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Question And Answer With Lee Melchionni
DURHAM, N.C. - Lee Melchionni was one of the six seniors introduced for the final time at Cameron Indoor Stadium last Saturday. The Lancaster, Pa., product comes from a long basketball heritage, as father Gary starred for the Blue Devils in the early 1970s while three uncles played at Villanova. Entering the ACC tourney, Lee had played in 111 games with 18 starts over the last four years, with 505 career points.
After struggling to hit his shot in February (7-of- 26 from the floor), Melchionni ended the regular season with five three-pointers in the first two games of March (FSU, UNC). The loss to UNC left his class’ record at home at 57-3 for their careers, 49-15 in ACC regular season games and 111-22 overall.
How fast have your four years gone by?
“As you ask that question, thoughts come up of moving in the summer before freshman year when all of us were just young kids stepping onto campus for the first time. It just seems like yesterday. Time goes so fast, and we’ve gone through so much and accomplished so much.”
What are your most vivid memories of that freshman team?
“Since we had such a great recruiting class, I was going to be a walkon my freshman year. Being on the team as a walkon, I had a little bit of a chip on my shoulder. I was recruited by other schools, and I didn’t want to be labeled as a walkon, as young and immature. As I’ve grown older, I’ve learned to accept and be proud that I was a walkon.
“I came to Duke to be part of something bigger than myself. It was a dream come true to be a part of a team like that my freshman year with great players, guys that are in the NBA now. The camaraderie we had is something you don’t forget.”
Since your father Gary had been a Duke captain in the 1970s, did he have any advice for you?
“Be who you are. Don’t change anything. Continue to play your game, and things will work out. As a young kid, you come in thinking you’re going to play right away. When you get here you realize all the work that goes in, how talented these guys are. It took me back a little bit, made me realize the things I needed to do to be able to compete at this level.”
What made the difference last year, when you were a junior and emerged as a very pivotal player?
“With Shav (Randolph) going down with mono and Reggie (Love) breaking his foot, I was forced into a role I’d never been in. To be honest, I surprised myself. I didn’t think I’d be able to play that well and do some of the things I did. To do that was amazing, especially for myself, and to be part of a team that wasn’t expected to be as good as we were. It’s something I’ll never forget. It was a great season.”
It was clear you were ready to take advantage of an opportunity that came up, even before Shav went down...
“My freshman and sophomore years I hadn’t played that much. It can be hard. When you make something your life and put so much time and energy into it, it hurts when it doesn’t go the way you want it. I still remember my junior year before Christmas break against Oklahoma in Madison Square Garden. I didn’t play that much. I thought, ?Man, what did my Duke career come to?’
“Then after Christmas break, from that time on, it was just stepping up and changing my limits, as Coach would say. Being a Duke basketball player. That’s something that when you look back you can be proud of, that you did those things and accomplished what we accomplished as a team.”
So what was your mindset in getting ready for your senior season?
“To be in the best possible shape and to be a leader on the team. I’ve been through this and know what the freshmen are going through. I wanted to do anything I could to help this team win, building onto last year. This year people expected us to be very good. To live up to that is something that you don’t want to look at as pressure.
“Being a senior on this team and coming off the year we had last year, I just wanted to provide senior leadership, be in unbelievable shape, and be there for the freshmen. Having gone through three seasons here and different battles, you can be there for the freshmen, tell them what to expect and be ready for that. I’m enjoying this senior year, being number one on the country. I hope we accomplish something special.”
Do you think about how little time you have left on the court?
“It sort of hit me that in another month I’m no longer going to be a Duke basketball player. I’ll always be part of the family, but I won’t have a schedule, won’t have conditioning at this time, no practice. For four years, everything has been very regimented. For that to come to an end is weird.
“It will be different to experience (the end of the semester) as a normal student. It’ll also be cool not to worry about what you eat before practice. But time will come for that stuff after we accomplish something special. This is not the time of year to let up or change the way you do things. Stay on the straight and narrow and take care of business.”
