A Positive Take on Duke's '08-'09 Campaign

A week removed from the 2009 National Championship game the dust is still setting on the year that was.

For Duke fans it was a bitter-sweet year, but unlike many who are panicking over next year or declaring this year a failure, I believe this year was a positive sign of things to come.

Did Duke make the Final Four? No. But, if that is the only measure by which you choose to determine if a year is successful or not then you can take your half-empty glass and go elsewhere.

As for me I like to look at all the positive that came out of this year and the positives that will be even if Gerald Henderson doesn't come back and John Wall, or insert point guard recruit's name, doesn't sign.

Here are the positives as I see them.

Did Duke win a championship?

Yes. In fact they won two, if you count the 2K Sports Classic at the beginning of the year and the ACC Tournament Championship. Coach K measures his teams on what they earned and this team took steps to earning Championship credibility.

Did Duke have a player earn national recognition?

Yes. Gerald Henderson was an All American and Kyle Singler was honorable mention. Typically when Duke is at the top of their game they have at least one person in this category and they almost had two this year.

Did Duke get a positive contribution from their front court?

Yes. Widely considered this team's Achilles' heel there were positives from the front court by committee approach. Now if you think I'm saying that their front court was great that is not what I mean, but between, Singler, Brian Zoubek, and Lance Thomas there were positive moments.

Obviously Singler, playing more of a 4 in a 3's body, took home most of the glory but Zoubek and Thomas played key roles and minutes, and in their own way, positively contributed. Plus all three of them are back next year.

Would this team have been better with a dominant post player? Yes, but it is funny how in the end, it was a lack of speed and athleticism on the perimeter that got Duke beat, not the lack of a front-court player.

Did Duke make it past the first weekend of the tournament?

Yes. After two years mired in the mediocrity of the first two rounds, Duke finally emerged from weekend one victorious. However, it was short lived with their loss at the hands of a good Villanova team.

Many will argue the Villanova loss, especially the way they lost, as a sign of Duke's downfall. Again they are only looking at the empty part of the glass. There is nothing wrong with a Sweet 16 berth, or loosing to a quality opponent.

Message board regulars who were proclaiming anything past the Sweet 16 as gravy, were the same ones a week later who said Duke had fallen from the ranks of the greats as a result of that loss.

They completely forgot the fact that Duke made a great run, with a significant line up shift and without a dominant post player. Points they themselves were bringing up prior to the loss. They just happened to run into a team that they couldn't match up with on that one night.

The most positive fans will think ahead to how Duke could return all their key players next year.

Of course that brings up the big ifs.

Will Gerald Henderson come back and if not, what impact will it have?

My feeling is that he is going to go pro. I have nothing to base this on and it is pure conjecture on my part, but I think the potential lottery money will be too much for him to pass up.

However, I do not think that leaves Duke dead in the water next year, even if they don't sign the much coveted John Wall, which appears to be the case. Again that is conjecture, as I have nothing to base that on except my gut.

Will Duke be a National Championship contender? Probably, not, but that doesn't mean all is lost. They should still be a very solid team with two of their top three scorers returning and some potential help from incoming freshman Mason Plumlee.

Heralded recruit Ryan Kelly, looks more like an outside, in player, and if he can prove to be a consistent and solid shooter off the bench, Duke could be a top 10 team even without Henderson and or Wall.

Will they be as good without those guys? No, but they aren't going to just stink.

They have solid players returning, and a great coach, who in the 2010-2011 season is looking at a very good class with the possibility of it being great.

Duke fans have become spoiled over the years by the success and now they are sulking due to the success of their rivals.

What they need to do is relax, be patient and wait and take each success as it comes, because ultimately it is just a matter of time before Duke will be on top again. This season was just the beginning.