Coach K Photo by BDN photographer Rick Crank

In this clip from BDN Video, Coach K speaks of the NBA Draft and behind the scenes happenings with concern to Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler,

BDN Photographer Rick Crank caught wonderful moment after Duke defeated UNC for the ACC Championship. BDN Photo

After a brief hiatus Monday Musings is back and we have plenty of stuff to talk about.  The reason the article went MIA was due to an overload of Blue Devil Nation Premium articles which simply dominated the site last week.  One thing BDN followers can depend on is the flat out best recruiting circuit coverage available. 

The NBA Draft is still fresh in many fans minds and the Blue Devils added three more players to the league.  Kyrie Irving became the second Blue Devil to be the first overall pick, joining Elton Brand as the two Blue Devils holding that honor.  Irving looked rather suave as he hit the podium fulfilling his dream.  While some Duke fans feel a void in that they saw him play just eleven games in the royal blue, there are benefits to his quick departure.  Irving will represent Duke well and he’s already had good things to say about Coach K and the program.  Having an alum in the spotlight will only bring more talk of the program and rising prospects really like seeing the hot rookies which stay fresh in their minds.  Duke adds Austin Rivers this year and trend is developing of great guards coming through Durham on a yearly basis.  Here is Irving and Tristan Thompson being introduced to Cleveland Cavalier fans.

How cool was it to hear, “And with the 21st overall pick in the NBA Draft, the Portland Trail Blazers select Nolan Smith of Duke?”  Maybe Kyle can give Nolan some tips as he rolls to home state to Oregon with a guaranteed contract in tow.  Smith worked hard at Duke and had both up’s and downs but he stuck it out and he is now in the NBA.  FWIW, I jumped out of my chair and cheered as if it were a Duke buzzer beater when his name was called.  Here is the latest article on NDotSmitty.

Then there was Kyle Singler chosen #33 by the Detroit Pistons.  Singler barely missed the first round but he fell into a good situation with the Pistons in that he was still their first selection and he will get a sure contract.  The Detroit brass pointed to his leadership, work ethic and skills when they spoke of their prized rookie.  I will sure miss all three of these guys but the memories from each have been great, especially Nolan and Kyle who brought a National Championship to Durham.  Here is a link on the Pistons desire for character and that led them to draft KSing. 

It seems like a few months ago when I was covering Duke players at the N.C. Pro Am at North Carolina Central University.  Maybe it’s the fact I am getting older or it could just be that coverage never ends at BDN.  Regardless, BDN will be front and center with coverage for the event which starts this week.  BDN was the first site to cover this event and therefore we’ve developed good relationships with those involved.  It’s a first rate event worth your summer time and a friendly atmosphere awaits.  Stop by and say hello for I will once again be in the end zone with my own private desk;)  A key change to note — no high school players are allowed to participate per NCAA rules this season.  That means no Pinson, Purvis and such.  One other tidbit is that Duke players rarely show the first session, so look for them next week.  And yes, Duke will have players participate but their time will be cut short due to the China-Dubai trip which happens in August.  As we’ve said before, Duke is allotted ten full practices before the journey.

USA!  A few key Duke Basketball recruiting prospects  were missing during last weeks NBA Top 100 Camp and for good reason.  Targets Jabari Parker and Theo Pinson were in the red, white and blue leading Team USA to Gold.  Parker averaged 15.4 ppg and  grabbed 6.4 rebounds a contest.  Pinson was the fourth   scorer at 11.5 ppg and added an amazing 6.2 rebounds from the wing.  Team USA finished 5-0 defeating Argentina 104-64.  Here are the TEAM USA U16 Stats.

The player nicknamed "The Black Falcon," flew on both sides of the fence until his most awkward Skype announcement. We'll let you fill in the caption on this pic. BDN Photo

Stash this in the remember where you heard it department.  Harrison Barnes will be the ACC Pre season POY and maybe even the national one as well.  A look at returning scorers in the conference shows that he is the top returning one in the league.  And look for the Blue Devils Seth Curry to make first team while Mason Plumlee will be on the second team.  UNC and Duke will be picked one, two in the league.  Yes, Duke fans, Barnes pictured left would have been in the top 8 picks had he gone pro, so his return guarantees that he will be one of the most hated Heels ever.

