Basketball at Duke (by M.K＆T.T)
デュークのバスケットと言えば、全米のみならず、世界にもその名が、轟いています。バスケをあまり見る習慣がなかった私は、はじめは今ひとつピンと来なかったのですが、こちらへ来て、デュークバスケのパワー、スピード、そして華麗な技を目の当たりにして、今ではなにがあってもバスケは見に行くほどのバスケファンになりました。また、デュークのオーガナイズされた応援は、全米の各大学へ大きな影響を与えており、各地でデュークの真似をした応援を見ることができるそうです。(T.T)
Right after exams last December, I went to the gym to work off Finance frustration and to play some basketball. It was just me and one other guy sharing the three courts at the Wilson Center. I guess everyone else had headed home for the holidays, including the undergrads. After shooting around for about ten minutes, I went to get a drink from the water fountain and noticed the other guy was pretty good. He kept hitting threes, one after the other after the other. I looked closer, and it was Jason Williams, now the starting point guard for the Chicago Bulls.
Every college in America has its sports teams. You can have fun just about anywhere going out to the football games on Sunday or to the basketball, volleyball, or soccer games. But being at Duke is special. Being at Duke means you belong to not only one of the finest academic institutions in America, but also to a tradition of basketball excellence. This tradition bonds all students from across the different schools and makes the experience of getting an MBA at Duke even more special.
Basketball season for MBAs begins at the annual campout for tickets in September. Starting on a Friday evening, thousands of graduate students gather in one of the parking lots at Duke. Most grad students sleep in tents, but the MBAs create teams and rent campers and U-hauls to sleep in. From Friday evening until the early hours of Sunday morning, random whistles call the participants to the sign-in tent. If you miss two whistle sign-ins, you are disqualified. Imagine a hoard of drunken grad students half asleep stammering to get in line after a 2:00 am whistle. It’s far from pretty. For those who survive the whistles, they are entered into a lottery to determine whether they receive tickets or not. My team went 6 for 10 this year, which means I can attend 11 games. Unfortunately, one of the first year Fuqua teams ended up 0 for 8. Still, the fun and misery of campout creates friendships that last a lifetime. One of my sectionmates met his fiance at campout last year, and they will marry this Spring. Just another reason to experience campout, even if you don’t have any interest in basketball.
In addition to having great teams, we are afforded the opportunity to witness one of the best coaches in America, regardless of sport. This past August, Coach K in conjunction with Fuqua held a leadership conference and invited CEOs from around the country. He invited the first years to attend his speech as well. Afterwards, there was a charity game pitting current NBA players against former Duke players, including Shane Battier and Grant Hill. Last year, I got to enjoy Jay, Mike, and Carlos. And in the coming years, I foresee current players Chris Duhon, Daniel Ewing, J.J. Reddick, and Sean Dockery all making the jump to the riches of the NBA. With the women’s team currently ranked number one in the country, too, basketball is alive and well in Durham again.
Last fall when I was a first year, one of the professors unknowingly scheduled an exam at the same time as one of the basketball games. When we let him know, he postponed the exam, so that we could all watch the game, including him. Only at Duke…
Michael Kurima