Shane Battier....LESSONS FROM A LEGEND: PLAYING FOR COACH K
- Thread starter dukiejay
- Start date
Shane is, along with Grant, the greatest Dukie in history. I present these six pieces of evidence, which all Duke fans should be familiar with, as support for that statement:
First, a story from the article posted in the original post... It's been told a number of times.
The story he (Coach K) still tells every time I’m around is this: when I was a junior, I was the team captain. Usually, after the team stretching commenced, the coach would address us all with the key messages of the day: OK guys, we need to get together, we need to really work our man-to-man defense, we need to focus on finishing, we haven’t really been sharp the last few days, whatever the key message of the day was. But for me, as the team captain, and being the mother hen that I was, Duke basketball was MY program. And so one day I took the initiative to jump in and address the team myself. I said, “OK guys, this is what we need to do today, this is how we get better.” And I went down the line and spelled out how we would get better. Coach K was pretty impressed, and said, “What Shane said was better than anything I could have said.”
So that became my task, every single day: I addressed the team. He let me have ultimate control over my team. I didn’t recognize at the time how unusual this arrangement was; for me, leading this team was just what I was supposed to do.
The list of all winners of the NABC Defensive Players of the Year; Shane won a record three times.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NABC_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year
Shane's block against Arizona in the finals. You know which one.
"The No Stats All Star" - the incredible piece from the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html
Shane's "The Duke Idea" conversation with President Richard Brodhead.
And of course...
Shane Battier celebrates the 2013 NBA title by going to Denny's with a few close friends. I must admit to being a bit disappointed by the lower case 'a'... But nobody is perfect
First, a story from the article posted in the original post... It's been told a number of times.
The story he (Coach K) still tells every time I’m around is this: when I was a junior, I was the team captain. Usually, after the team stretching commenced, the coach would address us all with the key messages of the day: OK guys, we need to get together, we need to really work our man-to-man defense, we need to focus on finishing, we haven’t really been sharp the last few days, whatever the key message of the day was. But for me, as the team captain, and being the mother hen that I was, Duke basketball was MY program. And so one day I took the initiative to jump in and address the team myself. I said, “OK guys, this is what we need to do today, this is how we get better.” And I went down the line and spelled out how we would get better. Coach K was pretty impressed, and said, “What Shane said was better than anything I could have said.”
So that became my task, every single day: I addressed the team. He let me have ultimate control over my team. I didn’t recognize at the time how unusual this arrangement was; for me, leading this team was just what I was supposed to do.
The list of all winners of the NABC Defensive Players of the Year; Shane won a record three times.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/NABC_Defensive_Player_of_the_Year
Shane's block against Arizona in the finals. You know which one.
"The No Stats All Star" - the incredible piece from the New York Times.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/15/magazine/15Battier-t.html
Shane's "The Duke Idea" conversation with President Richard Brodhead.
And of course...
Shane Battier celebrates the 2013 NBA title by going to Denny's with a few close friends. I must admit to being a bit disappointed by the lower case 'a'... But nobody is perfect
Last edited:
This is my Battier moment of choice.
I also caught a glimpse of him at a party in a dorm late April 2001. He was Duke's Jeter off the court, and I'm not talking Chase.
I also caught a glimpse of him at a party in a dorm late April 2001. He was Duke's Jeter off the court, and I'm not talking Chase.
I remember a story Shane told (I thought OP was going to tell it) but anyway it was his senior year (IIRC) or the year he became a captain and he said during the summer, K called him once a week telling him "you're going to be a captain and leader of his team" and he thought K was crazy for calling him once a week saying the same thing. But he said K kept calling and telling him that to make him believe that he would do something special at Duke.
*If I'm telling this story wrong, someone please correct it for the record.*
*If I'm telling this story wrong, someone please correct it for the record.*
Today, the officials would blow the whistle and call both of those blocks fouls. Those types of plays never get the benefit of the doubt anymore. Sad, really. The amount of fouls called in today's game is ruining the enjoyment.
I too miss some of the tough D. Watch the Gamecocks today for a taste of it.
How I remember it, K asked him something bolder, like, "Are you going to lead this team to the national championship?" and when Shane would hesitate, or say merely that he'd try, K would hang up on him. He'd also call in the middle of the night sometimes. When Shane finally answered with a confident, immediate, "Yes!" they had an actual conversation.