For the seventh straight year, the Duke program welcomed a host of former players and campers to campus for the annual K Academy. As always, Coach K’s fantasy camp offered up competitive games coached by former Duke players along with all sorts of perks and surprises along the way. From tents outside Cameron, to team film sessions and practices, to team meals, to motivational posters, to retired jersey ceremonies, to “senior” highlight videos for four-year campers, to lectures from Coach K, attendees enjoyed a memorable Duke Basketball experience.

K Academy facilitated a productive reunion as well with over 30 former players from the 80’s, 90’s and this decade returning. The group coached together, hung out all week, and had five days to bond and catch up.

“We all have our own lives and very busy lives and that’s why a thing like this is so special,” Bobby Hurley (1993 graduate) stated.  ”I wanted to reconnect and see everybody again.”

Added Grant Hill (1994 graduate), a three-year teammate of Hurley, “It is always fun first of all to be back here at Duke and visit the basketball office and Cameron.  To have all the guys from different years, guys who have played before, during and after my time, we are a fraternity. Like Coach K talks about, it is about relationships and you bond.  It is fun.  I would pay to come and be a part of this.  I get a lot out of it.”

In bringing players together from three decades, former Duke players are able to develop friendships and share stories, stitching together decades of Duke Basketball memories. Before a video session in the team’s current locker room, you could hear Alaa Abdelnaby (1990 graduate) telling his Blue Devil contemporaries how nice they have it compared to his playing days. The K Center was also an object of envy for many of the former guys who worked out during the Academy.

As much as facilities and names have changed, the group shared a common bond in the form of a Hall of Fame coach. Said Chris Collins (1996 graduate and Associate Head Coach), “The thing that is so special about a place like this that you don’t see at other programs is we all have a bond — Coach K.  A lot of places you have a bond playing at the same school but it is multiple coaches.  It isn’t quite that family atmosphere.”

During the weekend, the K Academy’s namesake interacts with his former players, watches games, and talks with the campers. “My main thing is to socialize,” said Coach K. “I’m pumped up usually, and this pumps me up a little bit more. It’s a neat thing. It’s one of the best things that we’ve ever done. It perpetuates our family of Duke Basketball, and it raises a lot of money and awareness for some really good things (mainly the Duke program and the Emily K Center).”

It is always interesting to see Coach K seated behind the scorer’s table watching 9-10 of his former players coaching against each other and battling to win the coveted K Academy Cup. “You look down at the other team — I played against Hurley last night and that was great,” said Christian Laettner (1992 graduate).  “I played Grant’s team this morning and that was a lot of fun.  There are so many memories.  Every time you walk in the building, that whiff of air you catch reminds you of your playing days.”

A trio of Duke backcourt legends went head-to-head this year, with Team Williams, Team Duhon and Team Hurley all represented. After losing to Team Williams and then defeating Team Duhon in the same day, Hurley stated, “I didn’t want to lose to Jason.  We are both Jersey guys so there was a little side battle going on.  I really respect both those guys.  They were great players here and Chris has been excellent at the next level.”

When asked if the games become a little bit more competitive if bragging rights among former Duke teammates were at stake, Hill said, “Without a doubt, the guys you played with can be very competitive.  Laettner, Hurley, but all the guys, we all know each other and we all have put equity in the program and all have been a part of the success of this program.  We want to beat each other.  It is competitive and it is fun.”

While competing against each other on the sidelines, the former Blue Devils are also forging bonds while coaching the campers. This year’s group of attendees, men 35 and older who have been as successful in their own fields as the Hill’s, Laettner’s and Duhon’s have been on the hoops court, came from 18 different states and three countries.

“All the guys who come to camp, they’re like extended family,” said Hill. “You get to know them and everyone really comes together.” Added Billy King (1988 graduate), “You get to know the players who come to camp and develop relationships that you carry on.  It is a fun five days.”

Another group benefitting from the K Academy were our current players. Former Blue Devils joined afternoon pickup games and trained alongside some of the present-day players in the K Center. On one day, Christian Laettner worked out frontcourt players Brian Zoubek, Miles Plumlee and Mason Plumlee.

“That is the beauty of the K Academy — Having players from all different eras coming in,” said Nate James (2001 graduate and assistant coach). “You can form bonds with players you might not have had the opportunity to really get to know.  The K Academy is one of my favorite times of the year.  I love this week.”

At the end of the weekend, once the nets were cut, the K Academy championship tee-shirts were distributed and former players enjoyed a final dinner together, Cameron was empty again. Players that helped win so many of the banners gracing the rafters left town and the K Academy group looked forward to next year’s gathering, with talks of another reunion weekend even before then. A bond that started in the living rooms and on the phones of teenagers continues for men now in their 30s, 40s, and 50s.

