The National Association of Basketball Coaches began naming the top defensive player in the country each season back in 1987. And the first name was Tommy Amaker, a Duke basketball senior point guard that year who used his textbook stance and footwork — not to mention his dogged determination — to set a new defensive standard for the program.
The following year, the award went to another Blue Devil, senior forward Billy King.
But the list of Dukies to wear the crown of best defender in the land didn’t end there.
There was small forward Grant Hill in ’93 and point guard Steve Wojciechowski in ’98.