After 13 days, four basketball games, several travel delays, and one trip to the top of the tallest building in the world, the Blue Devils arrived back in North Carolina Saturday morning after their journey around the globe to China and the United Arab Emirates.
Upon the arrival of the team and accompanying fans at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, head coach Mike Krzyzewski climbed up on the baggage carousel to address the group a final time. He thanked the passengers for traveling with the team, both for being great fans and for “becoming great friends.”
“We went on a campaign and came back undefeated,” Krzyzewski said. “I didn’t know how the trip would go, in terms of the development of our team but also the interaction of everyone on it, but I thought we were a real team.”
Duke won all four of its contests abroad, which included three games against China’s junior national team and one game against the United Arab Emirates’ national team. Junior forward Ryan Kelly said the trip helped the team realize what it can work on before the season and helped the players come together, especially during the sightseeing excursions.
“I think the Great Wall was pretty amazing,” Kelly said. “It’s something you may only experience once.... The Burj Khalifa [in Dubai], just seeing that, the tallest building in the world, there were some amazing things we saw on this trip.”
Associate head coach Chris Collins said that in addition to the basketball experience, one of the coaching staff’s goals for the trip was to “have some fun along the way.” Typically, almost all of the players’ hours are accounted for on the road.
“During the season, it’s all business,” Collins said. “You’re going in there, preparing, playing a big game and you’re getting out of there.”
Kelly added that the experience gives the team’s five freshmen—Austin Rivers, Quinn Cook, Alex Murphy, Marshall Plumlee and Mike Gbinije—a huge advantage months before their first contest. In addition to the four games and practices during the trip, the Blue Devils were allowed under NCAA rules to practice 10 times before leaving Durham.
“It’s great for them,” Kelly said. “Not even just playing the games but also the practices beforehand and the style of the trip, you know [being] on the road and... [seeing] how the season progresses.”
Because the team took a smaller plane than originally planned due to mechanical issues at the beginning of the trip, the Blue Devils made three stops between Dubai and North Carolina: in Germany, Ireland and Maine. When speaking to the group at the final destination, Krzyzewski thanked the passengers for being cooperative and travel agents for their efforts despite the complications.
“It was a fabulous journey,” Krzyzewski said.
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