when he’s on my team, I say to Reggie, ‘Don’t shoot.’ So things haven’t changed that much. Go down in the post, rebound.
I also want to congratulate the assistant coaches –- Chris Collins, Nate James, and Steve Wojciechowski –- I’ll just call him “Wojo” like everybody else –- all of whom were once captains on Coach K’s teams, as well.
And congratulations to all the players, especially the seniors, Jordan Davidson, Jon Scheyer -- my homeboy from the Chicago area -- Lance Thomas and Brian Zoubek. It’s really been a four-year journey for these guys. And each year, they’ve gotten better together. When they were freshmen, they lost in the first round of the tournament. As sophomores, they made it to the second round. As juniors, they made it to the Sweet 16. And this year, they won it all. That’s the kind of progress that you want to see in your college career.
Jon Scheyer, Kyle Singler, and Nolan Smith were the top-scoring trio in the NCAA this year. And I should also mention that when I was running for President, we did a campaign event in Medford, Oregon, in the gym where Singler grew up. So I was the second-most famous person to ever show up in Medford. It’s true.
I understand that Zoubek is unique in Duke history: the only player that Coach K ever allowed to grow a beard. Talk about somebody who’s overcome a lot, who powered through setbacks and injuries, to set a new Duke record for most offensive rebounds in a single season this year, including some critical boards in the title game.
And it was, as everybody here knows, an incredible tournament from start
97 WORTHY CHAMPS
to finish -- one of the most exciting tournaments any of us have ever seen. The championship game against Butler -– the most-watched championship game in more than 10 years –- was everything fans hoped it would be. It came down to the final possession. And these guys hung in there and won it all.
I know that Coach K has said that this is as close a team as he’s ever had -- a bunch of throwback guys who hustle and work and have fun together. And they play by one of his philosophies, which is, “think of a hand.” If you attack with your hand open, as five fingers individually, you’re more likely to break a finger. But if you bring them together and make a fist, you can really pound somebody. It’s very subtle, Coach K.
“Oh, look at this. That’s nice! You know Reggie is going to make me hang this in the Oval Office. Take down Lincoln or something.”
President Obama, after being presented with a Duke jersey (Reggie refers to former Duke player Reggie Love, now the President’s Personal Aide)
Now, there is a softer side of these guys, too. Coach K is an integral part of the Durham community in so many ways -– whether it’s helping change the odds for underprivileged kids through the Emily K Center he founded and named after his mom, or just buying pizza for the Cameron Crazies who camp outside for days at a time. His players participate in the Read With the Blue Devils program and visit patients at the Children’s Hospital in Durham, giving as much as they can to the Duke community that gives so much to them.
And seeing as how Coach is a proud graduate of West Point, and a former Army basketball player under Bobby Knight, they’re going to the Pentagon after this to thank some of the folks who bravely and selflessly serve our country day in and day out.
So, congratulations, Coach K. Congratulations to the team. And good luck next year. I suspect that you’re going to try to bust my bracket once again. But I may not make the same mistake twice.
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