Bob Houghtlin: The Man at the End of the Bench in Greensboro,NC

For Family and Friends

Six years ago, today, March 11, 2017, the box score for the ACC Tournament read:

Friday, March 10 (Semifinals)
Game 12: No. 5 Duke 93, No. 1 North Carolina 83

Game 13: No. 3 Notre Dame 77, No. 2 Florida State 73

Saturday, March 11 (Finals)
Game 14: No. 5 Duke 75, No. 3 Notre Dame 69

Tonight, March 11, 2023 Duke basketball holds off Virginia, 59-49, to win the ACC tournament title in Greensboro. I never know when it will happen but Bob comes from the wings onto the stage. He stays awhile and exits again and the play goes on. The NCAA basketball tournament was playing in the background as Bob prepared to cross the River Jordan on March 20, 2017. This weekend he was ever-present during the two ballgames.

Readers may hate Duke basketball but you liked/loved Bob. This post is a bit of a story, of course. I remember fondly as an ETHS basketball player, Bob shooting from the corner in his short shorts, the style at that time. He went off to Princeton and played again. Years later, now a Duke Fan, John Scheyer came to Duke to play ball from 2006-2010. Because John graduated from Glenbrook North High School, a rival of ETHS, Bob took special interest in this ‘home’ town boy.

Scheyer was the fourth-leading scorer in Illinois high school history, he led his team to a state championship in 2005, and was named Illinois Mr. Basketball in 2006. During the same year, Scheyer was voted as one of the 100 Legends of the IHSA Boys Basketball Tournament, a group of former players and coaches in honor of the 100 anniversary of the IHSA boys basketball tournament.

He chose to attend Duke for college, where he moved from shooting guard to point guard toward the end of the 2008–09 season, and was the Most Valuable Player of the 2009 ACC men’s basketball tournament.

In his senior year in 2009–10 as Duke’s captain, he led the team to ACC regular season and tournament championships and the NCAA national championship. He led the championship team in points per game, assists, free-throw percentage, and steals per game. Scheyer was a 2010 consensus All-American (Second Team), a unanimous 2009–10 All-ACC First Team selection, and named to the 2010 ACC All-Tournament First Team. There was a lot going on for me during this win tonight.

In the mystery of things, perhaps Bob knows that this young boy stood as a man tonight, Head Coach, not losing a game in Cameron during his first season and a winner tonight. How proud he would be. I know I am!

Kyle Filipowski, the ACC Rookie of the Year, had 20 points and 10 rebounds to pace the Blue Devils. Junior captain Jeremy Roach supplied 23 points.