Redick can now transcend sport

DURHAM, N.C. - Fame is as much a part of J.J. Redick's life at Duke as his picture-perfect jumper and his uncanny accuracy at the free throw line. Perhaps it's all in the name.

Born Jonathan Clay Redick, he was known to his family as Jay when he was a toddler. When friends would ask his older twin sisters what they called their baby brother, they each responded.

Only it came out "Jay" and "Jay," and the moniker stuck. Hence one of the most recognizable names in college basketball.

"When I was in junior high, on the first day, I would say my name," Redick said. "The teacher would be like, 'That sounds like a famous name.' It's definitely a good name to have."

Few can match Redick's celebrity, whatever the reason. Certainly, some of it comes simply from being the best player on the No. 1 team in the nation. The Blue Devils are 13-0 heading into tonight's game at No. 23 Wake Forest.

Yet Redick also is one of a handful of players who appear to transcend the sport, much as former Blue Devils players Christian Laettner and Grant Hill did before him.

"Being who I am is tough, but I'm not complaining," Redick said. "It goes with the territory. For me, I sometimes get weary of the autograph seekers and the media stuff, but you get used to it."

This season, there is a new phenomenon surrounding Redick. Many of his female fans are expressing their support with colorful posters.

"I guess I'm getting older, so now it's about that time I start thinking about marriage," he said with a laugh. "I don't see myself as a sex symbol or anything like that."

Of course, not everyone is enamored with Redick. Most crowds away from home take great pleasure in taunting him mercilessly, including one particularly infamous incident at Maryland. He went to the line late in the game with Duke cruising to victory over the Terrapins, and was greeted by sporadic obscenities caught on the live TV broadcast.

No wonder Redick jokingly refers to himself as the most hated player in the country.

"I think part of it has to do with the Duke perception," said ESPN college basketball analyst Jay Bilas, a former player at the school. "There's not a whole lot you can find wrong with the kid. He's a nice-looking young man, who shoots the eyes out of the bucket and writes poetry."

Regardless, Redick is enjoying his best season. He averages a career-high 25.3 points, which puts him on pace to become the leading scorer in school history.

He currently sits sixth, 422 points behind current assistant coach Johnny Dawkins.

At his present rate, Redick would move to No. 1 sometime during the regular-season finale against North Carolina.

File/Associated PressDuke guard J.J. Redick (4) is averaging 25.3 points per game and is on pace to be the program's leading scorer.is)