It’s finally basketball season at Duke.
Countdown to Craziness kicks off the 2009-2010 campaign in style tonight, with the traditional Blue-White scrimmage and a variety of other festivities to mark the occasion.
The doors of Cameron Indoor Stadium will open at 6:30 p.m., and the players will be introduced at 8 p.m. following entertainment from Duke University Improv and other campus groups. The night will also feature a dunk contest, an awards show and a concert in K-Ville featuring indie pop duo Matt and Kim.
The event is the Blue Devils’ attempt to build on the traditional Blue-White scrimmage.
“We are really excited about the start of our season,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “Tomorrow, our Countdown to Craziness, some people think that I may have already counted down to that, but it is a little bit new.”
When the event starts, the lights will dim and players will come out onto the floor to the song of their choice. Freshman Ryan Kelly said he would walk out to classic rock but declined to give any further details, and transfer guard Seth Curry will come out to “A Star is Born” by rapper Jay-Z.
“You can’t go wrong with Jay-Z,” Curry said.
Once all of the players take the court, Duke will play its Blue-White game featuring two 12-minute halves. The scrimmage will give fans a rare glimpse of Curry, who transferred last season from Liberty and must sit out the 2009-2010 season per NCAA transfer rules. As a freshman for the Flames, Curry averaged 20.2 points per game on 41.7 percent shooting.
But for one night, Curry will get the chance to play on Cameron’s floor in front of a crowd.
“I’ll be just like one of the players, having a lot of fun out there and giving the crowd a show,” Curry said. “I’m just building great relationships with them...so I can play better with them on the court. I’m kind of like brothers with them off the court.”
After the game, one special feature for Countdown to Craziness will be a Crazies Choice Awards for the last 30 years, which will recognize the Best Duke Comeback, Greatest Duke Buzzer-Beater, Most Electric Cameron Chaos and Best Dynamic Duo.
“They’re like the Oscars or the VMAs without Kanye West but, you know, Duke-style and more prestigious,” said junior guard Nolan Smith.
The highlight of the night, though, just might be the dunk contest. To the chagrin of some fans, Gerald Henderson and Marty Pocius have graduated. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t still some good dunkers on the roster. Junior Kyle Singler predicted freshman Mason Plumlee would win, but said Olek Czyz would surprise some people. It might be tough to upset Plumlee, however, who finished second in the McDonald’s All-American slam dunk contest during his senior year of high school.
Not all of the Blue Devils will compete in the contest. At the preseason press conference on Thursday, Krzyzewski had high praise for senior guard Jon Scheyer, but that didn’t stop him from making a joke at his captain’s expense.
“Scheyer will not be in it, for all of those Scheyer fans,” Krzyzewski said. “We decided not to let him embarrass himself and we didn’t allow trampolines or anything that would help him.”
Duke will follow with an open house on Oct. 17 where players will be available for autographs, plus take part in the traditional open practice.
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