A few weekends ago, hundreds of parents descended upon Duke's campus for a few days of catching up with their children, with many excitedly filing in to Cameron Indoor Stadium to watch members of the men's basketball team square off for an intrasquad scrimmage. They were dazzled by the abilities and maturity of Luol Deng, the passing of Chris Duhon, and the considerable improvement of Duke's post players. And for a few moments, the parents were puzzled--who were Borman and Means, and why were they going into the game?
Unfortunately, most parents and Cameron Crazies were unfamiliar with the Blue Devil seniors, both of whom have traversed similar obstacles during their time on Tobacco Road. Each is a walk-on who has earned a full scholarship; each is well-respected by teammates, coaches and peers alike as hard-working and fun-loving young men; and each is still grappling with the death of a dear friend.
Andy Borman, who is the nephew of head coach Mike Krzyzewski, was an All-Region soccer player and a three-year letterwinner in basketball for the Fayetteville Academy of Fayetteville, N.C., before attending the Bollettieri Sports Academy for his senior year. He then came to Duke in the fall of 1999, where he became a two-sport athlete, a rarity in Division I athletics. A star on the soccer team, Borman's role on the basketball team--like that of Means--has been considerably different from his high school days.
"Our job is to really try to push these guys and make them work hard and not let them relax at all," Borman said. "At the same time, being able to have a good time, before and after practice, and being able to laugh about certain things really helps you survive being a walk-on because sometimes it's one of the more frustrating things, to go out there and really have to scrap to do your job."
But it would be wrong to underestimate the influence of the two seniors, both of whom have stepped into leadership positions--particularly for fellow walk-ons Patrick Johnson and Patrick Davidson--behind fellow upperclassmen Duhon, Nick Horvath and Daniel Ewing.
"I've gone from more of a quiet observer to a vocal person, just being around the program for five years you kind of learn the ins and outs," Borman said. "My role personally, [it's] mainly just to work as hard as possible and never let the guys see you quit, that's definitely one way for a walk-on to earn the players' respect, and then other than that just to be overly enthusiastic before games and before practices, to let the guys know if a walk-on is going to bring it everyday, then a player who's going to make a profession out of it, they know they have to also."
For Borman and Means, who was a prep star at national power Lawrence North in Indianapolis, bringing themselves to practice every day has had ramifications far beyond that of motivating others to perform at a high level. Indeed, it has been therapeutic.
"My junior year, we were playing in the state tournament, we were No. 2 and they were No. 1, and our center, he'd signed to go to Kentucky, his name was John Stewart, he was a 7-foot-senior, and he collapsed on the floor in the third quarter, and he passed away on the spot... [Wearing his number, 53] is just my way of keeping his memory alive, in myself and those that knew him."
Means did not join the Duke basketball team until his sophomore year, saying that he needed a year to mature physically and to get acclimated to college. But his decision to go out for the Blue Devils was, in part, inspired by his friend's memory; Stewart had lost the opportunity to play Division I basketball, and now Means could celebrate his teammate by simply donning the Duke jersey.
"My sophomore year we played Kentucky, and it was a really weird situation because I knew that he could be on the other sideline," Means said. "It was really emotional because I couldn't fathom the fact that he was supposed to be there and he wasn't."
Borman's life was suspended by tragedy just last April, when his younger brother, David, was found dead in his apartment by his roommate at the University of North Carolina. His roommate promptly dialed 911, telling emergency workers that David appeared unconscious. When help arrived, the 21-year old had already passed.
"At first--as like growing from a boy into a man--it was a huge step backwards for me when everything happened because you just don't know how to deal with something like that," Borman said.
"It really does put everything into perspective. You really value not so much getting to play, or getting so-called recognition or anything like that. You really value the things that are actually important, your relationships with the coaches.... In the past I always listened to what they said, and I always took it related to basketball. And now, what they say--it really does relate to life, and I've picked up on that a lot more this year. And the main thing is...you don't take any friendships for granted; you really find time to just to spend time with the people who really care."
In his grievance and acceptance of his brother's death, Borman has been aided by members of both the basketball and soccer programs, but especially by his teammates and coaches. Just hours after the news broke of his brother's untimely death, the entire men's basketball team had come by to offer their condolences and respect to the Borman family.
A tattoo on Borman's arm with the initials "D.T.B." serves as Borman's tribute to his sibling.
"You just know that someone's up there somewhere, just looking out for you," Borman said. "I got it the day I found out [my brother had died], and it's just one of those things--you get used to it, but then every once in a while, I'll look in the mirror and see it on my arm and it's a reminder."
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