Duke Basketball Program in Denial
Stupid Play, Aftermath Symptoms of a Spoiled Team
By JASON WHITLOCK
AOL
Sports Commentary

What's really embarrassing about Gerald Henderson's chop to Tyler Hansbrough's nose is how little losing it takes to bring out the spoiled, whiny, rich (itch) in the Duke basketball program.

Hey, I'm no Duke hater. If I had a kid who could hoop and he didn't want to play for Roy Williams or Kelvin Sampson, I'd have no problem turning him over to Mike Krzyzewski and Duke.

But I'd do everything in my power not to let Coach K and the Blue Devil faithful turn him into a spoiled, whiny, rich (itch).

Seriously, I've watched the tape. Gerald Henderson's leap of fate and elbow chop to the face was a statement about how the Dukies have handled 22-9 and 8-8 ACC also-ran status.

It's impossible to discern Henderson's intent, although it's safe to assume injuring Hansbrough never entered Henderson's dome. Really, I don't think his intent matters much. With a few seconds to play and down double-digits, it was a stupid, reckless decision, a choice borne out of game-long and season-long frustration.

Unable to take his ball and go home at that moment, Henderson probably thought at launch point he'd turn the lane into a harmless mosh pit, and once in the air, realizing the stupidity of his choice, he couldn't figure out an appropriate exit strategy.

Unfortunately, this wasn't a case of no harm no foul. He bloodied and broke Hansbrough's nose.

And in typical Duke and Coach K snottiness, Henderson, his coach and the Blue Devils are pretending as though Henderson did nothing wrong. Coach K even slyly insinuated that Roy Williams was foolish for leaving Hansbrough on the floor that late in the game.

Obviously, the Duke basketball program can do no wrong. You would think that Coach K and his band of followers would be smart enough to realize how dangerous it is to confirm the perception that Duke athletes are above reprimand, filled with a sense of entitlement and arrogance and spoiled.

The bogus, in my opinion, Duke lacrosse rape allegations and persecution were fueled by this wide-spread perception. Coach K's players and his coddling of those players are primary foundation of the perception.

Duke athletes are despised because of the holier-than-thou, do-no-wrong attitude of Coach K. He's the symbol, the tone-setter. He's the most powerful man at the university and one of the most powerful men in the state.

He plucks a large percentage of his players from nuclear, stable families. He gives off the air that he turns his nose up at the rest of college basketball, the programs and the coaches who try to win championships while working with the poor and dysfunctional.

Again, I'm not a Duke hater. I've defended the persecuted lacrosse players almost from the start. I truly respect Coach K.

The arrogance and the denial just rub me wrong. Coach K has been blessed. He gets to coach kids who have involved parents and have rarely missed a meal.

With that blessing comes a higher responsibility. He needs to humble himself and his players. He needs to admit when he's wrong and when his players have erred. Gerald Henderson foolishly initiated contact with a bitter rival in a game that had already been decided. He injured that player.

Why not take the high road and apologize?

"I want my players to be aggressive and smart for 40 minutes of each basketball game," Coach K could have said. "Gerald did not make a smart play, and for that we sincerely apologize to Roy, Tyler and North Carolina fans. We think a one-game suspension is appropriate and look forward to renewing our heated rivalry with the Tar Heels in the future.

"I've talked with Gerald, explained to him what I think he did wrong in that situation and I'm comfortable it won't happen again."

That's it. There's no real controversy. It's over.

By choosing the path of denial, Coach K is now drawing comparisons to his mentor Bobby Knight, another man reluctant to admit a mistake. Coach K doesn't have Knight's (public) temper.

They share a self-righteousness and a terrible, immature reaction to losing. That can be a lethal combination, especially when Greg Paulus is your best point guard. Yeah, Duke isn't done being an ACC also-ran. The Blue Devils don't have a point-guard replacement in their 2007 recruiting class. Looks like they'll be counting on big man Josh McRoberts to break the press again, and that means there'll probably be a few more last-seconds elbows thrown in frustration.


Does that article not say it all....

bunch of thugs

Criminals...........

What he said!!!

This def. hasn't been our year but we will be back. All you Tar Heads fans pick at Duke while you still can.

Jason Whitlock...
You're putting stock in a football guy, who was recently FIRED from ESPN.

But since you agree with him, I guess he's your personal Jesus (Depeche Mode reference unintended...).

I agree with Whitlock on one point. As I've said before, I would have liked to have seen Coach K apologize publicly. We know now that Henderson did call TH and apologize. That's big for a kid who just turned 19 in December.

Ugliness rears its head after the Heels cut down the nets................

