This is the story of seven Duke basketball players, recruited to live in a gym, and have all of their games shown on ESPN, to see what happens when people stop being polite, and start being real.

March 4, 2006. North Carolina at Duke

[confession room]
Shelden Williams: It was an emotional night. It was my last game at Cameron and we definitely wanted to go out on top. On top of that, it was Carolina. Last year when Sean May was there, they beat up on me pretty good, but tonight all I’m thinking about is revenge man.

Josh McRoberts: We jumped on them early, and it looked like they were going to fold up, but then they start making a comeback… and our lead is shrinking and shrinking and the game is coming down to the wire. And, we’re just not clicking on the offensive end… I mean its just turnover after turnover.

J.J. Redick: Greg was just having a lot of trouble bringing the ball up. He was dribbling the ball off his shoe, throwing it to the other team, not getting me the ball. Basically being an anti-point guard.

Josh McRoberts: And he’s throwing alley-oops to me that Superman couldn’t reach. So finally coach calls a timeout, and he just has this look in his eye. We come over and he just stares through Greg.

[cut to the timeout]
Coach K: Wojo [Duke assistant coach, former Duke point guard] will you talk to Greg please?

[back to confession room]
J.J. Redick: And Greg comes over acting like its any other timeout, and tries to get in the huddle, and Wojo grabs his hand, and I swear I though Greg was gonna breakdown right then and there. Like, you hate to sit the kid during crunch minutes of a crucial home game, but what are we going to do? We need to win, and right now we can’t trust him with the ball. I just feel that sometimes Greg is just too immature to be playing at this level.

Josh McRoberts: After the timeout we start trying to comeback and just to see Greg on the bench for all this… it was just crushing, man. I’m just glad we were at home. If this had happened to him at Maryland or something, I’m not sure he would’ve ever recovered.

Greg Paulus: I know I’m not supposed to let this get to me, but it does. I hate being called the “baby of the team”. Josh is a frosh too, how come no one ever rags on him? It’s just hard, you know? You try getting taken off the dribble on national TV over and over and over again. It hurts. It’s like being stuck in quicksand, I’m trying to fight my way out, but the more I struggle, the further I sink. I could’ve been a quarterback at Notre Dame, but I chose to come here instead, but these people don’t respect that decision. They want results now. I’m not ready for this kind of pressure yet, I’m just not.

[After the game in the locker room]

Reporter: Sean, late in the game when Carolina had sealed it, it looks like you purposely pushed Tyler Hansbrough in the face. Do you have anything to say?

Sean Dockery: Man see, I never just did things just to do them. Come on, what am I gonna do? Just all of a sudden jump up and throw a cheap shot like that? Come on. I got a little more sense then that. [pause] …Yeah, I remember pushing Tyler in the face.

March 10, 2006. ACC Tournament Quarterfinals, Duke vs. Miami
 
[confession room]
DeMarcus Nelson: We definitely went into that game with a lax attitude and why not, we were going to win. We knew it. You knew it. Hell, they knew it. I mean we’re Duke. We’re not going to lose in the first round of the ACC Tournament. We own this event.

Greg Paulus: Problem was, I don’t think Miami got the memo. Must have something to do with this being their first year and all. And before we know it, we’re nip and tuck with these guys – who finished 8th in our league by the way – and all that’s running through my head is, “Oh no, it’s the Carolina game all over again.” So really the only thing I want to do is just give the ball to J.J.

Sean Dockery: So J.J. starts scoring… and at first it’s cool, cause we needed it. And it went back and forth like that for a couple minutes, Hite or Diaz would score, and Redick would come right back. But then it gets a little out of hand…

[cut to scene of Redick taking 3’s from 45 feet]

Sean Dockery: I mean, my man, you got teammates. Do you know what a layup is? How are you going to pull up from 30 feet when we have a three on one break? I was all-state in high school too man. Pass the f****** ball.

Lee Melchionni: I think J.J. got caught up trying to be Kobe Byrant. Well news flash: Kobe doesn’t go 5-31 from the floor. J.J.’s walking up the floor talking trash, putting fingers in the air… but the weird thing is no one from Miami initiated anything. Honestly, I think Miami was more concerned with just getting back to South Beach. And we’re all looking at him like he’s lost it.

J.J. Redick: Lee Melchionni is a [bleep].s

[cut to locker room after the game]

Greg Paulus: Good win today guys, nice job, nice job.

