Battier Perhaps Game's Best Player

Dave Droshak, AP

DURHAM, N.C. (November 4) - His name sounds like French royalty. His game is working class. His ego, nonexistent.

In an age with plenty of academic scandals, hotheaded coaches and what's-in-it-for-me attitudes, Duke's Shane Battier, who went to high school in Bloomfield Hills, Mich., is about as perfect a player as college basketball has to offer.

"I remember the days when I averaged seven points and six rebounds and I was a little more than a novelty,'' the 6-foot-8 senior said. "Now, to have the respect of the basketball community is pretty gratifying.''

Battier, still not a prolific scorer, built his reputation on the less flashy art of defense. He holds Duke's career record for charges taken with 85 and has blocked at least one shot in 80 of his 107 games. He also has 184 career steals and was the national defensive player of the year twice.

"The fact that Shane does take the charge at times diminishes just what a great defensive player he is,'' Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said. "He's always talking, he's alert, his mind functions in a continuous manner and he can get other people to function that way.

"Those three things -- the blocking of a shot, the taking of a charge and the steal -- are all indicative of how well he moves when he's not covering the man with the ball. His position defensively is magnificent, almost on every play.''

Krzyzewski said Battier will go down as one of the top five players in ACC history. That might be a stretch in a league that produced Michael Jordan, Tim Duncan, David Thompson and Phil Ford.

But Battier's cerebral approach to basketball, along with his physical skills, are qualities hard to come by these days.

"I don't remember another player his equal,'' Wake Forest coach Dave Odom said. "You would have a hard time putting him in the top five (in ACC history) of any skill category, but when you take into account the intangible factors of leadership and team commitment, he probably ranks at the top.

"It's like coaching against the best coaches.''

Battier's reputation as a thinking-man's player wasn't widely appreciated during his high school days outside Detroit.

"In basketball, to be able to speak Queen's English and be tough _ people think there's something wrong with you,'' Battier said.

He was unjustly labeled as soft because he attended Country Day High School, a $16,000-a-year prep school in Bloomfield Hills. The skinny kid from the suburbs also didn't venture down to the inner-city gym of St. Cecelia, a rough section of Detroit where players scratch and claw for respect.

"A lot of people who didn't see him go through the same rites of passage gave him that soft image,'' high school coach Kurt Keener said. "And because he was very articulate and held up here by a lot of the media as kind of the All-American kid, that generated some resentment and it was always easy to put that soft label on him.''

Keener knew better.

"From the moment he was on our team he was never afraid to put his body on the line and take charges and block shots,'' said Keener, who also coached Chris Webber. "He really was an adult, and that maturity level set him head-and-shoulders above most teen-age athletes.''

As a straight-A student and excellent player, Battier was a natural fit for the Blue Devils. However, he admits he had some rough times once he arrived at Duke.

"By Christmas of my freshman year I was burned out,'' Battier said. "I had worked as hard as I ever had to come in the best shape of my life. Then, it was like running into the ocean against waves. All of a sudden academics come, you're away from home for the first time, basketball at the highest level hits you, and I was a little bit knocked back.

"It's not like I wanted to quit basketball, but I didn't enjoy it. I didn't really enjoy school. I wanted to be home.''

Duke assistant Quin Snyder, now the head coach at Missouri, stepped in.

"After the Michigan game, we had lost a big lead and I was down and Quin said to me, 'Who really cares?''' Battier said. "He said, 'Let it go.' I did and I got my second wind.''

Now, Battier uses his knowledge and savvy to help Duke's younger players, treating a charge as if it were as important as a 3-pointer. To Battier, it is.

"I try to make plays that affect the ball game, whether it's taking a charge, blocking a shot, taking a 3,'' he said. "Those are the plays that swing momentum.''

Battier remembers blocking shots as a third-grader.

"I was the tallest one there and I just liked blocking shots,'' he said. "I loved to see the kids cry after I blocked their shots. That's sadistic on my part, but I've always taken that with me.''

With his defensive skills firmly planted, Battier turned up his offensive game a season ago to average 17.4 points and shoot 44.4 percent from 3-point range. Krzyzewski expects even more in 2000-01.

"I would love to see him when he gets on a roll not to be too humble,'' the coach said. "Shane can score in every way. He's our best 3-point shooter, he's an outstanding foul shooter, he can post, he can fill a lane, he has really improved on driving the basketball.''

Battier, a religion major, is the only player left from Duke's "Fab Four'' recruiting class that included Elton Brand, William Avery and Chris Burgess. Brand and Avery went pro two seasons ago and Burgess transferred.

A national title has eluded Battier so far, with Duke going 98-11 over the last three years.

"When I came here with those guys we talked about winning four national championships,'' Battier said. "I know that's probably a little bit of naive thinking as a freshman, but I really came to Duke to get a ring.''

Battier Perhaps Game's Best Player

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Battier Perhaps Game's Best Player

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