Hes not my personal Jesus, and from that statement its seems like you went to church yesterday, good for you. I believe you might make it..........Im hoping......Coach K will never apologize. Thats because he was coached under another bad apple, Bobby Knight....no class......


Lots of people have gotten fired or dropped out of college (Bill Gates) and become successful.........

You want to talk about no class?

I think the arrogance of you judging the personal salvation of someone you know nothing about probably ranks up there.

Indeed, lots of good people have been fired. I'm not sure where dropped out of college comes in, unless you're trying to include yourself. I can assure you, however, that many times more BAD people have been fired or dropped out of college.

You're the one that mentioned Jesus first. (But since you agree with him, I guess he's your personal Jesus).
........dont go there with me Insta-Dookie............

Bill Gates dropped out of college.. (Harvard University).....what a putz.........here we go again

POSSESSION.............remember it just like that..........

It's the lack of correlation between getting fired and dropping out of college that I questioned. The two are not the same thing at all. There are a lot of legitimate reasons why one drops out of college. There are far less "good" reasons to be fired.

By saying "I believe you might make it" you have implied that you have a role in the decision making process regarding me. I'm quite confident you do not.

Insta-Dookie? If you're implying I'm a bandwagon fan, you don't want to go there.

Instigator point out the non-truths in that Whitlock article....

And you picked Maryland to win the ACC.......what a damn joke you are......keep exposing that chit for brain of yours....

Bobby Knight got fired from IU look where hes at now and what hes accomplished..

Bill Gates dropped out Harvard.....


You're a sexual intellectual. The definition of that is ...a Fu*$ing know it all wanna be....

quote:

Originally posted by Wolverine Follower:
Instigator point out the non-truths in that Whitlock article....

I never said there were "non-truths" in the Whitlock article. His article is opinion, and an opinion, by definition, cannot be a "non-truth." This is a major problem in the world. People don't know the difference between opinion and fact...

If there is something he says that I factually take issue with, it is his insinuation that Duke students, and by extension Duke athletes, are all born with silver spoons in their mouths. My dad and sister are Duke graduates, and I assure you, my family is not one of priveledge. We are simply people who value education, and will work for it. My dad delivered pizzas to pay for his tuition, and my sister worked nearly a full work week as a student to supplement her VERY partial scholarship. As far as basketball, the most recent example of a less than privileged athlete is probably Sean Dockery.

Look, our school system is flawed. And, sadly, the poor areas of our country have dangerous, low paying schools in which no teacher would want to be employed. Therefore, the lower class in our society continues to be under-educated. This makes it awfully difficult for a less than fortunate soul to attend a Duke, but it isn't as rare as most people tend to think. It simply requires effort that few aren't willing to put forth, myself included.

In a year where Duke's talent matches their arrogance, this so called "holier than thou" persona is perceived as "swagger" or the necessary moxy for a group of talented players to be a great team. In a year like this one, when the talent is not there but the attitude is, it comes off as annoying to most.

What all of you Duke haters are ignoring is that this "attitude" you talk of with such disdain, is why Coach K has turned Duke into one of the top 3 or 4 programs in the country....Duke players play with a chip on their shoulder, K coaches with a chip on his shoulder. These are all positive things unless you have an agenda against them. And Fly, you obviously do.

These same writers that you are using as "proof" of the falling apart of Duke, will be singing their praises next year when they are a legit top 10 team again.

How about talking about your team and realizing that your very talented team may be desimated by the draft after this year, so you need to enjoy it while it lasts.

Good luck in the tourney. You SHOULD win it all, but once again, that has been said serveral times in the past.

I know the difference but thanks for enlightening us all....

Are you direclty involved in the school systems in this state or any other? I think your opnion of the less fortunate being uneducated, while on the surface accurate, isn't a reflection of the system but rather the individual.....Every body in this country has an opportunity to go to school and learn. It's up to the students to make the most of that opportunity not the teachers.....It's also partly the responsibility of the parents at home to get involved and make sure the students are doing what they should be doing.....It's not the governments or the schools or the teachers responsibility to raise todays kids....If parents would quit taking the easy way out and blaming others and start doing what they should be doing at home then things might be different.....

Now i'll agree that those that succeed in high school may not have the financial means to attend the college of their choice and in that case something should be done to make college more affordable, but don't blame the teachers for the students being uneducated....they get out of it what they put into it, and teachers are going to work more closely with those that care and have a good attitude and willingness to learn rather than those that could, quite frankly, care less about school...

As for the article i have my own opinions on Duke and Coach K. I was fortunate for 8 years to have the opportunity to cover them on a daily basis and interact with both the players and staff and was fortunate to see things that the general public and the fans don't get a chance to see.....