“Coach K makes you feel a part of the family beginning when he recruits you to come here,” said King.  “He talks about that Duke family and you see it now.  If you played basketball at Duke, you are part of the family, no matter how many minutes you played.  That is something he and Mickie created — The family atmosphere.”

“It’s one of those games that you play in December in hopes that you have a game of this magnitude in March,” Coach K said about playing the seventh-ranked Musketeers.  “That’s why you schedule it, and you schedule it in a place that loves basketball and has been the site of many NCAA games.”

In addition to serving as the site of more NCAA Tournament regional championships than any other arena in the modern era (11), East Rutherford’s Meadowlands complex has provided a stage for Duke to make history.  Opened a few months after Coach K wrapped up his first season as Duke Head Coach in 1981, five of the Hall of Famer’s 10 Final Four runs have gone through East Rutherford including his first in 1986.  Duke is unbeaten in 10 NCAA Tournament games in the last traditional arena to host the Final Four (1996).

“We’ve been fortunate to play some of the biggest games in the history of our program in that building,” Coach K remarked.  “Every time I either fly over it or drive past it or obviously play in it, it conjures up memories of some great, great games — some of the best games really in the history of college basketball.”

On the way to an 18-1 record at the Meadowlands including an 8-1 mark against ranked teams, some of the all-time great Duke teams and players have enjoyed trips to New Jersey.  In total, the Blue Devils have brought top 10 teams into 15 of the 19 games in the arena, and each of Coach K’s jersey retirees (nine) and National Players of the Year (seven) played in the arena while in college.

One such player was Christian Laettner, whose buzzer-beater against third-ranked UConn in the 1990 NCAA Tournament at the Meadowlands sent Duke to the Final Four.  With the No. 15 Blue Devils trailing 78-77 in overtime, Laettner grabbed the in-bounds pass and hit a double-clutch shot at the horn for his 22nd and 23rd points in the game.  Another memorable Laettner outing in New Jersey came during the 1989 Big Dance, when a young freshman from Angola, NY recorded his season-high 24 points and grabbed nine boards to propel No. 9 Duke past No. 2 Georgetown 85-77 in the Elite Eight.

Duke fans will not soon forget Jason Williams’ game against No. 7 Kentucky in a regular-season, non-conference battle in the 2001 Jimmy V Classic.  The New Jersey native erupted for a career-high 38 points (12-21 FG, 7-10 3pt) to lead the top-ranked Blue Devils past No. 7 Kentucky 95-92 in overtime.

The single-game scoring record for a Blue Devil in the Meadowlands came in 2005 when J.J. Redick put on a clinic in a heavyweight clash pitting No. 1 Duke against No. 2 Texas.  The sharpshooter matched his career-high with 41 points (13-24 FG, 9-16 3pt) as the Blue Devils cruised to a remarkable 97-66 win.

“I just remember watching J.J. shoot here a couple of years ago with confidence,” said Jon Scheyer after the game against Xavier.  “I wanted to shoot with the same confidence.”

Scheyer did just that, scoring 23 points on 9-11 shooting from the floor.  In doing so, Jon joined a distinguished list of Blue Devils who have scored at least 20 in a single game at the Meadowlands that includes Duke standouts such as Johnny Dawkins, Danny Ferry, Laettner, Grant Hill, Elton Brand, Jason Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Shelden Williams, and Redick. 

After J.J.’s career game in 2005, Coach K remarked, “You could write a book about our games in this arena, and it would be an amazing book, at least for Duke fans.”  The victory over Xavier, in which the Blue Devils jumped out to a memorable 31-point halftime lead against a top 10 opponent, provided yet another chapter.  Here’s hoping the Blue Devils, and the Big Dance, return to East Rutherford ASAP.

Later, with 8:13 remaining in a game quickly transforming from exciting to epic, Coach K called timeout. Trailing almost all game, Spain had closed within two points, 91-89, after a 7-0 run to start the fourth quarter. Wukesong Arena was buzzing and jubilant Spanish fans were dancing with flags waving in the stands as freely as its team was playing on the court. It was winning time, and for the first time in the Olympics, Team USA would have to earn a victory in the closing minutes of the fourth quarter.

Whether you were pulling for the Americans or the Spaniards, it was becoming increasingly evident that this ballgame was not going to be decided by the best game plan or speed, athleticism and strength. With the world’s most prestigious championship at stake, this was a game that in all likelihood would be determined by the team that was hungrier to win, most together, and most poised. And three years of unprecedented commitment, resourcefulness and hard work by USA Basketball were going to be tested at the highest level in basketball’s ultimate game.

