Before Duke's Thursday night tilt against North Carolina, the Blue Devils received a rowdy pregame speech from graduate assistant Chris Hoover. As evidenced by the video below, some equipment—specifically a folding chair—was indeed harmed in the filming of the pep talk (start video at :09).
Hoover, a former walk-on linebacker, did not see game action in three years with the Blue Devils. If he tackles with the same ferocity with which he slams chairs, Duke's opponents from the past few seasons may be breathing a sigh of relief.
Hoover also got the Blue Devils fired up when he was still on the team before the Belk Bowl in 2012.
Whenever furniture flies, it's only appropriate to pay tribute to the master of the art form, former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight. Knight famously chucked his chair onto the court five minutes into a 1985 game against in-state rival Purdue after disputing a series of foul calls on his Hoosiers (start video at :15).
Which begs the question: Who threw it best?
It's a tough call, because the two employ very different techniques to get their point across. Hoover takes the WWE-style smackdown approach, and Knight goes for maximum distance traveled, a two-handed fling that's sort of like the most violent bocce ball shot you've ever seen.
The Blue Devils may have been amped up by Hoover's speech, but that energy quickly dissipated after two costly fumbles on Duke's first two possessions that put them in an early 14-0 hole. The offense never recovered, and the defense couldn't stop the Tar Heel ground game, as Duke played catch-up the rest of the way in the disappointing 45-20 loss.
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