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Friday, May 11
Updated: May 15, 2:43 PM ET
Duke's defensive leader charges forward
ESPN.com
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ESPN.com
Defensive Player of Year
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Shane Battier
Duke
Senior | Forward
2.1 bpg
2.1 spg
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Finding a lone defender is a tough chore for writers and coaches. So many teams play team defense, be it zone or gimmicks, that it makes it tough to single out one player.
But Duke's Shane Battier seems to be around the ball at the right time. He takes his opponent out of his strength during most games. He was largely a defensive specialist his first few years at Duke, turning to more of an offensive player the last two years.
Battier was a tough player to go past on the perimeter or to post up against. Shot blockers like Ohio State's Ken Johnson and Seton Hall's Eddie Griffin made going in the lane dicey. Being beat up by Michigan State's Andre Hutson and Illinois' Marcus Griffin was expected in the Big Ten.
But the two best on-the-ball defenders in the nation were Providence's John Linehan and Wisconsin's Mike Kelley. Linehan was tough for opposing point guards to dribble past at the top of the key. He shaved eight seconds off the shot clock, allowing his post players like Karim Shabazz to get around his opponent in the lane.
Kelley was terrific at defending players when they didn't have the ball. Shaking Kelley was one of the tougher assignments players in the Big Ten had to deal with all season.
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