Lee Melchionni: Yeah, great way to close the game out. J.J., man, you played a heck of a game, great shooting, but uh, you know just keep your eyes open sometimes. One more extra pass here or there and we woulda had an easy two.

J.J. Redick: What are you trying to say?

Lee Melchionni: Nothing man, I just think that… well I don’t want to speak for the whole team here, but uh, just… maybe try to be more of a team player.

[confession room]
Sheldon Williams: I think J.J. took some offense to that, ‘cause all of a sudden he just goes on this Pedro Martinez-esque rant…

[back in the locker room]
J.J. Redick: I don’t understand. So what if I’m not a team player. I am the team! You know? I don't have anything to prove to you, or any of you! You need to be forcing yourself to come up to where I am, to my level... Lee Melchionni, what? So what? Who are you? Who are you, Lee Melchionni, to try to tell J.J. Redick, a proven player for the past 4 years?

DeMarcus Nelson: (whispering) Did he just refer to himself in the third person? Man I hope Adam Morrison wins player of the year…

March 11, 2006. ACC Semifinals, Duke vs. Wake Forest
 
[confession room]
J.J. Redick: We didn’t want to start off sluggish like we had the past couple of games. It was important for us to get off to a really good start. And we had a pretty comfortable lead, and then they started feeding the post, and all of a sudden, Eric Williams just becomes unstoppable.

DeMarcus Nelson: And we’re all looking at each other on the perimeter thinking, “Why isn’t the ‘Landlord’ D-ing this guy up? When is our All-American gonna do something about this?”

Shelden Williams: What am I supposed to do? Yeah Williams was scoring, but what should I do, start contesting his shots? Play physical with him? I can’t do that. I get away with enough as it is. If I foul out we lose. If I don’t play well, we lose. That loss to Georgetown earlier this season, you know why we lost? ‘Cause I had 4 flippin’ points! Do you know who comes off the bench to replace me? Josh McRoberts. BUT HE STARTS NEXT TO ME!  We rotate six guys, and they want to blame this one on me?! Well, maybe if coach used more than six freakin’ guys, I could play some defense and not worry about leaving the game. I thought this program recruited itself, and we can only go six deep. That ain’t my fault!

[during Duke huddle after another Shelden Williams foul]

Greg Paulus: Shelden, you have to be more careful, that was your third foul…

Shelden Williams: So what, that means I can sit down for a few minutes, get some water. I’ll tell coach to throw one of those guys in [motions toward the Duke bench].

Sean Dockery: Uh, Sheldon, those are the cheerleaders.

Shelden Williams:…

[back in confession room]
Shelden Williams: We only have six players on the team?! When were they going to tell me about this?! Am I not important enough for them? Why don’t we ever play (looking at the official team roster)… Patrick Johnson? He’s 6-9, that’s good enough for me!

[After the game, Duke locker room. Sean Dockery goes over to a trashcan and throws up]

[confession room]
Greg Paulus: Sean had been doing this a lot recently, and at first we all thought that he was just playing with the flu or something and we admired him for it. But that was two months ago. Now some of us are starting to get worried. We couldn’t figure out why he never ate before games or why he was always on a treadmill afterwards. Then we started thinking that something was seriously wrong with him.

[back to locker room]
DeMarcus Nelson: Sean, what’s going on man, you ok?

Sean Dockery: Yeah guys, we got the win, that’s what matters.

Lee Melchionni: Yeah, that’s important, but it’s not the most important thing. Are you sure you’re feeling ok?

Sean Dockery: I told you man, I’m fine.

Josh McRoberts: Sean, we think you’ve got an eating disorder. We just want to let you know that we’re here for you and that you need to admit you have a problem.

[confession room]
Sean Dockery: I just feel so fat, and it’s not just during the season, it’s all the time. Look at me, I weigh 185lb! That’s like a whale! Coach is always telling us to get low on D, man up, quick on your feet. How can I do those things lugging around this body? You know how many calories Gatorade has? I can’t be a defensive stopper and be fat. I just can’t.

[back to locker room]

Sean Dockery: Look man, what you’re looking at here, this is what every basketball player wants. Now you look at me as a teammate and say, “Aw he’s too skinny.” But other guys look at me and think, “that’s what I want.”

Lee Melchionni: Sean, what you’re doing… it’s not healthy, and it’s not worth it.

