Sports Poets Society

That was the goal of every NBA team, The former Duke star andpresumptiveTOP DRAFTPICKhas an uncanny skill set that hoops IQ and a preternatural calm “I love being the underdog,” Flagg says. “Always have. It gives you a little EXTRA FUEL , extra motivation every game. You get a spark. It’s a great feeling.” by CHRIS MANNIX photograph by CLAY PATRICK MCBRIDE Sports Illustrated - July 2025 THE SCENE FELT FUNEREAL In April, minutes after Duke’s collapse in the NCAA semifinal againstHouston, a contingent of Blue Devils motored down a back hall of the Alamodome on a golf cart. Coach Jon Scheyer, flanked by freshman wing Kon Knueppel, was stuffed in the middle row. As the cart hummed down the quiet hallway, Cooper Flagg appeared on the back, still in his sweat-soaked uniform, staring vacantly in the direction he came. The images, captured by dozens of cameraphones, quickly went viral. Flagg can’t recall what he was thinking in that moment. Just that, whatever it was, he didn’t want anyone to ...

7 Apr 2025 - The Washington Post Jerry Brewer SAN ANTONIO — Like his team, Kelvin Sampson would not stop. He kept talking, sentences on sentences on sentences, answering questions that hadn’t been asked, delivering a most lucid ramble to explain an epic comeback. Nine minutes and 919 words later, he finished his initial thoughts. Yes, that was just his opening statement. As the clock ticked toward midnight, he could have lectured Saturday into Sunday, and he still would have left me wanting more. Time meant nothing while trying to comprehend how Houston pulled off the biggest victory of the 69-year-old coach’s life, a 70-67 triumph over Duke in a Final Four game that seemed lost at least a half-dozen times. “Just proud of these guys for what they accomplished,” Sampson said to end the beginning of his reflections. On Monday, Sampson will lead a team into the NCAA men’s basketball national title game for the first time. He is a 40-minute contest, or however long the dogged Cougars need...

https://goduke.com/news/2009/5/9/3735844.aspx DURHAM, N.C. - Former Duke assistant coach and NBA coaching legend Chuck Daly passed away on Saturday, May 9 in Jupiter, Fla., with his family by his side. He was 78 years old. "Chuck was one of the great coaches and great friends of the game," said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski . "It was an honor to be a friend of his. He gave me a tremendous opportunity to learn from him in 1992 as a member of the Dream Team coaching staff and for that, I am eternally grateful. There was no better ambassador for the game of basketball than Chuck Daly. He was truly loved by everyone." Daly, who coached the original Dream Team to the Olympic gold medal in 1992 after winning back-to-back NBA championships with the Detroit Pistons, was an assistant coach at Duke under Vic Bubas from 1964-69. During that stretch, the Blue Devils won 20 or more games in a season four times with two ACC Championships (1964, 1966) and two NCAA Final Four ap...

di Alessandro Castellani (ANSA) - ROMA, 01 APR - E' 'March Madness' anche se e' aprile. In questo 'long week end' (la finale e' in programma lunedi' 4) l'America si ferma per la Final Four del campionato universitario di basket, quello targato Ncaa che quest'anno vede le quattro squadre rimaste in corsa per il titolo sfidarsi a New Orleans. E questo, le Finali del basket Ncaa, e' anche l'evento sportivo che negli States ha la piu' alta audience televisiva dopo i play off della Nfl, la lega del football americano. E quest'anno la Final Four ha ancora piu' appeal perche' a sfidarsi saranno quattro team tra i piu' vincenti e con piu' tifosi nel paese: Duke, North Carolina, Kansas e Villanova. Per farsi un'idea di cosa significhi basti pensare che nel 2010 la Ncaa ha firmato un accordo per i diritti televisivi della durata di 14 anni con Cbs Sports e Turner Broadcasting per un totale di 10,8 miliardi di dollari. L...

di CHRISTIAN GIORDANO  © American Superbasket n. 9/17 - 1/21 maggio 2008 Duke, sempre Duke, fortissimamente Duke. I Blue Devils sembravano di una categoria a sé, al via del Torneo NCAA 1999. Non soltanto perché avevano Elton Brand, Giocatore universitario dell’anno e futura prima scelta assoluta al susseguente draft NBA, e tre compagni che lo avrebbero raggiunto nella metà di sinistra del primo giro di lottery, traguardo mai raggiunto da altri atenei; ma soprattutto perché in stagione avevano perso (di due punti, contro Cincinnati) solo la sesta partita, e non si vedeva chi avrebbe potuto negargli il loro terzo titolo NCAA degli anni Novanta e la platonica qualifica di miglior squadra di college del decennio. Nel frattempo Connecticut, l’altra finalista, era considerata dalla maggioranza degli esperti la seconda miglior squadra della nazione, un filo sotto i Blue Devils. La squadra di coach Jim Calhoun, tuttavia, aveva solidi argomenti per smentirli. Intanto il sostegno de...