Measurements are coming in from the Nike Skills Academies and we found out that the measurements for the brothers Plumlee. Mason Plumlee measured 6’10,” 234 with  6’11″ wingspan, while Miles Plumlee measured 6’11.5,” 247 with a 7′ wingspan.  For full prospect measurements, check out the BDN Premium Message Board.

Recruiting information has been red hot of late and BDN has an incredible amount of material for you to catch up on by becoming a member.  We’ll be heading to the Peach Jam in July but there is much more before then.  We’ll keep you in a bit of suspense on that.  Look for a lengthy interview with Tony Parker today, so get off the fence and join the most dedicated Duke site in the world!  Be sure to go to our premium section located just under the header and take a look at what you’re missing. Recent interviews include, Robert Carter, Davonta Pollard, Rodney Purvis, Troy Williams, Joel James and Nate Britt.  BDN Premium brings you print and video interviews and if you haven’t heard the name Andrew Slater yet then you are not paying attention to our incredibly well informed basketball recruiting analyst and his one of a kind interviews.

BDN Photo

Duke Football Recruiting has been on a roll of late and you can find all the latest verbals by simply going to our football section.  Our resident recruiting analyst, Patrick Cacchio has been on a roll of late and BDN has become the place to be for Duke Football coverage.  We need more members on our football message board to discuss all the breaking news, so join up and help us make our forum the very best.  We are currently seeking a football board moderator, so send me a note through our popular twitter site if you are interested.   Anyhow, Coach Cutlciffe and staff are on a roll and they are beating some big schools for the latest commitments.  One other note, do not miss  our BDN Football Friday column which is the best weekly football article on the web.  If you find a better column on Cut’s team, let us know and we’ll work harder.

Speaking of Duke and ACC Football, I have been writing a preview of the conference for another site.  Everybody points to the Duke offense being able to move the ball  due to more vets on that side of the ball.  A closer look will tell you that Duke starts just two seniors and that nine of these kids will be back again the following year.  I picked Florida State and Virginia Tech as division winners and the main reason is that both have a manageable schedule.  The Blue Devils have the 22nd toughest schedule in the nation according to Phil Steele.  By writing a preview, I have a jump on fellow media members in picking the All ACC first and second teams at the fast approaching ACC Operation Football gathering.

Lastly, our prayers go out to the friends and family of two high school football players that were shot in Durham.

With three players selected in the 2011 NBA Draft, including two first rounders, head coach Mike Krzyzewski has now mentored 43 draft selections. Duke has now produced 76 NBA draft picks overall. “Being selected in the NBA Draft is a dream come true,” said Smith. “This is a special night for me and for my family. They have sacrificed a lot to help me reach my goals and my dreams. I am excited to have the opportunity to play for the Trail Blazers, set new goals and continue to work.” Smith, the 2011 ACC Player of the Year and a consensus first team All-America, led the ACC in scoring (20.6 ppg.), 20-point games (21) and 30-point games (four) as a senior. He also ranked among the league leaders in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, assists and minutes played. Smith was also named ACC Tournament MVP after averaging 18.0 points, 2.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 1.0 steals per game in Duke’s conference championship run. Smith averaged 13.4 points, 2.8 rebounds and 2.8 assists in 143 career games (including 97 starts). He ranks 17th all-time at Duke with 1,911 points and is the only player in school history to score over 1,500 career points after scoring less than 500 total points in his first two seasons combined. Smith’s father, the late Derek Smith, played nine years in the NBA with the Golden State Warriors (1982-83), San Diego/Los Angeles Clippers (1983-86), Sacramento Kings (1986-1989), Philadelphia 76ers (1989-90) and Boston Celtics (1990). He also spent two seasons (1994-96) as an assistant coach with the Washington Bullets and was a second round pick (No. 35 overall) by the Golden State Warriors in the 1982 draft.

Singler, a second team All-America selection in 2011, ranked among the ACC leaders in scoring, rebounding, field goal percentage, free throw percentage, three-point field goals made and minutes played a year ago. He was also named to the ACC All-Tournament first team after averaging 17.7 points and 7.8 rebounds per game while helping Duke to its third straight ACC Championship. Singler averaged 16.2 points, 6.9 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.1 steals per game in his career and owns Duke career records for games played (148-tied), consecutive games played (148), games started (147) and minutes played (4,887). He led Duke to 125 victories to rank second all-time in ACC history and is just the fourth player at Duke and ninth player in ACC history to amass over 2,000 points and 1,000 rebounds in a career. Singler ranks fourth at Duke with 2,392 career points and sixth with 1,007 career rebounds. Duke Draft Notes * Irving joins Elton Brand and Art Heyman as the only Blue Devils selected with the No. 1 overall pick. Brand was taken with the top pick in the 1999 draft by the Chicago Bulls, while Heyman was selected No. 1 overall in 1963 by the New York Knicks. *