At this point, it was around 4 AM EST and the faces of the Duke Basketball players watching the game together back in Durham were growing tense. In a room lightened by laughs earlier in the night, it was suddenly silent after Coach K signaled for that timeout. Halfway across the world, the magnitude of the moment captivated the room. The gold medal stands were ready for deployment, Spain seemed to have seized the momentum, and both teams were battling valiantly in a once-in-a-lifetime competition for which there is no “next season.” Coach K has entered huddles following and preceding every possible scenario in this sport, I thought, except maybe one like this.

“I talk quite a bit about moments of truth,” said Team USA’s head coach earlier in the Olympics. “I don’t care how much you practice, how much you watch film, how much you talk. There is something that happens which tests you. Whatever it is, you reveal who you are.” For Team USA, after a series of Olympic blowouts, this was its moment of truth.

Joining an intense head coach with his 12 players, coaching staff and a clipboard diagram in the fourth-quarter huddle was a transcendent, energizing and motivating culture of pride, respect, honor, and patriotism. It was a culture born in late 2005 at a press conference in New York when Jerry Colangelo announced Coach K as the first-ever U.S. National Head Coach, jump starting the creation of a true USA Basketball program.

First, Coach K and Colangelo opted to create a 30-man, three-year roster where each player had to give his complete commitment to the team. Then, while involved in the World Championship in Japan in the summer of 2006, the USA team members visited soldiers in Las Vegas, posed with fans all over Asia, sported army fatigues while meeting with troops stationed at Korea’s Yongsan Army Base and Camp Casey, and listened intently to injured U.S. war veterans and Coach K’s former West Point player Col. Bob Brown.

“The first summer was about establishing a culture,” stated Coach K. “It was not so much about X’s and O’s but about core values… It was important for our guys to see people who serve, putting their lives on the line. We are serving by playing basketball. Our guys got it right away and they understand in the totem pole of service, we are here and the military is way up, way up here.”

In 2007, the team gathered again for the Americas Championship in Las Vegas. The tournament proved to be the perfect opportunity for Team USA to reconvene as a program, continue to grow as a team, and further their understanding of international basketball. The U.S. dominated the event, winning by an average margin of +39.5 points and qualifying for the Olympics.

Before heading over to China this summer, the players took a boat tour of Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty, met with cheering fans at New York’s Rockefeller Center, adopted Marvin Gaye’s stirring rendition of the national anthem as their team “fight song,” and toured a USA Basketball Museum in New York City. They heard from and interacted with experienced Olympians such as Magic Johnson, who shared memories of the 1992 Olympic Team, and Doug Collins, who was robbed of the Gold in the 1972 Olympics after the scorer’s table inexplicably gave Russia three chances to win the gold medal game in the closing seconds. Said Coach K, “What we are trying to do is develop a spirit where we are not just saying something. We are showing them something and allowing them to feel something.”

Meanwhile, over the course of several years, continuity was established and the players were able to develop meaningful relationships with their teammates, creating a strong mutual investment in and understanding of the team’s goals, overall identity, and sense of purpose. “Bonding doesn’t just happen,” noted Coach K. “You don’t go to the store and say I want to bond with somebody or I am going to look it up on the Internet at bonding.com. It doesn’t work that way. You have to give time, you have to make commitments, you have to make sacrifices, you have to be together. That is how a brotherhood is developed.”

Together, Team USA was surrounded by and immersed in the Red, White and Blue, a brotherhood united by rich, unique, and patriotic shared experiences. As a result, they arrived at the Olympic training camp in Las Vegas already on a mission for their country and living the culture they had created the previous three years.

Upon arriving in Vegas, Coach K asked the players to share the values and goals that were important to them. “We have to be a no-excuse team,” LeBron James responded. “We can’t blame the refs, the crowd, anybody. We are in a position right now where we control our own destiny. I got all of you all on my team. What is my excuse now? Do we have an excuse? We don’t. This is everything we always dreamed of.” Together, the team created a list of standards to live by and hold one another accountable for throughout the Olympics. The list included standards such as No Excuses, Communication, Trust, Collective Responsibility, Care, Respect, Poise, Flexibility, Unselfishness, Defense, and Pride. Win or lose, this was going to be a prepared and motivated squad arriving in China with a deep appreciation and understanding of their influence and potential.

Said LeBron when he arrived in Beijing, “In the last couple of years I’ve come to understand what this is about. And I have to say, this means more to me than playing for my respective team. That’s because I’m not just playing for my community, I’m not just playing for Cleveland or Akron or the state of Ohio. I’m playing for every state — all the people in America. And I know now, this is 20 times bigger than an NBA championship.”

