All-Century Team

BeerPoisoning

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If every team took their best 10 players this century to build a team, I think it’s indisputable that we’d be the favorites. UK, Cuse, Carolina, MSU, UConn, Kansas would have be pretty stacked too. (Not weighting in NBA career.)

This would be my 10:
PG- Jay, Scheyer
SG- JJ, Curry
SF- Dahntay, Winslow
PF- Zion, Battier
C- Bagley, Shelden

I might have a couple questionable picks on there but I think giving up some athleticism for extreme IQ and adding in extra 3PT shooters is imperative for the offense K likes to run.
 

DukeRulesBasketball

All-American
Aug 20, 2015
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If every team took their best 10 players this century to build a team, I think it’s indisputable that we’d be the favorites. UK, Cuse, Carolina, MSU, UConn, Kansas would have be pretty stacked too. (Not weighting in NBA career.)

This would be my 10:
PG- Jay, Scheyer
SG- JJ, Curry
SF- Dahntay, Winslow
PF- Zion, Battier
C- Bagley, Shelden

I might have a couple questionable picks on there but I think giving up some athleticism for extreme IQ and adding in extra 3PT shooters is imperative for the offense K likes to run.
Maybe there could be an argument for Carter instead of Bagley.
 

SwatX1

Heisman
Jan 4, 2011
8,336
10,579
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Bobby Hurley / Tyus
Jason Williams / Langdon
Grant Hill / RJ Barrett
Zion / Battier
Laettner / Bagley


There are too many to chose from, but I can’t imagine an all time Duke team without Laettner, Hill, and Zion
 

lyonhawk

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No love for Kyrie?

And I’m pretty sure our left handed all century team would be better than most other schools regular teams.
 

SwatX1

Heisman
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I will have to put more thought into it if we only using this century.

I know for sure Zion is there though
 

Hurley22

All-Conference
Jan 31, 2019
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Well a century is 100 years, so I figure I can go back 100 years!!! Don’t limit me!!
I didn't catch that either. I was wondering why nobody had mentioned Hill, Laettner, or Hurley haha. You weren't alone.
 

CRAZIE4LIFE

All-Conference
Feb 16, 2011
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Kyrie, William's
JJ, Scheyer
Barrett, Singlar
Williamson, Battier
S. Williams, Bagley
 
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dukehokie

All-American
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I think Jahlil has to be on the team.. he was a huge (probably the biggest) reason for our 2015 Championship.

Gotta find a place for him, but it’s hard to leave Jabari off too.

And Deng. Jesus we’ve had some players.
 

dukehokie

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Jun 27, 2005
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Jason Williams
Tyus Jones
JJ Redick
Gerald Henderson
Luol Deng
RJ Barrett
Zion Williamson
Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Shane Battier
Marvin Bagley

This is giving me anxiety. I’m leaving off too many good players. This sucks. Haha.
 
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SwatX1

Heisman
Jan 4, 2011
8,336
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Jason Williams
Tyus Jones
JJ Redick
Gerald Henderson
Luol Deng
RJ Barrett
Zion Williamson
Mike Dunleavy Jr.
Shane Battier
Marvin Bagley

This is giving me anxiety. I’m leaving off too many good players. This sucks. Haha.

It’s impossible
 
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BeerPoisoning

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I love Dahntay, but he doesn’t make this team.

I wouldn’t list him as a top 10 player this century but SF is our weakest (natural) position this century too. His explosiveness in transition would be filthy with this group, decent defender, plus he can hit the three. I’m not sure who I’d sub him out for... Maybe push Jabari down to the 3 and include him? RJ is the only other canidate and I think Dahntay (by end of college career) was better.

I think Jahlil has to be on the team.. he was a huge (probably the biggest) reason for our 2015 Championship.

Lazy effort occasionally, weak defender. Of course I can say a million positives that outweigh that but that’s why I have to give the nod to higher motors. Bagley wasn’t a good defender either but he was more active rebounding.
 
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PG:
1. Williams
2. Jones
3. Scheyer

SG:
1. Redick
2. Nolan
3. Henderson

SF:
1. Deng
2. Singler
3. Dunleavy/Barrett

PF:
1. Zion
2. Battier
3. Parker

C:
1. Bagley
2. Williams
3. Boozer/Okafor
 

BeerPoisoning

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PG:
1. Williams
2. Jones
3. Scheyer

SG:
1. Redick
2. Nolan
3. Henderson

SF:
1. Deng
2. Singler
3. Dunleavy/Barrett

PF:
1. Zion
2. Battier
3. Parker

C:
1. Bagley
2. Williams
3. Boozer/Okafor

Kyle Singler. I like it.