 Duke has had seven top-3 picks since 1985, four more than any school. * Irving, Smith and Singler become the first trio of Blue Devils taken in the NBA Draft since 2002; Jason Williams (No. 2), Mike Dunleavy (No. 3), Carlos Boozer (No. 35) … Duke has had three or more players selected in the NBA Draft six times overall (2011, 2002, 1999, 1986, 1971 & 1956). * Irving is the 16th Duke player selected in the NBA Draft Lottery, more than any other school in the nation since the system was put into place in 1985. * Irving becomes the third Duke player selected by the Cleveland Cavaliers. Cleveland also selected Carlos Boozer with the 35th pick in the 2002 draft and Trajan Langdon with the 11th pick in the 1999 draft. * Smith is the first Duke player selected with the 21st pick in the NBA Draft. * Smith is the third Duke player selected by the Portland Trail Blazers. Alaa Abdelnaby was taken No. 25 overall by Portland in 1990, while Josh McRoberts was selected with the 37th pick of the 2007 draft. * Irving and Smith become the 22nd and 23rd players under Coach K selected in the first round of the NBA Draft … Duke has now had 15 first round selections in the last 14 years. * With Irving and Smith going in the opening round, Duke has now had 30 players selected in the first round of the NBA Draft. * Duke has had two or more players selected in the first round five times (1986, 1999, 2002, 2006 & 2011). * Singler is the fourth Blue Devil selected by the Detroit Pistons. Detroit took Steve Vandenberg in 1969, Larry Saunders in 1971 and Grant Hill in 1994. * Singler is third Duke player taken with the 33rd pick in the NBA Draft. Steve Vacendak was taken in that spot by San Francisco in 1966 and Garry Melchionni was the 33rd pick by Phoenix in 1973.

BDN Photo

In this weeks Monday Musings, I ramble a bit about the history Duke Basketball in the NBA Draft. We also touch on recruiting and upcoming events and salute the LAX and golf teams for their success and advancement.

The Cleveland Cavaliers won the coveted number one pick in the upcoming NBA Draft last week and that means it is almost a foregone conclusion that Kyrie Irving will be their pick.  Many might think that he will be the Blue Devils first overall number one pick in draft history but may I remind you that Elton Brand went to the Chicago Bulls in 1999 as the top pick. 

Two other Blue Devils were the second overall pick, that being  Jay Williams with the same Bulls team in 2002.  Danny Ferry was selected by the Los Angeles Clippers in the second spot in 1989 and he elected to go overseas before landing in Cleveland not only as a player but the eventual General Manager of the club in the LeBron James era. 

Speaking of the Cavaliers, they drafted two other Krzyzewski era Blue Devils as well.  Trajon Langdon was their 11th  pick in the 1st round in 1999 and Carlos Boozer was a 2nd round steal in 2002. 

When folks think the Chicago Bulls organization, Micheal Jordon comes to mind and that has made it hard for some Duke fans to root for the team.  Despite going down a game in their series with Miami, the Bulls seem to be a team of the future.  Carlos Boozer and Luol Deng  are two current Blue Devils playing major minutes for said Bulls and I must admit that I am pulling for, dare I say this, da Bulls.  And no, Deng was not drafted by the Bulls, for it was the Phoenix Suns who plucked him with the 7th overall pick in 2004.

Among active coaches, Mike Krzyzewski leads the pack with 21 1st round draft picks, followed by the guy down the road, Roy Williams who has had 17 at Kansas and North Carolina.  When Irving is selected in the draft , Duke will lead Williams 16-15 and gain sole possession of the most NBA lottery picks for a school. 

 If Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler go in the first round in this years draft, Duke will have had 24 1st round picks since 1985.  A total of 53 Duke players have been on NBA rosters over the legues history.  Former Duke great Dick Groat/ started it all off  as the 3rd overall pick by Fort Wayne in 1952.   The last Blue Devil drafted was Gerald Henderson by the Charlotte Bobcat’s in 2009. 

