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Carolina_Blue
11-19-2009, 06:35 PM
as a Carolina fan I was against my cousin going to Duke Basketball school. However, I was asked to pick him up one day and had the privelage of actually meeting Coach K. (as a basketball fan its impossible not to be excited about meeting coach K even if he is coaching my sworn enemy) I say meeting because even though he was flying in and out of town to be with team USA he still found time during the week to come back for the camp. He went through the line of mostly consisting of parents and actually talked with them individually. I mean you would of thought he had all the time in the world, he asked how my cousin liked the camp and even asked about my Carolina baseball shirt that I was wearing. We both shared a laugh as he shook my hand and told me he needed me in a Duke shirt next time we met. I was really impressed. So, yes even as a die-hard tar heel I will say I gained even more respect for him for showing that dedication to his camp even when he was so busy trying to get our national team back to prominence

meloveduke
11-19-2009, 06:42 PM
So when are you getting that shirt?

Carolina_Blue
11-19-2009, 06:56 PM
So when are you getting that shirt?

haha. when one of yall buys me one. or the next time I need something to wash my car with

BD80
11-19-2009, 07:12 PM
haha. when one of yall buys me one. or the next time I need something to wash my car with

I understand your predicament. Every time I use carolina garb to wash my car, the car winds up dirtier than when I started!

DeepBlue70
11-19-2009, 07:25 PM
Funny that this should show up just now. My junior year at Duke (Bubas years) I lived in an apt in Chapel Hill with 4 Tarheels because we were all involved in a Christian ministry together. Christian or not, they used to really rub it in when the Heels beat us and I have never gotten over it. I probably detest the baby blues more than most. Fast forward to last night, one of these 4 guys calls me on the phone. He now lives off of 15-501 between Durham and Chapel Hill and his two grown children live within a block of him in the same subdivision. He admits to me that his opinion of Coach K has changed recently. Turns out that his kids and K's kids all live in the same neighborhood and have become great friends. Not only that he said K comes over all the time to do landscaping and planting in his kid's yards and to play with his grandkids and that he always is very friendly and has time to talk with whoever is out in the neighborhood. He said he has now seen a whole different side of Coach K, one he cannot dismiss even as a lifelong loyal Tarheel with season tickets for both basketball and football.

Carolina_Blue
11-19-2009, 07:36 PM
Funny that this should show up just now. My junior year at Duke (Bubas years) I lived in an apt in Chapel Hill with 4 Tarheels because we were all involved in a Christian ministry together. Christian or not, they used to really rub it in when the Heels beat us and I have never gotten over it. I probably detest the baby blues more than most. Fast forward to last night, one of these 4 guys calls me on the phone. He now lives off of 15-501 between Durham and Chapel Hill and his two grown children live within a block of him in the same subdivision. He admits to me that his opinion of Coach K has changed recently. Turns out that his kids and K's kids all live in the same neighborhood and have become great friends. Not only that he said K comes over all the time to do landscaping and planting in his kid's yards and to play with his grandkids and that he always is very friendly and has time to talk with whoever is out in the neighborhood. He said he has now seen a whole different side of Coach K, one he cannot dismiss even as a lifelong loyal Tarheel with season tickets for both basketball and football.


I will second that...I do have a different respect for him now. I respected him as a man and great coach before. But I was beyond impressed at that dedication.

moonpie23
11-19-2009, 07:53 PM
i know the perception of someone as the enemy can be different than when you actually meet that person...


i can crack on ol' roy all day long, but i do respect him.

MChambers
11-19-2009, 08:47 PM
I will second that...I do have a different respect for him now. I respected him as a man and great coach before. But I was beyond impressed at that dedication.

It's very nice of you to post this. Thanks for doing it.

Carolina_Blue
11-19-2009, 09:29 PM
Absolutely...furthermore I as a teenager went to UNC camp when Matt Doherty was there. And I promise I am a carolina fan, but the only time I remember seeing him at that camp was when he took pictures individually with the campers. Even in the brief 10 seconds it took to take the picture he came off as a d*** to be perfectly honest. He was rushing the kids ahead of me and I figured it was because he was a busy man, but then to see Coach K at his camp talking to people personally like he had all the time in the world and mind you this was when he was heavy into the national team he would come back and tell the campers about working with team USA and what he was doing with them. It really spoke volumes about the kind of man he is. I mean because when you are a young kid that means the world to you. I mean I never forgot that about Matt Doherty. It was really great to see him (Coach K) do that and I figured you guys would appreciate that most. So even as a rival, I really have a ton of respect for the guy on and off the court.

JaMarcus Russell
11-19-2009, 09:37 PM
While we are sharing experiences with other coaches, I have an anecdote as well. My dad was flying back home from a conference when I was a little kid (3 or 4 years old). He ended up on the same flight as the entire Kansas basketball team and their new head coach. I guess back in the late '80s, the teams flew coach instead of taking charters.

Anyways, my dad sat next to Roy and said that he was very friendly. They talked about basketball throughout the flight, and at the end, he gave my dad a little stuffed Jayhawk. I guess he generally brought a couple of those in his bags in case he met friendly people with little kids or something. When my dad returned home, he gave it to me. I used to love that stuffed animal back then. :D

chrisheery
11-19-2009, 11:02 PM
If I met Roy Williams, I would be bummed out. Then I would wash my hand after he shook it.

