Column: From Clubbin' to Cameron

It was the most entertaining basketball game I'd ever seen.

It took place in the blue confines of the IM building, the eyesore that is conveniently and deliberately tucked away behind the Wilson Center and the Sheffield Tennis Center. The edifice is perhaps best known for its ability to shelter residents of Krzyzewskiville when the weather turns nasty and the Head Line Monitor refuses to provide grace for his citizens.  

Such was the case last February, when the winter doldrums were remedied with a little four-on-four action pitting a quartet from the women's club basketball team, and four random and hapless guys--victims, as they'll be known henceforth--in front of an enchanted throng of tenters.

"I still have people come up to me and talk to me about that game," said sophomore Dana Morgan, the star of the troupe that trounced the boys that day.

The victims were not bad at basketball. It was just that Morgan and her teammates were that much better, that much more confident, and that much more supported by the 500 or so tenters--not to mention a deejay-turned-commentator--that packed themselves around the court.

"I just talked trash and got the crowd into it," Morgan reminisced. "Wow, I still remember the deejay that was there. He was really bashing those guys. The crowd was awesome; having everyone watch like that was exhilarating, awesome. We all fed off their energy."

And though Morgan will continue performing in front of the same Dukies this winter, she will be doing so in a slightly better venue--Cameron Indoor Stadium.

Coach Gail Goestenkors broke the news to the 5-foot-9 guard about two weeks ago, inviting the former Arkansas All-Stater to a meeting in her office after a team workout.

"[Goestenkors] started the conversation by saying something like, 'I'm sorry I haven't told you sooner, but I've been out of town, and I felt like this was something I should tell you in person.' So I definitely thought she was about to tell me she's sorry, she doesn't need me on the team, but thanks for trying. We talked for a few minutes about what her expectations are, what mine are, etc. Then, just really casually, she said, 'Okay, we'll have a team meeting today, and I'll let the girls know that you're on the team.'

"I just smiled and said, 'Thank you.' But let me tell you, when I got back to my room, my roommate and I jumped up and down screaming. I called my parents first thing. They've been right there pushing me this entire time. They never let me give up. This was just as much their dream as mine."

Morgan, who hails from tiny Harmony Grove High School in Camden, Ark., had received offers from small schools in and around the Razorback state. But she opted for Duke because she felt like she "couldn't pass up this awesome opportunity."

"I came to Duke hoping I could be happy without playing competitive basketball," Morgan said. "The first week I was here I met some girls on the club basketball team. Of course I was interested, so I went to the tryouts and everything. I absolutely loved it. I love basketball, I love my club teammates. Everything was great until I went to the women's varsity games. That's when I realized that what I really wanted was to be out there."

So Morgan did what few aspiring athletes would do: she convinced one of the nation's best coaches to give her the summer workout program with the hope that she could walk on one of the nation's best teams. She began playing pick-up games with some of the varsity players soon thereafter, and then returned to Arkansas to get her body ready for the chance of making the team.

"I went home this summer and talked a couple of my friends into training with me," Morgan said. "My friends, Kris and Brit, and I all had jobs, so we had to go around a lot of the schedule. Kris and I would go lift at six every morning. Then, depending on what that day's program was, we'd either run or I'd go do agilities. I'd go to work, then Brit would meet me at the gym for another workout, and we'd run afterwards. Then we'd meet a bunch of guys at the outside courts and play until it got too dark to see the ball."

Certainly, Morgan will not be the leading scorer for the No. 2 Blue Devils. Duke is absolutely stacked this year, particularly in the backcourt. Duke has at least six legitimate All-ACC candidates: Vicki Krapohl, Lindsey Harding, Mistie Bass, Monique Currie, Iciss Tillis and Alana Beard. And lest I forget, Goestenkors landed the best pair of freshmen in America to boot in Ohioans Brittany Hunter and Alison Bales.

Still, whether or not Morgan is a contributor is moot--she's already fulfilled a dream. But something tells me that won't be enough for Morgan.

Meanwhile, the ACC is continuing its best impersonation of Microsoft, unabashedly gobbling up competitors and their football revenues as quickly as possible. And Dana Morgan will continue preparing for her first season as a varsity college athlete, which--unlike the 51-year-old league--is a goal that has been attained through aid by family and friends, fueled by hard work and determination, and lined with loyalty and humility--not dollar signs.

And that's what college athletics ought to be about.