Not sure if I’d pick him over my current selection but I somehow completely forgot his existence during my selection process. Shame on me.
 
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Shatterthesky22

All-Conference
Dec 8, 2018
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Well, considering we have 15 player rosters I'll go...

PG - 1. Kyrie, 2. Scheyer, 3. Tyus

SG - 1. JJ, 2. Nolan Smith, 3. RJ

SF - 1. Singler, 2. Ingram, 3. Winslow

PF - 1. Zion, 2. Boozer, 3. Dunleavy

C - 1. Jah, 2. Mason Plumlee, 3. Zoubek
 

Shatterthesky22

All-Conference
Dec 8, 2018
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I wouldn’t list him as a top 10 player this century but SF is our weakest (natural) position this century too. His explosiveness in transition would be filthy with this group, decent defender, plus he can hit the three. I’m not sure who I’d sub him out for... Maybe push Jabari down to the 3 and include him? RJ is the only other canidate and I think Dahntay (by end of college career) was better.



Lazy effort occasionally, weak defender. Of course I can say a million positives that outweigh that but that’s why I have to give the nod to higher motors. Bagley wasn’t a good defender either but he was more active rebounding.
Yeah Jah wasn't a great defender but at least he tried. Bagley just simply did not care on that end. Which is why he didn't make on my team.
 

BeerPoisoning

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Yeah Jah wasn't a great defender but at least he tried. Bagley just simply did not care on that end. Which is why he didn't make on my team.

Both ‘15 and ‘18 squads made the famous switch to 2-3 zones because Jah and Bagley both have terrible defensive awareness, their IQ in regards to screens were both terrible. Bagley’s insane motor made his effort better IMO. I will say that Jah is a better physical force on the block 1-on-1 (wasn’t good, but better than Bagley) but he just has no idea how to move his feet to defend penetration or drives. I know this isn’t about NBA career but Jah’s lack of effort has been largely highlighted in the NBA. Picking between the two defensively is picking the better headache lol.

Jah is slow in transition and he doesn’t do much off-ball offensively. He just just kind of relaxes on the block. Bagley was more versatile and twice as good of a rebounder. He averaged like 12 boards per game sharing the glass with Carter. Jah was a bit short of double digits. In terms of gathering his own misses and offensive boards, Bagley presented that same enthusiasm as Zion.

I don’t think Jah is a bad pick though, in terms of physical paint dominance and passing IQ I’d agree that he’s better. But Marvin was pretty dominant in the paint too and was a jack of all trades kind of player in every other offensive aspect so I’m sticking with my pick.
 

dukehokie

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I wouldn’t list him as a top 10 player this century but SF is our weakest (natural) position this century too. His explosiveness in transition would be filthy with this group, decent defender, plus he can hit the three. I’m not sure who I’d sub him out for... Maybe push Jabari down to the 3 and include him? RJ is the only other canidate and I think Dahntay (by end of college career) was better.



Lazy effort occasionally, weak defender. Of course I can say a million positives that outweigh that but that’s why I have to give the nod to higher motors. Bagley wasn’t a good defender either but he was more active rebounding.

This century, small forward is our weakest position? I’d say cumulatively, that “honor” goes to point guard or center. We’ve had some great ones, but as a whole K has always produced more wings.

Deng, Winslow, Tatum, Barrett, Dunleavy, Henderson, Singler, Hood, and Ingram all played that spot. Not sure I’d consider that the weakest position.

Our 3’s have been so good, Jayson Tatum has been left off of every list, and that dude was a baller in college once he got his feet set under him.
 

Jtre

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Nov 16, 2008
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If every team took their best 10 players this century to build a team, I think it’s indisputable that we’d be the favorites. UK, Cuse, Carolina, MSU, UConn, Kansas would have be pretty stacked too. (Not weighting in NBA career.)

This would be my 10:
PG- Jay, Scheyer
SG- JJ, Curry
SF- Dahntay, Winslow
PF- Zion, Battier
C- Bagley, Shelden

I might have a couple questionable picks on there but I think giving up some athleticism for extreme IQ and adding in extra 3PT shooters is imperative for the offense K likes to run.

For clarification, are we picking an all-century team based on who would make the best team or how an All-American or All-NBA team would be selected?

If it's the former, I need some time. The latter is pretty easy, based on college careers:

First Team
Guard - Jay Williams
Guard - JJ Redick
Forward - Shane Battier
Forward - Zion Williamson
Center - Jahlil Okfor

Second Team
Guard - Jon Scheyer
Guard - Nolan Smith
Forward - Mike Dunleavy
Forward - Marvin Bagley
Center - Shelden Williams

The lack of Jay Williams in a lot of people's posts is stunning and should be discussed.

