Q&A With Daniel Ewing

March 19, 2005

Senior guard Daniel Ewing plays in his fourth and final NCAA Tournament as the co-captain of Duke team that won the ACC championship for the third time in his career and earned a No. 1 seed for the second time. Ewing, MVP of the 2003 ACC tourney and an all-tournament selection this year, has played in 136 games with 114 wins, an average of 28 per season. During the recent ACC tourney he became the 25th Duke player to top the 1,500-point mark.

What's your outlook going into your final NCAA Tournament?
"I'm really excited. I expect a lot of great things from my team and my teammates because we've been there before. A lot of people don't expect much from us, so it's going to be a real challenge to see how well we do in the NCAA."

One of your great early games was in the NCAA Tournament your freshman year, against Notre Dame in the second round. What do you remember about that now as you enter your last NCAA?
"I was excited. It was a great atmosphere, a lot of fan support down in South Carolina. I just remember hitting a couple of shots. It seemed like the ball just kept coming to me. I was open. Confidence grew in me throughout the course of the game. I seemed like Jason (Williams) and Mike (Dunleavy) and those guys were looking for me to hit those shots at times, and I was able to come through for them. I ended up having a real big game, something like 18 points (plus six rebounds, three assists, four 3-pointers). I was ecstatic. The press wanted to talk to me. Me? That was a great memory to be a freshman and help my team in a clutch situation like that when it really counts. That was a great memory."

The next year a highlight had to be the ACC Tournament, getting 32 points in the first game against Virginia and earning MVP honors...
"It just came to me that as a team we weren't playing well, shots weren't falling. We had a great team, and I just decided to take over the game. I made some plays, some amazing shots. Then the second half the team looked to me to lead them to start off and that got us going. They kept looking to me for certain things, and I was able to produce. It was a pretty good performance, if I do say so myself."

Now this year you're a two-time team captain. What does that mean to you?
"It has meant a lot, but especially last year when I was a junior. Chris Duhon had already been here and was an influential leader throughout his career. For the coaches to nominate me to be a co-captain with him was an honor, that they trusted me to fullfil that role of being a leader."

Has it been more difficult being a leader this year?
"Being the leader of any group is never an easy task, especially when everything doesn't go well. Being a senior and point guard, when something doesn't go right, a lot of stuff falls back on me. I have the ball a lot and am able to direct guys. 'Go here or there.' I had to take the positive and negative criticism and try to get better."

Okay, you've been called for four technical fouls this year, after getting just one in your three previous years. Why suddenly all these technicals?
"I have no idea. I can't give a reason for any of the technicals I've encountered this season. They've all been different situations. I think it's just the refs trying to do the best job they can limiting extracurricular things after what went on in the NBA earlier in this season."

When that happens to you in a game, are you able to put it behind you right away?
"I try to, depending on the situation. In most cases when I've gotten a techinical foul It has limited my time on the court because it's been my second or third foul. It really hurt my team and what they needed me to do on the court. It limited my performance because I haven't been able to stay on the court."

You've played with a lot of talented teammates. Is there anyone you consider to be just an outstanding teammate to you?
"I'll have to say Sean Dockery. That's my man. We've roomed together. We've come a long way, even before we got to Duke, going back to high school. That's where we met. He was a freshman, and I was a sophomore. It seems like a coincidence that we'd be together in college.

"Since the first time we met, people associated us as being brothers. People still seem to think that we look alike. He's my right-hand man. Even when basketball's over and we're doing something else, I'll still be able to tell some stories about him and how much he's meant to me."

And now you're wearing a sleeve on your leg just like he does?
"That's just out of dedication to him until he gets back. Hopefully we can continue to win until he gets back."

What's it been like playing for this coaching staff?
"It's been great. They've done a great job with all the players, trying to help guys find ways to get better in every aspect of the game. I've experienced that this year with having several different roles. All the coaches have been supportive, including Coach (Mike) Jarvis."

What's Coach K meant to you?
"For me it was an easy decision once I got that call from Coach K and they offered me that scholarship. That day I was ready to tell all the other coaches I was going to Duke University.

"The tradition he's built here with teams and coaches and having relationships with former players meant something to me as a freshman coming to Duke. It meant a lot to me for him to decide to stay (last summer), me being a senior. Turning down that job showed a lot of commitment to the program and to the university."

I know your parents have also been important and proud of all you've accomplished...
"I give them all the credit for what people think of me. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today. They've done a great job in raising me, in my up-bringing and supporting me in everything I've done. I have a tremendous family support group that's behind me 100 percent."

How fitting was it that you got your first double-double on Senior Night with 14 points and 10 assists against Miami?
"I don't think you could tell the story any better without actually knowing the ending. It was like a fairy tale, for everyone to play well and have a great performance. Then at the end I happened to have my first career double-double on my senior night in Cameron. It doesn't get much better than that."

The experience of playing in Cameron has been a special one for you, hasn't it?
"It's been phenomenal. I've had some great moments, played some great teams. Over the years, the Cameron Crazies have been great to my teammates and myself. The record talks for itself, 56-2 at home in Cameron. That's pretty phenomenal."

How do you evaluate your progression as a player over four years?
"Each year I've gotten better at what I needed to do and what the team needed me to do. There's been a big difference between my freshman year and now. As a freshman not much was asked of me except to play defense and support the main guys we had. When I got on the court I didn't have to do too much handling the ball. Pretty much I got the ball in open spots and was able to develop a pretty good shot, which helped throughout the rest of my career. As a sophomore and junior I developed a more assertive role on the offensive and defensive end. Now I'm more of a ballhandler, point-guard player, two-guard combination player. I like still being able to score when I need to."

How would you like to be remembered for your Duke career?
"I just want to be remembered as a winner, a guy who was able to do whatever he had to do for his team to win, played hard and made big plays."

Q&amp;A With Daniel Ewing

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