As Duke star J.J. Redick drains 3-pointer after 3-pointer, it’s difficult not to remember another Duke sharp-shooting star, Trajan Langdon.

The 28-year-old Langdon is in Moscow, said Duke Assistant Sports Information Director Matt Plizga.

The former Blue Devil star and native of Anchorage, Alaska, is playing overseas like many former college standouts.

While you may not remember Langdon well, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski does.

‘Trajan was one of the all-time great players here,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘He was one of the great kids to coach in my time here. He was a beautiful player.’

Beautiful is one way to put it, but elite is another. Langdon is one of only five players in the history of the Atlantic Coast Conference to earn All-ACC first team honors in three different seasons. He also holds the record for 3-pointers made (342) and attempted (802) at Duke.

‘I’m not sure if anyone made more use of their talent than he did,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘He wasn’t a high-maintenance guy, he wasn’t a low-maintenance guy, he was a no-maintenance player. He went out and took care of whatever he needed to. He was a beautiful player to coach.’

The beautiful player didn’t last long in the NBA. Despite hitting 41.3 percent of his 3-point attempts in 2000-01, the Alaskan Assassin played just 44 more games in the league before heading overseas.

The man who started 129 games in his career at Duke found success in Europe. In the 2002-03 season, Langdon averaged 15.3 points for Benetton Treviso of the Italian League. That season he shot 44 percent behind the 3- point line. Benetton won the Italian National Championship that season.

The following year, Langdon found success in Istanbul. Langdon averaged more than 14 points per contest and his team – Efes Pilsen Spor Kulubu – won the Turkish National Championship.

So as Coach K shared memories of his recruiting visit to Alaska, another set of flashbacks ensued.

‘The best story comes from our home visit,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘We were up in Alaska at Trajan’s home, and there is a phenomenon called the Northern Lights up there. We left his house, looked up and it was up in the sky. I said to Trajan, ‘I don’t know how much more I can orchestrate, but this is some kind of sign.”

There are more than 150 former college basketball players who have found success playing in Europe.

Here’s a look at some other former college stars that play overseas.

William Avery – A fellow Duke star, Avery was criticized for leaving Duke following his freshman season. After starting one game in his NBA career for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Avery is now a household name in Jerusalem.

Rickey Paulding is one of his American teammates. Paulding is a familiar name who played his college ball at Missouri and was known for controversy and a poor attitude.

Marcus Hatten – The St. John’s guard outscored fellow Baltimore native Carmelo Anthony (22-21) inside the Carrier Dome just two winters ago.(Syracuse edged St. John’s, 66-60, on Feb. 18, 2003). Now Hatten is in Israel scoring 14 points per game. Also playing on the Ramat Hasharon team is 2002 All-ACC first-team selection Anthony Grundy. The North Carolina State graduate is among the league leaders, averaging 21 points per game.

Robert Pack played in 552 NBA games with seven different teams. He is now suiting up for Zalgiris Kaunas (Lithuania).

Former UCLA star Toby Bailey, best known for his dunk late in the 1995 NCAA title game, is a member of the AEK Athens (Greece) squad, a team Dominique Wilkins once played for.

This week’s quote dawns from Tobacco Road where North Carolina head coach Roy Williams had praise for starting center Sean May.

‘He worked exceptionally hard in the off-season,’ Williams said. ‘In the summer he would come in to the weight room in the morning and work out. And then he would come back again in the afternoon and work out with the rest of the team. He has improved a lot – his stamina is much better, his vertical leap is the best it has ever been, and it’s all from how hard he worked.’

Oddly enough, May is playing five fewer minutes per game even though his stamina has improved. His point and rebounding averages are virtually the same as last year, but his shooting percentage has improved significantly. May is shooting 55 percent from the floor – compared to 46 percent last year and nearly 74 percent from the free-throw line, up from his 68 percent effort from a season ago.

The reason, according to Williams, is the weight May dropped.

For your viewing pleasure, look no further than Burlington, Vt., this weekend. Northeastern travels to Vermont in a battle of top teams in the America East Conference. Vermont edged Northeastern (12-7, 8-2 America East) in the team’s first matchup this season, 75-60, back on Jan. 5.

The Catamounts (15-3, 10-0) should enter the weekend contest with an 11-0 conference record. Aside from the perfect conference record, the game features two of the best players in the conference. Senior All-America candidate Taylor Coppenrath leads the league with 23.7 points and 8.7 rebounds per game. The 6-foot-9 senior has drawn many comparisons to Larry Bird.

Northeastern features Jose Juan Barea. The junior point guard averages 21 points and nearly seven assists per game for the Huskies.

Tip-off is at 1 p.m.

If the Vermont-Northeastern contest isn’t on television in Central New York, then tune into Cincinnati at Louisville. The Cardinals (18-3, 6-1 Conference USA) and Bearcats (17-3, 6-1) will be playing to break the tie atop Conference USA. Both teams will play in the Big East next season.

Published on January 31, 2005 at 12:00 pm