THE ULTIMATE BUCKET LIST FOR DUKE FANS!
The following Bucket List is numbered in order by priority. Over the years I have accomplished everything on this list with exception to #10 which is coming soon. #8 I am hoping to accomplish again this upcoming season. Here's hoping the drive for 5 ends with another banner hanging in Cameron in 2014! Some of the items on this list were easier to accomplish than others. But with time, effort, and some $, I was able to knock the items off over the years. Cover pic above was done by my good buddy and living legend Old as Dirt Devil. Check out my article for Duke Report on The Ultimate Bucket List for Duke fans at the link below.
#1 Attend the Duke Unc game
#1 on the bucket list is attend the Duke Unc game. I was often told this was impossible to make happen. You either need to throw down the $7000 + to be a season ticket holder or by random chance find somebody selling theirs who is not going. Look if you think you are going to get this ticket for face value...keep dreaming! There might be a 0.00001% chance you find that ticket for face. 3 years ago I decided I was going to cross this off my bucket list and make it happen. I realized I need to save the money to do this. 2 years ago in March of 2012 I was at the ESPN Game Day taping for the Duke Unc game. I had 5 Ben Franklins on me and was looking for a ticket that morning. I never ran into anybody selling a ticket. I was told later on that people were paying $400 to other ticket holders just to upgrade their tickets in Cameron they already had. I realized then, if I was to make it happen, I needed to spend more money. I was going to be ready for the next season. For the game in February of 2013 I decided to go all out. I ended up buying 1 front row (upper level behind the UNC bench) ticket off of Stubhub. I went with 1 ticket so I could get the best seat possible with the best view. It ended costing more than the $500 I had brought down to Cameron the year before, but it was a front row seat and I was finally in the game. Even the Go Duke website had an auction for 2 front row (bottom level section 19) seats that ended up going for $5,000! I got a hotel and was going to truly take in the entire experience. I can say it was worth every penny! The atmosphere outside Cameron with the Crazies and inside during the game was unbelievable! It is an experience I think all Duke fans should try to experience at least once. This is why it is #1 on the bucket list.
Pic I took during warm ups at the Duke Unc game on 2/13/13.
Check out the link below to get to my short movie I made documenting my 1st Duke Unc game experience.
Check out the link below it to get to my article for Duke Report on my 1st Duke Unc game experience.
Pic I took during warm ups at the Duke Unc game on 2/13/13.
Check out the link below to get to my short movie I made documenting my 1st Duke Unc game experience.
Check out the link below it to get to my article for Duke Report on my 1st Duke Unc game experience.
#2 Meet Coach K
#2 on the bucket list is meeting Coach K. I have been following Duke basketball for years and have always wanted to meet Coach K. Well that opportunity came 5 years ago when I went to my 1st Coaches Clinic at Duke. The Clinic is an excellent way to get a 1st look at the upcoming Duke basketball team. During the breaks between practices, Coach K meets with and sign autographs with the coaches and fans who came to the clinic. When talking with Coach K, he makes it personal. He just doesn't sign an autograph, say hello, and move on. Over the years we have talked about where I was from, JJ Redick and how we was my school's rival, landing star recruit Kyrie Irving, to me telling him congratulations on winning championship #4. The next time Duke has a Coaches Clinic, or if/when K does a public appearance where you could meet him, it would be worth your time to meet and talk with the all time winningest coach in men's basketball.
Pic taken by a Duke manager for me at the 2010 Coaches Clinic.
Check out the link below to get to my article for Duke Report on the 2012 Duke Basketball Coaches Clinic experience.
Pic taken by a Duke manager for me at the 2010 Coaches Clinic.
Check out the link below to get to my article for Duke Report on the 2012 Duke Basketball Coaches Clinic experience.
#3 Sit with the Cameron Crazies for a game
#3 on the bucket list is to sit with the Cameron Crazies for a game. This is the 2nd easiest thing to pull off on the bucket list. Over the years I have sat (stand) with the Cameron Crazies in section 17 for several games. It is truly a unique experience. From the moment they start jumping up and down for the tip off of the game to the moments of the famous and unique cheers they chant during games, it is an exciting and energy filled environment. I believe every fan should sit with the Cameron Crazies for at least one game to witness how a game is experienced from their view point. How can you do this? Become an Iron Duke and get tickets to a game or look for public on sale dates for tickets to the Christmas break games. Who knows you just might find yourself on tv like I did!
Pic taken by a Duke photographer at the Duke vs. Cornell game on 12/19/12.
Check out the link below to get to my article for Duke Report on one of my experiences of hanging with the Cameron Crazies for a game.
Check out the link below that to get to my Videos page where several of the videos I shot are of the Cameron Crazies cheers/chants,etc..
