Reflections

Three seasons of The Duke Basketball Project

Looking Back

When I started this Substack, I had no idea what it would look like or if I would even post more than a couple of articles before giving it up. I just knew I thought it’d be a fun hobby. Every summer I’ve really tried to think about what changes I want to make prior to the new season. But before getting into some upcoming changes, I wanted to revisit my initial thoughts. Here’s the first paragraph from my first post ever.

November 7, 2022
The Duke Basketball Project will cover Duke Basketball both past and present. My main focus will be to re-watch classic games throughout Coach K’s career. I will also include content on the current season, the first for the Duke program under Coach Scheyer. Finally, I hope to post some bonus content including essays, stats, photos, and anything else I find noteworthy.

While my goals for The Duke Basketball Project have definitely changed, I’d say I’ve mostly fulfilled what I set out to do when I wrote those first few sentences. Since then, I’ve sent out 76 newsletters on the current seasons, written 15 articles/essays, and posted 14 re-watches of classic Duke games. My stat sheet is now at 56 categories (up from 12 categories initially), and this past season I cut up 64 game clips with written breakdowns of each one.

I really scaled back the re-watches and articles last season, choosing to focus on covering the current team. I enjoy researching and re-watching classic games, but the format and execution has not matched my vision. I think these should really be a video series or podcast, something I’ll bookmark for the future. I also feel a little weird watching a game from 2004 when the 2024 team is in the middle of their ACC schedule. The historical articles have been my favorite ones to write. The research for those is particularly fun for a basketball nerd like myself - just sit and read the ACC Tournament record book, or go year-by-year through Basketball Reference.

The newsletters during the current season have been both rewarding and challenging. It has been cool to share my thoughts on Duke’s most recent game or two, but it does give me a little anxiety every time I press send. A write-up on last night’s game needs to be sent out before the next one on the schedule, but no matter how many times I edit and proofread, I always wish I had another hour to rewrite my breakdown. I’m an eternally positive fan and have tried to only write about what went well for Duke, along with always giving credit to the opponent. Adding the game clips this year was very fun - I love looking for the nuances of why a certain offensive or defensive exchange was successful, but these clips were very raw. Instead of only relying on a written explanation, I think adding voice-over or graphics to explain the clip is another improvement to consider.

Statistics never tell the whole story of a game, but I have really enjoyed looking at more analytics via KenPom and tracking a number of efficiency stats such as points-per-shot and effective field goal percentage. I especially like looking for trends over the course of several games or the whole season. Other ideas I’ve tested out include a list of book and documentary recommendations, trivia questions in select posts, and creating playlists on YouTube (I’m particularly fond of this one).

Looking Ahead

Oh man, I am pumped for the upcoming season (83 more days). Though I will be honest, this is the 38th consecutive year I’ve said that.

I plan to continue sending out a regular newsletter this year, but it will be almost exclusively statistics and analytics, with some occasional game clips or other relevant content. This past season I often found myself thinking about what I may write, or which clip I may include, while the game was going on - I hated this. This season I just want to watch and not think about what I might post before the game is over. Keeping the newsletter to a more stats-based approach will help, while hopefully still providing value.

I still believe in my original premise behind the re-watches. College basketball’s regular season is filled with Final Four caliber match-ups that get lost in history simply because they weren’t played in the NCAA Tournament. Of course, March Madness is the focus for every team, but we shouldn’t just forget all the other great performances throughout the year. I plan to experiment with the format a little more, and actually have a non-Duke game scheduled for Re-watch #15. I have some more historical articles planned on various Duke and college basketball topics, as well as some other possible changes I’m still considering.

Why?

Finally, I wanted to touch on why I started this writing project in the first place. As I mentioned earlier, I thought it’d be a fun hobby as a lifelong Duke fan. But I also knew from the outset that my goal was to write some sort of basketball book one day. I figured The Duke Basketball Project would give me an opportunity to dust off my writing skills (or lack thereof) and test out some ideas. Other than the current season newsletters, everything I’ve written has intentionally been timeless, at least to some degree. Articles on historical topics like the National Player of the Year can (and will) be updated as more players add their name to the lists, but the history of past winners doesn’t change. The same with re-watches, my memories of going to the ACC Tournament, or an article about Dean Smith or Doug Collins. In other words, I’ve tried to only write stuff that can be read anytime - whether on the day it’s posted or at any point in the future.

Part of scaling back the newsletter and re-watches is so I can actually begin trying to write a book. I have some different ideas in mind, but it will obviously be on some type of college basketball history topic. Some of what I’ve already written and researched here will be helpful, and possibly even included. I’m also currently working on my most detailed article to date, and feel that longer writing projects will be what I work on most frequently going forward. And who knows how long it will take, or if I’ll ever actually finish writing a book - but the only way to find out is to start.

I have had, and continue to have, some reservations about focusing so much on basketball history, my memories growing up, former players, past games, etc. I never want to be a “back in my day” guy, seemingly stuck in the past. Here’s an excerpt I wrote just prior to the 2023-2024 season.

November 3, 2023
….Tony Soprano once said “remember when” is the lowest form of conversation, and Coach K often talked about not having a rear view mirror - the most important game is the next one on the schedule. Watching old Duke games and researching college basketball history isn’t about living in the past or wanting to go back in time. But I’ve learned over the last several years that our memories are both valuable and fragile….

What I left unsaid then is how I learned this, and why I value these memories, games, and players that are so easy to forget.

My dad has Alzheimer’s Disease. His dementia has been progressing since 2018, and likely before that. I’ve written about my dad often the last few years, but have been hesitant to mention this (and still am) - but it is the truth. In fact, at some point I realized this Substack has also been a way for me to have conversations with my dad that we can’t actually have anymore. After a big win, he’d often text me “How ‘bout them Blue Devils?” or “Go Duke!” which is why I sign-off that way at the bottom of every post. He loved telling stories about his favorite players growing up, or remembering which games he was “in the building” for.

It’s why I love writing about the history of the game - the teams, players, and moments are not important when compared to things like family. But those same teams, players, and moments can also help bond fathers and sons, bond families. So in that way, we should do our best to remember them too. Yes, my first game in Cameron was the coolest thing ever from a basketball standpoint. The 1992 Duke team in an ACC barn-burner equals hoops heaven (see Re-watch #4). But my dad literally could have taken me anywhere and it would have been the best day ever. As cool as it was to walk out on what would become Coach K Court, that day is only important because I spent it with my dad. As I wrote in Becoming a Duke Fan, “I’m positive he and I would have bonded over something else, but for me as a young boy, it was watching ACC basketball games with my dad.”

And to be clear, we have bonded over much more than basketball or sports in general. I have tons of awesome memories with him that don’t involve sports. He’s the only person I’ve been able to talk to about anything and, no matter what, he was always supportive of whatever crazy idea I had next - like wanting to attend Duke since I was 5 years old, or writing a book at age 41. I long for his advice, even though that’s not possible anymore. Also to be clear, I feel much gratitude despite his condition. I have several close friends and family who have lost their fathers, both recently and years ago. I know how fortunate we are to still have him around.

The last game Dad and I went to was on January 14, 2019 - his 72nd birthday. We shared a good laugh at the role reversal when I told him our seats were at the very top of Cameron.

Duke lost to Syracuse in overtime that night. Of course we wanted a different outcome, but that’s not the important thing to remember.

Thanks for reading, Go Duke!