Duke Basketball goes crazy

One of Duke’s most admirable basketball victories took place in what many might call the saddest and most unlikely of circumstances. Bucky Waters had replaced Vic Bubas as Duke’s coach in 1970. He recruited some of the best players in the nation, but after his introduction to Duke basketball, the bad chemistry became apparent and they began dropping out to other schools. Hard Waters didn’t seem willing or able to stop the bleeding.

The bottom fell in 1972-73, the year this game was played. Recruitment had now dropped in a big way. Only two members of Bucky’s first recruiting class were still available as seniors: Gary Melchionni and Alan Shaw. Duke had Randy Denton, Chris Redding, Kevin Billerman, and of course Melchionni and Shaw. To top it all, Duke was also facing a year of probation for recruiting violations involving the great David Thompson.

Melchionni Roller Coaster Duke Race

Gary Melchionni had experienced a chaotic career at Duke. In his second year he battled mononucleosis. He then suffered a sprained ankle and, later, a thigh injury. Still, he was talented enough to start at the end of the season. In his third year he blew his ankle in a game against Virginia. However, he came back and ended up averaging 11.7 points per game. True to form, just before his senior year, Gary injured his Achilles tendon, missing the entire preseason practice period. So once the season started, he was desperately trying to get in shape and play games too. Game programming was crazy that year too. After an easy home win against William & Mary, only 3 of the next 16 games were at home.

The worst thing for the players was the fact that the Duke student base had gradually turned against coach Bucky Waters. As I kept losing the best players and losing games, things were getting ugly on campus. It was a huge disappointment and distraction to hear the boos and chants from Cameron like “Goodbye Bucky. We’re glad to see you go.” In this climate, most teams would be playing listless and uninspired basketball, to say the least, just longing for the season to end.

A hero emerges

At the time, this game was being played against no. 3 at Maryland, Duke was 8-9 and the Terps 14-2. Maryland featured All Americans, Len Elmore and Tom Mcmillen, talented seniors, Jim O’Brien and Howard White, and super point guard John Lucas.

Surprisingly, against the Terrapins Waters was willing to allow his players to use a loose movement offense rather than the strictly structured pattern offense. During the first half, Duke ran with the Terps breaking fast and keeping up. That didn’t bother Coach Driesell, he figured any team competing against Maryland would lose to their run-and-shoot specialists. Melchionni’s shots were falling and he finished with 14 points at halftime. Duke was defending himself.

Melchionni’s mentality changed during the halftime break. He had always tried to be disinterested on the court, perhaps disinterested in the extreme. He decided that he would try to dominate during the second period. It would be just an experiment.

Maryland kept trying to get away in the second half, but every time they made a short run, Duke made a basket or threw a few free throws and barely stayed within reach. Then late in the game, Duke somehow scratched and scratched his way to a slim lead, 66-60. At that point, Waters decided to continue his mongoose offense. Some said it was a copy of Dean Smith’s Four Corners, but Waters said he adapted it from Chuck Noe of Virginia Commonwealth.

The Melchionni show

The other four Duke players spread out across the court and Gary Melchionni took on whoever was trying to score him one on one and almost invariably beat him down the line or hit the most beautiful jumpers he has ever seen. Gary had to be one of the softest players on Duke. He had a near-perfect left-handed shot and could shoot it from almost anywhere in the midfield. Melchionni said: “I decided that until they stopped me I was not going to stop wearing it to the basket.” He scored 11 points in a row to bring Duke’s lead to 77-62 with two minutes remaining. The Blue Devils got a bit sloppy at the time, but Maryland’s rise was too small, too late. Duke ended up winning, 85-81. Gary Melchionni had scored 39 points.

Flickering light in dark tunnel

With this victory, the Blue Devils won the next three games against stiff competition. His record reached 12-9. Then a Cameron loss to a killer NC State team sent the team spiraling into four losses. Duke finished 12-14, his first losing season since 1939. But Duke fans had to be thankful for the ray of hope provided by an unlikely victory against the third-ranked team in the nation.