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At the same time, when your team loses it's not blasphemy to suggest that the vaunted coach might be spending too much time moonlighting as Team USA's coach, or to wonder if the team could use a new assistant, or to ask questions about why the team's recruiting has slipped from what it once was.
--Gregory Beaton, The Chronicle
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Carrawell battling his way back
Depressed and disillusioned, the ex-Duke star tries to recover with the Asheville Altitude
February 22, 2002
By Brian Holloway
Staff writer
Nothing the NBA does surprises Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski.
It's too bad one of his former students didn't have the same insight before NBA draft night 2000.
On Saturday night, Chris Carrawell and his Asheville Altitude teammates visit the Crown Coliseum for the final time this season as they take on the Fayetteville Patriots at 7.
Like many players in the National Basketball Development League, Carrawell thought at this point in his life he would traveling to bigger cities such as Chicago, Los Angeles and Boston.
But to his surprise he went in the second round to the San Antonio Spurs. Before the 2000-2001 season began the Spurs released him. After going through some depression and anger he, like everyone else in the NBDL, is fighting to reach the NBA.
'It's tough when you play in a league like this,' Carrawell said. 'It's a different lifestyle. We had charted flights at Duke, it was an NBA atmosphere there. Guys down here don't care that you went to Duke.
'Everybody is out here for the same thing. Everybody is trying to prove something so you've got to share the minutes.'
Not since N.C. State's Rodney Monroe went No. 30 to the Atlanta Hawks in 1991 has an ACC Player of the Year been drafted in the second round. Monroe and Carrawell are the only two it has happened to in the last 25 years.
In 2000, Carrawell led the Blue Devils to the Sweet 16 even though the previous year Duke lost Elton Brand, Will Avery, Corey Maggette and Trajan Langdon to the NBA lottery.
So, considering those accomplishments, Carrawell thought he would be a first-round pick. Besides, some of the players he played with and against in school who were also named conference player of the year -- Brand, Tim Duncan and Antawn Jamison -- were lottery picks. 'I'm not saying I'm on their level,' Carrawell said. 'But I had the best senior year you could have -- I was an All-American. There was stuff I needed to work on, but still, I was player of the year in the ACC. So I couldn't have been that bad.' Carrawell got worried when the NBA decided to give his invitation to the 2000 draft to another player. After the Charlotte Hornets, who had the 19th pick , called him back to Charlotte for another workout, the worry left.
So he organized a draft party in St. Louis. The first 13 picks -- commonly known as the lottery -- went by without Stern announcing Carrawell's name. No problem, the Hornets have pick 19.
Instead of Carrawell's name, however, the Hornets crashed Carrawell's party by selecting Kentucky's 6-foot-9 power forward Jamaal Magloire. Twenty-two picks later, Carrawell heard his name. But it's first rounders who get guaranteed contracts, not second rounders.
'I felt the whole system let me down,' Carrawell said. 'Whether it was NBA scouts, my agent, NBA (general managers), Coach K not lobbying enough for me -- never in history had an ACC Player of the Year gone so low.'
Carrawell said his summer camp didn't go so well because he was depressed .
Spurs coach Gregg Popovich informed Carrawell that he exceeded expectations in training camp, but Carrawell didn't know how to take that because he didn't have a good summer camp.
Carrawell became even more discouraged when during a Duke game on ESPN he heard Dick Vitale say he heard that Carrawell dropped out of school following the Blue Devils' loss to Florida in the NCAA tournament because he thought he would be a draft choice. Carrawell went overseas to get over his hurt.
'It was tough hearing that,' Carrawell said. 'Why would I drop out when I only need three classes to graduate? It didn't make sense. It was not true and it had to be an inside rumor. It came from Duke, so I look at it like they didn't protect me.'
Carrawell said he left school to be with his sick grandmother. Shortly after returning to school, his grandmother died, he added. He said by that time things had become hectic as he prepared for the NBA. He said he hopes to get his degree this summer.