The last Blue Devil to make an NBA roster was the undrafted Brian Zoubek who is with the New Jersey Nets organization.   Gene “Tinkerbell” Banks and Kenny Dennard going 28th and 78th in the 1981 draft were the first Blue Devils selected in the Krzyzewski era, however, he coached them but one year, that being his first season at Duke.  The first two Duke players drafted that played four season under Krzyzewski at Duke were Johnny Dawkins and Mark Alarie, two 1st round picks in the 1986 draft.  ESPN announcer Jay Bilas also went 108th that same season.

On the recruiting front, Perry Ellis name became hot over the weekend.  Duke has opened a door with the prospect most felt was a strong Kansas lean through new assistant coach Jeff Capel.  But the Dukies have a lot of catching up to do before this one becomes interesting.

The basketball recruiting trail starts back up this coming weekend with a local event the Tournament of Champions.  This has been a great event in the past but new NCAA rules do not allow games to be played on college campuses.   That means a logistical nightmare in that the games will be held at various high school gyms in the Triangle area. 

We’ll be there to bring you coverage on Duke targets for Blue Devil Nation Premium, our extended coverage subscription service which keeps you in the know on all things Duke.  BDN Premium will also have our west coast correspondent, Varand Khachadouri covering the Nike EYBL event in Los Angeles, so if you love in depth Duke focused recruiting coverage, join now and see how we roll during grass roots balling. 

And you can also look forward to hearing from soon to be Blue Devil hoopsters Alex Murphy later today, followed by Quinn Cook tomorrow.  Both kids will arrive on campus the first of July and they tell us what they are most looking forward to and more in two of our latest interviews.  Last week alone, BDN Premium brought you four major prospect interviews through our exceedingly well versed recruiting aficionado, Andrew Slater and this week, there will be more.

The Duke Men’s LAX team defeated Notre Dame 7-5 to once again advance to the Final 4.   The Blue Devils sophomore goaltender Dan Wigrizermade 14 saves on goal helping Duke get past the Irish who they defeated for the national title a season ago.  Duke (14-5) will play unseeded Maryland on May 28 at M&T Bank Stadium at 6:30 p.m. on ESPN2.  Here is a recap from GoDuke.com.  Meanwhile, the Men’s Golf team won the Eastern Regional as well and that was their first ever regional final title.  And the Duke female LAX team rocked #4Florida and they too, advanced in the NCAA tournament.

I know some are hanging on to hope Kyrie Irving will return and I of course hope he does, but the harsh truth is that he would be a really high selection, top five for sure.  There will be several issues to consider for the Irving family including the possible lock out.  And just how many kids will enter their name for good this season?  This may or may not be a weak draft depending on said decisions.  Irving may actually be more marketable by returning to Duke with concerns to endorsements for playing in just a few games lowered his visibility.  The Irving family will likely have some news before the week is out.  Question is this … does Kyrie want to be stuck in Cleveland or in Minnesota?

Duke is very much involved with DeAndre Daniels, a 6-7 forward with length that could be the final member of the class of 2011.  Word is he may visit the Duke Men’s Basketball Banquet on April 15th but nothing is etched in stone just yet.  Regardless, the Blue Devils will get a visit and soon and his addition would be quite the pick up for Coach Mike Krzyzewski.  For more on Daniels check out the members only BDN Premium message board.

As you know, BDN follows the team throughout the season, covering them in person to bring you as close to the action as possible.  We followed the team to Anaheim, California but this season the Devils fell short.  The loss was a tough one for the faithful but it should be noted that 32 wins and an ACC Championship is something other fan bases would die for.  It was a good season that ended a bit too soon, but still one where you can hang your head high.

Well, I held in the emotion after last weeks loss to Arizona, until …  After the game, the last thing I wanted to do was interview the players as you could see by our cut backed versions.  For some reason the next morning, I felt unusually compelled to go down to the vast hotel lobby of the Hyatt Regency in Orange County around 8:00 A.M. pacific time.  Sure enough once off the elevator, there was Nolan Smith, Kyle Singler and Josh Hairston dragging their wears behind them on the way to the bus.  I wished Nolan well and gravitated towards the corner of the doors leading to the three buses but stayed to the far end.  I watched as Nolan and Kyle loaded their gear one last time and entered the bus , knowing it was the last time I would see this, while simultaneously thinking of what the two seniors had done for Duke including last seasons glorious national title.  That is when I felt the tears well up.  I turned fighting them off as the rest of the team and assistants came by, getting a nod from them while again, staying out of their way.  But it was when Mike Krzyzewski, the last one to come down the long corridor  that truly choked me up.  The man had his chest held high, completely composed as he always is in public, showing that he was indeed the strong leader of the bunch.  Coach K made his way over, walking out of his way and acknowledged my presence and that always means a lot to me.  He did the same with about three or four other people in what was a literal handful of well wishers before boarding the bus headed to LAX.  I suppose I realized how much I loved what the team had done and their collective character at that time and his handshake kept me from holding in the emotion as a couple of crocodile tears streamed before I caught my composure.  Hey, I was crying like a baby on the inside.  As the buses pulled away I thought how awesome it was to have been on the journey with them from start to finish.

