Before this year, there were always fans who admired Duke's classic blue jerseys.
But now there are those whose eyes wander to the sidelines, who follow the kaleidoscopic patterns with curiosity and make signs critiquing assistant coach Al Brown's courtside couture.
"People from home always call and ask, 'Who's that guy on the bench with all the crazy sweaters?'" freshman Jasmine Thomas said.
Brown is a man of many sweaters: 10-years- or some 350 games-worth, in fact. And in that time, Brown said he's gotten varying feedback on the technicolor pullovers. When he was an assistant for head coach Joanne P. McCallie at Michigan State, Brown said a fan came to a game with a poster declaring his love for the colorful cashmeres. Channeling his inner Dennis Rodman, Brown gave his sweater to the man after the game.
But the top assistant also has gotten e-mails advising him to "Lose that sweater," or other wardrobe advice from the team.
"I think it was the Virginia Tech game, that was the first time he wore a boring one," Thomas said. "It was just plain, cream-colored white, and we were like, 'What's going on?' So I told him, and he said, 'Well, boring sweater for a boring game.'"
But even though Brown wore what players dubbed the "Crayola crayon box" sweater to the team's big matchup at Maryland, Brown said his choices are more accidental than that.
"There's no forethought necessarily... There's one [color] that I won't wear-that's Carolina blue," he said.
Brown said he first donned a sweater for an exhibition game when he was coaching at Tennessee under Pat Summitt, and when several people complimented it, he decided to make it his signature.
Since then, he's never worn the same sweater twice to a game. But he said it'd be that way if he wore ties or suits, too, though sweaters got the edge for their comfort and packability.
"I don't like repeating outfits," he said.
He's enlisted the help of his wife, Karen, in finding unique ones, naming St. Croix and Tundra among their favorite companies.
"My wife is an expert at picking out marvelous sweaters," he said, adding that he's usually pleased with his wife's selections-thereby avoiding tensions or having to tuck away purchases in the back of his closet. "She's got a pretty good handle on my taste and her taste."
Apparently McCallie's husband has fine taste, too. Brown said two of his sweaters were gifts from John McCallie.
Though Brown said he was surprised by the attention the pieces have garnered, the team and fans seem to think the bench needs the bright spot the sweaters provide.
"Everybody says you've got to have personality on the court; his are his sweaters," Black said.
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