Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler became friends soon after they met almost five years ago, when Duke was recruiting them to play basketball.
And since that day, their bond has grown stronger.
"Our relationship is something that's very, very special," Smith said. "We're definitely brothers. When we first stepped on campus we were friends, and that's slowly progressed.
"We became good friends, and really, really good friends. We're on the court all the time, and we had to be very close. Off the court our relationship has been great."
Their time together will reach a critical point today, when Duke plays Clemson (9 p.m., ESPN Ch. 33) in the final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium for Smith, Singler and Casey Peters, a former team manager turned walk-on.
More important to Smith and Singler than their final game in Cameron is the significance of the week. Duke is tied with North Carolina atop the ACC standings, and their regular-season finale on Saturday in Chapel Hill will decide the regular-season champion.
"It's two games that we know we have to win," Smith said. "It's kind of like the ACC Tournament right now. Win two and you're a champion. Wednesday night is the semifinals, and the next game is the championship."
Smith and Singler didn't take the same path to today's game. Singler, a forward, was a starter immediately. Coach Mike Krzyzewski said that when points, rebounds, hustle and championships are taken into account, Singler, in his estimation, is one of the top five players in Blue Devils history.
And that's high praise in a program that has produced many All-Americans and ACC players of the year.
Singler isn't sure right now what his legacy will be. Part of it will include last season's NCAA championship, the program's fourth. If anything makes Singler proud of his college career, it's the 119 games he has helped the Blue Devils win.
"Stats and all that's great," Singler said. "But when you walk out, you boil it all down that no one can take away your wins or your championships that you've won. Those will stick to a player and to a person. For me, winning is more important than the stats."
Smith said only one word describes Singler: warrior. Singler said he has come to regard Smith as a great person and a great basketball player.
Smith was a contributor in his first two seasons. He said he sometimes wondered about his future then, and whether he would become the player he wanted to be.
Johnny Dawkins, a former Duke assistant to whom Smith was close, told Smith to trust in the coaches and listen to them.
Smith won a starting job last season. This season, he has pulled double duty since Dec. 8, the day he took over at point guard after Kyrie Irving injured a toe
Smith has led Duke all season and seems on his way to the ACC player-of-the-year award. He said there's a good chance he might cry today, either before the game or after the introduction.
"I'm an emotional guy," Smith said. "If we take care of business and get the win, I expect my after-game speech will be very short so I can get out of here without anybody seeing me cry."
Both players could have left for the NBA after last season.
They came back to enjoy life at Duke, win more games, and chase another national title.
Today is a day they knew was coming, but they still looked at it with a sense of dread.
In a way, though, Singler has been preparing for today since his first start in the first college game of his career — Nov. 9, 2007.
"I've always tried to approach games like it's my last," Singler said.
"You never really know when your last game might be, but this time it really will be the last time."
bcole@wsjournal.com
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement