COLLEGE BASKETBALL / NCAA MEN’S AND WOMEN’S FINAL FOURS : Struggling Parks Weighs Matters, Delivers Big : Duke: Center scores pivotal basket on putback after finally overcoming 6-foot-6, 300-pound Dametri Hill.

Duke’s Cherokee Parks is the first to acknowledge that Florida’s Dametri Hill dominated him for the first 24 minutes of Saturday’s NCAA semifinal game.

Whether it was going for a rebound or stopping a shot, Parks had a difficult time trying to keep a 6-foot-6, 300-pound mass away from the basket.

Parks knew how much Hill was controlling the inside at the 18-minute mark of the second half with Duke trailing, 45-32.

“He was giving me fits up to that point because of his big body and the way he worked inside,” said Parks, a 6-11 junior from Huntington Beach. “Instead of playing behind him, I was trying to avoid him and slip around, but he was just too big.

“It’s funny because when I first saw him on the court, he was shorter than I had expected. But, he was every bit as round as I had thought.”

Parks, who scored only five points in the first half and had missed four of his first seven shots, knew that in order for the Blue Devils to keep their season alive, he would have to try to contain Hill, who already had 12 points and seven rebounds.

In the next five minutes, Parks revived himself, and the Blue Devils.

He shut down Hill, scored four points and had four rebounds as Duke closed within 53-50 with 12:48 remaining. It wasn’t until the game was was down to a pivotal moment that Parks made his best play.

With Duke holding a one-point lead with 15 seconds remaining, Parks rebounded his own missed shot to score to give the Blue Devils a 68-65 lead.

“I saw Jeff (Capel) driving, so I moved to an open area,” Parks said. “Once he passed it to me I knew that I had to shoot because the shot clock was going down. But as soon as I shot it, I knew it wasn’t going in so I moved to the basket where the ball rolled off the rim right to me. I was fortunate to be there and was able to put it back in.”

Parks’ play forced Florida to hurry to get the ball upcourt, where the Gators’ Dan Cross was called for charging into Duke’s Antonio Lang to seal the game with 10.8 seconds left.

“The key for us was that we didn’t panic and start throwing up bad shots when we got down by 13,” said Parks, who finished with 11 points and 11 rebounds. “We were struggling at times, but we knew that we had a lot of time left. We just had to settle down and not get caught up running up and down the floor like we did early in the game.”

Parks also knew that with roommate Grant Hill on his side, things could turn around. Hill had a game-high 25 points, six rebounds and five assists.

“We had them on the ropes, but there was a lot of basketball game left,” said Dametri Hill, who had 16 points and nine rebounds. “We felt good, but we felt that we had to keep doing what we were doing. Duke is a very good basketball team that made the plays when they needed.”

An advantage for Duke down the stretch was its Final Four experience. Parks, Lang and Grant Hill all played major roles on the Blue Devils’ national championship team of 1992.

Their leadership helped give confidence to Duke’s younger players such as freshman Capel and sophomore Chris Collins.

Capel, who made only three of 10 shots, gave Duke a 65-63 lead with 2:31 remaining with a three-point basket only seconds after he had committed a costly turnover.

“Jeff’s shot was probably the biggest one of the game,” Parks said. “What made it so special is that he had just thrown the ball away and had not really been hitting for most of the game. But he knew that we had confidence in him.

“That’s the thing with this team that I think makes it so good. We have just the right combination of experienced players who have been here before along with our younger guys.”