Persistent Dunleavy Gives Duke The Shots It Needs

EDDIE PELLS
AP Sports Writer

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Before Duke sophomore Mike Dunleavy's dad became a coach, he was a shooter - an unabashed, unrelenting shooter, who never saw a long-range jumper he didn't like.

So when Dunleavy looked as if he really didn't belong in the first half of the national title game Monday night, he reacted the way any son of a coach, or son of a shooter, would.

He just kept shooting.

The tall, gangly swingman with the baby face was the star of Duke's 82-72 victory over Arizona because, quite simply, he excelled at what both he and his team does best: making 3-pointers.

He scored 18 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, including a key stretch of three straight 3-pointers that gave Duke a lead the Wildcats couldn't overcome.

"It was about time," Dunleavy said. "I finally started making my shots in the second half, and that gave us a boost."

Dunleavy earned his never-say-quit shooting mentality honestly. As early as age 3, he would stand on the sidelines and watch the Milwaukee Bucks practice, his dad working off picks, looking for open outside jumpers.

Early in the second half, he looked like a kid testing things out in the driveway, spotting up three straight times and draining the open 3s to give the Blue Devils a 49-39 lead and a welcome break from their ice-cold shooting from behind the arc (4-for-15 in the first half).

Arizona rallied, but Dunleavy answered. He made a layup, a dunk, a nice little 8-foot jumper and then, of course, another 3-pointer - and Duke had staved off an initial Arizona comeback charge to stay ahead 61-51.

Later, All-Americans Jason Williams and Shane Battier began playing to their potential, and Dunleavy slipped back into the supporting role he has grown accustomed to during this championship season.

But Duke didn't win anything this season solely on the strength of just two players, and Dunleavy has taken pride in being one of four Blue Devils with the reputation of being able to hit a shot from anywhere on the court.

This team set the NCAA record for 3-pointers made in a season, and Dunleavy was a big part of it, making 52 on the road to the Final Four.

So who was that in the first half?

Could it have been the son of the Portland Trail Blazers coach and former Bucks, Lakers and 76ers sharpshooter, who sat stoically in the stands wearing a black turtleneck, maybe wishing he hadn't made this quick trip to Minnesota?

In the first half, the father watched his son shoot 1-for-6 - an ugly 1-for-6 that included misses that barely drew iron, as Duke basically abandoned its outside game, and pounded it inside.

But it's that old shooter's axiom - keep shooting it, baby - that kept Dunleavy from zoning out too soon, and helped the Blue Devils to the championship.