Zion Williamson was a lock. What 4 other Blue Devils filled out Duke’s All-Decade team?
Duke experienced its normal high points on the basketball court with two NCAA titles this decade, a couple of unexpected low points with early losses and two historic accomplishments.
NCAA championships in 2010 and 2015 added to the program’s rich history, as did coach Mike Krzyzewski setting the sports wins record with No. 903 in 2011 and collecting win No. 1,000 in 2015.
Unforgettable NCAA tournament upset losses to Lehigh in 2012 and Mercer in 2014 marred the decade, though.
All those accomplishments impact who makes up the Blue Devils’ all-decade team for the 2010s. Great players must be left off for even greater stars.
ZION WILLIAMSON, 2019, F
An iconic college basketball player, the kind not likely to grace the sport again as the NBA prepares to allow prep players to skip the college game. Williamson combined strength, athleticism and work ethic to average 22.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while making 68 percent of his shots. He won several national player of the year awards.
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TYUS JONES, 2015, G
The consummate point guard and clutch player who led the Blue Devils to the 2015 NCAA championship. His stats, 11.8 points and 5.6 assists per game, belie his impact. Duke wouldn’t have rallied to beat UNC in Cameron that season without his late baskets. He ended his career winning the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player award, cutting down the nets in Indianapolis.
NOLAN SMITH, 2008-11, G
The 2011 ACC player of the year, Smith won an NCAA championship as a junior and returned for his best personal season as a senior. One of the most popular players in program history, Smith averaged 17.4 points for the 2010 NCAA champions. He followed that up averaging 20.6 points in 2010-11, helping Duke adjust midseason to Kyrie Irving’s injury and win the ACC championship.
JAHLIL OKAFOR, 2015, C
A first-team All-American and the 2015 ACC player of the year, Okafor dominated offensively in the post. The 6-11 center scored 17.3 points with 8.5 rebounds per game for Duke’s 2015 NCAA championship team, leading the ACC by making 66.4 percent of his field goal attempts. He compiled 11 double-doubles, including a game where he produced 25 points with 20 rebounds.
RJ BARRETT, 2019, F
The confident Canadian set an ACC freshman record with 860 points while averaging 22.6 points with 7.3 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in his lone season at Duke. He authored a rare triple-double in a February win over N.C. State with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists (with zero turnovers). He’s one of two Duke players with that accomplishment under Krzyzewski. It showed his versatility and fierce competitiveness.
IN THE TEAM PICTURE
Wow, there are so many players who were worthy of making this team. NBA Draft lottery picks Marvin Bagley III, Jabari Parker, Brandon Ingram, Wendell Carter, Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving and Luke Kennard were certainly considered. So were two starters from the 2010 NCAA title team, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler. And who can forget Grayson Allen, a hero of the 2015 NCAA title game and an All-American shooting guard in his own right? So much talent in a great decade for Duke.
This story was originally published December 31, 2019 at 2:30 PM.