Newspapers / Daily Tar Heel (Chapel … / Dec. 1, 1978, edition 1 / Page 31
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24 The Deity Its Heel 1 !1 73-73 r 4 ' ' h Foster -7 (Q) f NcDo 1 l Duke supers Spanarkel and Banks S7 Foster's grinning from ear to ear over the talent on his Blue Devil basketball team, which is the team to beat in the ACC and the nation. Foster hopes he's smiling in March. by PETE MITCHELL Cameron Indoor Staduim, as rowdy a place as it is these days when Duke is playing, wasn't exactly civilized, back then, either back in 1975. Bill Foster's second year. That's the season Duke was 2-10 in the ACC with a roster loaded with no-names and fans who proved more of a nuisance to the opposition than the Blue Devil players themselves. Foster! sweated it out alongside a promising freshman guard a knock-kneed, pigeon-toed kid with a New Jersey accent named Jim Spanarkel. That's when it all began. The folks in Cameron sensed they had something good and haven't quieted yet. It's a long drive up the interstate to Jersey City, N J., SpanarkeFs home town. Keep going and you'll hit Connecticut somewhere near tiny Monroe. That's where 6-foot-1 1, 245-pound Mike Gminski is from. On the way back, ride through Philadelphia to pick up Gene Banks, a j uiced-up muscleman who's well-versed in the city game. That's the route Foster took. And the returns included three consecutive ACC Rookies of the Year and eventually an ACC championship and a trip to the NCAA finals. This year, Duke has everybody back plus one of the top five recruits in the nation, Vince Taylor. Duke is the concensus No. I preseason choice in the country this fall. Foster assured the media - his team hasn't been practicing cutting down the nets. The writers handed him the scissors, anyway, registering 107 of their 1 10 votes for Duke. "We're the hunted instead of the hunters all of a sudden," Gminski said. "It's a nice type of pressure to have after three years at the bottom," Foster said. "We've come full-circle." Carolina people know the pressure well from being ranked alongside Kentucky during preseason last year after finishing second in the NCAA. . Banks, a second team All-ACC player his rookie year, says all he's worried about is the team keeping its head should things go bad at first. "Our only weakness is in our heads, how we're gonna react to the press and other things if we lose a few," Banks said. "I'm going to act like we're number 25 trying to get in the Top 20 to keep us hungry with something to shoot for. I'm having a theme for every game." "We shouldn't be thinking about (the rating) anyway," said captain Spanarkel. "Once you get out there, the favorite-underdog stuff .goes right down the drain anyway." 0 n addition to Spanarkel (20.8 average last year), Gminski and Banks, sophomore forward Kenny Dennard and either John Harrell or Bob Bender will start Steve Gray, Harold Morrison and Jim Suddath will be in reserve along with Taylor, "Mr. Kentucky" in basketball last year who Foster plucked right out from under Wildcat coach Joe Hall's nose. "He's in the same situation I was in as the only freshman," Gminski said. "So he's got 1 1 guys to help him out." Foster will use Taylor (6-5) at big guard and forward. The schedule includes lots of national television exposure and some tough' opponents like Marquette, Louisville and Southern Cal after opening up at Western Kentucky. . "Our goals are the same this year, but the situation is different," said Gminski, who is still hurting from an off season ankle injury. "Al McGuire came and told us the only pressure we have is what we put on ourselves." "Everyone is saying 'Beat Duke, Beat Duke' and it's a helluva feeling," Banks said. "We're not immortal, but we think we can win the championship." "We're about where we want to be at this point." Foster said two weeks ago. "I'm very pleased." Foster is confident and perhaps enjoying things a bit more than back in '75. But according to his players he's still the same coach. And then there's Cameron Indoor Stadium, rocking as always. But those Devils: how they've changed in such a short time. S 34 244 ...3? 246 ...34 23S Kenny Damm 34 140 JonnHanea 34 66 Bob Bandar' 2? 41 Scoot Gome 32 41 Stow Gray 25 32 . ... 31 30 . ... 22 16 21 10 13 CanwonHaa 7 TOTALS 34 1123 ---34 KM7 A . 4M -S30 460 S4T 4S1 S2 254 551 14- .406 4 486 68 .621 68 .464 62 .464 40 .400 25 .400 14 .571 16 563 M 220 146 106 51 36 31 12 ( 16 16 13 5 ' 0 6 176 .841 46 .716 76 .671 46 426 42 .738 18 .632 21 .657 25 .720 17 .765 lO .500 1 00 7 657 116 3.4 316 10 0 282 8.6 215 34 32 32 12 8 11 561 63 331 IjB 174 1.5. 113 22 84 6.7 62 1.6 - 78 13 45 0.6 25 0.6 16 16 24 2S.6 20.0 17.1 8.7 5.1 5 1 2.8 3.3 2.5 2.0 1.2 1-2 3.4 1285 1128 38.1 33l2 2811 2528 856 74.4 C Al:A ti A' S Hat 20 EUGENE BANKS " 6-7 24 HAROLD MORRISON 6-7 30 JIMSUDOATM ..6-6 33 KENNY DENNARD ...6-7 43 MikeGnunski 6-11 44 SCOTT GOETSCH . ..6-8 12 Vtnoa Taylor - .6-5 14 ROB HARDY 6-3 21 BOB BENDER .. ... 6-2 22 JOHN HARRELL. .6-0 23 STEVE GRAY 6-2 34 JIM SPANARKEL .. . 6-5 CAPS Denote Lenerman 205 200 185 200 245 215 180 170 175 170 160 180 19 21 18 20 18 21 18 21 21 21 21 21 So. Sr. So So. Jr. Sr. Fr. Sr Jr. .Jr. Sr. Sr. PivMMSaipMa. Pa. -Waal Oranoa. N. J Eaat Point Oa. King. N.C. Monroe. Conn. Chatsworth Cat Lexington. Ky. Cokjmbua. Ohio Crown Point. IrtrJ. Ournam.NC Woodland H We. Cal Jeraey Ctty. N J. rGA SIHIOIF - - 3fc-e - s rift it' MM gi&jj FOR A NEW BREAKFAST & LUNCHEON EXPERIENCE SUgs Willov Park Mall 4422 Chapel Hill Blvd. Durham, N.C. 489-6014 CREPES QUICHE LORRAINE GOURMET DINNERS WINE & BEER SPINACH SALAD FLAMING DESSERTS Breakfast 8-11 Lunch 11-2 Dinner 5-10
Daily Tar Heel (Chapel Hill, N.C.)
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Dec. 1, 1978, edition 1
31
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