Team USA opened the Olympics against China in front of an estimated one billion viewers worldwide, the largest crowd in history to watch a sports event. Amazingly, the Chinese fans cheered for both teams, hoping for a victory by the host nation but respectful of Team USA’s performance.

After that game, Kobe Bryant told the media, “That’s the first time I’d ever heard those ‘USA’ chants in person, and it was the most amazing thing ever. Nobody in L.A. wants to win for the Lakers more than me, everybody knows it. But this is something totally different. I’ve never been part of something this big before. Obviously, there is an added sense of responsibility because you have USA across your chest… We have to change the way people look at us.”

Team USA tried to do just that throughout the Olympics. “If all we do is play basketball, we’re not making use of all that the game can give,” said Coach K after the USA defeated China. “Sure, you want to win, but what if the game opens some doors that haven’t been knocked on? And if a billion people are watching, what message do you want to send? That we’re 1-0 in pool play?”

Immersed in their team culture from day one at the Olympics, Team USA delivered constant, exceptional, and selfless effort game in and game out. “For 40 minutes, we want it to be nonstop movement and chaos,” Chris Paul said, and it was. “We want to wreak havoc all over the floor. This is the largest stage of basketball that I’ve ever played on, and we are playing for the best team in the entire world.” Chris Bosh added, “It’s our hustle. We don’t want anything easy. If teams get two points or three points, we want them to feel like it’s a relief. We want them to feel like that’s the hardest two or three points they ever got. I think that just shows the whole spirit of the whole thing.”

Off the court, Coach K remarked that the coaching staff did not have to ask the USA players to excitedly attend as many other sporting events as possible, cheering graciously and befriending their fellow American athletes. No one needed to remind the guys to visit the Olympic village almost immediately after arriving in Beijing, wave appreciatively after every game to the adoring Chinese fans, or repeatedly emphasize that the Olympic experience meant more to them than winning the NBA championship. The tears in the eyes of many of the players and coaches as the Star-Spangled Banner was played before the USA-China game were as authentic as the goosebumps on their arms.

In the fourth quarter of the gold medal game, all of Team USA’s experiences over three years — the crying, the sweat, the time-zone changes, the rigorous practices, the world travel with so many amazing team functions, the tough games, the late nights studying film, the emotional team meetings – served as inspiring reference points. In those final eight minutes, a determined USA squad had come too far as a group to fall short of the Gold. Galvanized by the pressure and the opportunity to win Gold for their country, Team USA remained confident in their brand of basketball and each other, never flinching. After the 7-0 run by Spain, the USA responded with a 7-0 run of their own and pushed the lead to 11. Spain fought back to within four at 108-104 with 2:25 to go, and then Dwyane Wade anwered with the final three of his 27 points and the USA slowly pulled away.

Once the crowd began its chant of USA-USA-USA with under one minute to go and Spain having to foul to extend the game, the celebration was underway. Grown men, NBA stars and championship coaches among them, celebrated more genuinely than the Little Leaguers from Hawaii who would win their World Championship later in the day. Kobe Bryant hugged and doused a grinning Coach K with water. The moment he received his medal, LeBron James grabbed it and stared, mesmerized, before inhaling two deep breaths with the bouquet of roses held to his nose. The court at Wukesong Arena was overtaken by a red, white and blue tidal wave of hugs, smiles and unadulterated joy. The players showed their coaches supreme appreciation by placing all 12 gold medals around their necks (medals are only awarded to athletes in the Olympics). Later, they opted to attend the postgame media conference as a team with all 12 players and the entire coaching staff.

Each player also shared a moment with Doug Collins, with LeBron James leading the way immediately after the buzzer sounded. “We all know his story and what he went through and his Olympic experience and having a win basically taken away from him,” said James. “He’s as important to this as we are to this. This is a gold for him also, not just us.”

It was a gold medal for an entire country that Team USA not only won, but earned. “There is no possible way in my opinion that we would have won without the three-year commitment,” stated Colangelo after the game, “and I know Coach K feels the same way. We didn’t crack under any pressure. There was pressure from the opening tipoff and the fact is it was a pressurized game and we never cracked. Without continuity, without these guys being together for the last few years, I think we might have lost.”

Ultimately, the three-year commitment facilitated more than the gold medal game victory and poise under pressure. It allowed Team USA to establish their own distinct style of play, to develop a culture on and off the court, to unite as a team, to connect with fans in the United States and around the world, to redefine how USA Basketball and its NBA players are viewed, to learn and adapt to the international game, to passionately represent the United States, to make it fashionable for U.S. basketball players to dream about wearing the USA jersey, and to set the gold standard for basketball in America and worldwide. The Americans left Beijing fulfilled and euphoric, with a lifetime ahead of them as worthy winners of sports’ golden prize.

