A, B, C, Duke basketball.
The lesson began under dark blue lights, with cheers echoing through Cameron Indoor Stadium. Countdown to Craziness had finally arrived — and with it, the annual chance to learn Duke’s pillars of basketball culture.
Flashy promo videos and booming bass beats inspired near-ceaseless applause from attendees, but it was hard to steal focus away from the court. From Cooper Flagg’s windmill dunk in the scrimmage warm-ups to Maliq Brown and Khaman Maluach’s slams during the game, the men’s team took every chance to show-off in front of a crowd. Freshman Isaiah Evans walked away with the most points of the night. Flagg and Kon Knueppel demonstrated shotmaking promise of their own. Guards Caleb Foster and Tyrese Proctor stepped up as veteran leaders, pushing each other in a gritty battle from opposite sides of the Blue and White showdown.
If fans walked into Cameron Indoor looking for a glimpse of team potential, they certainly found it. But potential doesn’t win championships — and the Blue Devils have their sights set on more than a scrimmage victory.
“We have a group that plays hard naturally, they compete,” head coach Jon Scheyer said. “Obviously we have a long way to go, just meshing and getting a feel for each other.”
Lesson No. 1: A is for Ambition.
Duke basketball aims higher than the rafters it descended from — a lofty goal, considering the glowing ramp and dazzling light show. The night’s introductions sparked one deafening roar after another: Maluach’s entrance draped with the South Sudanese flag, Cameron Sheffield’s leap into the student section and even Stanley Borden’s keyboard rendition of “Gravity.” For Knueppel, who chose to share his spotlighted moment with his younger brothers and Ryan Young, that team culture was the highlight of Countdown.
“It's unbelievable,” he said. “I've never been to a place where they care that much about basketball.”
Standing ovations for Young and former forward Josh Hairston during a timeout in the second half of the scrimmage only solidified the sense of basketball community. Though a majority of the players on the court were playing in a Duke uniform for the first time, there was no doubting their Blue Devil belonging when they left for the night.
Lesson No. 2: B is for Brotherhood.
Of course, Countdown wouldn’t be worth half the hype without its overzealous fans. If there’s one thing Duke students don’t need to be taught, it’s spirit.
“You get in Cameron, and you just absolutely let loose,” senior Grace Williams said.
With paint on their faces and magic fingers on their hands, the students brought Section 17 to life. Some had spent over nine hours in line for their Countdown spot. Once inside, they made the most of the experience: screaming, dancing and hanging out onto the court all night for player high-fives.
“It’s cool to know the brightest students in the whole country can just break loose for a little while and have a good time,” said Donnie Lambert, a Duke fan who attends Countdown annually with his 15-year-old son Sawyer. “It seems like we should all do that: just enjoy yourself, go crazy, cheer on your teammates.”
Even Duke’s international graduate students, who spent the day setting up tents to vie for basketball season tickets, came into Countdown with high expectations of Cameron’s fans.
“They’re so famous, it’s crazy,” said Hamza Alam, a Master of Law student from Pakistan. “The atmosphere inside [Cameron] is probably one of the best in the US.”
Scheyer thanked the Crazies more than once throughout the night for their relentless energy and dedication to the program. Countdown delivered as the team’s only chance to meet its “sixth man” in a no-lose, low-stakes environment.
“I think it's a great stepping stone,” freshman Darren Harris said. “It's the first time that Cameron fills up … we get the lights and music, the energy. It's the kickoff to the season.”
Some students experienced Cameron traditions for the first time, chants of “let’s go Duke” and “here we go, Devils” growing louder over the course of the men’s scrimmage. By the time the night ended, fans were back at home atop the stadium’s worn wooden benches.
Lesson No. 3: C is for Craziness.
With those three letters, Duke spelled out the principles of its program. The rest of this season’s alphabet — from dunks to zeal — remains to be written.
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Abby DiSalvo is a Trinity sophomore and assistant Blue Zone editor of The Chronicle's 120th volume.