Monday, March 15, 2010

Nearly All-White Duke Top Seed in 2010 NCAA Basketball Tournament



Duke Basketball. Just the name alone conjures an air of sophistication and haughtiness among basketball enthusiasts. Duke Hating, is of course, a national past-time.

Basketball, as Bill Simmons makes clear in his monumental tome The Book of Basketball, is a Black game (here is an interview with the basketball guru):

Why do you think race has been such an important issue with the NBA?
Because smaller rosters and basically from 1960 on the majority of the best players were black and that’s never happened in another sport. The tickets are expensive. It’s a mostly white audience paying to see a mostly black group of players. When you consider the way racial relationships have evolved since the 1950s, that’s a pretty interesting dynamic. In the 1960s, four of the best five guys in the league were black. You had (Bill) Russell, Wilt (Chamberlin), Elgin Baylor, Oscar (Robertson) and then you had Jerry West. Four of the best guys in the league were black while blacks in this country were fighting for civil rights at the same time. That was kind of the foundation.

Then in the late 1970s the league became very black all of the sudden. Guys were overpaid. The fans and the media turned against it. You can go and research it, there are newspaper articles and Sports Illustrated did a story ‘Is the League Too Black?’ Can you imagine anyone writing that now? So it’s always been an issue. Eventually it changed with Bird and Magic and then MJ - he was really the first black player that the league was able to really market and sell to all types of people. From then it’s been pretty good.

It surfaced again in the mid-to-late 90’s with Allen Iverson. People had trouble identifying with the cornrows and tattoos.

Eyes do not deceive. An arbitrary glance at an NBA roster will reveal a league that is 80 percent Black. An arbitrary glance at any NCAA basketball roster will reveal a roster that is 65-70 percent Black.

In the impressive biography Pistol: The Life of Pete Maravich by Mark Kriegel, the author lets slip that part of the mystique of Pistol Pete Maravich was his odd skin color that infrequently appears upon basketball stars skin. The DNA code that made up Maravich was supplied by Europeans, and he excelled at a Black sport like few Black players could dream of doing.

Kriegel tells us that Pistol Pete's father - a respected college basketball coach - thought that Black players would dominate the game, based on their physiological makeup.

He made this prognostication in the 1960s and has since been proven a soothsayer by time as the transformation of Dr. James Naismith's game into a playground for Black people was a mere formality.

Why are people afraid to say that Black people dominate basketball? Black people know this, and don't shy away from asserting their superiority on the hard court.

Thus, the ascension of a 29-5 team with a merely three Black people on their roster to a No. 1 seed in the 2010 NCAA Tournament has befuddled not only Black people, but all of the basketball world.

You see, Stuff Black People Don't Like includes Duke Basketball. Duke plays a form of basketball long since outlawed at most major colleges - white basketball - and stands as one of the few schools holding out on implementing the individualistic Black game, as describe by Daryl Dawkins:

Dawkins: White basketball is pick-and-roll, spot-up, guy got his toes together and he shoots. And white guys will box you out until the ball hits the floor. Black guys will jump over you. They had all kind of shake-n-bake and would do everything to entertain the crowd. Nowadays, people appreciate both styles of ball; but back then, they didn¹t appreciate when a black guy just played white ball. They just said, "Hey, man, aint you got no flash in your game?"


Black players account for only 25 percent of the roster on Duke's 2010 edition and score only 32 percent of the teams 80.2 points per game.

Duke's 2010 ACC regular season and tournament champion team is a team that dares to be different when compared with other basketball squads for the mere near monochromatic racial makeup of the team.

This wouldn't be unique if the team was all-Black, but is merely so because basketball is a Black sport and Duke is conspicuously a white team defining the Gods of the game. Bleacher Report criticizes Duke for the lack of athleticism on the team (read whiteness):

Another problem with Krzyewski's squad is their lack of athleticism.

While it would be silly to suggest that white players are not as good as black players, one must truly take a look at race on the Duke team.

Out of 12 players on the Duke roster who have played all season, only three are black. In today's game, that is an uncanny white player to black player ratio, and I can't think of any other top program that only has three black players on their squad.

It raises the question, why are the top black players passing up on Duke? Has Coach K, one of the greatest coaches in the history of the game, lost his edge?

Because of their lack of depth, their poor inside game, and their lack of athleticism, this Duke squad is undeserving of their high ranking and will be exploited come tournament time.

To a logical person, this fear of a team deemed too white would seem outlandish, considering Duke landed a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, but to basketball fans everywhere fed a daily diet of Black supremacy on the hard court, this amounts to the ultimate form of March Madness.

Duke is 29-5, champions of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and a white team, led by white players.

The Institute for Diversity and Ethics in Sports did a study of graduation rates for Sweet Sixteen (final 16 teams in the NCAA Tournament) for the 2009, and concluded that Duke graduates 100 percent of its white players and 86 percent of its Black players - an outstanding achievement.