The switch in thinking resulted in an unconventional, creative, and productive mini-camp during which the 2008 Olympian hoop stars gathered for the first time officially as a team.  On Saturday, the team met in Las Vegas for a team meeting, medical screening, ball signing and apparel fitting.  The next day, the Olympic team had their first practice, gathered for meetings, and posed for photos.  

While at the workout, the USA Basketball staff wheeled out a large flat-screen TV and Coach K asked his team to gather around it.  The group then watched video of Marvin Gaye performing his memorable and soulful rendition of the “Star Spangled Banner” delivered in Los Angeles at the start of the 1983 NBA All-Star Game.

“Instead of having a fight song or whatever, that’s our song,” remarked Coach K.  “I wanted them to envision the gold-medal game.  It’s August 24 and they’re out on the court, and our anthem — I get chills thinking about it right now — our anthem will be played.  And, if we do what we’re supposed to do, then to envision being on that medal stand, and again that national anthem is being played.” 

After practice and team photos, the team headed to New Yorklate Saturday night.  Despite some travel delays, the group still made it to the House of Hoops, a Nike basketball museum that includes an exhibit celebrating past players, Olympic moments and the current Olympic team. 

“We finally got in at midnight and went from Newark to Harlem,” explained Coach K.  “There were a bunch of people waiting for us … It’s about 12:30 at night and we go into a museum (the House of Hoops) that Nike has made.  Outside, you don’t think it’s anything, then you go inside and it was unbelievable.  There was a huge wall with the American flag and 350 pairs of shoes.  There were pictures and displays of the past Olympics. There were displays of our team and two amazing pictures — one of Kobe and one of LeBron.  And the guys were presented their uniforms in beautiful boxes.”  

Said Chris Bosh aloud as he was presented his uniform, “Wow.  I’m beginning to understand just how big this thing is.”  

In the morning, the group spoke with media from all over the world before assembling on a private yacht.  During a harbor sail, the team posed for photos in front of the Statue of Liberty and visited Ellis Island.

“There were people from all over the world doing interviews,” described Coach K.  “Then you go on a ferry, guys are all dressed in suits and we stop by Ellis Island, they take a picture of the team, in suits and uniform. It’s like seeing it and feeling it and, personally for me, my grandfather came through Ellis Island.  I was telling our [Duke] campers Tuesday night about dreaming and imagination.  And I said, ‘Can you imagine my grandfather, with his suitcases, talking to the guy next to him and saying you know what, my grandson is going to be the coach of the U.S. national team.’  And the other guy says, ‘Is this guy nuts?  He should get on the boat and go back.’  But literally, I think of stuff like that — like how the heck does that happen?  How lucky are you?’”

After sailing around New York, Team USA headed to Rockefeller Center for a pep rally and fan celebration presented by Nike and hosted by TV personality Kevin Frazier.  A special USA Basketball court was installed in place of the famed skating rink, and hundreds of children and fans huddled around.  The Olympians greeted their fans and unveiled their uniforms, featuring Nike’s state-of-the-art Swift System of Dress, for the first time publically.

When Colangelo and Coach K took control of the program for a three-year period, their immediate and primary goal was to “elevate the perception people have of USA Basketball and change the culture,” according to Colangelo.  “This is a team we believe is together, they’re focused, we’re on a mission, and we want people to jump on and be supportive and enjoy this.”

Fans clearly had a great time at Rockefeller Center, cheering as the team was introduced, chanting “MVP” when Kobe Bryant stepped on the court, erupting when LeBron James embraced a group of kids in the crowd, and excitedly following a game of U-S-A (shortened version of HORSE) between Chris Paul/Deron Williams and Michael Redd/Tayshaun Prince.  After the Rockefeller Center extravaganza, the group concluded the trip with additional media sessions at New York’s Plaza Hotel, wrapping up a mini-camp that set the stage for everything the Olympic journey ahead represents.

“This experience that I’ve had has been unbelievable,” said LeBron James.  “This is something that I will tell my kids’ kids, once I get older.  And to be able to tell them about a gold medal that I won in 2008 would be the icing on the cake.”

Said Coach K, “I thought the many things that happened this week gave them a deeper sense of who they’re representing, what they’re a part of.  They already had a pretty deep understanding, but you can’t go through all the things we’ve gone through this weekend and not feel a little bit deeper with commitment, pride and a sense of purpose for what we’re supposed to do.”

