Nolan Smith Reminds Duke He Is No. 1, Scores 43 in Pro-Am

One of the most popular topics in Durham of late is the arrival of point guard Kyrie Irving.  Most of the talk has centered about how he will be the next great point guard to hype the crazies.

Throughout most of this hype, people have lost track of one guy, Nolan Smith.  It isn't fair to forget about one of last year's "Big Three," a National Championship-winning point guard, and senior captain. 

Nolan Smith has had a roller coaster of a career at college basketball's premier school.  He is no stranger to being benched behind a freshman (see Elliot Williams).  Throughout all of this, he has still battled and continued to get better.

After Duke won the title last season, many assumed that Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith would be off to the show. Singler stayed, which was enough to convince Smith, returning the core of the NCAA kings.

Getting benched behind Kyrie Irving at some point this season is not unlikely, but from the looks of things, Smith is doing everything in his power to hold on to the top spot.

At a recent Pro-Am, Nolan was unstoppable. No one could keep him from scoring as he was able to accumulate an impressive 43 points. 

Last week I reported that his teammate Seth Curry scored 36 points in the same game.

While Seth is expected to be a scorer at Duke and possibly be Steph volume two (although unlikely), the 43 scored by Smith was far more impressive. During the game, Smith appeared to score at will, at times being guarded by as many as three players and still able to find the basket.

The hard work is finally paying off and the superstar light bulb may have turned on during this game. Although it was simply a Pro-Am, scoring like this is no easy task.  

If this is something Nolan can repeat time and time again next season, then the Devils have a true shot at winning their second straight title—the second time Coach K will have completed this rare feat.