From: fvaughn@lynx.dac.northeastern.edu (Frederick Vaughn)
Subject: Re: Laettner selfish?
Organization: Northeastern University, Boston, MA. 02115, USA
Date: Tue, 12 Jan 1993 21:07:28 GMT

In article <8381@news.duke.edu> radkel@canctr.mc.duke.edu writes:
>In article <C0Fzyq.6rM@babbage.ece.uc.edu>, rbd@flash.ece.uc.edu (Bobby Davis) writes:
>
>>When I first heard this story and found out it was Chuck Person doing the
>>griping, I just considered the source (CHUCK PERSON calling someone else
>>selfish???) and ignored it.  Then I was watching the Oklahoma-Duke game the
>>other night and Dick Vitale was saying how most of the Duke players are glad
>>Laettner is gone.  Evidently no one there liked him very much either, and
>>they are enjoying practices and road trips a lot more with him gone.
>
>
> Laettner's only real friend on that team was Brian Davis.  He abused Hurley
>and Parks, who disliked him.  The others just understood that his obnoxiousness
>during practice was his way of trying to improve the team, to try and get them
>to challenge him.  Even if people didn't like him, they still went to him for
>the big shot at the end of the game, because they knew he'd deliver.  
>  Classic Laettner is-an-assh*le story:
>   Wake Forest player Rodney Rogers often played with the Duke players over
>the summer.  He and Grant Hill are close friends.  Grant at that time had a
>minor hand injury, and he and Rodney were sitting on the bench talking, when
>Laettner came over, pushed Grant (almost onto his injured hand) and said,
>"Stop faking it."  Rodney was about to tear CL's head off before Grant said,
>"Hey, that's just the way he is."  I get the feeling the more secure players
>just ignored him or laughed him off.
>
>>Can anyone elaborate on this?  Is Vitale just foaming at the mouth again?
>>I thought they were some fairly strong statements, considering the way he
>>normally worships anything that has to do with Duke (disclaimer: I like Duke
>>but feel that most press coverage is clearly biased in their favor).  Or is
>
>Can you say media darlings?  I get weary of people calling Duke the perfect
>program.  It's not corrupt, but let's just say Phil Henderson went to German
>class even less than I did.  There are lots of other great programs that are
>clean and that win that don't get that kind of recognition.  Frankly, I think
>that kind of press sets up a false, impossibly high standard that no one can
>really live up to.  Morever, they media will then circle in like sharks if
>there are any small problems that crop up. (Like the Laettner Diarygate thing).
>  
>>Laettner really this much of a jerk?  Pretty sad to be a major part of two
>>national championships and still be disliked by your teammates.
>
>Such is life.
>
>>Of course, even if he is a jerk I would still rather have him on my team than
>> Chuck Person.
> 
>I agree.  CL is still hitting 50% of his shots, 81% of his free throws, and is
>leading the team in points and rebounds.  He's only had a couple of really 
>bad shooting games (Golden State being the worst), and he's being forced to
>play a lot of center.  If the Wolves had some more players who took good shots,
>maybe they'd score more too.  If they had a point guard who thought like a 
>point guard, maybe the rest of the team would score more.  If they didn't have
>a player named Chuck "The ball from anywhere on the floor" Person, maybe they'd
>win more games.  There's a lot more wrong in Minnesota than Christian Laettner.
>  
>
>--Rob Clough


-- 
FREDERICK !  fvaughn@lynx.crc.northeastern.edu (PRIMARY)
ELOY      !  UA_FEV@northeastern.edu (SECONDARY)
VAUGHN    !  "You better sit back, and open an umbrella, 'cuz there's 
	  !   gonna be a storm tonight!"