In Good Company
The teams joining Duke atop ESPN’s “Most Hated List” have all enjoyed prolific success in the past two decades, while sports have become more popular than ever and the media has transformed into an in-your-face, narrative-based, conflict-driven information provider.  Facing a race with a diverse array of media outlets, competition from new forms of entertainment, and adapting to a fast-moving population, the media has frequently come to side with convenience.  Extremes and conflict are amplified, and attention-grabbing headlines like “Most-Hated Dukies” become their own repeatable narratives.  Applied to sports, “Just as the New York Yankees, USC Football and Duke Basketball can attest,” wrote Dime Magazine, “everyone wants to see the top dog fall on his face.”

WHY DUKE
ESPN
Duke Basketball’s ascent to “top dog” status in college hoops has run parallel to the unprecedented rise of ESPN, with Coach K’s first Duke season beginning a year after ESPN hit the air waves in 1979.  Since originally intending to cover sports just in Connecticut, ESPN has established itself in popular culture with the most-visited sports website, a national radio presence, and TV networks in well over 100 million homes.  In those homes, no professional team outside Major League Baseball has had more regular-season ESPN games than Duke Basketball.  Furthermore, in ESPN history, no team in any sport at any level has had as high a percentage of its regular-season games televised by an ESPN network as the Blue Devils.  

The primary reasons for all of the coverage, which has drawn the ire of fans who wonder why Duke occupies national airwaves so frequently, are consistent TV ratings and the fact that the most hated college team is also among the most loved.  “I just met with some ESPN executives,” wrote ESPN’s Dick Vitale.  “Part of the discussion was what a plus it is in the ratings when Duke is on the air.  People want to watch Duke…  They are very popular on ESPN.”  Vitale continued, “It is even easy to make a case for the Blue Devils as America’s team, based on cable ratings.  Duke holds the top two spots on ESPN’s most-viewed regular-season college games…  The Blue Devils hold the top three spots on ESPN2…”

“Duke’s home games are events,” stated ESPN’s Andy Katz.  “When Duke plays on the road, the Blue Devils are the biggest draw on every other schedule.  No other school can sell out Madison Square Garden or the Meadowlands or places out West other than Duke, regardless of the opponent.  The Blue Devils are a happening every season.”  In other words, Duke games often involve some of the most electrifying environments, and the ESPN cameras follow, often with Dick Vitale in tow.  

Vitale’s effusive praise of Duke and Coach K has bothered certain fans, leading some to refer to the man who called ESPN’s first college basketball game in 1979 as “Dukie V.”  When asked about this, Vitale answered, “What is there for me to rip Duke?  Sure, I love going to Duke and doing games.  I love great basketball, I love excitement, and [Duke] has anything that anybody who loves basketball should really want.  But Duke is part of society where a lot of people like to hate the guy that’s on top — whether it’s Duke, the Yankees, Notre Dame in football.  I don’t apologize for praising Duke.”  

Program Stability and Consistency 
Vitale profusely praises all of the top teams, players and coaches each year, and it just so happens that in a sports era of overall unrest, Duke Basketball has maintained a remarkable steadiness.  First, Coach K has been the face of the program for over 27 seasons.  For perspective’s sake, storied programs Kentucky and UCLA have each had five different head coaches during that time.  While numerous other schools have built new arenas, Cameron Indoor Stadium has remained Duke’s home and garnered recognition as basketball’s top venue by bothSports Illustrated and ESPN.   Furthermore, Duke has welcomed a likable lineage of young men under Coach K who have taken pride in representing Duke and worked hard under great scrutiny. 

“Year after year, Duke does seem to be led by ‘the Duke kid,’” said author Mitch Albom.  “Don’t get me wrong.  Other schools have their own versions of this player.  But Duke seems to find them year after year.  It is more than coincidence that connects Danny Ferry to Christian Laettner to Bobby Hurley to Grant Hill to Shane Battier to Jason Williams.  It’s character.”

Even the Blue Devils who have exuded an on-court swagger that riled the emotions of opposing fans have been almost exclusively individuals that appreciated wearing the Duke uniform and respected college basketball.  As a whole, Duke players have earned a reputation as “Duke kids” and this, combined with the ubiquity of Coach K and Cameron, leaves some opposing fans feeling besieged by the Blue Devils.  In the ESPN article on the Patriots, Patrick Hruby wrote, “It’s surpassingly easy to hate a team or athlete you can’t avoid, and downright impossible to remain indifferent.  Not when you’re bombarded with the same old faces, story lines and carbon copy magazine covers.  Talk about no exit.”  Duke’s success in the national spotlight has made the Blue Devils one of those teams with “no exit.”

