Growing up in North Carolina, we were raised on ACC basketball and everything would stop when the tournament came on. The excitement would build as everyone would sport their school colors and the rivalries would begin. When I say everything stopped…. Even school. During ACC tournament days the teachers would roll the black AV cart with the tv and our treat would be not an afternoon of learning about History, but watching history unfold on the basketball court. Most of my friends (or enemies during basketball season) would pull the for UNC Tar Heels or NC State Wolfpack. My fascination was with the Duke Blue Devils. To me, Coach K was a Hero! He knew how to make a bunch of guys turn things into a miracle winning Shot with only seconds left on the clock. These were the players, Dawkins, Bilas, Allery, Amaker, Henderson and Snyder. They were one of Coach K’s first of amazing teams and unlike today, they stuck around all 4 years. This great team would leave me gasping for breath but exhillerated all at the same time. One ACC championship game in 1986 inspired me so much that I wrote them a cheesy poem. (Cheesy, you can check it out below) I was so proud of my work that I sent it to Duke’s Coach, Mike Krzyzewski never expecting to hear anything back. But one afternoon, I was sitting in science class and someone came from the school office with a big white envelope for me. On the front of the envelope in big blue letters….Department of Duke Universtity Basketball. What?! I will never forget the moment I opened it and found a signed team pic from Coach K thanking me for my beautiful poem! To say, on top of the world was an understatement. I suspect my Dad was just as excited for me because he couldn’t wait for me to get out of school. He went straight up to the school to deliver it to me. 
This started my fascination with Duke and Coach K. I could go on and on with stories of my continued encounters with my favorite players, like when Johnny Dawkins stopped to look at my whole Duke Scrapbook I toted to him to sign one day and how Jay Bilas came into the stands at an All Star game to give me a hat he signed and maybe he influenced me to be a communication major like he was… Fast forward 33 years….
The ACC tournament was back in NC and in the same city where I live. Many of my friends couldn’t believe I wasn’t going to a game. Our schedule has been crazy. I really was just planning on watching the games from home. But on the morning of the Championship game, which Duke was going to be in, my husband woke me up and said we are going to that game tonight. I hadn’t even thought about it. What? Really? It was almost if I was that 7th grader again in science class. I was so excited! I was also going to experience it with my now 7th and 8th grade boys. It was a really cool experience! Thanks to some super sweet friends with Duke connections, they were able to find us some extra tickets which happened to be where the Duke player’s parents were sitting…(like the Admiral, David Robinson!) When the game was over we were right in the action. We got to watch the confetti fall, the players cut the net, and receive the trophy. Extra special for me, Jay Bilas, one of the ESPN analyst, presented the championship trophy to Coach K. When Coach received the award, he mentioned how Jay Bilas, Dawkins, Allery and Amaker (team from 1986) was the team that began his road to winning and championships. My heart just swelled in emotion. I was that 7th grade little girl again. My eyes teared up for I don’t know how many more years we’ll see Coach K at these championships. But I know I was witnessing more History. It was a night I will always remember. I’m so Thankful my husband decided we should go to the game and that we were able to get tickets. Not just tickets but it an awesome spot for an Old Duke Fan. A Trouvaille moment! 
For those of you that hate basketball and even Duke, you have probably already stopped reading this. But substitute Duke for your childhood star, player, team or hero. You probably can remember that excitement. Take yourself back in time…..oh to be a kid again. Thanks for joining me while going down memory lane.
