After hours of watching tape, four failed mathematical formulas and a best-of-seven coin flip series, I have placed J.J. Redick in his rightful spot among the Duke all-time greats-kind of.
Much of Redick's legacy has yet to be written. If the senior can lead the Blue Devils to an NCAA title his ranking may change.
Despite many requests, head coach Mike Krzyzewski refuses, and appropriately so, to rank or compare any of his former players to Redick, so I must go at it alone.
"He stands with anybody who has played here," Krzyzewski said Feb. 6. "He probably should be mentioned [among the greats], then its however much you guys want to mention him."
Right now, Redick sits sixth on my list, behind Christian Laettner, Johnny Dawkins, Grant Hill, Mike Gminski and Jason Williams.
The sixth-place ranking is certainly not a dig at Redick, who has had the greatest scoring season in Duke history, even with his recent slump. The senior is Duke's all-time leading scorer and three-point shooter and will certainly garner a share of the National Player of the Year awards.
But the fact is that despite all Redick's improvement, he is still nearly exclusively a scorer. Although his intelligence often makes up for his lack of athleticism on the defensive end, Redick is usually matched up against the opponent's weakest outside threat. The senior has become a better passer each year of his career, but continues to average nearly as many turnovers as assists.
The players ahead of Redick are characterized by their well-roundedness. Gminski averaged a double-double for his career and was the career leader in blocks until Shelden Williams passed him this season. Hill could do it all on offense and was his team's shutdown defender. Laettner certainly took, and hit, all the big shots, but he was also an underrated rebounder and interior defender.
And in contrast to many of the comprable Duke greats, Redick still seeks his first National Championship, something he certainly has a chance to change over the next month.
Laettner remains ahead of Redick on my list mainly because of his postseason dominance. The biggest knock on Redick his whole career has been his performance in the biggest games, a criticism that is not unfounded.
Redick has averaged 14.8 points per game in the NCAA Tournament on just 37 percent shooting, including a 10-for-38 performance in last year's Tourney.
Dawkins greatness is in his impact on the Duke program as much as his play. Dawkins put the Blue Devils back on the map and cemented Krzyzewski's job security by leading the Blue Devils to the final game in 1986.
It should not be forgotten that Dawkins was also the team's leading scorer each of his four years, even while playing point guard as a freshman.
Williams is the most talented player to ever play at Duke. His resumé is certainly hurt by only staying three years, but that can only drop him so far. Williams was named National Player of the Year in both his sophomore and junior years and would have obliterated Dawkins' scoring record had he stayed for a senior campaign.
If Redick does cap off his tremendous career with a great NCAA Tournament performance and a national title, I would argue that he could jump Williams and Gminski into fourth place. If he suffers another postseason flop, he could fall below Shane Battier or Bobby Hurley.
Regardless, Redick has exceeded any of the expectations that anyone could possibly have had for him. Redick was not even the top-ranked player in his freshman class and will leave Duke as one of the greatest players in school and ACC history-and there is no coin flip needed for that.
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