A few days ago we asked you who you thought Duke would miss more, the guys who left last year,or C-well next year. Here's the responses we got!
I'd have to say that Duke doesn't miss the guys from last year very much,
given how they have done to date this year. And I don't think they'll miss
Carrawell much next year, from an on-court standpoint, at least. This
speaks to Coach K's long-standing philosophy that every team every year is
different, and they grow as a team with who they have.
Secondarily, Carrawell is a huge presence this year in that he is the
unquestioned leader on this team, and their was not one last year. Sure,
Trajan was the heart of the team, but who was the crunch guy? There were
several. Next year, Shane will be the leader. A lot has been made by
announcers this year about senior leadership and Carrawell exemplifies it.
Next year, Shane and Nate will.
My two cents.
Thanks, and keep up the great site!
Matt Johnson
Maggette, Avery, Burgess, and Brand WHO?
Yes, we will miss C-well next year.There will be a big void in his spot to
fill in. We will miss CC more than the 4 guys that left last year.
Rachel
First of all guys, great site--I worship you.
Now on to the questions whether we will miss C-well more than the Three
Amigos plus one. This is a no-brainer. If you value loyalty, dedication,
and a competitive spirit above all else, you have to miss someone like
C-well more. You don't even have to ask the question.
Surely, in purely utilitarian terms, we ought to miss Brand, Avery,
Magette, and perhaps Burgess, because this team would be a basketball
juggernaut with them here, but this is why (I think) we are college
basketball fans as opposed to NBA fans. We all know that the basketball
is better in the NBA, but it's watching gutty kids learning from coaching
wizards and playing for pride rather than millions that inspires us. And
our affections naturally bend toward those who embody everything that
*is* good about college athletics. All the unresolved issues with NCAA
basketball are a seperate issue. When we see someone seize the
opportunity to get out the inner city to become the undisputed leader of
a top-notch basketball team at a top-notch academic institution there is
just something indisputably good and perfect about that. I may be
presumptuous, but I'm sure C-well would never think he is being taken
advantage of by the college basketball system. If anything he is grabbing
*his* chance and, at the same time, our affection.
Here's to seeing him stalking the college sidelines one day and giving
kids like him their chance.
Erich S. Huang
My vote goes to Cwell. I've been thinking about it for at least a week.
No one who left has the same combination of skills and heart.
I've also been thinking that the chemistry of this team would be so
different if any of the four had stayed (with the possible exception of
Brand.) I don't think the leadership Cwell, Shane and Nate have shown
would have been as easily accepted.
Are you planning to tally the votes on this question and report the
information?
Most folks at work won't talk BBall with me right now.
By the way, has anyone pointed out that the face value of the two March 4
tickets is $70?
Keep up the good work. And thanks for making it possible.
Mary Rushing
Duke - '73
Hey DBR! If it were the beginning of the season and you asked this, everyone would probably have the four underclassmen. But, as we can all see, Chris Carawell has developed into one of the premier players in the entire nation. He does it all, and without him on this team, they would be in trouble. There is only one person who I think I could compare Carawell to, thats Q. Although Richardson scores more, actually its been kind of even recently, Carawell's defense and leadership skills are on another level. I don't believe he will ever be a superstar that the next level, but he is that key component that every championship team needs.
You will be missed Chris!
This one's too easy. The ones who left early are "strangers in the
night." It's great that they were here, but they didn't stay long
enough for us to really miss them when they left. We become much more
attached to the players that we watch grow and mature over a 4 year
college career. They've given alot more to Duke and receive alot more
in return (IMHO).
A much tougher question would be Trajan or C-well, the two four year
stars.
Old BOG.
No question: C-Well. Not for all the usual reasons, but simply that he
can create his own shot reliably, and can hit that pull-up, mid-range
jumper that all those Carolina guys used to kill us with in the early
80's.
It depends on whether Shane Battier leaves early this year. Unless Duke gets
a second recruit this year - perhaps Andre Sweet of Rice High in New York -
the fall out on the four recruits leaving may be more next year than it was
this year!!
I think Duke will Carrawell more because right now he is being replaced by only Duhon. Carrawell's versatility will be hard to replace especially on defense where he could shut down just about any perimeter player . He also provides a mid range pull up game on offense that is hard to guard and almost extinct.
I don't know if the loss will be reflected in the record. Duhon, James, and Williams gives us the depth at guard we don't have this year. I almost expect one of Horvath, Christensen, and sanders will provide depth on front line. With the normal growth of the freshmen, coupled with increased cohesion from a year of playing together, Duke should be better.
Please don't retire jersey #23. Going back to the back-to-backs,
whoever puts that uniform on for Duke seems to take on almost magical
powers, certainly an epic proportion much more than anyone predicted or
expected. Certainly we'd be just average without the amazing Mr. C-well
this year!!! But retiring #23 would be like killing the goose that laid
the golden egg...
my wife and i were talkin at dinner tonite how we will miss cwell next year, not just because of what he means this year to duke basketball, but what he has meant over the years to duke, the acc and college athletics as a whole, he signifies a college athlete and does so with class, heart and a knowledge for the game of basketball that leaves us astounded every time he makes a play, while those guys were awesome to watch, cwell is the man that duke basketball is all about
sara and benjamin brown
i think duke will miss C-Well in a huge way next year........he does so much
on the floor......vocally, by example, scoring, defense, rebounding, ball
handling, passing, all the intangibles and the things u dont teach......he is
the heart and soul of this team........but no matter how important he is, i
dont think theres anyway someone could say that he is more important than 4
players that accounted for 80% of the scoring last year........those guys
were incredible.........'nuff said--80%!
WILL
Duke-n-'00
Neither.
This year, Cwell, Battier and James stepped up to be the leaders and the
freshman have, so far, lived up to their reps and performed to our wildest
dreams but above realistic expectations. How a team can lose 4 first round
draft choices, plus an underachieving but athletic big man, and not miss a
beat is just amazing.
Next year, sure we'll miss Cwell heart and clutch play, but assuming Battier
and Nate are still here, and the ever improving play of our sophomore class,
we'll have plenty of leadership and plenty of clutch performers. Look for
Boozer to become a 20+ ppg scorer, with Battier and Dunleavy right behind
him. Jason Williams will mature into the point guard we see flashes of and
Duhon will be (initially) the 6th man (behind Nate). With the development of
Horvath, Christiansen and Sanders, we'll have a true 8 or 9 man rotation. If
we get any additional recruits in the spring, they'll have time to develop.
I look for Dunleavy to become the clutch player that Cwell is now, hitting
that sweet 8 to 15 footer that breaks the heart of the opposition when things
are going the wrong way.
Ozzie
If Trajan is one of the "four guys", it's a toss up.
If the four guys are Elton, Will, Corey, and Burgess, then the answer is
Cwell, because leadership is always the hardest attribute to replace.
John Skorupa
C-WELL!!! ARE YOU KIDDING? IT IS DEFINATELY C-WELL!! HE PLAYS HIS HEART
OUT FOR THE TEAM AND ISN'T A TEAM JUMPER!!!!
hazim el-haddad