I've had a somewhat charmed tenure so far as sports editor of The Chronicle.
On April 5, five minutes after Butler’s Gordon Hayward launched a near-miracle shot that careened off the rim, I found myself on the court in Indianapolis, interviewing Mike Krzyzewski’s fourth national championship team. And a few weeks ago, I stood outside of a locker room in Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium as a joyous lacrosse team exorcised their demons of the past, with what Max Quinzani called a “voodoo dance” around the national championship trophy.
If you’re counting at home, the 2009-10 season was the only time in Duke history two different teams have captured their sports’ highest honors. It was a pretty good time to cover these teams as a reporter. It was an even better time for you—the student, the fan.
But now that season is complete. Which leaves a simple question at the heart of this 28th installment of Sportswrap: What’s next?
How does Duke Basketball mount a successful title defense? Where does Duke Football turn after its most prolific passer in history graduated?
Thankfully, the answers to those questions are not known now. We certainly don’t have them. The answers are instead found with the progress of each team’s season, when we all get to sit and watch together to see what will happen. That’s the really great part about sports. It’s why we all read previews like the ones to be found over the next 20 or so pages.
Director of Athletics Kevin White explained to me Duke’s goal in all sports is a constant strive to get “bigger, faster, stronger.”
Since White borrowed a Kanye West lyric (albeit most likely inadvertently), I’ll welcome you to the 2010-11 Blue Devil season in a similar fashion:
“Good morning, on this day we become legendary.”
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