When you are on press row, one must remain professional at all times, not wear team colors and not cheer.  There is very little monkey business during the team beat run unlike the AAU and or recruiting season and there is  a world of difference in the two.  Everybody can seemingly get credentialed to AAU events and fan boys are a dime a dozen.  The problem is that it has become unprofessional beyond a few.  Back stabbing, posturing, rumor mongering, petty jealousy and outrageous accusations not to mention boorish self serving behavior is the bad part of it and it is more prevalent than one might think.  I recently spoke with some long time legends of the business about the climate and all three agreed that most recruiting media are clueless to traditional media protocol and some are quick to act like twelve year olds.  I can assure you that the staff at BDN will mind their own business and we can only hope others do the same, keeping their pride and ego’s in check.  It’d be nice to see some tend to their own house this year.

Had one told me Butler would return to the National Championship game again this season, it would have been a tough sell to get me to remotely consider the possibility.  Well, here we are with one of the nations hottest teams in Connecticut taking on what will essentially be America’s Team in the Bulldogs.  I will be rooting for the four year guys, that’s for sure.

In case you missed it  former Duke star Thomas Hill in alongside Grant Hill and Chris Carrawell to counter Jalen Rose’s outlandish accusations.  Meanwhile, Rose responded by getting a DUI.  Try telling the street wise CWell that growing up in the St. Louis hood paved his lily like path and he’ll tell you different.  One thing is certain, Duke haters are a dime a dozen these days but their hatred is a personal issue and are rarely if ever based in actual facts.

Football recruiting is heating up and premium members have been reading Patrick Cacchio’s weekly football column each Friday.  There you will go behind the scenes with all things Duke Football.  We’re just getting started with our converge, so stay tuned all summer long leading to the opening game with Richmond.

photo- Lance King for BDN

As Duke took a 15 point lead over Michigan in yesterday’s game, the song “California Dreaming,” started to play in my head, but a furious Wolverine comeback almost burst that dream bubble and that’s what it is all about.  It takes but one made shot to send your dreams packing and nightmares to begin, but Duke survived and advanced and this is how you do in the NCAA’s.  In this weeks Monday Musings, late afternoon column, we’ll take a look back and ahead with happenings surrounding Duke Basketball.

Sometimes, you have to make your own emotion

For the first thirty minutes of the game I kept thinking to myself on press row, how flat the crowd was in Charlotte.  Across the way, the only person I could make out standing up in the Iron Duke section was Debbie K, Coach K’s daughter.  A few moments later with the team looking flat, Coach Krzyzewski slapped the court with his hand, jacket peeled off, arms in the air exhorting fans as he walked out to meet his team, emotion clearly implanted on his face.  It’s not the first time he’s had to do this for as fans we get a little fat and happy.  Regardless, without that emotion Duke would have never vaulted to a substantial lead, one which they had to hang onto for dear life to advance.

900 wins, 1,2,3, 4 …………….. 896 more

Wow!  Coach K now has 900 wins!  Amazing feat indeed and it deserves even more attention than it is getting but make no mistake, Coach will reflect on this after the season.  For now, he wants nothing more than this team to win, not for him, but for them and the fan base.  With so much going on, BDN hasn’t even been able to write much about the accomplishment but we want to address that after four more victories if you know what I mean, wink, wink.  We do however salute him with the count box on our main page which will soon contain a link to his vast accomplishments.

LK Image for BDN

The return of Kyrie Irving

Let me tell you first hand that it was quite the circus surrounding Kyrie Irving this past weekend.  Never have I seen so many cameras on a kid during NCAA events.  Irving is clearly coming along fast at this point and he will see even more minutes against Arizona and may even start.  We have several video interviews up with Irving, so check them out.  You could see flashes of Irving getting back to where he was but there is a ways to go yet with concern to his   Still, Duke may not have advanced had it not been for his second half play.  His one steal was a key one and the only one the Blue Devils made all day and that runner was the difference in the end.

