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J.J. Redick's legacy is far from complete, yet he knows better than anyone it always will include his uncanny ability to make 3-pointers.
He made sure of that Tuesday night, when he became the NCAA's career leader.
The Duke senior moved to the top of the list with four more 3s on his way to 33 points, helping the second-ranked Blue Devils run away from Wake Forest 93-70 Tuesday night to remain undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I'll never be able to completely shed the label of just being a shooter, and that's fine with me," Redick said. "It doesn't stop me from working on my game and trying to get better."
Freshman Josh McRoberts had 12 of his 16 points in the first half and Shelden Williams also scored 16 for Duke (24-1, 12-0 ACC), which is in position to reclaim the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press poll next week following Connecticut's loss to Villanova on Monday night. Of course, the Blue Devils still must beat Miami later this week.
"I've tried not to focus on the records. I've tried to focus on what our team's doing," Redick said. "We're having a heck of a season as a team, and that's been a lot of fun to be a part of."
The Demon Deacons (13-12, 1-10) lost their seventh conference game in a row. Justin Gray led them with 18 points, while Eric Williams finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Yet the story of this game was Redick. He got two 3-pointers in the first 12½ minutes to pass the mark previously held by Curtis Staples, who had 413 at Virginia from 1994-98. Redick added two more and now has 416.
Staples was in attendance and presented Redick with a game ball in a ceremony following the game.
"It's a special night, to set a national record is very neat and I'm proud," Redick said. "To have Curtis here also was very nice. I haven't seen him in a couple of years, and we chatted a little bit before the game. He was very encouraging and that meant a lot to me."
Redick's first long-range shot came nearly 7 minutes after the opening tip, when he burned defender Cameron Stanley with a step-back jumper. The next trip, Redick lofted a perfect lob pass to McRoberts for a dunk, and added another assist on the ensuing possession when the duo hooked up again for another jam by McRoberts.
The second one led to a three-point play, and Sean Dockery stepped out beyond the arc a few seconds later to give Duke a 26-11 lead. It was an 11-point game a few minutes later when Redick got the record.
"He knew that he was going to get the record, and so did we," Duke point guard Greg Paulus said. "He's such a great shooter, he was going to get that couple."
Using a screen by Lee Melchionni to lose Gray, he took a pass from DeMarcus Nelson for an open catch-and-shoot from the wing. The ball swished through, setting off a raucous celebration by the Cameron Crazies.
"It's his confidence level," Gray said. "When he's shooting the ball like that, it's not really technique or none of that stuff. It all has to do with confidence and his confidence is through the roof right now."
Redick wasn't done. He went to the other end and got a steal, which led to a three-point play and a 34-17 advantage. He had to sit through a media timeout before converting his free throw, and when he returned to the line, the crowd chanted, "All-time leader!" as his record was announced.
"I heard them right at the beginning of the timeout, and then I was able to block them out," Redick said with a smile.
He didn't acknowledge the applause but did take time to accept congratulations from Dockery and Nelson. The free throw was a mere formality for Redick, and he totaled at least 30 points for the fourth straight game, setting a new school record.
"I've never had anybody who had so many 30-point games," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We're not always looking for him. We're trying to be balanced. He's just an incredible player."
Even better, Redick passed Virginia's Bryant Stith for fourth on the ACC career scoring list, and he remained on pace to pass Dickie Hemric at the top of the list. Hemric had 2,587 for Wake Forest, and Redick now trails by 60 points with five games remaining in the regular season.
"I'm worried about the team," he said. "Overall, you're going to be remembered for your team's successes. As long as we're winning games, I'm happy with whatever records I might break."
The Blue Devils led by 14 at the break before Wake Forest briefly rallied. A tip-in by Kevin Swinton made it 54-43 before Duke responded with a 12-2 run -- completed with a layup from Redick -- and the Deacons never recovered.
"You know, I've pretty much got through the part of feeling sorry for myself and sorry for the team," Eric Williams said. "The only thing we can do now is keep fighting. We've got to play it game by game. That's all we can do."
