all, then to be able to play at a place like Duke under one of the best coaches of all time, it’s just like “wow!”   Now, to come back and be a part of Coach K’s staff?  Are you serious?  It’s something that I would’ve never imagined.  And then, as the confetti is flying, Coach finds me on the floor and hugs me, saying “this is for the one you missed.”  For Coach to even think about that in the moment was so special to me and then mention it in the locker room after the game… I mean what more can you say?  I’m truly blessed to be a part of this.   I’m humble and I’m forever grateful.

It is a great feeling.  Missing out on a chance to get a ring in 1999, it was tough.  Now, to come back and be a part of the staff on a team that won a national championship, I got that ring.   I was so excited, so happy for our guys, because it’s such a great group and they deserved it.  To be a part of it is one of the best feelings in my basketball career and I really appreciate these guys and this team.  Although I didn’t play, it felt like I had had played because we all love this team and everyone has invested so much in the season, the team, and each other.  I’m speechless really.

I think back to an interview Nate and I did at the beginning of last year for Blue Planet.  It was our first year on staff together, and one of the questions asked was what would it mean to you if we got a chance to win the national championship together.  I didn’t think it would be this soon to tell you the truth.   The feeling is indescribable because that is what you play for.  Whether you’re coaching or playing, being a part of something that is bigger than yourself while winning championships is what we’re known for at Duke.   To win the ACC Tournament championship, and to win the regional championship, and then to win the whole thing is special.   This team won every championship that you could possibly win starting with the Preseason NIT.

When I look up at that 2010 championship banner when it’s hanging in Cameron, I will think about leadership, perseverance, and togetherness.   It started with our three seniors.  They were great leaders and brought it every day.   You take a guy like Lance Thomas, every day he brought great energy and embraced his role as a leader, as a competitor, as a defender.   Jon Scheyer was a superstar for us this year.  To play all the minutes he did, to bring the ball up with all pressure and responsibilities of playing point guard, to hit big shot after big shot while always leading by example and maintaining his poise was great.  Then you take Zoubs.  He wasn’t starting early in the year, but he played great basketball all year long.   For him to emerge in my opinion as the best big man in the country his senior year was the main reason we won the championship.  I get a special kick out of those three guys because I was a four-year player here.  You always have a special place in your heart for the seniors and those guys did it by battling, fighting through adversity and earning everything they got.

Their freshman year, they went 22-11, finishing 8-8 in the ACC, taking their licks early, and losing in the first round of the tournament.  How do you respond to that?  Do you go into a shell?  Or do you learn from it and get better?   Each year, these guys got better.  Whether it was improving in the summer time, improving their attitudes, improving their bodies, improving their shot, or improving their defense, they did whatever they could do to get better.  As sophomores, they come back to win 28 games, then lose in the second round to a really good West Virginia team.  What are you gonna do now?  These guys kept plugging, and they ran their own race.  Coach K always talks about how these guys ran their own race.  They got better each year.  They come back their junior year, and take another step, winning their first ACC championship.  Cutting down the nets in Atlanta was huge because they got a taste of what it was like to win.

And now, you see everything come together after four years of ups and downs, hard work, and the struggles especially in that first year.   They learned from everything that came their way, they persevered, they kept competing, and they just got better and better.  Whatever you want to say or however you want to slice it up, these guys were the best team in the country.  I still can’t believe it.   It’s a surreal feeling for me, sharing this journey with such a special group, and I’m just so happy for these guys.  They’re champions and that’s forever…they’re champions.

Kyle and Nolan host episode two of DUKE HOOP

Wonder why Kyle transforms into an Incredible Hulk-like competitor on the court or how the Blue Devil dramatically improved his physique?  Then check out episode two of DUKE HOOP (the Duke Basketball Players Show)…

Nolan and LT host the first episode of the new Duke players show

Blue Devils over the years have been first in a number of stats, rankings, and polls.  Today marked another less important but equally fun first as the players became the lone team in the country to have its own web-based show.  Duke Episode 1.1 made its debut tonight on DukeBluePlanet.com, our YouTube channel and our iTunes podcast, and a new episode will be released every other Friday through the end of the season.  Each show will be hosted by a current player (LT and Nolan led off in episode 1.1) and include features, format and style that appeals to the current team.

Each episode will include the following segments:

*2-3 player hosts introducing the various segments

*Plays of the week (highlights from the week)

*In the locker room (player locker room topics)

*Welcome to Cameron (short, entertaining segments promoting various Duke Basketball traditions)

*Feature Presentation (a new longer feature each week on a player or team event)

Please check out the first episode below…

A fun and memorable Thanksgiving week in NYC culminated in a NIT championship (and entertaining footage from Nolan Smith and Lance Thomas).