In the sixth episode of her show “Sue’s Places,” Sue Bird sat down with Coach K and JJ Redick ahead of Duke’s home game against North Carolina. The Blue Zone is here to break down the conversation:
UConn and WNBA legend Sue Bird’s quest to learn about the history of college basketball led her to Duke and K-Ville to explore the world of tenting. On her ESPN+ show “Sue’s Places,” she interviewed Hall of Fame coach Mike Krzyzewski and the Blue Devils’ all-time leading scorer JJ Redick.
She explored the history of K-Ville, named after Krzyzewski, which first got its name in 1986 with a sign students placed outside Cameron Indoor Stadium. Coach K initially described the area as “a mini Woodstock,” with extension cords, hot tubs and music. He delivered pizzas and hyped up the fans.
Krzyzewski emphasized how important the Cameron Crazies were to his success, especially in tight moments. The best part was when his team needed a key defensive stop, and he could count on the fans to electrify the stadium.
“We’d make the stop… when it worked, there’s an explosion,” Krzyzewski said. “The feeling you get from that I think is even greater than the feeling when a guy hits a shot.”
In his era, the Triangle area — Chapel Hill, Raleigh and Durham — treated players like both heroes and villains. Because of the proximity, Krzyzewski said this area is so unique for college basketball. On one hand, players were adored by the Crazies.
“We were like the Beatles,” Coach K said.
They had to sneak former guard Bobby Hurley in a duffel bag out of a window because there were so many fans awaiting him after a victory against Maryland.
However, the flip side is extreme hate, and only certain players can deal with the mental hurdle that comes with constant jeering and taunting.
Bird asked Krzyzewski which players got the most hate and how they dealt with it. He identified Christian Laettner and JJ Redick as specifically welcoming the hate. Redick had a 29-point outburst against Indiana in 2005 amidst a raucous crowd that went after him relentlessly.
“The thing with the shot, you can silence the crowd… it's the best,” Krzyzewski said.
Bird went to a local Durham store and met Redick for storytelling about his glory days in Durham. He described how the size of Cameron Indoor contributes to the intensity of the stadium.
“It was a dream come true,” Redick said about playing in front of the Crazies. “There’s no place like Cameron.”
Redick embarrassingly recalls the one time he hung out in K-Ville. He admitted to playing beer pong with students the night before the North Carolina game.
While he was not able to discern many of the chants against opposing players, one thing that sticks in his mind was the “speedo guy,” aka Patrick King. In a 2003 bout against the Tar Heels, King took off all his clothes — save for a speedo — on a Jackie Manuel free throw and forced a miss.
Interestingly, in Saturday’s loss to North Carolina, there is evidence that the speedo guy may have returned. But this time it wasn't so successful, and Elliot Cadeau knocked down the free throw.
On the road, Wake Forest was a quality team in Redick’s era, with guys like Chris Paul and Justin Gray leading the charge. Redick specifically remembered Winston-Salem as a hostile environment, with the student section filled with tie-dye t-shirts.
That was another tradition reappeared this year, as the Demon Deacon faithful brought back “Tie-Dye Nation” in their 83-79 win against Duke.
In the end, both Redick and Krzyzewski marveled at the determination of the Cameron Crazies and the mutually beneficial relationship between the fans and the team. Although the Tar Heels took the matchup this year, the tradition is the epitome of passion within college basketball that will define Duke’s excellence for a long time.
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Ranjan Jindal is a Trinity sophomore and sports editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.