Sean Dockery: WE GOT THE WIN DIDN’T WE?! [breaks down and starts crying]… I don’t know what to do. I know it’s a problem… and I’m going to fight it. I just don’t know how…

March 12, 2006. NCAA Selection Sunday
 
[During the selection show Greg Gumbel announces that Duke is the overall number 1 seed and proceeds to unveil the Atlanta region. The Duke team is watching the selection show from the Krzyzewski’s living room.]

Greg Paulus: What?! Texas is the 2 in our region? How unfair is that! I came to Duke because I thought we were supposed to get the breaks. Look at all these other weak 2 seeds. And potentially George Washington in the second round? What’s up with that? We got jobbed, I thought we were the 1 overall?

DeMarcus Nelson: Man, calm down. We whooped Texas before, we’ll do it again.

Shelden Williams: [snickers] Yeah Greg, what’s a matter, afraid of playing against an experienced point guard?

[confession room]
Greg Paulus: Of course I’m afraid of playing against a real point guard! You think I want to see Marcus Williams or Dee Brown? Hell no! Daniel Gibson is going to pick my pocket if we play them again, and I don’t want to play him.

[back to the living room]
Greg Paulus: Hey that’s funny Shelden. Why don’t you try only picking up four fouls when we play LSU in the Sweet Sixteen. 

Lee Melchionni: Ok, guys that’s enough calm down.

[confession room]
Shelden Williams: Sometimes I wish there was a rule that you had to have grabbed 10 rebounds in a game to talk. Then all these guys would have to just shut up. The only way McRoberts gets more than 10 boards is by stealing all mine. Greg wouldn’t come down low cause he’d get eaten alive. And did you know that for all the scoring he does, that J.J. has never had a double-double? Boy is gonna be player of the year, and has never had a double-double. That ain’t right.

March 14, 2006. Duke afternoon practice, two days before tip-off with Southern.  

J.J. Redick: Ok, so this is our last run. And we’re going out on top. So Greg and Josh, you guys are gonna have to step it up, ok?

[confession room]
J.J. Redick: I’m not ready to leave. I got a lot at stake here. More than any of these other guys. If Lee Melchionni or Sean Dockery doesn’t win a National Championship, so what? There are thousands of guys who play college ball but don’t come close to winning a title. But it’s different when you’re a candidate for player of the year like me. All this pressure… it’s on my shoulders. If we don’t win the title, I’ll just be another Duke guy who couldn’t get it done when it mattered.

[back at practice]
J.J. Redick: Now, don’t worry, just play your game. Let it come to you. Follow me and Shelden.

[confession room]
J.J. Redick: I mean how many of these guys aside from me and Shelden are going to play in the NBA? Josh MAYBE… but that’s only because Vince Carter is running out of white power forwards to dunk on. I mean let’s face it; I’m not going to be an all-star in the NBA. This tournament run is the defining moment of my career. If I… er, we win this thing, I can get AT LEAST 5-7 years in the league. But if we don’t, and I go to a team without a good center? I’m probably done man. And I got people to support now. I have to buy an entourage, and I have to pay for mom’s visits to the psychiatrist due to all the crap she gets on the road. I need the NBA paying for my bills, and I can’t afford to have some freshmen that can’t dribble [bleep] it up for me.

Josh McRoberts: So, J.J., Shelden, Sean, and Lee get up there and they all give these “emotional” speeches about how bad they want this and that we’re supposed to just follow them. Am I’m sitting here and Paul and I give each other this look that says, “Are you guys crazy? You had three All-American’s in your recruiting class [editors note: Shavlik Randolph who dropped out of Duke and entered the NBA last year should have been a senior this season] and you’ve only been to one Final Four! Isn’t that the definition of underachieving? Why would we want to follow you guys?”

To be continued…
   
Next on the Real World: Durham... J.J. Redick answers some of his critics...

J.J. Redick: I heard all those reports about me being “emotionally tired”. What the hell does that mean? Yes, being so damn good and breaking all these records makes me tired. That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard. MAYBE it’s because I have to play 40 minutes every night in order for this team to win. Anyone thought of that?

And the team goes to Greensboro to play it’s opening games of the NCAA tournament, one player runs into unexpected trouble…

DeMarcus Nelson: You know, J.J. and Sheldon are used to the taunts and the signs the opposing crowds make for them, but Sean just couldn’t handle it. When he saw that sign about him with a goat… I really thought he was going to go Artest on them.

All next week on the Real World: Durham.

Chris DiIonno really hopes to see Lee Melchionni on the Gauntlet III. He can be reached at .