Duke Blue Devil’s 2010 Season

I am not a shy person … most people who know me – whether it is family, friends, work or even the friendly people at the local retail shops and restaurants I frequent – know I am a Duke University Women’s Basketball Fanatic and a Duke Men’s Basketball Follower … you might say I have Duke University Pride … I wave the banners proud … and speaking of banners; this year has been a BANNER Year!…

When the 2009-2010 Duke Women’s Basketball Team won the ACC Women’s Season Championship … we were there; my family and closest friends were present for the celebration at Greensboro Coliseum – sharing in the moment – embracing, cheering, so excited for this accomplishment for this team.  It was unbelievable … the Senior Players on this team have been trying to achieve this goal for so long – they did it!  We were there!!  It was a wonderful celebration… the festive balloons dropped from the ceiling … music filled the air … the happiness on everyone’s faces … the pride on the players families’ faces … after all of their names were called we watched the nets get cut down by the players, the Coaching Staff, the Team Managers, the Athletic Directors and all the supporting cast it takes to have a winning season ……

When we go back to Cameron Indoor Stadium for the upcoming season of Women’s Basketball games (November 2010), they will have the ACC Champions Banner displayed!  And we will be there.  To see the Banner … to attend with pride.…

Because we live less than 30 miles from Greensboro, NC – the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament Games and Championship Game were more feasible to travel to than Indianapolis, IN was this year.  But whoa – we tuned in for every minute of the Men’s NCAA Tournament action leading up to the Men’s Final Four … I could not believe the way the brackets were unfolding and dismantling … teams who had not lost games all season were losing … when Kansas, the #1 overall team lost to UNI in the second round, I was thinking, “ok, this is going to come down to Kentucky and Syracuse” … but then both of those teams lost … I started to think, “hmm, is it going to be K-State and WVU?” … as much of a serious Duke fan as I am, I was not believing what I was seeing and hearing!…

Butler kept winning. Duke kept winning.…

They both kept winning … wow, the final game on April 5th, 2010 … in Indianapolis … the Duke University Blue Devils … a pretty good team, but not a Pre-Season #1, not an overall favorite in the tournament VS the Butler Bulldogs (which happens to be my Alma Mater Barton College’s mascot … Bulldogs are very special to me).  An outcome predicted by only (according to ESPN) 0.03 percent (according to ESPN) of the nearly 5 million participating brackets in the ESPN Online Bracket challenge … I did not know what to expect … every scenario I had thought about up to this point has changed … could Duke really be the 2010 National Champions?  Truly, the nation got a great basketball game in this Duke VS Butler match-up!  The final score … in regulation was 61-59.  For both teams, this was their lowest scores of the entire tournament … it was an amazing game.…

When the Duke Men’s Basketball Team returned to Cameron Indoor Stadium to their Hometown Crowd … after winning the National Title Game to Butler … the anticipation was wild.  There was a public homecoming for students, faculty, staff, and fans to attend for them to arrive from the airport.…

It was April 6th, 2010 … the parking was insane – and I didn’t mind it all!!  Pollen covered every single surface available on Duke University’s Campus … “like a banner of pollen (☺)” …  I parked far enough away from Cameron Indoor Stadium that the walk served as a time to think about what was going through the Men’s Basketball Teams’ minds at this very moment; reminiscing through the seasons success, and meditating on what I was about to attend.
When I walked into Cameron Indoor Stadium … there was a buzz like no other buzz!!  The space was beginning to reach capacity!  On the scoreboard they had the Final Championship game playing – commercial free!  The scoreboard read Duke 61 Butler 59 and the time on the clock was locked on 20:10.  I found a place to sit … where the Championship game was being broadcast they showed the caravan of buses on the screen arriving from the airport and the crowd went wild!…

Shortly thereafter “The Voice of the Blue Devils,” Bob Harris announced from the podium – here are your Two Thousand Ten NCAA Basketball National Champion Duke Blue Devils! The players wore various championship announcing shirts … Coach K spoke – such amazing stories told!  Seniors John Scheyer, Lance Thomas, and Brian Zoubek said a few words.  Then Kyle Singler and Nolan Smith spoke. … each of the speakers thanked the crowd for being there and had such great comments on their experiences … what a Championship Year … the banner which is now displayed at Cameron Indoor Stadium for the 2010 Men’s Basketball NCAA Champion Duke Blue Devils … what a beautiful banner it is!  Congratulations Duke University 2009-2010 Women’s and Men’s Basketball Teams on your wonderful accomplishments and success this season!