Duke’s Hill Makes a Point While Filling in For Hurley

Nobody told Grant Hill about all the little things that go with being the temporary point guard for top-ranked Duke. It’s enough to give a guy a headache.

At forward, the 6-foot-7 sophomore didn’t have all the worries that Bobby Hurley did before a broken bone in his right foot put him on the bench for three weeks. Instead of taking passes for spectacular dunks, now he has to make them, and that’s just for starters. Hill used to get his orders second-hand from Hurley; now, they come directly from coach Mike Krzyzewski.

“You just have to think differently. You’re kind of an extension of coach K on the court,” Hill said. “You’ve got to get the ball to Christian, you’ve got to get it to Thomas, and at the same time, you want to keep yourself as a threat.

“Running the defense, running the offense, Christian likes to catch the ball a certain way, just individual habits that they’re used to with Bobby.”

On the surface, it seemed simple enough. Get the ball to Christian Laettner and he scores. But Grant Hill now knows there’s only one pass Laettner takes, and if he doesn’t throw it right, he gets his ears burned.

“It’s pretty minor, but it’s a thing where Christian really will get on you if you don’t do,” Hill said. “On the passes into the post, he wants it hard and leading him to a spot.”

Oh, go ahead, Grant. Lob one into the post, or be bold and try a bounce pass.

“He’ll catch the ball, most likely, and he most likely will score or get a foul. But I don’t want to hear him yelling at me at the time out,” Hill said. “Christian will do that. Rather than have him get on you, I just pass the ball to Christian that way.”

It’s the same approach if Laettner or Thomas Hill are thinking three-point shot.

“With Thomas, his legs are bent, his knees are bent, he’s real low and he likes to catch it low and bring it up,” Hill says. “Christian likes to take it high and sort of push it up. So, when you’re making a pass on the perimeter, you have to get it to them a certain way.”

It’s been a crash course in basketball and personalities, and Hill thinks he’ll take something with him when he goes back to forward.

“During the year, I’m looking more at my own stuff, how I can get open, and Bobby’s trying to find a way to get me the ball so I can score,” he says. “Now, I’ve got to do that for four players on the court. You kind of pick it up. It’s not that hard. I’ve played with them for two years and I know their tendencies.”

Before taking over at point guard, Grant Hill had 66 assists in 18 games, slightly more than 3 per game. In the three games since moving to the backcourt, he’s collected 17 assists. He’s also scored 56 points in those three games, nearly 19 points an outing and six points better than Hurley’s season average.

Hill has also developed a better relationship with Krzyzewski. Until Hurley comes back, he has to if the Blue Devils are to run the offense to perfection.

“I’ve done the most communicating with coach during a game that I’ve ever done at all here,” he says. “I find myself looking at the bench a lot. Hopefully, we won’t miss a beat.”

And, don’t forget the role of psychologist. Of all the mentalities that Hill has to work with now, it was Hurley who got the first appointment.

The Blue Devils suffered their first defeat of the year, a 75-73 decision, to North Carolina on Feb. 5. The next morning, it was announced that Hurley had suffered his foot injury and would be out at least until the first week of March.

“I was in class and one of my friends came up and said ‘Bobby’s in a cast.’ I thought he was joking,” Hill says. “My dad was still here in town and he called me up and told me what happened.”

Calvin Hill, the former NFL all-pro running back, figured that Hurley was down about missing a key stretch of the season. So all three took off for a local restaurant to try and lift Hurley’s spirits.

“We were just trying to get him in a good mood,” Hill says. “My dad had talked about what his injury was and how he’ll be OK. We talked about everything except me playing point guard. I think that little meeting was good for Bobby and good for me.”

They left the restaurant in a better mood, and Duke has left its worries behind for now.”

“Coach said that day in practice that I would be playing point, and I said fine,” he says. “We made our adjustment.”