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Putting the K in Crazies
'A.M. Mayhem' only part of Krzyzewski's plan to connect with Cameron crowd
BY BRYAN STRICKLAND bstrickland@heraldsun.com; 419-6671
The Herald-Sun
Saturday, October 18, 2003
Final Edition
Sports Section
Page D4
As Duke students gathered outside of Cameron indoor Stadium on Friday night in anticipation of 'A.M. Mayhem,' a group called the 'Hunger Patrol' grilled up free food from a fast-food chain.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is heading up a 'Hunger Patrol' of his own, grilling students in hopes of getting them to recognize and respect their role within the Duke basketball program.
'At the end of last year, I thought we weren't as hungry as a group,' Krzyzewski said. 'We need to be hungry.
'All of us need to be hungry and innovative and creative.'
The last time Krzyzewski's team played in front of the home folks was Senior Night more than seven months ago, and Krzyzewski wasn't a happy camper when it came to the Krzyzewskiville tenters.
When seniors Dahntay Jones, Casey Sanders and Andre Buckner were honored before the game, Krzyzewski couldn't help but notice that the stands were half-empty. And throughout much of Duke's victory over Florida State, the stands sounded half-empty.
'No game in here should be like that,' said Krzyzewski, whose Blue Devils have won 28 straight games at home, the second-longest streak in the nation behind Western Kentucky's 36-game streak. 'It was obvious that it wasn't as intense as it needs to be. Was it bad overall, compared to the world? No. Was it less than what we've had here in the past? Yes.
'We weren't as good, so how can we be better? Part of doing this is to try to start off the right away.'
Duke hadn't held a midnight practice to tip off the season since 1999, partially because students have often been on fall break when preseason practice opens. But the students are in town this weekend -- homecoming weekend no less -- setting the stage for the return of the popular event.
A couple of students at the front of the line for Friday's festivities said they walked over to Cameron around 7 a.m. but left because the line hadn't began to form. But by 2 p.m. -- nine hours before students were allowed in -- the line started taking shape.
'I can't say that Coach K was wrong in what he was saying,' said senior Donald Wine, who will serve as head line monitor for students this season. 'It was a down year for the Cameron Crazies. A lot of people sensed it; I sensed it.
'But I think this year is definitely going to be much better. the kids are animated and they're excited. This is just a practice, and we have about 700 people in line right now.'
The midnight practice is just part of the athletics department's plan to return the Cameron Crazies to their trademark craziness.
Less than a month after last season ended with a loss to Kansas in the Sweet 16, Krzyzewski showed up at an on-campus town meeting of sorts to discuss student spirit. Krzyzewski listened to concerns over the six-week wait that students endured at Krzyzewskiville for tickets to the UNC and Maryland games, and earlier this month new rules were announced that should shorten the wait.
Also, the Blue Devils have designated their first exhibition game against outside competition -- Nov. 5 against the EA Sports All-Stars -- as 'freshman night' in hopes of bringing Duke's newest students into the fan fold right away.
'You just get accustomed to winning, and when you get accustomed to winning you sometimes feel like you're not a part of the process that produces the win,' Krzyzewski said. 'Historically here, the students have always been a part of the process. Somewhere along the line, I probably wasn't getting that message across as well as I could, 'You are part of what we're doing.'
'I'm not going to ride a motorcycle in or put sideburns on and do an Elvis impersonation. there are certain things that I'm not going to do, but that doesn't knock out the things that you can do. the best thing you can do is tell them the truth, that they're a part of the team and we need them.'
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