Art Heyman put up the first Duke

He isn't responsible for all that came after. Not even Art Heyman would include Duke's extraordinary run of basketball success under Mike Krzyzewski as part of his legacy. But with the Blue Devils headed for a 12th appearance in the Final Four, this might be the time to remember the individual who drove them to their first, in 1963.

Especially with the current team in such close proximity to the former player. Duke goes after the NCAA Tournament East Regional title today approximately a dozen miles from Tracy J's Watering Hole, Heyman's place of business. He spent much of the week preparing his Gramercy Park tavern for visitors who wish to view tournament games in a convivial setting, even as he made plans to attend his alma mater's exercises at Continental Airlines Arena.

For those unfamiliar with the man's history, a banner outside the establishment advises, "Former New York Knick and Duke University All-American - College Player of the Year." He was all of that and more in the decade of the 1960s. He was a trailblazer for a program in a state that would become synonymous with college basketball, the first recruit in Vic Bubas' ambitious attempt to transform the Blue Devils into a national power.

Not that it was Heyman's original intention. Like so many New York high school stars, he envisioned himself playing for North Carolina, where Frank McGuire had won a national championship in 1957 with a starting five drawn entirely from the Big Apple. "My stepfather didn't get along with McGuire," he recalled the other day. "In fact, they almost got into a fight."

So Heyman wrote a letter to the coach and explained he wouldn't be coming to Chapel Hill. McGuire never responded. Two years ago, at his induction to the New York City Basketball Hall of Fame, Heyman introduced himself to Jack Curran, the legendary high school coach.

"He told me, `You broke Frank McGuire's heart,' " Heyman said.

McGuire's loss was Bubas' gain. The latter was appointed head coach at Duke in early May, 1959. That night he checked himself into the Hotel Manhattan and the next day he signed Heyman, a 6-5 forward who had enjoyed an extraordinary career at Oceanside High School. In succeeding years, Bubas added Jeff Mullins, Jay Buckley, Steve Vacendak, Jack Marin, Bob Verga and Mike Lewis and took the team to three Final Fours overall, including '64 and '66.

Although Duke was then, as now, a prestigious private university, the times were different. Segregation ruled the state. "It was a Methodist school, a conservative school," Heyman said. The all-white faces on the court led to assumptions on the part of some Southerners, among them the Imperial Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan.

"I was the captain the last two years," he said of the 1961-62 and 1962-63 seasons. "And each year, before the start of the season, he'd send a telegram from Tuscaloosa telling me to uphold white supremacy.

And we started four Catholics and a Jew. Some people didn't believe I was Jewish. They said, `You're too tall.' And, `Jews are bankers and tailors.' "

Heyman was different, all right. In his sophomore year, he got into a fight with North Carolina's Larry Brown, his old rival from Long Beach High School, touching off a brawl and earning a suspension from the Atlantic Coast Conference. His antics off the court also contributed to his legend. "I stole a bus," he recalled. "I had to go from the West campus to the East campus to take a test and the driver was standing outside smoking a cigarette." He calls that part of his collection of "Crazy Art" stories.

But he could play. As a sophomore, in his first game at the old Madison Square Garden, he torched Seton Hall for 30 points in the first half (only later did he discover the Pirates had dumped the game). As a senior, he scored a career-high 40 points in his final game against North Carolina. For his three varsity seasons, he averaged 25.1 points and 10.9 rebounds. His presence was largely responsible for the practice of students camping outside Cameron Indoor Stadium to obtain tickets, for the growth of the Cameron Crazies.

Duke, ranked second in the country at the outset of the 1963 NCAA Tournament, had fashioned a perfect 14-0 record in the ACC, the best until the 16-0 compiled by the 1998-99 team, and was 26-2 after sweeping NYU and St. Joseph's in the East Regional. A bad shooting performance sabotaged them in the semifinals against Loyola of Chicago. Before Loyola upset two-time defending champion Cincinnati in the final, Duke routed Oregon State for third place. Heyman was named the most outstanding player in the Final Four.

He wasn't as successful at the next level. Selected with the first pick of the NBA draft by the Knicks, he made the all-rookie team before his career fizzled. "My own fault," he said. "I couldn't cope with the fact basketball was a job."

After three seasons in the NBA, he was available for the start of the ABA and became a mainstay of the New Jersey Americans, forerunner of the Nets. But not for long. Max Zaslofsky, the coach, was ejected by an official during a game against New Orleans. Heyman was left in charge and the team rallied to win.

When a reporter asked the captain his opinion on the turning point of the game, the outspoken Heyman replied, "When Max got thrown out." He was traded to Pittsburgh, where he teamed with Connie Hawkins on the Pipers' championship team.

The Pipers moved the next season. The ABA vanished after nine years. But Duke endures as a symbol of basketball achievement, due in some part to the contributions of the free spirit who led the toasts to the Blue Devils this weekend.

The Heyman File

ART HEYMAN

Birthplace: Rockville Centre

Height 6-5

Weight 205

Position: Forward

Art Heyman's Duke career (1961-63) saw him bring Blue Devils basketball into nation prominence. His tats and majory awards at Duke:

G FG% Reb/Game Avg

79 45.1 10.9 25.1

All-America, 1961, 1962, 1963

ACC Player of the Year, 1963

Outstanding Player, NCAA Tournament, 1963