Twenty-six former men's basketball greats have been invited back to Durham to compete in the Duke Basketball All-Star Charity game, which will take place Friday, Aug. 24 at 7 p.m. Legacy Fund chairman and Orlando Magic forward Grant Hill has been confirmed as one of the player's who will dress up for the game in Cameron.
Proceeds from the game will benefit the Duke-Durham Neighborhood Partnership Initiative and the Birch Avenue Family Center in Durham.
Season ticket holders and Iron Duke members will receive first priority for tickets to the game, but afterwards, premier event packages will be available. For further information, contact the Duke ticket office at (919) 681-BLUE.
Duke finishes 16th in final Sears Cup standings
Duke finished 16th in the final Sears Directors' Cup standings. The Sears Directors' Cup is awarded annually to the best overall athletic program in the country by Sears, Roebuck, and Co. and the National Association of Collegiate Directors of Athletics (NACDA). The winner of this year's cup was Stanford, which totaled 1349.5 points en route to its seventh consecutive victory. The Cardinal was buoyed by a national championship in women's tennis but also placed 13 of its athletic teams among the top five in each respective sport. Stanford edged out intrastate rival UCLA by 211.5 points.
Meanwhile, the Blue Devils concluded with 721 points, only a few points behind 15th-ranked North Carolina, which registered 728.5 points as the ACC's highest finisher. Among private institutions, Duke ranked 4th behind Stanford, Southern California, and Notre Dame.
Cargill honored
Before deciding to test her strength on the professional tour, women's tennis player Ansley Cargill was named to the 17th-annual Rolex Collegiate All-Star team June 26, which honors the nation's 12-best tennis players. The team is selected by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association and Tennis Magazine. This recognition for Cargill was one of a series of awards she has received since the end of the tennis season. She was also chosen as the national freshman of the year and an All American by the ITA.
Success bodes well for all-star team members, as 27 former honorees competed in the Wimbledon men's and women's singles and doubles competition earlier this month. Cargill and the 11 other members of the women's all-star team, as well as 12 men's honorees, will be honored Aug. 24 in a ceremony at the West Side Tennis Club in Forest Hills, N.Y.
Culhane hired as assistant volleyball coach
Judy Culhane, who earned the Patriot League's offensive player of the year honor as a senior at Colgate, was hired as an assistant coach June 25 by Duke volleyball coach Jolene Nagel. Culhane won numerous awards at Colgate, including the most valuable player award at the Patriot League tournament and Patriot League Volleyball Scholar-Athlete award. In addition to her four years at Colgate, Culhane played professionally in Europe over the past year.
"We are thrilled to have Judy join our staff," Nagel said. "Her academic and athletic experience at a quality institution will blend well with our team. Her professional playing experience is something that our players can draw knowledge regarding volleyball after college."
Volleyball picked to finish 3rd in ACC
The Duke volleyball team, which returns five of its six starters and added four freshman to its lineup, was predicted to finish third in the preseason ACC coaches poll. Georgia Tech and North Carolina, who tied for last year's regular season title, were picked first and second, respectively.
Coach Jolene Nagel was pleased with the outcome of the poll, considering her Blue Devils finished fifth last season with a conference record of 8-8.
"This is a testament to our team's hard work and our strong finish last season," Nagel said. "I believe once again the league will be very competitive."
Russell to compete in Norway
All-America soccer player Robert Russell signed a one-year contract July 11 with the Sogndal team of the Premiere Men's Soccer League in Norway. The move comes five months after Russell was selected 22nd overall in the Major League Soccer Superdraft by the Los Angeles Galaxy.
While terms of the Russell's contract with Sogndal were not disclosed, his contract with the Norwegian team--known well for its ability to develop talent--does exceed the figures proposed by Galaxy, which might have factored into Russell's decision. The three-time All-ACC selection was offered a contract by Sogndal after competing in a one-week tryout earlier this month.
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