The same cannot be said for other programs, where the graduation of their nearly all-Black teams is cause for major consternation:

Lapchick emphasized, “Race remains an ongoing academic issue because of the continued gap between graduation rates for white and African‐American student‐athletes including a significant disparity between white and African‐American basketball student‐athletes. The good news is that the GSR rates for both whites and African‐Americans are going up and the gap has narrowed slightly.

“Yet it is the disparity that is troublesome. White male basketball student‐athletes graduate at 80 percent versus only 58 percent of African‐American male basketball student‐athletes. White female basketball student‐athletes graduate at 89 percent, while 75 percent of African‐American female basketball student‐athletes graduate. These 22 and 14 percent disparities are alarming, yet slightly improved from the 24 and 16 percent gaps respectively a year ago.”
If basketball is a Black sport and the ticket for many Black people to even entertain notions of higher education, why is it that Black people have such a difficult time attaining a degree?

At Duke, it appears that being around a predominately white team keeps away certain elements that correlate to rates of low graduation at schools featuring all-Black teams.

Regardless, Duke is a No. 1 seed, despite their lack of racial diversity and overwhelming whiteness:

If Duke is able to advance to the second round they will take on the winner of eighth-seed California and ninth-seed Louisville on Sunday.

"We have a pretty tough bracket, but I think we are capable of beating anybody," senior captain Lance Thomas said. "As long as we play our game as far as defense, rebounding and just finishing, I think we will be fine against anybody."

The Blue Devils are winners of 12 of their last 13 games and will open up tournament play on Friday from Jacksonville, Fla. Duke is 4-2 in NCAA Tournament games in the state of Florida.

It is the 26th appearance for Duke in the NCAA Tournament under Coach K and the 34th appearance in school history. Duke is 13-5 all-time playing in the South Region of the bracket.

The Blue Devils captured National Championships as No. 1 seeds in both 1992 and 2001 having a 37-8 record as the top seed in a region.

It is Duke's 15th straight NCAA Tournament appearance.

"It is very rewarding [to be a top seed], but at the same time you just move on, no matter who you are playing, where you are playing, you know you need to be prepared," senior captain Jon Scheyer said.

You can bet Black people everywhere will be cheering against Duke and cheers of joy will be heard throughout the land when they succumb to a physiologically-superior majority Black team.

All will be right with the world then. Great white hopes must be dealt with quickly, swiftly and with extreme prejudice and Duke is no exception.




18 comments:

Jenn said...

If basketball is a Black sport and the ticket for many Black people to even entertain notions of higher education, why is it that Black people have such a difficult time attaining a degree?

My guess is finances. African-Americans tend to take out more student loans than whites, receive more grants, and are more likely to drop out due to financial strain. When people hear 'student athlete', they immediately think 'scholarship', when that's not always the case. Also, this probably doesn't consider the ones who DO drop out in order to go pro.

Phalluster said...

My guess is that they have lower mean IQs, poor future time orientation, and a penchant for rule-breaking - not simply the passive tendency for violence, but also the active desire to behave not-white.

Anonymous said...

"If basketball is a Black sport and the ticket for many Black people to even entertain notions of higher education, why is it that Black people have such a difficult time attaining a degree?"

Because after wilding through the public school system and having zero discipline at home, they show up for college as illiterates who can do two things: run fast and jump high.

XD45

Anonymous said...

A degree in showboating, styling or cock-smithing is different from a degree in law,accounting or engineering.

Anonymous said...

Just like the majority of the time Duke will eventually lose out to mostly black basketball team or a team that is nearly half black as Duke is. This article and the comment section really show the stupidity, lack of understanding, and somewhat obsession that whites have with blacks. The Duke basketball team has black starters and is nearly half black. Blacks will eventually beat them out. Duke doesnt deserve to be in the high ranking there at now but they are do to NCAA politics.

Jamal

Stuff Black People Don't Like said...

Jamal,

http://www.goduke.com/SportSelect.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=4200&SPID=1845&SPSID=22727

Duke has three Black players on their roster who played in 2009-2010. They are a solidly white team.

What does the article and comment section prove, Jamal? Instead of just making a blanket statement as you do, go point by point and eviscerate the argument I made.

"lack of understanding"... wtf dude?

No white person is obsessed with Black people. The mere fact that sports are the one constant source of positive Black images (and the fact that the NBA is 80 percent Black) forces whites to even care about Black people.

The Duke team is nowhere near half-Black. Actually, the team reflects the student body, as all DI college football and basketball should do (but don't).

Instead, they actively discriminate against their alumni and student bodies by recruiting poor performing students who care little for the traditions of their schools and merely use the institutions in a quest for professional status.

http://www.ajc.com/search/content/sports/stories/2008/12/28/acadmain_1228_3DOT.html

Duke is 29-5, and the ACC Champions Jamal. They are a deserving No. 1 seed and my gosh, they actually allow white players to play.

