| Duke Scenes from China |
| Written by Dave Bradley |
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August 10, 2008
USA Basketball’s Sean Ford, former Duke swimmer Janet Lewis and Duke Associate AD Mike Cragg shared some photos from their respective journeys in China, including several from inside the Bird’s Nest during the Opening Ceremony of the Olympics!
 Coach K and Jerry Colangelo looking sharp during the Opening Ceremony
 China spent $300 million on the Opening Ceremonies!!
 The torch is lit and the games are underway!
 Team USA walks in the Opening Ceremony
 The Team USA staff poses for a photo in the Opening Ceremony
 Duke alumni gather for a Blue Devil event in Macau!
 Coach K leads the National Team in Macau…
 LeBron James and Coach K speak with the media
 King James gets ready for an exhibition matchup in Macau
 Johnny Dawkins, Chris Collins and Steve Wojciechowski with Team USA
 The USA enters the Opening Ceremony!
 Coach K and Team USA in the huddle in Macau
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Archive for August, 2008
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Duke Scenes from China
August 10, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under Center of the Universe
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USA Basketball–The Olympics are Here!
August 9, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under Uncategorized
The Olympics are underway here in Beijing! The opening ceremonies were yesterday and all of the players and four coaches were able to walk in the ceremony. Coach Collins, Coach Dawkins and the rest of the staff checked it out back in the hotel. The guys said it was spectacular.
The coaching staff has been working hard preparing for the games to get going. Coach D’Antoni, Coach McMillan and Coach Boeheim are all terrific basketball minds and complement each other very well. Coach Dawkins is out here too and sends his best.
I have been working on the scouting report for China. We play them first and obviously their frontcourt led by Yao is strong. Yao makes Zoubs looks small — He is enormous and really skilled. They expect it will be the most-watched sporting event in the history of the world with a billion people around the world watching and 500 million individuals in China alone. That is five times the number of people who watch the Super Bowl and over three times as many people as we have in the USA!
Before traveling to Beijing, we wrapped up a productive visit in Shanghai. Australia was a tough team and gave us a great test. All of these teams are so well-coached in their own ways and it has been an incredible learning experience to see all of the different styles in action.
We had our first off-day of the Olympic journey while in Shanghai. A number of the players took the time to tour around the city and also take advantage of some of the lucrative endorsement opportunities available to them. While Coach Collins and I did not have any multi-million dollar sponsorship deals to tend to, we did head over to the markets and saved a few dollars. Coach Collins bought three nice shirts for $30 and I purchased a Manchester United soccer jersey for my son for the fair price of $8. It was a great shopping day!
Everyone is really excited to get going against China. The game will start late for us at 10:15 PM on Sunday which is 10:15 AM EST. Go USA!
Coach Wojo
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USA Basketball– Shanghai Hello
August 2, 2008
Posted by Dave Bradley under Uncategorized
Hello again Duke fans! We just arrived in Shanghai which seems like a pretty cool city so far. It is similar to some of the big cities in the U.S. We play Russia tomorrow which will be a challenging game. The Russians won the FIBA Europe Championship to earn their spot in the Olympics.
Things ended up well in Macau. It was an interesting place – About 40 miles from Hong Kong and consisting mainly of a couple of islands. The population density is the highest in the world and the tourism industry is the driving force of the economy. We played pretty well against Marty’s guys from Lithuania. It was a great win for our group because they are well coached and can really shoot it. Our pressure defense was the key to the game. When you get athletes like we have playing hard and together on both ends, it is fun to watch.
It has been such an honor to be around this group. The guys get along really well and are incredibly committed to the team. It starts from the time the players wake up as LeBron knocks on his teammates doors every morning and makes sure the group eats breakfast together. Guys are asking for more tape and info on our opponents, working extremely hard in practice, and playing with so much passion and energy.
After we play Russia, we will face Australia in Shanghai. From there, it is on to Beijing for the Opening Ceremony!
Coach Wojo