… but Rollin’ Nolan is the backbone

Make no mistake, Nolan Smith is the leader of this season’s team and his skills have allowed Duke to get as far as they have to date.  Nolan put the team on his back, scoring 10 straight points against Michigan yesterday and without him Duke would be staying in Durham until graduation.  Smith has been flat out hard to stop and when he gets on the same page with Irving … watch out!  He is the most dependable player on the team and his consistency has been amazing.  Give him a good look the rest of the way Duke fans, because he’s having one of the best seasons of any player in the Blue Devils illustrious history.

Kyle Singler, he’s not that good

Relax!  I didn’t  say it, an astute well thought of sports writer beside me on press row did.   Look, Kyle had some misses yesterday that make you want to hide until the next play and it is funny how some only seem to recognize an air ball.  That was the case with the writer beside me.  I then pointed out that Kyle had 7 rebounds and led the team with assists with 4 with about 17 minutes left in the game.  It amazes me how people fail to see what he does off ball and how good a defensive player he is.  Singler is a flat out winner who could care less about his stat line.  You better get a good look this week at #12 Duke fans, for you will not realize how much you miss an eternal starter until he is gone.

Jet lag and adjusting

Duke will leave tomorrow afternoon for California in order to adjust to a three hour time difference.  It will be quite an adjustment for the Devils and could point to a slow start.  Arizona is much more familiar with the turf, having a lot of players from Cali on their roster mixed with some street tough New Yorkers.  Anaheim is a nice family oriented place so it shouldn’t be too many crazed fans and for the first time, Duke is away from the baby blue bunch that is booing them heartily at every turn.

Speaking of the lunatic fringe fans …

Okay, there are a lot of Carolina fans, so that means more fools in their fan base and all schools have them.  But I just cannot understand the make up of hate some of them seem to have.  F&%$ Duke shirts are a bit over the top and you never see Duke fans, no matter how redneck they may be in similar garb.  There were fans there whose soul purpose was to spew hate when Duke took to the court, spittle flying out of their mouths, faces red with last nights beverages.  One got escorted away and even more rational Tar Heels fans actually clapped.  One couple held up an anti Duke sign saying I hate  Dooke?  Any Tar Heel hating fan knows its Dook.  On to a public restaurant where four Heels fans were asked to leave or take off their F&%# Duke shirts.  Not the kind of thing one would wear in public unless of course they are part of the lunatic fringe.  The hate really is disturbing at times.

Get well soon to one of our cheerleaders!

One of our own suffered an injury yesterday, cheerleader Hattie Cutcliffe.  BDN loves the support group behind the Blue Devils and we wish her a speedy recovery.  She’s the one that turns like 164 flips in Cameron, being the best at that!  No details on the injury but we have our sources working on it;)

We love what we do!

Just wanted to take a moment to say thanks for all the fans who support and make up the Blue Devil Nation!  We love what we do around here and will continue to bring you passionate yet professional coverage of all things Duke Athletics.  We will be working on some changes soon which are sure to please and our AAU Basketball coverage will begin soon.  You can support our efforts and ability to bring you up close and personal with the teams by joining Blue Devil Nation Premium, our subscription service.  It is our members which help keep the site going and that give us the ability to offer so much on the free side of the site, much of which other sites charge for.

In closing, a little  story for you

After the media scramble where I interviewed players in the Duke locker room, I ventured back to my computer which was court side.  Most of the media had left for the media room but I remained with maybe five others due to a faster Internet connection.  It must have been maybe an hour after the game ended when I  looked up from my work.  Walking towards the court with his head hanging was a player in a Michigan warm up.  As he strolled out on to the court area, I could see tears in his eyes.  He walked onto the court and then started from just inside the free throw line and walked through and took a shot with and imaginary ball and repeated this two more  times.  You could see his mind working and he was doing all he could to fight back more tears.  He then strolled silently off the court and walked to the top of the arena where he stood and reflected one more time before turning and walking off until he faded from sight.  It was Darius Morris who missed the shot at the buzzer.  Folks, this is what it is all about!  And this is why you need to relish every single victory and understand it is not your birthright as a fan to see Duke win every game.  Each win is sweet and it should be cherished for there are players on the losing team who showed as much heart despite the loss.  Keep your head up Darius for you guys played a helluva game.