One of the greatest runs in NCAA history now has a film to tell the tale.
On Saturday, ACC Network released “We’re #1! – 1991 & 1992 Duke Blue Devils,” highlighting Duke’s first two national championships. The one-hour documentary features exclusive interviews from a vast number of individuals involved in the run: head coach Mike Krzyzewski, Christian Laettner, Roy Williams, Mike Brey and even former Duke Chronicle writer Seth Davis — who did his interview in 301 Flowers.
In a format designed to emulate announcing a starting five, the key contributors on the championship squads all get their own introductions, with a variety of teammates, opponents and broadcasters giving their takes on the likes of Bobby Hurley, Laettner and Grant Hill. Of course, the stars themselves recount their time at Duke, mostly focusing on why they chose the university.
A key tipping point of the documentary, especially for Laettner and Hurley, is recounted early in the film. On the first practice heading into Laettner’s sophomore season, Krzyzewski handed the ball — and the team — to Hurley. If you know anything about Laettner, that set off a beef between the star pick-and-roll duo. You may have not been able to see it on television, but interviewees leave no doubt about the harsh treatment Laettner gave his point guard.
“If Bobby wasn’t tough… it would have broken up our team,” Hill said.
That whole dynamic shifted with the arrival of star freshman Hill. The high-flying forward was a walking highlight reel from the moment he stepped on campus. With the future NBA Hall of Famer in tow, the Blue Devils were ready to push for a title.
“Grant is really the most talented player I coached at Duke University,” Krzyzewski said.
The first day of practice for Hill, Hurley and Laettner had one message from Krzyzewski. That team would win the 1991 NCAA Championship, at least if you believed the coach’s word and what he wrote on the whiteboard.
The Blue Devils did not shy away from anyone, playing a grueling non-conference schedule that included welcoming Shaquille O’Neal and LSU to Cameron Indoor Stadium. On top of that, Duke had to compete in one of the most loaded ACCs of all time; legendary coaches Dean Smith and Jim Valvano were just a few of the notable names in the conference.
“Here was this guy from West Point coming into Dean Smith’s world and going toe-to-toe with him, and beating him a lot,” Davis said.
Despite an excellent start to the season, the Blue Devils got knocked down hard at Virginia. After a 81-64 road loss, Krzyzewski unleashed what players described as the toughest practice of their careers. At 1 a.m., once the team returned on the bus, it was straight to the hardwood. Hill even broke his nose during the session. But the team got the message. It needed to play more together.
By the time the players reached the Big Dance, Duke was cooking. Northeast Louisiana, Iowa, UConn and St. John’s all fell to the squad from Durham. This set up a rematch with the ultimate test of team strength: UNLV.
The Runnin’ Rebels were undefeated heading into the Final Four, and they were not shy about it. Jerry Tarkanian was a celebrity, Greg Anthony went to press conferences wearing a Duke hat and they also featured Stacey Augmon and Larry Johnson in what Hurley described as the best team he played in college. The Blue Devils needed their best game to get over the UNLV hump.
“It's not life and death, but let's act like it's life and death,” Laettner said.
In what Krzyzewski described as one of the greatest games ever, Duke found life. The play was excellent on both ends of the floor — mostly Hill on offense and Brian Davis on defense. By the end, the Blue Devils were euphoric. But leave it to their coach to remind them that the job was not done.
That win set up a matchup with Roy Williams and the Kansas Jayhawks. The future North Carolina figurehead contributed his thoughts on the game via interview, but it was no different than most others: Duke handled business. It kept Kansas away from challenging all night, with the iconic Hill dunk setting the tone early in the contest. The Blue Devils were national champions.
Building up to the next season, the circus around the team was given some light. Several interviews with Cameron Crazies outside of the bench burning were shown, Davis hosted Krzyzewski on Cameron Corner and the team went and met with the president. Duke was a household name heading into its title defense.
“They were mature, cocky, talented, smart … they had all the ingredients to be one of the great teams, really ever,” Krzyzewski said.
Those ingredients blended perfectly. The reigning champs broke out to a 17-0 start behind elite defense and transition play off of it — much like a Duke team currently on the hardwood. That all changed when Hurley broke his foot against rival North Carolina, a loss that ended a 23-game win streak dating back to the previous year.
When he returned three weeks later, the Blue Devils were back in business. They exacted revenge on the Tar Heels in the ACC championship, positioning themselves for another NCAA run.
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Sign up for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.
Campbell, Iowa and Seton Hall? Light work to begin the tournament.
The ensuing Elite Eight matchup became one of the most well-known games in college basketball lore: a meeting with Jamal Mashburn and Kentucky. With interview footage including Wildcat star John Pelphrey, the documentary recounts the legendary 45 minutes. Laettner’s perfection from the field, his stomp and Mashburn’s constant responses set up perhaps the most famous play in Duke history: The Shot. Hill said it felt like slow motion for him; the documentary obliged. In dramatic fashion, Laettner’s classic shot fell through.
Coming off the emotional win, Duke had another passionate matchup waiting. The mentee took on the mentor as Krzyzewski found himself coaching across from Bob Knight and Indiana. After The Shot, Laettner was evidently emotional too. The star could not hit a basket as Duke lagged behind the Hoosiers.
“It was the first time I realized he was human,” Antonio Lang said.
Hurley picked up the slack though, and the Blue Devils set themselves up for a chance at another title. This time, it was the Fab Five of Michigan who waited on the other side.
Duke was extremely banged up heading into the title game — Hill and Davis had been hurt against Indiana — but it was no time to stop. In a rematch from an earlier date at Cameron Indoor Stadium, the Blue Devils and Wolverines battled practically evenly up to halftime. Much of this had to do again with Laettner’s struggles. About a year and a half later from the original incident, it was time for Hurley to return the message. The current Arizona State coach let his star big man hear it at halftime; Laettner got the message. Duke cruised behind the play of Hill in the second half, and it had done the unthinkable. Back-to-back champions.
“We were the happiest people on Earth at that moment,” Brian Davis said.
At the end of the film, even current head coach Jon Scheyer relived his memories of his mentor’s team marching to the title. The 1991-92 team — especially with the release of this documentary — still has a spot in many people’s minds and hearts as one of the best teams to ever win the championship.
“I loved coaching those guys,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m happy they took me along for the ride.”