'Everything is cool with Duke,' Carrawell said. 'That's still my school, and I still want those guys to win every game and every national championship.
'When I make it, it won't be because of Coach K or the Duke system, it will be because I'm a good player and I worked my butt off to get to the next level.'
Spurs scout Mark Freidinger said Carrawell needs to work on his perimeter game because he's not consistent with his outside shot. There is also a question on where you play a 6-7 player like Carrawell.
'Does he play small forward?' Freidinger said. Most coaches would say he's not big enough. And he doesn't have the outside shot to play the off guard.
'He's probably a two-guard, but this is the place where Chris can find all that out. Because this league will give him a chance to work on that perimeter shot. That's key.'
'I'm sure Chris will get other opportunities in camps,' Krzyzewski said. 'He has to be able to surpass all others that are there, and continue show NBA people steady improvement. He's not guaranteed a whole lot right now, but he has to give a lot to show he belongs. That's the path Chris has to take if he wants to get there.'
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Cheer Sheet vs. Wake Forest, Feb. 20th, 2005 -
Camerou Indoor Stadium Sunday, February 20, 2005
- Remember, Wake Forest is only good because UNC was crappy for the last three years and couldn't recruit in-state.
- No one on Wake Forest's team has ever won a game in Cameron,. .let's not let this change tonight.
- J.J. has asked that we make some subdued noise during his free throws because he doesn't like the silence. Give the man some applause.
- "If you can't go to Duke, go to Wake!"
- We have to make fun of Wake's ugly student section x-shirts
Head Coach: Skip Prosser's real name is George Edward Prosser
#3-Chris Paul:
- At last year's game in Cameron, Paul began to cry after he fouled out. Don't let him forget that.
- At Wake this year, Paul tried to get in a fight with Daniel Ewing ("Don't Punch Daniel!")
- "Two first names, still no game!"
#31-Eric Williams:
- Nicknames are "Big E" and "E-Dub".. .minor changes to these nicknames are encouraged.
- Eric's mom, Debra, has become a mini celebrity and always appears onTV at Wake's games, and will probably be in the stands (chants of "Mama's Boy!"). When she played college basketball, she once grabbed 31 rebounds, and has a bet with Eric that he'll never be able to do that ("Mama's Better!")
#4-Taron Downey:
- At Wake's loss to Florida State, Downey made a last second baskettoipe the game, got fouled, did the throat slash gesture (didn't get a technical for it), and proceeded to miss the free throw that would have won the game. Ample throat slashing gestures might be in order.. .
- Perhaps the FSU Tomahawk Chop when he goes to shoot free throws?
#10-Jamaal Levy:
- Not much to work with here except perhaps some lyricsuom Don Maclean's "American Pie".
# I-Justin Gray:
- Two years ago, Gray had his jaw broken by Dahntay Jones - "This Just in - Gray Can't Play!" (grads to undergt-ads)
#55-Kyle Visser:
- Not to be too harsh.
. but someone needs to get this kid some oxy padsot Clearast?
#13-Vytas Danelius:
~Danelius is from Lithuania; his full name is Vytautas (vee-tow-tus)
- With apologies to any native Lithuanians, here our some good words to know with our best. atte~pt.at pronunciation in parentheses:
"Bad" =blogai (blo-gay)
"Not Good" = Negeras (nay-gay-ras - "e" is "ay" and "a" is "ah"in Lithuanian) "You missed" = nepataika (nay-pah-tay-kah)
General Notes:
- Last Home Game (Senior Game): Miami, Thursday, March 3 @ 7:00 (first 200 wristbands to anyone, all other wristbands go to seniors, but all other undergrads can walk-up -don't worry, there will still be plenty of room)
From Steve to the tenters: Thank you all. You have been awesome all year. It has been a pleasure and an honor to serve you. Enjoy sleeping in your beds tonight and for the rest of the year.
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