It seems as though jersey retirement ceremonies are becoming a Sunday tradition at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Last week, Shelden Williams looked on as his No. 23 was unveiled in the rafters. Sunday, it will be his classmate J.J. Redick's turn.
Redick, Duke's and the ACC's all-time scoring leader, will become the 13th men's basketball player to have his jersey retired when his No. 4 rises above Coach K Court, joining all-time greats like Grant Hill, Christian Laettner and Johnny Dawkins. Before Williams, the last man to have his number retired was Jason Williams in 2003.
The ceremony will take place at halftime of No. 8 Duke's 2 p.m. game Sunday against Florida State.
"For me, it's the most special honor I could receive," Redick said. "Growing up a Duke fan and following the team for so many years, to be one of 13 guys is incredibly humbling.. I feel really blessed."
But Sunday's ceremony is merely a formality. If Redick's jersey was not assured of being retired when he won the Rupp Award as National Player of the Year after his junior season, then a four-game stretch during his senior year in which he broke the Duke scoring record, the ACC scoring mark and the national three-point shooting mark sealed the deal.
Redick finished his career as a two-time ACC and National Player of the Year and the 16th leading scorer in NCAA history. On the court, he was known for his lightening-quick release and deadly accuracy from three-point range.
Over four years, his Blue Devil teams compiled a record of 116-23. After his senior season, he became the first Duke athlete to win the James E. Sullivan Award, given annually to the country's top amateur athlete.
He became a favorite target of opposing fans' venom because of his everyman build, cocky grin and-especially as a freshman and sophomore-on-court antics. Maryland fans chanted "F- you, J.J." late in a Duke win in College Park during Redick's sophomore year. And at a game against Virginia Tech in his senior year, fans held up a sign that read, "Cave Spring Hates J.J."-Cave Spring referring to Redick's high school.
Redick was drafted by the Orlando Magic with the 11th pick in last year's NBA Draft.
Hill, now Redick's teammate with the Magic, has been teasing his soon-to-be rafter neighbor about the jersey retirement ceremony.
"Grant Hill is convinced I'm going to cry," said Redick, who has about 30 family members and friends coming to the game from as far away as Texas and Washington. "My goal is not to cry.... I got emotional when I gave my senior speech. I'm hoping I can get through this one because if I cry, everyone on the Magic will laugh at me."
Off the court, Redick was well-known nationally and locally. His video-game-playing friendship with former Gonzaga star Adam Morrison was national news, and fans frequently stopped him while he was grocery shopping to ask for autographs. Redick, a two-time captain, always tried to deflect the attention he received to his teammates-even when it was announced Jan. 11 that his jersey would be retired.
"All of the individual accomplishments I achieved were the result of being on great teams," he said.
Like his classmate and friend Williams, Redick was a good student, graduating on time with a major in history and a minor in cultural anthropology.
Now, Redick's jersey will hang alongside that of his classmate and friend, Williams. Redick watched Williams' jersey retirement ceremony on television, and e-mailed the big man to tell him "how proud I was of him and how deserving he was." And the star guard said having their two jerseys hanging next to each other in Cameron's rafters is a fitting way to commemorate their four years at Duke.
"Shelden was the greatest teammate-unselfish, the consummate winner," said Redick, who added that he still talks to Williams frequently. "It means a lot to me that my jersey is going up next to his."
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