Success in the National Spotlight
Each year, the national exposure of college hoops peaks during the NCAA Tournament.  Since the NCAA Tournament changed to its modern format with 64 teams, the Blue Devils have won  three national titles (most in the nation), reached 10 Final Fours (three more than any program), and advanced to seven NCAA title games (four more than any program).  Additionally, since 1985, Duke has won 68 NCAA Tournament games (11 more than any other team).  By winning big as coverage of college basketball’s signature event has surged, Duke has asserted itself into the national spotlight and on the brackets of fans worldwide.

Before the Big Dance, Duke has worked its way into the spotlight too.  The Associated Press poll made its debut in 1949 when media members were looking for a formal way to determine which games to cover.  The tradition has stuck ever since, as shows today such as SportsCenter use the polls to determine which highlights to air.  As the media coverage of college basketball has grown, Duke has been ranked No. 1 in the nation in more different seasons (13) since 1985 than any other entire conference, leading to a proliferation of Blue Devil highlights and coverage.  “It’s almost like a shadow in the back of your mind,” stated former Maryland player Byron Mouton.  “You’re like ‘Dang, shadow, go away!’  But it’s always there.  Duke’s always there.”   

Duke’s individual player success on college basketball’s biggest stages has helped cast that shadow as well.  Since 1985, Duke players have experienced continual success in the national awards, leading to the type of unwavering coverage devoted to the stars of college basketball that play on the highest-ranked teams.  Already, Coach K has produced more National Players of the Year (seven winners, nine awards) and National Defensive Players of the Year (six winners, nine awards) than any coach in history.  Since 1985, Duke’s 29 All-America selections (1.3 per year) lead college basketball by nine.  “People get to know you when you wear a Duke uniform,” said 1998 National Defensive Player of the Year and current assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski.  Even Duke’s fans, the Cameron Crazies, have evolved into a household name.

Cameron and the Crazies
The intimate size and unique look of Cameron Indoor Stadium coupled with Duke’s commitment to give its fans the best seats in the house have made the stadium a recognizable, loud and TV-friendly venue that embodies college basketball’s genuine energy.  Sports business expert Darren Rovell found that a ticket to UNC at Duke is the second-toughest in sports behind only the Masters.  There is no doubt that the Cameron Crazies have played a major role in establishing this atmosphere and demand through their commitment and creativeness.  However, there is also no question that there are numerous fans of other schools that devote as much time as the Crazies to their respective teams.  These fans do not receive the same amount of national attention and credit bestowed upon the Crazies, and resentment naturally may ensue, especially given the stereotypes both good and bad associated with the university the Crazies represent.

Duke University
Duke is certainly not the only well-regarded private university surrounded by terrific state colleges, but it is unique in several ways.  First, Duke is the only southeastern university amongU.S. News & World Report’s top 15 schools.  Second, among that top 15 group, Duke accounts for 10 of the 11 Final Fours reached in the NCAA Tournament’s modern era.  This leaves Duke one of the lone schools mentioned in the same breath as many of the nation’s most prestigious academic schools, and the all-time great hoops programs as well.  Thus, the Duke ubiquity is magnified in an uncommon way that elicits a medley of opinions, many of which involve Coach K.   

Coach K
Coach K’s phenomenal success at Duke and the culture he has established within his program has opened the door to unbelievable opportunities that have served his family, Duke and college basketball well.  For example, the Hall of Famer has been featured on national ad campaigns, has helped raise millions of dollars for charities, has opened a Durham community center, has his own XM radio show, and maybe most notably of all, was named the first-ever U.S. National Head Coach.    

Shortly after Coach K was announced as the USA’s head coach, the following quote ran in The Baltimore Sun: “America’s most famous college team is again poised to raise its profile — and the ire of those who’ve seen it done before…  Has any active coach ever wielded more influence than Krzyzewski?”

I suppose that anyone who spends almost 30 years in the public eye ends up with some kind of untouchable and polarizing aura.  In Coach K’s case, on so many winter nights, the TV trucks drive in and set their cameras on the Duke game and the intense head coach.  Later, they pack up and leave, with the media rarely showing the human side of Coach K or his players.  In this sense, Coach K becomes the head of a perceived Duke machine that powers up for game nights, usually wins, and then does it all over again a few nights later, year after year.  In part because of this cycle, it has become fashionable for the media to encourage the “love-to-hate Duke” camp and offer critical articles or comments.  

“You still feel it now,” said former Duke player and current Oklahoma Head Coach Jeff Capel about the Duke hating.  “It’s just something that’s there, and I think it’s there because of the success that Duke has had and because of the exposure that the Duke Basketball program receives.  You’re on TV all the time.  You have a coach that some people may look at as the face of college basketball.  And the thing that I’ve learned just throughout life — not just through basketball, not through Duke — is that there’s jealousy.  There’s jealousy, and jealousy leads to resentment.  And I think that’s what you have with the Duke Basketball program.”  When I think of the more antagonistic versions of the Duke hating that Capel refers to, two things came to mind: 1. Duke Basketball remains as relevant as ever.  2.  A story my Dad shared with me recently about our black Labrador, Callie.

