From: trradrx@canctr.mc.duke.edu
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college
Subject: Duke Tourney Observations
Date: 10 Apr 92 14:27:28 GMT
Reply-To: trradrx@canctr.mc.duke.edu
Organization: Duke U. Med. Ctr., Durham, NC

1) Read in McNews the other day that some pro scouts have projected Grant
Hill as a #5 or #6 pick if he came out for the draft *this year*!  Some have
compared him to Dr J. (not Burch! :-) )  They admire his moves to the basket,
rebounding, ballhandling and defense, which I feel is the most underrated
portion of his game.  If Grant develops some confidence in his outside shot,
he might bring Duke four championships.  I feel that he'll probably stick
around for four years; he's actually a real student (1400+ on the SAT's),
and his father went to Yale.  His mother is a professor, I believe.  Of
course, the Duke fan mantra is "It doesn't matter how well our players do in
the NBA...." :-)

2) It was interesting that Duke ended up playing two teams that had freshmen
that Duke was heavily recruiting.  (Chris Webber and Alan Henderson)  After
watching them this season, and particularly after the recent games, I would
have to say that I wish Henderson had gone to Duke, but not Webber.  Frankly,
I think Webber's hotdogging/whining/ballhogging/poor shot selection would
just not have played with Coach K, and I don't think there would have been
enough room on the court for his and Christian's ego.  Of course, there are
those fans who might say that Webber's whining would have fit in perfectly
on Duke! :-)  On the other hand, Henderson is a tough rebounder, scorer 
and defender who seems to prefer doing his job than jawing.  When I saw
him in an all-star game, he seemed a little too flashy, but this guy
can work.  I look forward to seeing Webber and Henderson battle for the 
next 3 years.

3) I like Indiana.  They're well coached, disciplined, and they make good
decisions on the court.  I like most Indiana fans.  They seem very knowledg-
able and devoted to their team.  However, some Indiana fans on this group
need to purchase a very large clue.  Claiming that the refs won the game
is rather absurd, considering:
  1) Indiana had a huge lead in fouls in the first half.  This is because
they were attacking the basket, and Duke was tentative.  It was clear from
the get-go that anyone wildly going to the basket would be called for 
charging.  Duke adjusted to this.  IU did not.
  2) Duke had a huge lead in fouls in the second half because *they*
attacked the basket, and IU was tentative.  Case closed.  Cheaney was called
for charging late in the game because he was totally out of control going
to the hoop.  The starters lost their composure.  Duke was solidly in control
until those miracle 3's started raining in (admit it, when *Nover* starts
hitting 3's, you know something weird is going on!).  The final margin was
only 3, but Duke was in control in the second half.  Cheaney said that the
technical did not decide the game; he said that IU frequently picks up 
play when Knight gets a T.  He did complain some about the officiating; Tony
Lang replied that IU should have spent less time complaining to the refs and
should have paid more attention to trying to win the game.  The IU scrubs
taught the starters a lesson.  This is an excellent team, that will get
better when they stop making excuses and concentrating on finding a way to
win.
  3) Packer droning on and on about Laettner annoyed me too; there *were*
four other players out there.  Duke is #1 because our all-american has
a lot of support, and it would have been nice to here some more about them
from Packer.   He was really focusing on Laettner's poor shooting, ignoring
the fact that he caused a few turnovers, as well.  And neither Duke nor
Michigan played good first halves; UM was out of control.  A little more
composure and they could have had a big lead at the half.  UM looked very
flat emotionally in the second half; towards the end they weren't even
trying.  The job that Duke did defensively in the second halves of the IU
and UM games rivals that job that G-Town did on Kentucky in 1984, where
they kept them from scoring for like 15 minutes.  Nice to see the D come
back to Duke.
  4) Durham: City of Champions!  The div II NCCU Eagles won the National
Championship in 1989, making 3 titles in 4 years for the City of Medicine!
Obviously, LA has those 10 championships, but I'd be interested in knowing
of other cities with small colleges and big colleges that have similar
accomplishments.
--Robert Clough
PS: Chris Collins had 15 points last night in the Capital Classic!
Newsgroups: rec.sport.basketball.college