Having played AAU basketball and for my high school team, I know how corrupt the recruiting process is, and how the deck is stacked against white players hoping to play at the next level.

Much like running backs or corners who are in the unfortunate position of having two white parents and burdened with the biological/genetic curse of white skin, white basketball players rarely get positive looks at major schools (Florida and Vanderbilt the lone exceptions at SEC schools).

Duke fills a void in the market place, and actively recruiting talented white players is part of that process.

Get over it. You have proven my point, brother.

Anonymous said...

Basketball is ruined by blacks and their thug behavior. And baseball is ruined by foreigners from hispanic lands. Neither the blacks or the hispanics speak very good english. Atleast the hispanics have an excuse.

Hey, atleast there is hockey.

CWN

Stuff Black People Don't Like said...

I'm reading a very interesting book right now:

http://www.amazon.com/Young-Black-Rich-Famous-Transformation/dp/0767912772/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268841809&sr=1-4

It details the rise of the "thug" culture in the NBA and how this is alienating the largely white fan base of the league.

A book that I recommend to everyone though, is

http://www.amazon.com/Out-Bounds-Inside-Culture-Violence/dp/0060726040/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1268841944&sr=1-1

Jeff Benedict is a fascinating author and brave for writing about such a difficult subject. Black people comprise 80 percent of the NBA, so the book is basically a rap sheet - no pun intended - of the criminals who entertain us.

Funny, no mention of Duke players (not even the talented Black players like Grant Hill or the mulatto Shane Battier).

Anonymous said...

Next years Duke class

Kyrie Irving
Carrick Felix
Tyler Thornton
Josh Hairston
(plus Seth Curry)

guess what race/color they are. (as if that even matters a little bit)

Anonymous said...

http://insider.espn.go.com/ncb/recruiting/tracker/school?schoolId=150&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fncb%2frecruiting%2ftracker%2fschool%3fschoolId%3d150

Next years 2010 Duke basketball recruiting class looks like a typical lineup of the Durham County, North Carolina criminals.

http://gisweb.durhamnc.gov/gis_apps/crimedata/index.cfm

Anonymous said...

Hey dude,

Your analysis is really interesting, and you use a variety of sources. The way your present your information is convincing and well-mapped. However, I think it would be better if you compared white and black basketball rather than singling out Duke. And only compare that. Your comparisons and examples have to do with that, not Duke really.

Why is that bad that a "white team" is top-seeded? Come on man. Use your brain. You obviously have one the way you've laid this thing out. Except you've set up typical Duke hating. Please, why do so many people diss Duke? Even if they win it all people will dismiss their championship with all kinds of weak, victimized excuses.

I may check the book out you mentioned,

Nate

Stuff Black People Don't Like said...

Nate,

Thanks for the visit. Check out the entry on "Duke basketball"...

You have my views backwards actually. Read the website carefully.

Hint: I'm a big fan of Duke.. and of St. Mary's and of Cornell.

Read the entry on Toby Gerhart

I'm not a Duke Hater at all.

Anonymous said...

You must have a crystal ball! Nice job!I enjoy your blogs!

Anonymous said...

How do all you racist "Duke's too white to win" idiots feel today?

Stuff Black People Don't Like said...

Read this post carefully, last anon.

You might learn more about what SBPDL is all about if you do.

No one here is mourning today.

Anonymous said...

Basketball may be a black game in America, but they don't always win. Just look at the International World Championships in recent years.

1967 Soviet Union (white)
1970 Yugoslavia (white)
1974 Soviet Union (white)
1978 Yugoslavia (white)
1982 Soviet Union (white)
1986 United States (mixed)
1990 Yugoslavia (white)
1994 United States (mixed)
1998 Yugoslavia (white)
2002 Yugoslavia (white)
2006 Spain (white)

Anonymous said...

This article FAILS just like the ignorant hater that wrote it. Can you say DUKE 2010 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS!!!! Maybe other schools should recruit more white kids?? I guess it just goes to show that Brains over Brawn wins everytime!! Thats why most of all the best QBs are white because it takes brains to run a team, and the rest just run and catch the ball lol. The graduation rate is so low for blacks because schools recruit dumb kids who did not put in the work in high school and should not be at a university in the first place but are because they can run and jump. Just look at Rose from Memphis, yeah he was good but they had to cheat to get him into the school and now all the wins from that season are taken away because they got caught. So hate it up and blame the white man all you want while i go celebrate ANOTHER DUKE CHAMPIONSHIP!!!!

Stuff Black People Don't Like said...

Last anon,

You really didn't read this article carefully did you? What Black person would admit that graduation of rates of Black people are pathetic?

Almost every school has to cheat or lower standards to admit Black people for both basketball and football.

I'm celebrating the Duke Championship as well.