Jalen Rose comments in the new 30/30 show about the Fab 5 that he hated Duke and everything they stood for because they didn't and wouldn't recruit kids like him. Meaning inner city kids. This brought back this feeling I always had about Duke and Coach K that they were basically snobs; recruiting only rich white kids and rich black kids. When they did bring in the edgier kids like Elton Brand and Corey Magette, they couldn't get out of there fast enough because of what Brand referred to as the blatantly snobbish fan base.
I've certainly softened regarding Duke although I still don't really pull for them. I dislike snobs more than just about any group of people. But I have to recognize that Coach K knows what kind of kids can fit in at Duke and which ones will likely have trouble. The alums, fans, and students are overwhelmingly upper or upper middle class with the attitudes that go along with it. Duke is what it is and they make do pretty well without the inner city players. I don't see it ever changing.
S
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