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A household name amongst College Hoops fans, Chris Duhon has played in many historic venues across his basketball career. His journey started in Slidell, Louisiana, where he was Mr. Basketball for the state and also a McDonald All-American. His early success led him to his first historic venue. Cameron Indoor in Durham, North Carolina. The home of the Duke Blue Devils.
Arguably one of the best point guards in Coach K's tenure let alone Duke program history, Duhon won a national title as a freshman, set a school record with 301 steals, and finished second to Bobby Hurley with 819 career assists. He was a pivotal piece in the 2001 championship run, and the Cameron Crazies. He truly was a highlight reel.
After a great four years at Duke, it was time for Duhon to go pro. He wound up getting drafted by the Bulls in 2004, playing at the home of Chicago's second three-peat, the United Center. After guiding the Bulls to winning their first playoff series since MJ, Duhon was heading to his next stop. The Mecca.
He enjoyed two seasons with the Knicks before heading over to Orlando and played at the brand new Amway Center. As a Knicks fan, I'll still remember this little gem from Duhon.
His last stop in his career brought him to the bright lights of Los Angeles, where he had the opportunity to play alongside Kobe Bryant at the Staples Center. He was part of the Dwight Howard "super team" trade. However, in the entirety of his career, Duhon had established himself as one of the NBA’s most reliable backup point guards.
Upon his retirement in the NBA, his collegiate coaching career began, having assistant stints at Marshall and Illinois State.
Now, his most recent stop brought him to a venue that will soon be seeing a facelift in Smithfield, Rhode Island. Bryant University and the Chase Athletic Center. This past season, Coach Jared Grasso brought in Duhon to be the program’s director of scouting and video analysis.
His responsibilities in the role included breaking down practice and game video from a Bulldogs perspective. His self-scouting also helped Bryant’s players improve their own individual skillsets. His knowledge and perspective clearly worked, as Peter Kiss was the nation's leading scorer, and the Bulldogs won the NEC Championship for the first time in school history.
No matter the venue, one thing that has remained constant for Duhon. Besides his love for the game and basketball IQ, his shot hasn't missed a beat.
On Episode 82 of "Beers, Business, and Balls", we chat with Duhon and discuss his journey to getting a full scholarship at Duke, being recruited by Coach K, and winning the national championship with Carlos Boozer & Jay Williams in 2001.
Chris shares some of the lessons he learned from Coach K, his philosophy on how the Duke teams should operate, and some of the things that truly make him the best coach of all time. We also discuss his 9-year NBA career as a reliable point guard, including on the 2012-13 “Superteam” LA Lakers with Kobe Bryant.
Chris tells us about the Bulldogs’ first ever conference championship in March, and his first time back at March Madness since 2004.