Saturday, February 25, 2006

Redick:A Man of Courage


This article does a good job of showing why J.J. Redick is my favorite player in college basketball, and probably my favorite Dukie of all time. It is a very long article, but probably worth a read for the true Duke fan, and worth a skim for others. The first third is a good snapshot of the kind of guy Redick is. Here are a few quotes from different places in the article:

The script lettering on his stomach reads, "Isaiah 40:31," referring to this Bible verse: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.

The other tattoo, on his chest, came first. It's the Japanese word for courage, and beneath it is reference to another Bible verse, Joshua 1:9. That one reads: Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

That's the tat he got with grandma. And if there is one thing you can say about J.J. Redick, it's this: He's got basketball courage.



"God's got to be his comforter," J.J.'s dad, Ken, said. "There's got to be times in that spotlight, with that much pressure -- and internal pressure from the Duke system of how you have to perform every day -- when he couldn't survive without faith, without being imbued with that spirit.



J.J. Redick has been reading "The Purpose Driven Life" this winter. In basketball terms, he's been living The Purpose Driven Season.


I hope that J.J can finish his college career strong and win a National Championship, then find success in the NBA. We certainly need more role models like him in sports today for children to look up to.

3 comments:

Tommy said...

Not sure the article included his free throw regimen or not. I heard him share it in a national telecast. He steps to the line, quotes "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me" and swoosh! He's the only Duke fella I have ever liked. Reminds me of another good role model - Steve Alford.

Anonymous said...

Duke Sucks and Illini Rule!!!

Redick is a punk who will be nothing in the NBA....he won't even live up to Steve Kerr in the NBA.

Nick said...

sounds like jealously Hardy. Don't diss J.J. yet. We'll see what he does in the NBA before you shoot your mouth off.

BTW, last time I check, Kerr had a handful of rings.