Spokane, Wash. – Gonzaga forward Adam Morrison directed his gaze to the court and shook his head, tossing his moppy black hair back and forth in semi-disappointment as he waited to chat in an ESPN postgame interview.
The student section, still full nearly 10 minutes after the conclusion of a game against Saint Mary’s, chanted “J.J. who? J.J. who?”
J.J. who? Morrison knows.
J.J. Da Man. J.J., who has led Duke to a likely No. 1 seed in this year’s NCAA Tournament. J.J., who just might lead the Blue Devils to the national title.
Duke guard J.J. Redick – Morrison’s biggest competition for NCAA player of the year, and a good friend.
So while the fans meant well, showering praise upon their man by discounting the rival, those were some of the answers running through Morrison’s head.
“Just for the respect I have for him,” Morrison said. “And obviously for their program.”
They are The Players of the Moment, the predominant figures of an NCAA Tournament field to be announced today that is filled with compelling individuals. The interesting thing is, they have little desire to be part of the story line. Yet all season they have been.
Redick and Morrison are competitors, but, they insist, not against each other. Unless, that is, the game is Xbox’s Halo, where Redick concedes Morrison is a man among boys.
But on the court?
“He knows this and I know this: It’s not about who wins player of the year and whatnot and all of that stuff,” Morrison said. “It’s about which team does well. There’s going to be nights where one of us doesn’t score well. But as long as we win, it doesn’t matter. It’s not that big of a deal.
“I betcha he’d say the same thing.”
He’s right.
“That stuff is so irrelevant to what both of us are trying to do right now,” Redick said.
What is relevant is what the two have meant to their respective teams and their rise to the top of the rankings. Redick has done it under the blinding spotlight of the East Coast media chronicling every step the senior has made this season.
Averaging 27.7 points, Redick has broken significant, long-standing records in the nation’s most-storied basketball conference.
He broke Curtis Staples’ ACC record for 3-pointers made in a career. He then broke Duke great Johnny Dawkins’ record for most career points by a Blue Devils player. Redick completed the trifecta by becoming the ACC’s all-time scoring leader – during a game against Temple in which he scored the fewest points he had all season (11).
In the first of Duke’s three regular-season losses, Redick almost willed his team to victory against Georgetown, scoring 41 points and making huge play after huge play down the stretch. But among his accomplishments was an astonishing 40 points on 13 shots against Virginia, an effort that left Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski grasping for the appropriate superlatives.
“I’ve never seen that here at Duke, with 13 shots you get 40 points,” he said. “It was one of the great performances. He’s off the charts with focus and commitment. Nobody has had more or done it better here. He’s one of the truly great players in this conference. He’s a treasure.”
The national media don’t often come to Spokane, Wash. This season, however, has been different.
Out-of-towners have traipsed through with regularity, armed with pens, notepads, tape and video recorders, microphones and cameras, all ready to document the movements of Morrison, a player who barely registered on anyone’s radar coming out of high school not too far from the Gonzaga campus.
That’s all changed. Morrison’s play has made him the opposition’s marked man. His free-flowing hair and awkward-looking mustache have made him a marked man for opposing fans but a cult hero to Zags followers.
His 28.4 points per game led all Division I scorers this season. On the subject of his competitiveness, Gonzaga coach Mark Few doesn’t mince words.
“Top of the line,” Few said. “Ten out of 10. A great competitor. He’s always been. I don’t think the moment ever gets too big for him.”
An example: Morrison matched Michigan State’s Maurice Ager shot for shot in a Maui Invitational Tournament game that could arguably stand as the best game of the season. Morrison scored 43 points, including the game-winning free throws with 19 seconds left in the third overtime.
Who’s better? Redick? Morrison?
It’s a debate that has become more heated with the weary-legged slump Redick has experienced at season’s end. It has stoked memories of a year ago, when Redick had a subpar NCAA Tournament average of 12.0 points and made just 10-of-38 shots in Duke’s three tournament games.
But the subject never comes up in conversations between the two, which take place via phone once every couple of weeks and by text message after nearly every game.
“I don’t think you can (compare us),” Redick said. “It’s comparing apples and oranges. But we’re both scorers. We’re both competitors.”
Still, Morrison wouldn’t mind getting a head-to-head shot at Redick and Duke during the NCAA Tournament.
“Hopefully,” he said. “Yeah. It would be nice to play him. But we’ve got some stuff we need to shore up around here first.”
Staff writer Chris Dempsey can be reached at 303-820-5455 or cdempsey@denverpost.com.
