In this world of NBA Draft early entry and one-and-done freshman, it is difficult to become attached to a college star. They simply don't hang around long enough. But when they do, that player becomes the fan favorite. There is nothing like watching a kid develop from a overwhelmed freshman into star as a senior. Those are the players that the fans connect with.
We reached out to some of the blogosphere's best, and over the next couple of weeks we will be running a series of posts saying goodbye to some of the country's best seniors.
Our eighth installment of the 2011 series is being provided by Seth Curry Saves Duke. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, I highly recommend you do: it's insightful, entertaining, and well-written. You can hit them up on twitter at @SCurrySavesDuke
Eight points. 3-14 from the field. Two assists. Six turnovers.
That was Nolan Smith’s line in the last game of his college career. While the Arizona Wildcats celebrated their resounding Sweet-16 victory, Nolan stood on the sidelines with a shattered heart. In the two awful hours preceding the end, he could be seen staring ahead, unblinking, those huge, brown eyes held open in white alarm. It was the unmistakable expression of fear. His own baffling inability, along with the Wildcat barrage, left him shell-shocked.
It was a moment to make you question the cosmic justice of the world. As an ending, this was absurd, obscene, and existentially cruel.
Nolan was the humble kid with the ubiquitous smile who returned to Duke because he loved the school and coveted a second national championship. He was the player whose sheer resilience and willpower altered the course of his college career, transforming him from a timid freshman who nearly left his school into the ACC Player of the Year. He was the owner of a newfound swagger that somehow never strayed into arrogance. He was the guy with a rare but wonderful sense of humor, the oddball with the soft, almost delicate voice. He was the shooting guard forced to learn a new position when Kyrie Irving wounded his toe, and who played the point so well that Duke won the ACC championship and earned a 1-seed in the west region. He was the cool, powerful warrior who suffered the loss of his father at a young age and created a spectacular career in the wake of the tragedy.
Players like Nolan Smith deserve a storybook ending.
Instead, it all broke down. As Arizona relentlessly revealed every weakness of an imperfect team, Nolan displayed an odd passivity. An unlucky beginning snowballed into a nightmare—a final performance so meek, and so aimless, that empathetic Duke fans everywhere longed for the mercy of the buzzer. Meanwhile, Kyrie Irving was back at the point, running a one-man offense and proving to the world that yes, his draft stock should remain sky high. Coach K watched stoically from the sideline as his team floundered under the new leadership of an admittedly wonderful prospect who had, when you thought about it, only cheered in street clothes during the formative days of February. It was almost like witnessing a coup; King Hamlet toppled, and Claudius the usurper leading Denmark to ruin.
But as quickly as the shock of Nolan’s failure set in, it wore off. The whistle blew, the loss was final, and the legacy was intact. Today, these descriptions of his saddest hour must be forcefully dredged from the murky regions of memory, and to those deep realms they shall now return.
Because what we’ll remember about Nolan Smith is the greatness, and how different it was from other forms of greatness. We’ll remember the utter lack of machismo, a rare absence he replaced with joy. We’ll remember the way he attacked, the lethal crossover giving way to the slicing drive. We’ll remember the pure shot, devastating and beautiful. We’ll remember the wizened face, as though a mischievous old man had possessed the liquid body. We’ll remember the euphoria; the inspired genius of his better days.
And I’ll remember three specific games long after the sound of his name has faded in Durham.
1. Duke vs. Baylor, March 28, 2010, Elite Eight.
Nolan led the team with 29 points, including 17 in the second half, to save Duke from what had become its annual tournament fate—an early exit at the hands of a surging, athletic opponent. This game raised all kinds of red flags, in particular because it was being held in Houston before a hostile crowd. With four minutes left, Duke trailed by two and seemed to be wilting beneath the roars. History was repeating itself with horrible precision. Then Nolan scored seven straight points, Duke regained the lead, and fate was cheated. A week later, the journey he preserved in Texas ended in Indiana when Gordon Hayward missed a half-court shot.
2. Duke vs. North Carolina, March 5th, 2011.
On that night, Carolina triumphed at the Dean Dome by double digits. They were hungry for a victory, and their fans were admirably rabid. Duke would later beat the Heels in the ACC Tournament to secure the season series, but they had to endure a shellacking first. Still, standing amid a sea of powder blue in the upper decks, I did experience islands of pleasure in the swelling misery. These came courtesy of Nolan Smith, who scored 30 points and proved beyond a doubt that whatever the outcome, he was the best player on the floor. His quality prompted brief lulls in the Tar Heel noise machine, forcing the exultant fans to pause, momentarily, and consider how the hell someone could be that good.
3. Duke vs. North Carolina, February 9, 2011.
Carolina rode a series of strong victories into Cameron Indoor Stadium, and their excellence was on full display as they staggered the Devils and took a 43-29 halftime lead. In every sense, Duke had been outclassed. Then Nolan came out ablaze and scored 22 second half points, setting off a series of increasingly thunderous detonations that culminated in Duke’s best regular season victory in years. Along with Seth Curry, he shot the Tar Heels right out of the building.
We’ve all seen great players make it rain, but that’s for mere mortals. On February 10th, the morning after, a light dusting of white covered the ground in Durham. You can believe what you want—I say Nolan Smith made it snow.
More from "Saying Goodbye"
2011: Malcolm Delaney, Virginia Tech
2011: Josh Harrellson, Kentucky
2011: DJ Kennedy, St. John's
2011: JaJuan Johnson and E'Twaun Moore, Purdue
2011: Matt Howard, Butler
2011: Keith Benson, Oakland
2011: Preston Knowles, Louisville
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