During my years at Duke I have been fortunate both to be in a program that has allowed my academic research to flourish, and to have witnessed firsthand the peerless level of excellence of our men's basketball team. I haven't missed a GPSC basketball campout and yes, I have been crazy at Cameron. And so I was surprised at feeling troubled during the celebration that followed our victory over Virginia Tech last night.
One rule has exemplified our commitment to excellence on the court perhaps more than any other: We do not rush the court to celebrate any victory-no matter the importance, no matter the foe, save the national championship game. The rationale for the rule is precisely the higher standard to which we are supposed to hold ourselves. For example, I have seen us vanquish UNC firsthand twice at Duke (both thrilling victories), but in neither case was there even so much as a gesture toward rushing the court. And yet, in spite of the (rather strange) fact that the rule in question was mentioned explicitly in the circulating cheer sheets for the game, Duke fans rushed the court in legion to celebrate our last-second win against Virginia Tech?
I wish to emphasize that I do not mean to take anything away from Virginia Tech (which proved a worthy and laudable adversary). Nor do I wish to belittle in any way the heroic last second half-court shot by Sean Dockery, one of the most brilliant moments I will likely experience at Cameron.
I merely wish to mark my bemusement at what followed.
Hagop Sarkissian
Grad '10
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