Still, it just seemed that Duke was destined to win. Especially when Shane Battier spent most of his time waving his arms to the crowd and doing his best Dre' Bly imitation. Naturally, if a Carolina player did this, it would be classless. For Battier, however, it's a terrific show of emotion.
Coach Ks back injury in 1995 -
Coach K's 1995 Duke team lost their ACC opener to a medicore Clemson team. Soon afterwards, K left the team because of 'exhaustion' and problems with back surgery.
Assistant coach Pete Gaudet took over the team and proceeded to go 2-14 in the ACC. Gaudet 'left' the team at the end of the season.
The games that Coach K didn't coach are not on his record.
...he had Vince Carter over for a January visit, nine days after he advised his players of his need to sign off for health reasons. The punch line later came from Carter himself. Shortly after that visit, Carter was quoted in an SI article on Duke, (published well before Carter chose UNC over Duke by the way). 'He was up and about,' said Carter, 'He didn't seem like a guy who has had all these back problems.'
Some speculate that K left the team for reasons beyond exhaustion or his back.
Faced the same 'problems', would he had left the excellent '91-92 team that was favored to, and eventually repeated as National Champions? Ask Pete Gaudet if you ever see him.
