The Greatest College Basketball Player of All Time

A few years ago I took one of my board members (let’s just call him Ralph) to a Y Christian Leadership Conference. On the plane Ralph discussed that he loved Carolina so much that if they lost, it ruined his day, and if the Heels lost to Duke it ruined his week. Ralph commented that he hated Duke and everything about Duke. “I’m a grown man, and I hate that the success of my week is based on the success of Carolina sports,” he lamented.

Oh there might have been a few other comments about Coach K being related to Satan, but his struggle with all things Duke was a point of contention for him.

At the conference the conversation continued and I laughed and pointed across the room, “that’s Greg Koubek, he played for Duke in the early 90’s.”Greg at the time was a Y Director in Albany, NY.

“I want to meet him,” Ralph said.

“Are you sure? I don’t need an altercation at a Christian Leadership Conference,” I joked.

“Just shut up and introduce us,” he shouted.

So we walked over and thus started the friendship of Ralph the Tar Heel and Greg the Dookie. (I’m a Tar Heel fan too so it’s fun to spell it that way.)

They hit it off quick, sitting and talking for hours. They even got where they could joke back and forth. Greg had a deep appreciation for Ralph and Ralph a genuine friendship with Greg.

That evening we all went to dinner. In the midst of a pretty normal evening I state, “Greg, the greatest college basketball player of all time is from Shelby.” (I was talking about David Thompson.)

Greg interrupted, “That is impossible, the greatest college basketball player of all time was Christian Laettner.”

Luckily they didn’t have to call the police and Greg and Ralph’s friendship ended as quick as it started!