Is it a case of time wiping away the memories? Shiny new toys replacing the old ones? People developing a dislike for him based on his on-air comments?

I'm genuinely curious, because a strong argument can be made that Jason Williams was the best guard to play college ball in the 21st century and was the best guard to ever play for Coach K.
 

TheDude1

Heisman
Apr 15, 2010
8,726
11,199
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Well, considering we have 15 player rosters I'll go...

PG - 1. Kyrie, 2. Scheyer, 3. Tyus

SG - 1. JJ, 2. Nolan Smith, 3. RJ

SF - 1. Singler, 2. Ingram, 3. Winslow

PF - 1. Zion, 2. Boozer, 3. Dunleavy

C - 1. Jah, 2. Mason Plumlee, 3. Zoubek

You forgot Shane.
 
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dukehokie

All-American
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For clarification, are we picking an all-century team based on who would make the best team or how an All-American or All-NBA team would be selected?

If it's the former, I need some time. The latter is pretty easy, based on college careers:

First Team
Guard - Jay Williams
Guard - JJ Redick
Forward - Shane Battier
Forward - Zion Williamson
Center - Jahlil Okfor

Second Team
Guard - Jon Scheyer
Guard - Nolan Smith
Forward - Mike Dunleavy
Forward - Marvin Bagley
Center - Shelden Williams

The lack of Jay Williams in a lot of people's posts is stunning and should be discussed.

Is it a case of time wiping away the memories? Shiny new toys replacing the old ones? People developing a dislike for him based on his on-air comments?

I'm genuinely curious, because a strong argument can be made that Jason Williams was the best guard to play college ball in the 21st century and was the best guard to ever play for Coach K.

We had this discussion over the summer and it was weird.

His career with ESPN notwithstanding, Jason was absolutely the best point guard at Duke. Had he stayed for a 4th year, his numbers would be indisputable as the best player at Duke ever. I love what Scheyer did, I love what Kyrie could have done, I love Duhon’s intensity, Tyus will always be indelible in Duke Basketball lore. None of those guys in the 2000’s had the career or dominance Jason had at the point. Hurley, Dawkins and Groat are the only other players who had careers that matched Jason at the point IMO.
 

Jtre

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We had this discussion over the summer and it was weird.

His career with ESPN notwithstanding, Jason was absolutely the best point guard at Duke. Had he stayed for a 4th year, his numbers would be indisputable as the best player at Duke ever. I love what Scheyer did, I love what Kyrie could have done, I love Duhon’s intensity, Tyus will always be indelible in Duke Basketball lore. None of those guys in the 2000’s had the career or dominance Jason had at the point. Hurley, Dawkins and Groat are the only other players who had careers that matched Jason at the point IMO.

I've gotten the impression a lot of people here turned on him because they don't like what he says on ESPN. I don't find anything he says to be all that bothersome as he's simply expressing his opinions, which is the job he gets paid to perform.

I would agree with your comments about the only ones close to him, even though Groat was well before my time. Dawkins was my first favorite Duke player and Hurley's records and hardware speak for themselves, but I still feel comfortable in saying Williams is comfortably in front of both.
 

dukehokie

All-American
Jun 27, 2005
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I've gotten the impression a lot of people here turned on him because they don't like what he says on ESPN. I don't find anything he says to be all that bothersome as he's simply expressing his opinions, which is the job he gets paid to perform.

I would agree with your comments about the only ones close to him, even though Groat was well before my time. Dawkins was my first favorite Duke player and Hurley's records and hardware speak for themselves, but I still feel comfortable in saying Williams is comfortably in front of both.

I do too.
 

Quest4Seven

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Feb 25, 2019
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I hate to say this because i hate them so much but UK’s All Calipari team is probably wiping the floor with anyone’s all century team. Just to show what a bunch of miserable underachievers they are

PG - Wall/Fox/Knight
SG - Booker/Bledsoe/Murray
SF - Randle/Monk
PF - Davis/Jones/Noel
C - KAT/Cousins/Cauley Stein
 

Mac9192

Heisman
Jan 25, 2017
9,133
12,943
107
Jay Williams and Tyus
JJ and Nolan
Dunleavy and Winslow
Battier and Zion
Boozer and Carter

I don’t think you can leave Battier or Dunleavy off the team. Both great Duke players, but their IQ on the court was unbelievable.
 
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BeerPoisoning

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This century, small forward is our weakest position? I’d say cumulatively, that “honor” goes to point guard or center. We’ve had some great ones, but as a whole K has always produced more wings.

