Give that Duke has been a powerhouse in college ball for years, why haven't they produced any superstars?

Question

As much as I dislike Duke they have been a powerhouse in collegeball and won many games. Lets face it Coach K is a master mind but overall they have never produced a "real" superstar in the NBA compared to UNC. Wait compared to anyone come to think of it :)

Why do you think this is so?

Answer 1

Because Duke has ten high school all americans on their team every friggen year. As a result all their so so players can hide behind the rest of the team. Unlike superstars on other teams. . .they don't face constant double and triple teams. Also. . . Duke players only get called for every tenth foul they commit! They are babied by the officials. Once these crybaby players enter the NBA. . . they are exposed for the wimps they are. They foul out and can't score because they actually have to play defense, they are actually called for fouls, and they actually have to create their own shots.

Answer 2

Duke does have a number of very talented players currently in the NBA...you just have to remember that there really aren't that many Superstars in the NBA. Here is just a short list of some of the former Dukies in the NBA:

Sheldon Williams - Atl
Luol Deng - Chi
Chris Duhon - Chi
Shane Battier - Hou
Mike Dunleavy - Ind
Elton Brand - LAC
Corey Maggette - LAC
Grant Hill - Orl
Carlos Boozer - Utah

Battier is widely considered one of the top defensive players in the league, Brand and Maggette are a huge part of why the Clippers were successful last year, Boozer is the best player in Utah, and Deng is a high quailty player. Hill was a superstar a few years ago and still would be if it weren't for the illnesses.

Answer 3

What difference does it make? Coach K's job isn't to produce NBA superstars, it's to win NCAA titles and help prepare his players as best he can for whatever career they choose depending on their talent and interests.

And the fact that Duke has had fewer bona fide NBA superstars while winning almost as many titles as UNC (3 to 4, that bogus "title" UNC counts from the 30's is crap) speaks volumes about K's ability to mold and motivate his players into a cohesive team.

Why aren't you asking why Dean, with a wealth of NBA superstar alums to his program's credit, only won 2 NCAA titles, while Coach K has won 3?

Michael Jordan, James Worthy, Rasheed Wallace, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Bob McAdoo, on and on and on. And yet only 1 of Dean's titles came from 2 of these superstars (well 3 if you count Sam Perkins). The other title came from a team with 0 legit NBA superstars.

And just as an aside, oddly enough both titles depended in part on the other team making a critical bonehead mistake at the very end of the game, not from a brilliant endgame coach call by Dean. None of Coach K's titles have come through the back door like that.

And you don't see even ONE brilliant coaching call from Dean ever displayed as one of the "best ever" moments in sports, ala Hill to Laettner for the game winner and the most memorable moment ever in college basketball.

So what was it that sucked so much about Dean that he was a bridesmaid so often and could only win the big one twice despite having all that superstar talent?

I hope flipping the coin has made you see how irrelevant your question is.

Answer 4

Oh yes what a question, and a tarheel is going to answer. Duke is getting dirtier and dirtier every year, not just the gerald henderson elbow but just watch them. They have produced Johnny Dawkins, Grant Hill, and a few others such as Deng, but what about the Thomas Hills, Bobby Hurley(who by the way had motorcycle accident), tragan Langdon(who was the alaskan assasin, cherokee parks lol, Brian Davis lol, Duhon lol, OMG I can go on and on, they just can never produce in the NBA, and Maggete is doing good with clippers but anyway Duke has heart but no scorer. I just love it when they slap the floor and still lose, or when Josh McRoberts just cries on the bench after recieving his 4th foul against UNC, LOL IT IS JUST SO FUNNY, DUKE will never be the same, but trust me they will always get there McDonalds High school all americans, the only credit I give them for the ones that do is that they get there Degrees.

Answer 5

Grant Hill was a superstar for a while until he got hurt. Johnny Dawkins may have become one but he got injured very early on. The same goes for Jay Williams. Carlos Boozer, and Elton Brand are both All Star caliber players. Duke hasn't been an elite program for nearly as long as UNC has so they aren't going to have the same numbers. All that being said. Duke sucks

Answer 6

I guess when churning out NBA superstars wins you a title, Coach K will start recruiting 1 and done walking ego freak players to play at Duke. Until then, he's sure as hell doing something right and getting a lot out of his players over the years.

Answer 7

Coach K doesn't teach individual basketball. He teaches team basketball, which wins games more than individual basketball. If Coach K were to teach individual basketball, then they would suck. Duke players know how to pass the ball around when they're not open and evven if they are open, they find someone that's opener. Every basketball player at Duke is equal and those players carry that to the NBA.

Answer 8

its there system, coach k plays a diffrent style of basketball that played in the nba, duke produced many good players but there arent any superstars

Answer 9

because of their style of play...Coach K is a good coach... but only in the college game. Duke has produced some really good players though...Grant hill before his injuries...Shane battier.

Answer 10

Other than Grant Hill right? I would say it's because Coach K teaches his guys to be fundamentally sound, team oriented players, and generally those qualities don't lend themselves to superstardom (with a few exceptions of course).