John Harrell

John Harrell, a point guard who helped lead Duke to the 1978 NCAA championship game, dead at 50

DURHAM, N.C. - John Harrell, a point guard who helped lead Duke to the 1978 NCAA championship game, died Monday. He was 50.

The school confirmed the death. No cause of death was reported.

Harrell transferred to Duke from North Carolina Central and played for the Blue Devils from 1977 to 1979, helping them to a 48-15 record and a 17-7 mark in Atlantic Coast Conference play.

He averaged 5.1 points during the 1977-78 season, when Duke won the ACC tournament and advanced to the NCAA title game, where it lost to Kentucky.