Deng, Winslow, Tatum, Barrett, Dunleavy, Henderson, Singler, Hood, and Ingram all played that spot. Not sure I’d consider that the weakest position.

Our 3’s have been so good, Jayson Tatum has been left off of every list, and that dude was a baller in college once he got his feet set under him.

It’d be irrational for me to argue leaving Deng off of my list, I’ll give you that. Lack of 1’s and 5’s, I also agree. 3’s are higher quantity but a little lower quality. Don’t get me wrong - They’re great. Elite? Pushing it. Jay, JJ, Zion, Shelden all played (IMO) at a higher level. When I look at those names, it seems out of place to say the names you listed beside those guys.

Tatum was streaky, I put a higher value on consistency. He tended to hold onto the ball a lot too, which is a turn-off for a guy that’s a below average facilitator. Mediocre defender. (I can say a million brilliant things about him, just highlighting what I don’t like in justification for leaving him off.)
 
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BeerPoisoning

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For clarification, are we picking an all-century team based on who would make the best team or how an All-American or All-NBA team would be selected?

If it's the former, I need some time. The latter is pretty easy, based on college careers:

First Team
Guard - Jay Williams
Guard - JJ Redick
Forward - Shane Battier
Forward - Zion Williamson
Center - Jahlil Okfor

Second Team
Guard - Jon Scheyer
Guard - Nolan Smith
Forward - Mike Dunleavy
Forward - Marvin Bagley
Center - Shelden Williams

The lack of Jay Williams in a lot of people's posts is stunning and should be discussed.

Is it a case of time wiping away the memories? Shiny new toys replacing the old ones? People developing a dislike for him based on his on-air comments?

I'm genuinely curious, because a strong argument can be made that Jason Williams was the best guard to play college ball in the 21st century and was the best guard to ever play for Coach K.

Not weighing in NBA career. Just purely based on performance in a Duke jersey. I chose the best 2 players this century at each 1-5 position, I didn’t factor play style into it in terms of who would play best with who. But if you want to do that you can.

Jay is on my list as a no-brainer pick. Nobody could present an argument convincing me otherwise.
 

lyonhawk

Senior
Sep 8, 2003
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Nate James is a better version of Dahntay Jones if that's what you're looking for.

Also, as promised my all left handed all century team:

Justice Winslow
Luke Kennard
RJ Barrett
Zion Williamson
Marvin Bagley
 

Jtre

Senior
Nov 16, 2008
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I hate to say this because i hate them so much but UK’s All Calipari team is probably wiping the floor with anyone’s all century team. Just to show what a bunch of miserable underachievers they are

PG - Wall/Fox/Knight
SG - Booker/Bledsoe/Murray
SF - Randle/Monk
PF - Davis/Jones/Noel
C - KAT/Cousins/Cauley Stein

You call them a bunch of miserable underachievers but seven of those dudes played in the Final Four. I honestly think you were trying to bring UK fans over here with that comment.

If you're talking about NBA career then Kentucky is well in front of Duke and everybody else this century. There is some argument, however, if we are strictly college careers.

Jay Williams was better in college than any point guard you named.

JJ Redick and Nolan Smith were better than the 2-guards you listed, of course you left Doron Lamb and Jodie Meeks (arguably their two best) off of their list.

Monk and Randle neither one played the 3, but Kidd-Gilchrist and Keith Bogans did. Either way, you could certainly argue Singler, Deng or Dunleavy were as good if not better.

Davis played the 5 in college so Zion wins by default. Battier, depending on where you want him, and Bagley are there, too.

Kentucky clearly gets the center spot as Davis was a transcendent player with all the hardware.
 

spike05rk

Junior
Jul 30, 2008
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Gminski/Sheldon Williams
Laettner/Ferry
G. Hill/Battier
Dawkins/Redick
Hurley/Williams
 

BeerPoisoning

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Feb 17, 2019
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I hate to say this because i hate them so much but UK’s All Calipari team is probably wiping the floor with anyone’s all century team. Just to show what a bunch of miserable underachievers they are

PG - Wall/Fox/Knight
SG - Booker/Bledsoe/Murray
SF - Randle/Monk
PF - Davis/Jones/Noel
C - KAT/Cousins/Cauley Stein

If we’re looking at NBA careers it’s not even close... UK wins by landslide. Strictly college? I like Duke’s odds.

Wall was a turnover machine, nod to Jay
JJ is more prolific than any of their 2’s
Not sure about the 3 spot... toss up
Zion was better in college than unibrow
UK wins the center nod
 

christophero

Heisman
May 2, 2017
16,640
20,005
113
Jayson Williams
JJ
Battier
Zion
Boozer (don't need a ton of scoring with the other 4, knew his role)