PHOTOS: GRAD STUDENT CAMPOUT 2009

UHauls were lined up, RV’s were rented, tents were pitched, grills were fired up and three levels of Duke’s Blue Zone parking lot were transformed.  It was the annual graduate student campout this weekend and the grad student community was out in full force.  Around 2,500 graduate and professional students left no doubt they are excited about hoops season.

The event kicked off Friday afternoon as the attendees set up, some very elaborately, in the parking lot.  The overnight accommodations ranged from tents, to UHauls, to upscale RV’s, to air mattresses randomly placed in the parking lot, to those who chose not to sleep (or dance on top of, instead of sleep in, the RV’s).  Students generally formed groups of 10-15 to split tickets won, some sharing UHauls and/or making group tee-shirts and/or pooling funds for food and beverage supplies.

The campout annually serves as the grad student community’s biggest social event.  With perfect weather and a huge turnout, this year was no exception.  During the day, campers tossed balls and frisbees around, watched football on outdoor plasma TV’s connected to satellites, studied, ate, hung out, played video games and performed community service.   At night, you might be surprised to see how much fun you can have in a parking lot with a bunch of UHauls and RV’s.

Coach K joined our players on a visit Saturday night to thank the grad students and speak to the group.  Our head coach broke the news that the grad students will be getting additional seats in Cameron as the blue padded seats have been torn out in the end zone next to the band.  This was a request from the basketball office because the staff recognized the need for a more lively free throw backdrop for our opponents in the second half (which the grad students have always provided in the first half behind the opposite bucket).  Coach K also announced our captains for the year, Jon and Lance, and the pair spoke to the campers.  Coach K and our captains expressed serious excitement for the season and left no doubt the team is hunting a national championship while not looking back.  Coach K also encouraged everyone to attend the new Countdown to Craziness event on October 16th.  The Hall of Famer added that he hopes to introduce some other new traditions this year that will allow for new student seating opportunities in Cameron, encouraging an “edge” with the focus on winning.

The event wrapped up Sunday when the winners of the lottery were announced.  As Jon mentioned to the group when speaking to everyone Saturday night, it’s an honor for our team to have students so invested in and passionate about playing the “Sixth Man” role in Cameron.

PHOTOS: Coach K’s Trip to West Point

Coach K was inducted in the Army Sports Hall of Fame during a banquet Friday evening at West Point’s Eisenhower Hall.  The 1969 West Point graduate served as both a player and head coach during his time at Army.  As a player, Coach K helped the team to a pair of NIT trips and served as team captain his senior year.  As head coach, Coach K posted a 73-59 mark and led Army to the school’s most recent birth in the NIT in 1978.

Introduced by his West Point coach Bob Knight, Coach K called the NCAA’s all-time wins leader the best educator he experienced during his time at the Academy.  Coach K also praised the accomplishments of each of the other seven members of the induction class.

“West Point has been the foundation for everything in my life,” said Coach K.  “It produces very genuine people.  I am honored to represent our class tonight.  On behalf of our class I say, ‘Thank you.  Thank you.  Thank you.’”

Joining Coach K in the 2009 Hall of Fame class are Bill Carpenter (football and lacrosse), Ralph Chesnauskas (football, hockey and baseball), Tracy Hanlon (track and field and women’s basketball), Ray Murphy (Athletic Director, lacrosse, basketball, football), Nicki Robbins (softball), Jack Rust (lacrosse) and Thomas Truxtun (lacrosse and men’s soccer).  The group was recognized during halftime at Saturday’s Duke-Army football game as well.  After the game, a 35-19 Blue Devil victory, Coach K hustled home to speak at Duke’s annual grad student campout with another prestigious honor in hand.

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OVERVIEW

I’m really excited about this year’s team.  It’s really my first team that has a great balance of seniors, juniors, sophomore and freshmen.  We are a huge team – As big a team as there will be in the country.  We have a lot of athletes and its fun to play with a team like that.  I think the sky’s the limit for our team.  We can do some really big things this year.

My goal is to win every time I step on the floor.   Ever since I came to Duke, I’ve dreamed about winning a national championship, I’ve dreamed about winning ACC championships, I’ve dreamed about playing in and winning big games.  That is what I am looking to do to end my career here.  I am going to go out fighting.

I also want to be real with myself and how people view our team, how they view me.  Everywhere I read, not many people pick us to win the conference.  That’s given me some motivation throughout the summer and fall.  Whether it’s people saying I am not a good point guard or our team will struggle without a true point guard, that stuff just motivates me and should really get our team going.

THE FRESHMEN

All three bring some different things.  Ryan can really shoot the ball and has a high IQ for basketball.  Andre can really shoot it and he’s a big-time scorer and athlete.  He has some big things ahead of him.  Mason is a really talented, versatile player with a great IQ.  He can score, he can pass, and he’s as long as anybody.

TEAM CHEMISTRY

The older guys, our seniors and juniors, we’ve been through a lot together.   As a team, we’re really a tight group.  The one thing that helps is six or seven of us live in the same apartment complex so we can go over to each other’s house a lot and hang out off the court.  I’ve done that every year I’ve been here, but this year we’ve been able to do a lot more.

THE FRONTCOURT

With our size, rebounding should be a strength, and we should be a really tough team to keep off the boards.  Defensively, we should be able to protect our paint and keep people out of it.  For myself or Nolan or whoever is guarding the ball on the perimeter, it gives us a lot of confidence knowing that if someone gets by us, there’s going to be three 6’10” guys waiting to do something.  It gives confidence to the guys guarding the ball.  We should be long and get a lot of deflections.

Offensively, we will have a presence inside.  We’re tall for our positions.  If I am playing point guard, I’ll have a height advantage at 6’5” over my guy so I can take him in the post sometimes.  Kyle is on the wing at 6’8” – Not many 6’8” guys can run the wing so it gives him an advantage.  Having so much length and a lot of bigs, you create mismatches all over the floor and you get some easy buckets where you aren’t just relying on the 3 or jump shots.

THE BACKCOURT

Going into my senior year, I couldn’t be more ecstatic to be in the point guard role.   I feel like that’s where I can be at my best for my team and myself.  It’s a great situation and I am going to do everything I can to make the most of it.  I just want to make the other guys better on our team.  If I am bringing it up, I will look to just kick it ahead.  We have so many talented guys.  When I am off the ball, I’ll become a scorer and a playmaker.

Obviously, we really need to be in top shape and be as strong as ever.  I know I am going to play a lot of minutes.  Nolan and I have been working out since the summer and he’s my guy, he’s my guy.  We’ll be in there until the end.  This year, we’ve been playing the best we’ve ever played together.  We’ve been reading each other really well.  We’re going to need to have complete trust on the court.  Dre is in a unique situation coming in late and he’s been working his butt off trying to get in shape too.  He’s really been working.  Between the three of us and Kyle, I think it’s a great perimeter.  You don’t need five guys on the perimeter.  The four of us is as great a backcourt as there is in the country.  We just need to stay out of foul trouble and play smart.  We can’t turn the ball over.

SENIOR YEAR

I will try to make myself enjoy practice once in a while because I know I will miss them one day, but there’s nothing like our games.  I can’t believe it’s my last year.  From the first game when we play each other to the last game we play at home and I hope there’s nine games after that, I am just going to cherish every time I step on the floor.