For fans accustomed to seeing their men's basketball team flying high on a giant TV screen, the welcome home celebration in Cameron Indoor Stadium yesterday afternoon was eye-opening. The players who sat on the stage looked a lot less like TV stars and more like human beings.
And despite the applause and standing ovations characteristic of a Cameron crowd, none of the players could manage a smile.
President Nan Keohane introduced the team with warmth and praise. "I think I speak for everybody here and thousands of fans around the world," she said, "when I welcome them back to this place where they can make the rafters ring."
Coach Mike Krzyzewski stood at the microphone, repeatedly thanking the crowd of about 1,500 and urging them to remember the many high points of the season.
"We're overwhelmed with your welcome, and we need it," he said. "Last night was disappointing for us. You're making a lot of noise, but we can look at your faces and know you're sharing this with us. I want to thank you for that....
"We're all disappointed about what didn't happen-it would have been unbelievable," he said. "But what did happen was unbelievable." Krzyzewski recounted Duke's many accomplishments this year, including a 32-game winning streak, championships in the ACC tournament and ACC regular season, the final ranking of No. 1 in the Associated Press poll and a berth in the Final Four.
He said these accomplishments, as well as the basketball team's turnaround in the last five years, have been spearheaded by senior Trajan Langdon.
"His leadership throughout this year, in his own way, which was a great way, was the single biggest factor in our success this year," Krzyzewski said. "In the last few seconds [of the Connecticut game], we were down by one, and we had a chance to win it. The ball was in his hands, and he had the courage to step up. I absolutely love that. I admire that. To me, that's winning."
Langdon, in turn, praised Krzyzewski.
"He's absolutely the best," he said. "He's more than a coach. He's a great person, a father figure. If I had to do it again a million times, I'd come here just for him. He's been amazing."
Krzyzewski's speech was soothing for many of the gathered fans still dealing with the disappointment of Monday's 77-74 loss to Connecticut.
"It really helps to get over all the emotion from last night," said Trinity sophomore Terry Rains.
Trinity sophomore Bryan Horowitz added, "What Coach K said mirrored what I was thinking. It was a great team. Last night was a little disappointing, but we have to move on."
Krzyzewski also mentioned that there will be a basketball party in Cameron on April 23. The party will be hosted by CBS's Jim Nantz, he said, and will be a celebration of this year and past basketball history.
As for this season, Krzyzewski is satisfied with the emotional conclusion.
"I want each season to end either with us crying about how happy we are to be winning the national championship, or how sad we are about the end of the season-not because we lost a game, but because we never will get to play together again."
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