Branches Book

BRANCHES

player on the team, but he often made sure to involve his teammates with incredible court vision. After a game, he scored 14 points, 14 rebounds, and 14 assists, his father asked him why he hadn't scored more. Christian, said, "they have to be good, too.” As Christian’s skills and reputation grew, Nichols High School won the state title in 1985 and 1986 and reached the state semifinals in 1987. And if Christian’s recruitment season did not have enough attention it would start to with elite division 1 programs contacting him. The excitement over a letter from a University was a distant memory. Now nearly every major program in the country wrote him. Universities like Indiana, North Carolina, Syracuse, Virginia, Kentucky, Notre Dame, Pittsburgh, and Duke, among others wanted Christian to play for them. Mike Krzyzewski, the head coach of the Duke University Men’s Basketball team had first seen Laettner as a Nichols High School junior. Coach Krzyzewski attended the pregame warm-ups of the state tournament at Glens Falls, New York. He was at the Civic Center for less than 15 minutes, but he was instantly impressed with Laettner's athleticism. Coach Krzyzewski watched Laettner handle the ball during warm-up drills and admired his fluidity and his coordination unlike most big men playing basketball. Christian looked like he was counting the nanoseconds until tip-off and for Coach Krzyzewski, he wanted players who craved the big games. The type of players whose own basketball egos wouldn't suffer from stage fright. Was he respectful of authority? Did he work within the team? Was he passionate about the game? At that moment Coach Krzyzewski understood Christian was a one of a kind player. Even before Christian’s official recruiting visits, he had already decided he would attend Duke. Suddenly Christian found himself on the Duke campus. The campus, the program, the coach, the school, and the experience were all outstanding. The Duke players, assistants, and recruits met at Coach Krzyzewski's house to eat lunch and watch games, and Coach Krzyzewski was interested in what his family thought about his team and the recruits. After all, his wife and his three daughters were around the program so much, and they were at games, at team functions, on the team bus and on occasion they sometimes noticed things that Coach Krzyzewski didn't. Christian was unlike any recruit who had ever stepped into their home. "Dad, he's cute," said His Daughter. "He's incredibly confident. How can you be that confident?” Christians' personality reminded Them of a particular West Point cadet. That West Point cadet was Coach Krzyzewski. From Christian’s first day at Duke to his last, he was always a dedicated person to his alma mater. He was a great teammate, player, and student. His aggressiveness and his ability were never appreciated when fans

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