What do you have planned for the future?
“I’d like to play basketball outside of Duke, maybe Europe. I came to Duke to get an education, too, and I did that. This past summer I worked at a Wall Street firm in sales and trading. I think I’ll eventually get back into that, whether it be a couple of years from now or sooner. I’ll probably head back up to New York. I’m grateful to Duke for what it’s provided in the classroom and on the court, all the lessons I’ve learned. That’s a big part of your success after Duke, too.”
What’s your best Duke basketball memory so far?
“I still love it, after all the things people said about Chris (Duhon) his junior year, when we went over to Carolina his senior year and he hit that reverse layup (to win the game). I didn’t even get into the game but I was so proud of him, what we accomplished that year and the team we had. To win that game and for him to hit that shot meant a lot then, and is still a special moment. I’m the ?hype’ man, so I had to be there first to give him the bear hug and tell him he’s the man.”
How about your lowest moment?
“I had some pretty low moments my sophomore year. I had some expectations coming into the year, and I hurt my ankle pretty bad in the preseason and never got back on track. When you build your heart on something that means a lot to you and it doesn’t go the way you want, it really hurts. But things have worked out for me. I can’t complain. I’m very blessed.”
How have you viewed your role this year?
“We have four captains, so at any time most likely there’s going to be a captain on the floor. Certain rotations have been set. Different guys have matured in their roles, like Greg (Paulus) and Josh (McRoberts), who are freshmen. I continue to tell them to break their barriers and do more. Rather then getting 10 and six (points and rebounds), it’s okay to go for 20 and 10. With some of the guys who haven’t been playing much, I’m telling them, ?Listen, I’ve been in your shoes. I know what you’re going through. I know this isn’t what you expected. You thought you’d play more, but your time will come. Don’t stop working and don’t check out. There’s gonna come a time when you’re going to win a game for us. You’ve always got to be ready.”
How about your relationships with the other guys who came in with you as freshmen?
“We’ve gone through so much together. For J.J. (Redick) to change his lifestyle and become the player he’s become, I’m so proud of him. Sean (Dockery) is going to graduate from Duke University, and coming from where he comes from, that’s amazing, better than anything he’s done on the court. I love Sean to death.
“My best friend, Shelden Williams, my roommate for four years, to see him evolve as a person and come out of his shell and blossom into a great basketball player and great human being has been great. I’m pretty loquacious. I like to talk and Shelden is more the strong, silent type. I’ve helped him in certain ways and he’s helped me in certain ways. I think we’ve been good for each other, like an old married couple.
“For us to do some decent things on the court as players, that will be easier to appreciate a few years down the road. We’re sort of in a bubble right now concentrating on what we need to do. As the years go by, I think our relationships will mean more and more.”
You have also spent a lot of time off the court involved in outreach and community programs such as Read with the Blue Devils. Why is that?
“A situation happened this summer when I was in New York working on Wall Street. We had a door lady I would see every day, and I gave her one of our Duke posters. She looked at the poster and burst into tears. The poster meant so much to her. It hit me that Duke basketball means so much to so many people, that when you put on that uniform and step onto that floor, you’re playing for so many people other than yourself.
“I try to look at it that if somebody wants my autograph or wants to talk, I’d love to talk if it means that much to you. It means that much to me also. I try to be nice to people. I love going to read to the children. It’s not only about encouraging them to read, it’s about showing them that the person they see on TV or want to be actually cares enough to come to their school and talk to them. It gives them hope that they can accomplish anything through hard work. I try to treat people with respect, the way I’d want to be treated.”
Now that you’ve been through four years here, what’s it like to share the legacy of Duke basketball with your dad?
“Having my dad play here and being a captain here is the reason I’m at Duke. It’s a dream come true. I always wanted to play here. To be able to do that links both of us. It can never be taken away. As time goes by, I’ll appreciate it more and more. It’s a special accomplishment to share with my dad.”
