Bobby Hurley played at Duke from 1989-1993, winning two NCAA Championships in 1991 and 1992 and earned Most Outstanding Player honors for his performance in the latter. He competed in some of the most iconic games in Duke history, including several grueling contests against rival North Carolina. Last Wednesday, The Chronicle spoke with the now-Arizona State head coach about his college career and his memories of the Duke-North Carolina rivalry.
This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
The Chronicle: Anywhere Duke goes on the road is going to draw a tough crowd. But what makes the noise and the heat of the rivalry at the Dean Smith Center so unique and how did that motivate the team, and how did Coach lead you through that?
Bobby Hurley: Well, there's just a lot of external pressures going into that game. It feels different than any other game—from my recollection—no matter where I would go around town, people are talking about that game a week before it even happens. And so there's a lot of hype behind it. There's just a lot of juice to the game, and I think with [head coach Mike Krzyzewski] it was just about controlling your emotions, understanding it's a heated game and that we’ve got to keep our composure and stick to the plan. You can't let all the crowd noise, the articles written about the game and how big of a rivalry it is distract you from the mission.
TC: Are there any taunts or chants you remember?
BH: My name was easy to yell out, nice little ring to it, you know, "Hurley, Hurley." And then, Christian [Laettner], he was a lightning rod too. He took a lot of the venom from opposing fan bases. And so he was able to help deflect some off of me—and we all got it, though there was plenty to spread around to all of us.
TC: Who was your favorite player to match up against in the rivalry?
BH: I mean, it was [North Carolina guard] King Rice initially for me. He was a really hard-nosed, defensive-minded guard, very strong. Almost built like a linebacker at the point guard spot and had some tough moments. I remember my freshman year at the Dean Dome, I think I had 10 turnovers. It was a rude introduction into the rivalry. But I figured it out from there. I knew what you had to bring to the table in that game.
TC: How did your feeling toward the rivalry change from your first game as a freshman to your final game as a senior?
BH: When you're going into a situation that's hard, you know it, you see it on TV, you see the fans going nuts, you see high-quality basketball usually right down to the wire. So you watch all that but until you're actually a participant is when it all hits home and you realize just how hard both teams are playing and competing and how much that game means to each fan base. It's a special game to be a part of because of those things.
TC: During the 1992 game when you guys lost 75-73 to North Carolina and you broke your foot during the game, how did you find the strength to keep playing despite the injury?
BH: It was different times. I think I'm almost certain now like almost every arena has an X-ray machine and in that situation what happens today is I probably would have had x-rays and would have been out of the game but just wasn't the case. So I needed to be on the floor. I needed to give whatever I had—we were undefeated at the time and had a real good chance to win that game. So although I was in a lot of pain and I was limited with my mobility, I still just did whatever I could do out there.
TC: What’s the bus ride down the 15-501 like after a win? What about a loss?
BH: The win was you're elated and you feel like you're on top of the world. Just an outstanding win anytime you could win on the road against that caliber of opponent, so you're really excited. Then the other ones—it's a quick bus ride, it feels a lot longer. Because obviously the sting of losing but you know, it's certainly over pretty quick. That's the plus side of that.
TC: In a game as heated as Duke-UNC, from a coaches perspective, what difference does momentum make and how can you capture that, especially on the road?
BH: You're trying to stick to the routine—keeping your guys consistent, preparation in terms of how you practice, how you watch film—because everywhere that the guys are going to go people are going to remind them of this game and they're going to just feel the tension, feel the hype, so you don't want it to be overdone. So really in my opinion, it's more like sticking to a game plan, seeing how we need to execute, talking about that with the team so that they're not too over the top with emotion because this is a game that you don't need to really motivate guys to play. Because you're just so excited to play in that type of game.
TC: How does the Duke-UNC rivalry stack up against other rivalries you have seen throughout your career?
BH: It's the greatest I've ever been a part of. It's really not close to anything else that I've seen. I'm sure that there's other sports and other rivalry-type games within other sports, but college basketball, I think it's an elite rivalry matchup. I don't know if there's one better. But I've had it out here. I've had Arizona-Arizona State and I've been a part of that. It's a heck of an environment when those games are happening here. Duke-Carolina is just a touch different.
TC: Say you’re having a conversation with Coach K and the team before the game—what would you say to them?
BH: Good luck. It's a war man. It's like if you're a competitor, it's why you're involved in sports, to be a part of games like this where there's a lot at stake locally, bragging rights.
TC: Not sure if you’ve had time to watch any of their games, but any thoughts on this year’s team and how they’re dealing with the pressure of it being Coach K’s last season?
BH: They're doing fantastic. I mean, got some high-quality wins. They've got great momentum. Really like their balance between having some veteran guys, like Wendell Moore, and then having the youth that they brought in that's high level. So, I think it's a great mix of talent—both young talent and guys that have been through a lot of college basketball games.
TC: How often do you think about your time at Duke—from the UNLV games, the Laettner shot, to all the Carolina duels?
BH: A good example of that is we played Stanford on Saturday night, and on Sunday, we were traveling to L.A. and we are on a flight at the airport and just a random person comes up to me and said, “Wow, man, I loved that UNLV game in ‘91, that was something.” He just kept going with his family back in the plane. So just appreciative that he brought it up and people have great memories. I think it was those teams and some high-level games—that UNLV game, the Kentucky game—just kind of memorable games—the Fab Five national championship game. They're kind of memorable games that people will bring up with me from time to time in my travels.
Editor's note: This article is one of many in The Chronicle and The Daily Tar Heel's annual rivalry edition. Find the rest here.
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Micah Hurewitz is a Trinity senior and was previously a sports managing editor of The Chronicle's 118th volume.