Knowledge is Power
My parents and Callie moved into a new Connecticut neighborhood in October.  Callie is relentlessly loving and loyal, a wonderful friend to my entire family, and she considers her protective duties of my parents to be more important than the job detail of White House guards.  Much to the chagrin of her new neighbors, Callie possesses a ferocious bark and employs it liberally.  A young neighbor named Andrew stepped outside his home one day, became frightened after a quick introduction to Callie’s bark, and sprinted back into his house.  From there, my Mom could see Andrew regularly eyeing Callie from his window with a fearful look in his eye, his understanding of Callie limited by the constrictions of a window pane.  Eventually, my Mom went over and introduced the young neighbor to Callie.  Since then, each interaction between dog and boy has intensified their friendship, with Callie now delighting in his visits (and dog bones), and Andrew smiling at every tail wag.  

Just as Andrew’s perception of Callie was limited to what passed by his window, many sports fans that harbor harsh emotion towards Duke Basketball do so through their own kind of restrictive window that limits a more balanced understanding of the program.  In my own case, as I have progressed from a sports fan in Connecticut with no Duke connections, to a Duke student, to a Duke Basketball employee, my passion for the team has grown every step of the way as I have increasingly grasped what Duke Basketball is about.
   
It started freshman year when I was randomly assigned to live on the same hall as Chris Duhon.  You might think because he was a well-known, future-NBA point guard, he would be slightly condescending.  Instead, he invited me and others into his dorm room to play video games, was friendly to everyone in our dorm, and went out of his way to secure a team-signed ball for me.  The only way he could have been nicer was if he let me win in NBA 2K1 instead of drilling me by a double-digit margin.  

Later in the year, I joined one of the tent groups in Krzyzewskiville.  I was surprised when players like Shane Battier and Jason Williams visited, Coach K ordered everyone pizza at random times, and the Duke Head Coach gave his Sixth Man a detailed pep talk for over an hour.  He also visited the freshmen class on a separate occasion shortly after our arrival on campus.  “To Dave,” he wrote on a ball I still have, “Thanks for being on our team.”  

Now, after more than seven years of being on the Duke team (1.5 as a Cameron Crazie, 2.5 years of student volunteering and three seasons working full-time), I understand Duke Basketball 100 times more completely than I did growing up in Connecticut.  Then, I only knew what I saw on TV and what I read in the papers.  Here is what I know now: The Duke program is about taking pride in everything you do, even when nobody is watching.  It is about heart, spirit, emotion, passion, and love.  It is about respecting the honor of being part of a team and family.  It is about attention to detail.  It is about communicating, trust, collective responsibility, and caring.  It is about standards.  It is about pursuing these values every day and having fun while doing it.

No one follows this recipe, as far I can tell, better than Coach K.  His players past and present will tell you how he never takes a day off and remains as hungry as he was when he started at Duke.  But more than that, his caring for everyone, even for a guy like me who is not a coach or player and has only been on staff a few years, is non-stop.  The U.S. National Head Coach once phoned me wishing me a happy birthday during his family vacation, has written me random notes thanking me for being on our team, and overall has treated me as if the work I am doing is just about as important as the work Gerald Henderson is doing on Coach K Court.  Everyone on the team will tell you, maybe best of all, that Coach K will always tell you the truth.   

When you receive leadership at the top like this, you can only help but follow the lead, whether you are a future NBA player, an assistant coach, a manager, or a young staff member like me.  In doing so, you learn each day, not necessarily another trick in Photoshop or a writing tip, but lessons that will help you become the best worker, leader, son, friend and future husband and father you can be.  I have learned more in three years working for the basketball program than I did in four years of undergraduate studies, and I have never had a more fun or exciting time in my life.  In 28 years, imagine how many players, coaches, managers and staff members there have been who joined the Duke Basketball program with an open mind and a willingness to work, and who became better people and had a heck of a time doing it.

All of this is not to say Duke is the only program where amazing things are happening, or Coach K is the only coach who loves his team, or Duke players are the sole standard-bearers for the consummate student-athlete, or media coverage overall is in any way a negative for Duke or college basketball.  But I will say this: With the media’s increased insistence on extremes, pessimism and disagreement, and Duke Basketball doing what has it has done for almost three decades under Coach K, a paradox has emerged.  The program receiving as much attention as any sporting entity this side of the Patriots and Yankees is college basketball’s best-kept secret.