"Forever Watching"

Two days ago, college basketball fans across the country tuned into ESPN for one of the greatest rivalries of all time: Duke vs. UNC. For those who don't know the history of the game, the Battle for Tobacco Road pits two of the greatest NCAA basketball programs against each other. Located just eight miles away from each other, Duke and the University of North Carolina have hosted some of the most memorable games in NCAA history, as well as producing some of the most well-known names in the game. Players like Danny Ferry, Johnny Dawkins, Michael Jordan, Christian Laettner and J.J. Redick played the rivalry game with all they had, like it was the last time they would set foot on the court.

This week, another standout player may have begun to make his mark on the rivalry's history. When Nolan Smith took the court against UNC on Wednesday night, I'm sure he had no idea that his performance would launch him into the race for player of the year. Scoring 34 points in Duke's 79-73 victory over the Tarheels, Smith was the visible leader of the team whose highly toted player, Kyrie Irving, watched from the bench at Cameron Indoor.

But Smith's story has much more to it than just shooting 3s and strong defense...it all starts with his father. Derek Smith, famed Louisville forward and Nolan's late father, passed away suddenly at age 34 during a family cruise. Nolan watched his father die on a stretcher off the coast of Bermuda, turning a paradise into every son's worst nightmare.

Those who played with Derek Smith are overwhelmed with emotion every time they see Nolan on the court. Johnny Dawkins, former teammate and close friend of Smith's father says, "The way he moves on the floor, the way he handles the basketball, the way he shoots the basketball … it's uncanny. They have the same form, the same movement. It's eerie." As Duke's associate head coach, Dawkins has played the role of coach and mentor to the young Blue Devil, tayloring his potential and driving him to constantly improve. Nolan serves as a reminder of Dawkins' old friend, both on and off the court.

Nolan has a lasting reminder of his own located on his right bicep...a tattoo of his father with the words "Forever Watching" inked permanently into his skin to remind him that he's playing for his lost hero, his fallen angel....his father.