Stan Brunson will never forget the first time he walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium as a member of the men's basketball team. It was Dec. 28, 1992. Forward Antonio Lang was injured, and Brunson had just joined the 1992-93 Blue Devils as a walk-on. The current senior from Newark, Del., wasn't even wearing a Duke jersey when he made the walk from the locker room onto the court.
"[Cameron] was packed," he said. "And I just walked out with Tony and the crowd was going crazy. It was weird. It made me nervous, but I was thinking, 'Wow, this is unbelievable.'"
Three years later, Brunson still feels the same way about his experience as a Duke basketball player. He considers his time on the basketball court a pleasant surprise, one that seemed impossible four years ago. Brunson originally joined the Duke athletic program as a member of the men's soccer team, scoring two goals and tallying an assist in 14 games for the Blue Devils in 1991-92.
The next year, Brunson played in only five games for a Duke team that advanced to the 1992 Final Four. After the soccer season, Brunson joined the basketball team to replace Lang and give the Blue Devils another body during practice. The assistant coaches told him his role on the team was very specific-play hard during practice and cheer hard when on the bench.
"When you have players on the team like Bobby Hurley, Thomas Hill and Grant Hill, it's obvious that you are not going to play," Brunson said.
Brunson did get a few minutes of action his first year on the team, appearing in eight games and tallying 10 minutes. The next year, he put soccer aside to concentrate on basketball. It was a tough decision to stop playing the game he had loved since his childhood, but he says that he's found numerous friendships and experiences on the collegiate basketball court that surpass his soccer years. It's a decision he has never regretted.
"I have a love for soccer that basketball can never take the place of," Brunson said. "Soccer-from youth up until college-has been my fondest memories and will always be my fondest memories."
Now that Brunson is dedicated solely to the basketball team, it seems ironic that a separated shoulder during spring soccer practice limited his participation on the hardwood. He did manage seven minutes of playing time, and when the 1993-94 Blue Devils advanced to the Final Four, he became the first collegian to advance to the Final Four in both basketball and soccer.
During the 1994-95 season, things changed for Brunson, when head coach Mike Krzyzewski rewarded Brunson's hard effort with a basketball scholarship. From that point on, Brunson knew his role with the team was different-no longer was he going to be just a practice player.
"[Krzyzewski] told me, 'Now you are here to compete for playing time. You are not just a walk-on anymore. You're a scholarship player. You'll be out there on the court,'" Brunson said. "It was his way of letting me know he has confidence in me as a player."
Unfortunately, along with his first chance to prove himself on the court came a knee injury the first day of practice. The injury was serious enough to require two surgeries and kept Brunson out of action the entire season. He said the injury didn't affect him that much, since he had not seen that much playing time the previous two seasons, and realistically would not see much in 1994-95.
Not getting much playing time has not been a problem for Brunson this season. With injuries plaguing the 1995-96 Blue Devils, Brunson has been thrust into the middle of the team's rotation. When Carmen Wallace went down with a knee injury in the middle of February, Brunson was suddenly the team's first frontcourt reserve. He tallied 17 minutes against Wake Forest on Feb. 11, and since that game has averaged over 13 minutes in the Blue Devils' past seven games. Did Brunson ever expect this much playing time?
"If you were to ever ask me, I would say no way," he said. "I've improved a lot over these four years, but I definitely never thought that I would be able to play Division I basketball."
Brunson credits the numerous hours he logged in practice his first years as a walk-on as contributing to his success this year. He said there are currently no players in the ACC that have more talent or athleticism or work as hard as the players he faced in practice. Most often, Brunson would fall victim to the exceptional play of the Duke stars, but some days the walk-on would make a great move past the superstar. Those moments increased Brunson's confidence for this season.
"Coming into the league, I don't think there is anyone who I cannot play with," he said. "They may be more talented basketball-wise, but as far as being superior to me-not at all."
One of the best aspects of basketball Brunson has enjoyed is the support of the fans. As a walk-on, he was the focus of the Cameron Crazies when he got into the game. Now as a scholarship player, he still gets that special attention-Brunson gets a roaring cheer for every little thing he does on the court.
"They just give me a boost," he said. "It was so enjoyable to go through Krzyzewskiville and the things they had on the tents. I try to let them know how much I appreciate them standing behind me."
Yet outside of the fans and the excitement, Brunson said his basketball experience has taught him a great deal about life. He has had to learn how to deal with people and the popularity of being on a well-renowned basketball team. Those are lessons he could not learn anywhere else.
"It has enabled me to grow an incredible amount-things I will be able to take on for the rest of my life that I don't think you can learn in the classroom," Brunson said. "It's been great."
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