Growing up in Maryland, I could never understand why people in my hometown rooted for Troy Aikman's Cowboys or Michael Jordan's Bulls. Where was the fun in rooting for the favorite? How much joy comes from watching the inevitable happen? Needless to say, I couldn't stand Christian Laettner and Bobby Hurley.
I was fed a steady basketball diet of Washington Bullets/Wizards (no playoff series wins since 1986), Maryland (no Final Fours until last year) and Georgetown (even Allen Iverson only got the Hoyas to the Elite Eight). I never took a basketball win for granted, so it was quite a shock when I came to campus and my classmates were expecting four national championships (ok, three if Elton Brand leaves early).
All of a sudden, it wasn't if, but how much. Keeping track of foul trouble, noticing the possession arrow just in case--these were deemed unnecessary by Duke's domination of each and every opponent. In my four years at Duke, the Blue Devils have won 132 games; the Wizards, playing an 82-game schedule, have won 103.
I was ecstatic when Duke beat Temple to reach the 1999 Final Four. I had never rooted for a winning basketball team, but people around me were indifferent--all the upperclassmen were used to it. There was no perspective. The Wilson bench was brought to Mirecourt so it would be closer to the bonfire site--before Duke even won its semifinal matchup against Michigan State. When Duke lost to Connecticut, the campus was a morgue.
I'm glad Carlos Boozer is leaving. And nothing personal, but I wouldn't mind if Mike Dunleavy went with him. We need to bring some suspense back to Durham.
I've never seen Duke lose to half of our league opponents (Clemson, N.C. State, Wake Forest and Georgia Tech). I've never seen Duke lose in the first weekend of the NCAAs, or in any round of the ACCs.
Let's face it--our presence wasn't needed in Cameron. As clever as your anti-Adam Boone and Brian Morrison chants were, they really weren't the difference in Duke's 25-point victory over Carolina. And while you might take credit for rattling sweaty Gary and leprechauny Pete, Duke probably didn't need you to beat top-five teams Maryland and Virginia by double-digits.
But imagine if the Crazies came into each game not with dreams of a 30-to-40-point win, but of any win, period. Imagine exhorting your team not to score 100, but to score at all, down two with the clock running out. In overtime. With the ball in the hands of a reserve forward. Standing at the top of the key.
Admit it--making the Sweet 16 wasn't that fun this year, was it? When you expect to win, when you absolutely demand a win, when you already bought your tickets to Atlanta so they better win. Did watching the Seton Hall game seem like a chore? Did you feel satisfied with the outcome, or wonder why the team didn't win by more?
The most fun I've had watching Duke basketball was last year after Boozer's injury and my sophomore year when the team started the season 0-2. The feeling after each win wasn't relief, it was elation. And each loss was met not with depression, but with understanding.
I covered the Duke-Maryland senior game when Boozer was injured, and players were choking up in the locker room. Winning with little-used Casey Sanders and Reggie Love against little-moved Brendan Haywood and Lonny Baxter in the ACCs? But that's what happened, and I'll remember it more than any blowout of Michigan or St. John's.
I'm not complaining about how great our basketball team is. Obviously, I'd rather go undefeated at home than set records for futility like the school who's motto is "If you score 10 points, we'll retire your jersey too!" I just hope that as basketball fans, but most importantly, as Duke students, we recognize how special our situation is.
It's easy to point out defects in the team and in the school, but it's just as important to acknowledge the advantages of life as a Duke student. How many letters to the editor are positive, commending good work or complimenting effort? How many Chronicle stories focus on a fraternity's community service, as opposed to its violations?
It's tough for me to give advice--everyone is in a different situation. It's easy for me to say that someone should put friendships or a social event ahead of school work, but then again, I don't have to apply to law or medical school.
Still, to students who complain about how tough school is--your two tests do not compare to someone else's two jobs. And don't confuse all the work you have, be it papers or labs or projects, with "Work," which is what the Duke employees around you are doing. Everything belongs in context.
As the football beat writer this past season, talking to the players gave me all the context I needed. After one loss, senior tight end Mike Hart said he would trade a broken leg for a win. Hart eventually broke his ankle late in the season, and the win still never came.
As a student and a basketball fan, after a while, you become less concerned about the bad classes or the Sweet-16 losses. And you start to realize how lucky you were to experience the great seminars, and the championship win. Be upset when we lose, but don't forget to be happy when we win.
Trinity senior Harold Gutmann would like to thank Laura and Evan for understanding the need to conduct constant "research," consisting mainly of watching ESPN.
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