Source: AP
He made sure of that Tuesday night, when he became the NCAA's career leader.
The Duke senior moved to the top of the list with four more 3s on his way to 33 points, helping the second-ranked Blue Devils run away from Wake Forest 93-70 Tuesday night to remain undefeated in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
"I'll never be able to completely shed the label of just being a shooter, and that's fine with me," Redick said. "It doesn't stop me from working on my game and trying to get better."
Freshman Josh McRoberts had 12 of his 16 points in the first half and Shelden Williams also scored 16 for Duke (24-1, 12-0 ACC), which is in position to reclaim the No. 1 ranking in The Associated Press poll next week following Connecticut's loss to Villanova on Monday night. Of course, the Blue Devils still must beat Miami later this week.
"I've tried not to focus on the records. I've tried to focus on what our team's doing," Redick said. "We're having a heck of a season as a team, and that's been a lot of fun to be a part of."
The Demon Deacons (13-12, 1-10) lost their seventh conference game in a row. Justin Gray led them with 18 points, while Eric Williams finished with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
Yet the story of this game was Redick. He got two 3-pointers in the first 12½ minutes to pass the mark previously held by Curtis Staples, who had 413 at Virginia from 1994-98. Redick added two more and now has 416.
Staples was in attendance and presented Redick with a game ball in a ceremony following the game.
"It's a special night, to set a national record is very neat and I'm proud," Redick said. "To have Curtis here also was very nice. I haven't seen him in a couple of years, and we chatted a little bit before the game. He was very encouraging and that meant a lot to me."
Redick's first long-range shot came nearly 7 minutes after the opening tip, when he burned defender Cameron Stanley with a step-back jumper. The next trip, Redick lofted a perfect lob pass to McRoberts for a dunk, and added another assist on the ensuing possession when the duo hooked up again for another jam by McRoberts.
The second one led to a three-point play, and Sean Dockery stepped out beyond the arc a few seconds later to give Duke a 26-11 lead. It was an 11-point game a few minutes later when Redick got the record.
"He knew that he was going to get the record, and so did we," Duke point guard Greg Paulus said. "He's such a great shooter, he was going to get that couple."
Using a screen by Lee Melchionni to lose Gray, he took a pass from DeMarcus Nelson for an open catch-and-shoot from the wing. The ball swished through, setting off a raucous celebration by the Cameron Crazies.
"It's his confidence level," Gray said. "When he's shooting the ball like that, it's not really technique or none of that stuff. It all has to do with confidence and his confidence is through the roof right now."
Redick wasn't done. He went to the other end and got a steal, which led to a three-point play and a 34-17 advantage. He had to sit through a media timeout before converting his free throw, and when he returned to the line, the crowd chanted, "All-time leader!" as his record was announced.
"I heard them right at the beginning of the timeout, and then I was able to block them out," Redick said with a smile.
He didn't acknowledge the applause but did take time to accept congratulations from Dockery and Nelson. The free throw was a mere formality for Redick, and he totaled at least 30 points for the fourth straight game, setting a new school record.
"I've never had anybody who had so many 30-point games," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "We're not always looking for him. We're trying to be balanced. He's just an incredible player."
Even better, Redick passed Virginia's Bryant Stith for fourth on the ACC career scoring list, and he remained on pace to pass Dickie Hemric at the top of the list. Hemric had 2,587 for Wake Forest, and Redick now trails by 60 points with five games remaining in the regular season.
"I'm worried about the team," he said. "Overall, you're going to be remembered for your team's successes. As long as we're winning games, I'm happy with whatever records I might break."
The Blue Devils led by 14 at the break before Wake Forest briefly rallied. A tip-in by Kevin Swinton made it 54-43 before Duke responded with a 12-2 run -- completed with a layup from Redick -- and the Deacons never recovered.
"You know, I've pretty much got through the part of feeling sorry for myself and sorry for the team," Eric Williams said. "The only thing we can do now is keep fighting. We've got to play it game by game. That's all we can do."
Source: AP