By Andrew Jones
FOXSportsSouth.com
March 2, 2011
All great things must come to an end, and for Duke basketball, tonight will be the final curtain call for two of the program's greatest players to don its fabled uniform.
Seniors Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler will play their last home games at Cameron Indoor Stadium tonight when Clemson visits. The Blue Devils are fighting for the ACC crown and a top seed in the NCAA Tournament, but much of that won't matter much when the pair addresses the crowd.
They will be embraced for who they are as much as what they've done. But there's much more to do.
With Smith and Singler leading the way, scoring almost half of Duke's points since freshman Kyrie Irving went down with a toe injury on Dec. 4, the Devils kept the top spot in the national rankings until mid-January. Then they reclaimed that distinction a week ago, only to lose it after falling at Virginia Tech over the weekend.
The pair's list of achievements include the national championship last April.
Singler, the Most Outstanding Player at last year's Final Four, will set a school record starting his 140th game tonight, and he's 12th all-time in scoring in the ACC with 2,712 points. He's also managed 43 20-point games.
Smith is 19th all-time in Duke scoring with 1,765 points, and his play has been off the charts this season. The 6-foot-2 guard has grabbed five or more rebounds in 18 games after doing it just 13 times in his first three seasons combined.
But this is it, so expect a lot of emotion, possibly some tears, and soak in the brotherhood the pair and fellow senior Casey Peters share.
"Our relationship is something very, very special," Smith said about Singler, though he later noted Peters as part of their inseparable trio. "We're definitely brothers. When we stepped on campus we were friends, and that slowly progressed. We became good friends, and really, really good friends, and through the years we became brothers."
Singler was a star as a freshman. He was a scorer, passer and rebounder from day one. The 6-9 Medford, Ore., native has turned in the kind of career that ranks among the best in Duke history, so says his legendary coach.
"When you've won the national championship during your four years, you already set yourself apart," Mike Krzyzewski said. "But, statistically he's going to be fourth or fifth in scoring. He's going to come close to 1,000 rebounds. He's one of the best defenders we've had here. Really, he's been amazing. In my 31 years, one of the really great players that we've had here."
Smith's story is a bit different. He was a role player as a freshman and sophomore, but exploded as a scorer a year ago. The Maryland native has elevated his game this season, taking on more roles, leading as the ACC's best player without argument, and posting one of the best seasons of any player in recent memory.
"To see him develop and see where he is now - I've seen a lot of his hard work pay off," Singler said about Smith. "And I'm just really happy for him and everything that he's achieved this year he's definitely earned."
Peters was a team manager for two years before making it as a walk on last season. This year he's on scholarship and has become a favorite of his teammates. He befriended Singler not long after arriving on campus as a freshman, and before each game, you can see Peters working with Singler, feeding him the ball in various spots so the All-American can get prepared for the game.
Peters takes pride in serving Duke in any way he can. A lifelong Duke fan, Peters says he once thought every basketball player was named Bobby Hurley, a Blue Devils star and two-time national champion in the early 1990s.
Tonight will be a time of reflection and appreciation. It seems like yesterday to these guys that they first walked onto campus, yet the journey felt different.
"It's definitely been a little bit of both," Singler said. "Looking back on it, there's times where I've felt like I have all the time in the world. But then right now, it's gone by so fast. You have a feeling of both, but right now, it has gone by quick."
Tonight will be a blink-of-the-eye for them, as well. But their careers will always be remembered and celebrated in Durham. They've been that good.
Andrew Jones is in his 15th season covering the ACC.
