Bobby Hurley: Jalen Rose Might Have Had a Hard Time Finding Minutes at Duke

March 14, 2011

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This past weekend there were two documentaries on significant college basketball teams to help get fans in the mindset for March Madness. HBO ran a special on the star UNLV team from the early 90s, while ESPN ran a special on the Fab 5 from Michigan. One of the main targets in the Fab 5 documentary in particular was Duke, which lost to UNLV in the finals in 1990 before winning it all in ’91 and ’92, beating Michigan for its second title.

Former Michigan player and current NBA analyst Jalen Rose spent a part of the documentary trashing Duke. He expressed the sentiment that Duke didn’t recruit the type of players Michigan did, going so far as to call black players who went to Duke “Uncle Toms.” That didn’t sit well with former Duke point guard Bobby Hurley.

Hurley played at Duke from 89-93, went to three Final Fours, and was the Final Four’s Most Outstanding Player in 1992 when the Blue Devils beat Michigan in the finals. He joined The Dan Patrick Show Monday and talked about the Fab 5 documentary, responding towards Jalen’s criticism.

“We were 3-0 against Michigan so I can understand Jalen’s frustration,” Hurley said. When asked about Chris Webber who was recruited by Duke, Hurley said “We would have welcomed him with open arms. Jalen on the other hand, I can understand why we didn’t recruit him. He might have a hard time hitting the floor because he wasn’t taking my spot and I think Thomas Hill would have given him a hard time to get on the floor, so I can see that.”

If there’s one way to get back at someone for their criticism, that’s how to do it. Well played Bobby, well played.

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