Lid
11-20-2009, 08:22 AM
Thanks for posting this -- I am an enormous fan of remembering and respecting others' humanity. I'm glad to hear that Coach K surprised you in a good way.

Now, do me a favor and spread that story with the lovely legions who call him Ratface. Pretty please? It broke my heart to read an interview with one of his daughters, talking about how her kids get so sad and confused when they hear people in this community being so cruel about their grandfather.

ChicagoDevil
11-20-2009, 08:32 AM
Thanks for posting this -- I am an enormous fan of remembering and respecting others' humanity. I'm glad to hear that Coach K surprised you in a good way.

Now, do me a favor and spread that story with the lovely legions who call him Ratface. Pretty please? It broke my heart to read an interview with one of his daughters, talking about how her kids get so sad and confused when they hear people in this community being so cruel about their grandfather.

I cannot even imagine saying something to a child that would be hurtful to them regarding their grandparent. Those that do such things must have such a lack of self-esteem that the only way they feel better about themselves is to tear down a child? WOW.....Time for some therapy......

Indoor66
11-20-2009, 09:41 AM
I cannot even imagine saying something to a child that would be hurtful to them regarding their grandparent. Those that do such things must have such a lack of self-esteem that the only way they feel better about themselves is to tear down a child? WOW.....Time for some therapy......

Rather than therapy, maybe civility?

HCheek37
11-20-2009, 09:53 AM
I would definitely want it to be over a skype conversation. Never seen a smile that big before.


To further on the Coach K discussion here, as a child I had the privilege of attending the Duke youth basketball camp twice. I enjoyed the camp thoroughly and while my memory of it isn't 100% clear, I remember Coach K being there daily giving speeches, watching games, and talking to campers.

One afternoon while the campers were gathering for the next session, Coach K was walking around with a basketball and started to shoot a couple shots. He then looked toward the crowd of kids in awe, and picked one to play D-U-K-E against (instead of horse). Once he finishing winning his first game he looked toward the crowd for another opponent and sure enough he pointed straight at me.

I remember being extremely nervous but was calmed when I went up and shook his hand and he joked with me that hopefully I would do better than his last opponent. I ended up losing but actually got a couple misses from him. He definitely made me feel comfortable, even asking about why I root for Duke. After I told him that my Grandfather played on the team in the late 30's, K was interested and actually talked to me about him later in the week.

This man is truly a special combination of basketball knowledge and class. He is one of the reasons in my opinion that Duke fans are so passionate. It is so easy to root for a program headed up by a coach who carries himself such as Coach K. I really hope he stays on for another 15+ years.

cbnaylor
11-20-2009, 10:03 AM
I like many have a great story about Coach K character. This past May, Coach K was at Barnes and Nobles signing autographs for those who purchased his book "The Golden Standard". He was schedule to be there from 6-8. I was there by 4:15 waiting until 6 o'clock. I was standing in line when it turned 8 o'clock and was worried that I wouldn't get the chance to meet him. I was finally able to meet him at 9 and one of the reasons that the signing period was taking so long was for the simple fact that he was taking pictures with fans and actually having a brief conversation with them. Come to find out, K stayed at this book store until 12. This truly shows the type of person that he is.

bluedevilallie
11-20-2009, 11:07 AM
You know, I have been a Duke fan all my life--both my folks went there, I did too, and have even had the chance to work in the diet and fitness center some-- and I have been watching not just Duke basketball but Duke sports since I was old enough to remember! One of my dad's reunion weekends Coach K spoke to the group (it was a medical school Davidson event)--i think it was right after we won our first national title. We got to meet him right after (my parents had met him before but my sister and I had yet to meet him) and I have to say I came away more impressed with him as a person--he spoke about the values of team work, etc.....It makes me so mad to hear people bash him, call him names and talk about him like they have a clue what he is made of. I have to remember my Dad's words--when you do things right, people always want to tear you down. Remember if people weren't so afraid and apprehensive (baby blues and other anti-duke people) they wouldn't always be casting Duke and Coach K in a negative light.
Be proud he is our coach!

Carolina_Blue
11-20-2009, 11:16 AM
I think a rivalry as heated as ours sadly sometimes come to that. I would like to think that both teams were above the sort of behavior that fan sometimes exhibit. However, everyone knows that is not the case. I have heard about every coach K insult you can imagine. I only wish other people had the privelage of not necessarily meeting him, but just watching him interact with young people be it his team or otherwise. Tar Heel or Devil I think we can agree that he is someone that should be aspired to not talked down about, and 99% of the people who do perpetuate the negatives about him are the people that know the least about him. I mean but he wouldn't be doing as good a job as he is if Carolina fans didn't hate him, right?

DukeUsul
11-20-2009, 11:19 AM
I'll never forget the time my girlfriend (now wife) and I went to a Duke soccer game. And Coach K tripped my wife as we walked up the stands, with his foot stuck out into the aisle. What a jerk!

Nah just kidding! That really happened, but he was so nice about it and very apologetic.