Pic taken by a Duke photographer at the Duke vs. Cornell game on 12/19/12.
Check out the link below to get to my article for Duke Report on one of my experiences of hanging with the Cameron Crazies for a game.
Check out the link below that to get to my Videos page where several of the videos I shot are of the Cameron Crazies cheers/chants,etc..
#4 Center Court Seats in Cameron for a Game
#4 on the bucket list is to get center court seats for a game. This one is not as easy to pull off as it was years ago. I'm talking about center court seats in Section 19 (players side of the court). My 1st game at Cameron Indoor Stadium was in the winter of 2003. I had just got into my career and had money to blow. I bought my tickets off Ebay (overpriced) and headed down to the game. We had general admission seats in Section 19 (anywhere there is not blue padding on the seats). Most of the time you see the players parents, recruits, and special guests sitting on the blue padded seats. As we walked onto the court in Cameron that day my feet started to tingle. I knew I was on the court where a lot of basketball history had taken place. As we walked over to section 19 a lady told me we could sit anywhere there wasn't any blue padding on the seats. I realized behind the players bench the padding extended all the way up about 10 rows. However, as I walking in the section I quickly noticed that 3rd row center court behind the scores table the blue padding stopped. My buddy and I parked ourselves there. It was then that I realized that my 1st game in Cameron, I was going to be able to sit center court with the perfect view. This is a different experience from section 17 with the students. Section 19 is a calmer section (no jumping up and down) with families, recruits, etc.. so we had the perfect view. It was by far one of my more exciting experiences as a Duke fan. I was able to get 5th row center court at another game. As the years passed Duke finally padded those center section 1st few row seats. If you are ever given the opportunity to sit center court or even behind the players bench, go for it!
Pic taken by me of the tip off at my 1st game in Cameron Duke vs. Portland 12/14/03.
Pic taken by me of the tip off at my 1st game in Cameron Duke vs. Portland 12/14/03.
#5 TOUR THE DUKE BASKETBALL FACILITIES/LOCKER ROOM
#5 on the bucket list is to tour the Duke basketball facilities/locker room. This was by far one of the coolest moments for me. The following is a brief recap of my experience. I had just bought my 1st smart phone (iphone 4) in the summer of 2011 and was getting used to working with apps. I had been following Duke Blue Planet on Twitter for a while. They had a contest where the 1st few people to reply with a picture of something Duke in it would win a private tour of the Duke Basketball facilities. Well, it just so happened my Twitter pic was already a pic of me in the Duke museum. I was the 1st to reply. A few others and me met Dave Bradley one morning outside near the Kville sign. He walked us into one of the side entrances that the players use at Cameron. He walked us through the under ground tunnels that connected the Krzyzewski Center to Cameron. We walked through the media room where the players and coaches can watch film. It had a giant screen and computers to use for film. The room had Duke labeled cushioned seats. We then got on an elevator and went up a few floors to the Duke Basketball Offices. It was there I walked over and looked out the window to see Krzyzewskiville below me. The hallways of the Duke Basketball offices were decorated with team posters from over the years. We then went back down the elevator. In the Krzyzewski center they had a connected weight room and cardio machines for the players to use. As we were walking out of the K center I ran into Austin Rivers. I said hello, and got a pic with him. Little did I know, a few months later he would be responsible for one of the most famous shots in the Duke Unc rivalry. Dave then lead us through some of the offices and lounging rooms that the players and coaches use. We then went into the locker room. We got to see the 4 national championship trophies on display in the locker room. Visiting the locker room was a very cool moment. I could only imagine the celebrations that took place after some of the big games that have taken place over the years. After we left the locker room we walked through the defensive room. The defensive room is the last room before the players walk out on to the court. It was decorated with pictures of some of the best defensive players to come through Duke. As the players would walk out in to Cameron they would see the following message... "Defense is the foundation for a basketball program. Usually the team that wins plays the best defense." Coach Mike Krzyzewski We then took free throw shots in Cameron in an attempt to win a team signed basketball. I left Cameron that day knowing that I had knocked off one of the top things on my bucket list. If you are ever given the opportunity to go behind the scenes and check out the locker room/facilities, go for it!
Pic taken for me in the locker room by a fellow fan while we toured the facilities on 7/23/11.
Check out the link below to get to my Duke Photos section. In that section (if you scroll through to the bottom) you will see some other pics I took while taking the tour of the Duke locker room/facilities.
Pic taken for me in the locker room by a fellow fan while we toured the facilities on 7/23/11.
Check out the link below to get to my Duke Photos section. In that section (if you scroll through to the bottom) you will see some other pics I took while taking the tour of the Duke locker room/facilities.
