To celebrate 30 years of SLAM, we’re featuring the 30 most influential men’s college teams of the past 30 years. Stats, records and chips are not the main factor here, it’s all about their contribution to the cultural fabric of the game.
Over the next 30 days, Monday through Friday, we’ll be featuring full list here. We also have an exclusive retro collegiate collection out now that pays homage to each team’s threads. Shop here.
The 2019 Duke Blue Devils painted a masterpiece on their canvas hardwood that will be remembered for generations to come.
Legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski and his staff drew the first shot, recruiting one of the best freshmen in college basketball. No. 1 RJ Barrett, No. 2 Zion Williamson, No. 3 Cam Reddish, No. 17 Tre Jones and No. 41 Joey Baker. As soon as five top 18-year-olds stepped foot on campus, the entire basketball ecosystem grew in Durham.
Led by Coach K, the Blue Devils were loved and feared. They split teams inside the famous Cameron Indoor Stadium, where it was standing room only, and thousands of blue-painted “Cameron Crazies” screamed, jumped and sang endlessly. And when they hit the road, the squad would always dress up for the occasion in their all-black attire, indicating the next “burial” of the opposing team. Every possession was a showtime opportunity, with high-flying, thunderous tackles and defensive swagger becoming the norm rather than the exception.
And for most of the season, Duke was winning. they finished their campaign with 32 wins and just six losses, although their Elite Eight championship hopes were dashed by Michigan State.
Williamson was the main star to grace Durham’s vast skies. The freshman forward was a force of nature whose gravity-defying athleticism and boundless energy transcended the sport itself and left Twitter reeling with highlights. The Salisbury, NC native’s presence alone was enough to propel Duke to new heights, bringing an unseen national spotlight to Tobacco Road.
But Duke was far from a one-man show. Next to him was RJ Barrett, a left-handed Canadian sensation whose silky-smooth scoring touch and explosiveness made him one of the nation’s most exciting prospects. Together, they formed one of Coach K’s best tandems, bringing nothing but hope to legions of the Duke faithful.
Reddish dazzled with his shot-making prowess, while Tre Jones anchored the backcourt with his poise and playmaking ability. Javin LeLaurier, meanwhile, often sent shots down one end of the third row and littered the paint on the other.
Together, this group of bucket-scoring artists created scenes that are etched in the minds of basketball fans. Disappointing. Williamson spun and rose to send De’Andre Hunter’s corner three deep into a sea of stunned Virginia fans. Breathtaking. Barrett finds Carmradish between the legs for a triple to tie the game against Louisville after trailing by 23 points. Picturesque — Williamson spins 360 degrees in the air and hammers it home, still chilling.
Duke’s 2019 team showed what Duke basketball is all about: a cultural phenomenon, an eternal love or hate. But this season was also unique. every game felt like an ethereal experience, the truest display of pure talent and unrivaled chemistry, with the support of perhaps the greatest basketball coach of all time. This team, with all its glories and flaws, might be the “Dukest” Duke team to date.
Five years into 2019, the tears, screams and memories have yet to fully escape the creaking wooden doors of Cameron Indoor Stadium. And like most beautiful and coveted pictures, the story of the 2018-19 Blue Devils is likely to remain timeless.
Photos via Getty Images.
