Duke-UNC Memories: Jim Spanarkel

March 5, 2004

by Johnny Moore
Blue Devil Weekly

DURHAM, N.C. - Feb. 24, 1979 will always be a very special night in the hearts of all true Duke fans. It was senior night for captain Jim Spanarkel, who was on the verge of becoming the Blue Devils' first 2,000-point scorer.

Earlier in the week against N.C. State, North Carolina had used a stall technique, a variation of the Tar Heels' classic four corners, to eat time off the clock and help them beat the Wolfpack to move into first place in the ACC.

North Carolina head coach Dean Smith decided to play the same deliberate game when his team came to Cameron for the Duke finale. The 3-C strategy would keep the contest close and take the crowd, at a fever pitch because of senior day, out of the game.

The result may have been the strangest game in the history of the Duke-Carolina series. After Duke scored first on a Vince Taylor follow shot, the Tar Heels began their slowdown tactics by holding the ball.

"We didn't want to play against their zone," said Smith.

"We were ahead," said Duke coach Bill Foster, who refused to pull his team out of its customary zone.

These were the days before the shot clock. The Tar Heel strategy of freezing the ball in the first half made the highly-anticipated contest look more like a game of keep-away than a basketball game. In the first 20 minutes Carolina made only two attempts at the basket and neither went anywhere near the rim. They did commit a few turnovers, giving the Devils a chance to score and take a 7-0 halftime lead.

"Basically it bothered me because I thought this would be a great game," said Spanarkel. "I thought they were trying to upstage our senior game."

One of the two missed shots by the Tar Heels was by Chick Yonakor, who shot a 12-foot jumper that went just 10 feet and immediately prompted chants of "Airball" from the students. Tradition has it that this was the origination of the now-famous chant.

In the second half the Tar Heels decided to play. Both teams scored 40 points, with the Devils taking the victory 47-40.

"You still have to play the game," explained Spanarkel. "You still have to figure out a way to win the game."

Spanarkel scored a game-high 17 points that evening, missing just one of his nine shots from the floor.

"This game is one that I always remember," said the 1979 first team All-America selection, who ended his career with 2,012 points, which currently stands eighth in school history. "I remember fondly that Carolina didn't hit the rim the first half and that we won our senior game."

Following a career in the NBA, Spanarkel went to work for Merrill Lynch in Paramus, N.J., where he is now a financial advisor. He also serves as a basketball analyst for televised games on the Big East's regional network, for some CBS-TV national college basketball broadcasts including the NCAA Tournament, and for NBA TV.

Duke-UNC Memories: Jim Spanarkel

Related News

Related Videos

Duke information