#6 Sit With Crazy Towel Guy For A Game
#6 on the bucket list is to sit with Crazy Towel Guy for a game. Every college always seems to have that one famous fan that everybody knows. A fan that has a lot of passion for their team. A fan that sticks out from the rest of the fan base. For Duke basketball, that fan is Crazy Towel Guy. If you have ever been to a Duke basketball game, you can spot him up in the seats directly behind section 19. Almost always at one point in the game the Cameron Crazies will start chanting... "Crazy Towel Guy, Crazy Towel Guy". Crazy Towel Guy will then let the momentum build up and then he will stand up and start swinging his towel. At the moment the Crazies will cheer loudly. A few years back I had the opportunity to sit with him for a game. A buddy of mine put me in contact with Crazy Towel Guy since he had had an extra ticket for sale to the game. I met Crazy Towel Guy at the Krzyzewskiville sign and we went into the game. He shared stories with me ranging from his time at Duke, to games he has been to, players, etc.. I enjoyed hearing all the history he had to share about Duke. During the game I heard the Cameron Crazies start to chant his name. I then looked at the student section as they were looking our way. I watched to the chair to the left of me where he was sitting as the he let the momentum build. He then stood up waving his towel and the crowd roared. I will say that was the first time in my life I had 9,000 + people looking right in my direction. The opportunity is very rare for Crazy Towel Guy to sell his extra ticket to a game. However, if you ever find yourself in the position to sit beside him for a game, then go for it. It will be an experience you will never forget.
Pic taken for me by a fellow Duke fan when I met Crazy Towel Guy for a game in 2008.
Pic taken for me by a fellow Duke fan when I met Crazy Towel Guy for a game in 2008.
#7 Tour the Duke basketball Museum
#7 on the bucket list is to visit the Duke basketball museum. This is the easiest and cheapest (it's free) to pull off from the bucket list. The Duke Basketball Museum and Sports Hall of Fame is open to the public. In the museum are several trophies, medals and awards from team and player accomplishments. The museum also has a part dedicated to Krzyzewskiville which explains the tenting process students go through for tickets to games. There is also an exhibit with a small entrance you walk through to hit a button where you can experience what the sound of Cameron Indoor Stadium is like. Every fan needs to check out the museum and see the history of accomplishments from Duke basketball and other sports.
Pic taken by my friend Brooke after the 12/19/12 Duke vs. Cornell game.
Pic taken by my friend Brooke after the 12/19/12 Duke vs. Cornell game.
#8 Attend/watch Duke Win the national Championship
#8 on the bucket list is to watch Duke win the National Championship. There are different places you can accomplish this. Whether it be traveling to the site of the Final 4 and watch it in the arena, or heading down to Cameron Indoor to watch with other fans, or watching at your favorite hangout, or with family... this is an experience all Duke fans want to happen. I remember where I was at for the last national championship in 2010. I was at my parents house watching the game with my dad. The last 2 minutes of that game took forever. I remember screaming with joy as Gordon Hayward barely missed his half court heave. The next day I could barely speak as I loss my voice cheering in that game. To experience that game with my dad was a memorable moment. Here's hoping us fans get to experience that moment again this upcoming season.
Pic taken by me after the 12/19/12 Duke vs. Cornell game.
Pic taken by me after the 12/19/12 Duke vs. Cornell game.
#9 Attend Duke's Countdown 2 Crazyness
The annual midnight madness event for Duke is known as C2C or Countdown to Crazyness. I have been going to this event for the last few years. This is a fun and family style event. This takes place right before the start of the college basketball season. Outside Cameron, before the start of C2C, they have different activities to participate in. Every year they always seem to have a cool entrance when introducing the players. Some years a dunk contest has taken place. C2C also has videos of the players on display during the event. The team poster is also revealed at C2C. The night is capped off with the Blue White game where the players scrimmage against each other. This is a unique event that I think all Duke fans should try to attend. You will leave there feeling a part of the Duke family.
Pic taken by me at CTC on 10/19/12.
Check out the link below to get to my article for Duke Report on my experience at the 2012 CTC.
Pic taken by me at CTC on 10/19/12.
Check out the link below to get to my article for Duke Report on my experience at the 2012 CTC.
#10 ... Coming Soon!
I have one more thing on the bucket list to knock out in order to accomplish the Top 10. What is it? ... Well look for an article on Duke Report as well as videos, pics, and blog entries on my site as soon as it is done. (Hoping to finish it by spring 2014.) I promise you that this bucket list item will get your attention.
Pic was taken of Kville after the Duke vs. GT game on 1/17/13.
Pic was taken of Kville after the Duke vs. GT game on 1/17/13.
