Taking A Look At The Past
Duke basketball is one of the best programs in the history of college basketball. They currently set at #4 in all-time wins. Duke has won four national championships & also appeared in a total of fifteen Final Fours. To prove their greatness, Duke has nine previous players named National Player of the Year.
Duke has also have quite a few players drafted in the NBA. A total of 71 to be exact. This places them at the top of college basketball for former college players on NBA rosters. Can you believe that any school in today's times would have the same head coach for 3 decades?
UCLA & Duke are #1 & #2 respectively for being ranked as the top team in terms of total weeks at #1. A total of 69 previous All-Americans(55 for performance & 14 for academic). A team that has been a regular visitor to the NCAA Tournament under current coach Krzyewski. They have only missed the NCAA Tournament 4 of the 30 years. They have made a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 19 of those 26 as well.
Can you believe a total of 55 college All-Americans in the history? A school known for bringing in smart kids also has 14 prior Academic All-Americans which shouldn't surprise. Out of the 30 years under Mike Krzyewski, they have been to the NCAA tournament 26 of those seasons. Out of those 26 seasons, a total of 19 visits to the Sweet Sixteen as well.
They have been chosen as the #1 seed in the tournament 11 times. 11 seasons of 30+ wins. Krzyewski has won an amazing 795 games with only 220 losses in these 30 years of being coach at Duke. They have won all four championships under his control & the most recent coming in 2010.
Previous Hoop Superstars
Duke has passed through some very talented basketball players. A total of 9 previous players that have received National Player of the Year honors. From a 1952 point guard to a 3-pt specialist in 2005. Dick Groat claimed the first Player of the Year award for Duke nearly 60 years ago. Eleven years later, Art Heyman claimed the honors.
It took nearly ¼ of a century before another player won the award. It was only a short time later before the next honor. Can you believe another 3 years & another Duke Player of the Year winner. The next one though had to wait 7 more years.
Danny Ferry & Christian Laettner are the most well recognized on the lists. Ferry holds the Duke record for most points(58) scored in a game. Ferry ranks in the top 5 in a couple statistical categories in Duke history. One is points scored & the other is in rebounds.
Laettner has a special place in history. He knocked down a buzzer-beating jumper against the Kentucky Wildcats in the 1992 NCAA Tournament. Laettner is an NCAA tournament record holder in numerous categories. He has a total of 407 points. He has 142 FT's made. He has 167 FT's attempted. He has played in a total of 23 tournament games. He is also the all-time Duke leader in three-point percentage. He appeared in the Final Four during all of his seasons at Duke & was a starter in all four of those too.
Laettner's performance in the NCAA tournament has him holding several records. The records are in total points. Total free throws made. Total free throws taken. Total games played. Add to that, the all-time Duke leader from the arc in 3-point shooting percentage(48.5%). He can also say that he went to every NCAA tournament during his time spent at Duke & was the starter for all those tournament appearances.
Check out this Virginia Tech Ornament and these Clemson Wallet
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