Full disclosure: I grew up a Maryland fan.
Fuller disclosure: Like most Maryland fans, I didn't like Coach K very much. Actually, to be honest, saying I didn't like Coach K very much is kind of like saying Rick Majerus really enjoys a good buffet.
Fullest disclosure: I'm still-at best-indifferent to Coach K. He's a great coach, but how can I love him when his teams used to beat up on my Terps so much? I'm not proud of Duke's recent basketball history, mainly because a lot of it was at my team's expense.
That whole incredible comeback to beat Maryland in the 2001 Final Four? It was great-as long as you weren't a Maryland fan at the time.
The Laettner-Hurley-Hill Dynasty? Seven-year-old me was in Cole Field House, watching the mighty Blue Devils beat Maryland by like 102 points.
None of that is to say I don't like Duke Basketball now. Coming to college is a great time to hop on your school team's bandwagon (maybe the only time a real fan can justifiably become a fan of what used to be a hated rival). And you know what, I hopped, baby.
Some of my friends might say I just have a man-crush on J.J. Redick. I prefer to consider it a relationship built on mutual respect and admiration. Except not so much on the mutual part. Whatever.
But I didn't gobble up the whole bait. Like I said, I still can't bring myself to love Coach K. I still can't find it in me to love Shane Battier or Jason Williams like I love Juan Dixon and Lonny Baxter.
Here's the point: My fan relationship with Duke Basketball is based (almost entirely) on four players: Redick, Shelden Williams, Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni. And now they're leaving.
But the reason they won over this old Maryland fan won't ever leave. Each of them is engaging and smart, and they all seem to legitimately care about getting an education.
Dockery and his father both told me that nothing he did at Duke will make him as proud as just getting his degree. He told me all of his professors have helped him grow up so much.
Melchionni worked on Wall Street instead of working on his game last summer because he knew he would learn a lot.
Williams actually put his money where his mouth was, passing up NBA millions in favor of getting his degree.
But Redick has been the player that came the closest to explaining what it's like to be a superstar basketball player at Duke. I asked him once if being an athlete had ever prevented him from getting a full academic experience.
"Definitely," he responded. "I remember one class in particular I really wanted to take-the history of Ireland-and I couldn't take it because it met the same time as our practice. You just have to make that sacrifice, I guess. So I guess it really is athlete-student."
He put it in perspective when he told me that in four years at Duke, there was only one time that he attended every meeting of a class-all the rest of them conflicted at least once with a practice, game or other obligation.
These four student-athletes, or athlete-students if you believe Redick, turned me into a Duke fan. Not solely because of their on-court heroics-though there have been many-but because of the way I saw them carrying themselves.
It's sappy as Hell, but I wanted to thank them.
And as long as engaging, smart and personable players like these four keep coming to Duke, I don't care if the Blue Devils ever win another National Championship.
Though a Final Four next year would be kind of nice.
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