12 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
THE CHRONICLE
MIKE KRZYZEWSKI IS MORE THAN JUST A COACH. THE OLYMPICS ARE MORE THAN JUST SPORT. BOTH NOW AFFECT DUKE’S
GOLDENGAMEOF
GLOBALIZATION. TION. BY BEN COHEN
H
ow do you say “Coach K” in Chinese? President Richard Brodhead might know. Brodhead is a Yale-trained academic with a scholarly interest in American literature and a life rooted in higher education. He traveled to Asia for two weeks in June 2006 in his first overseas trip as Duke’s president and while in Shanghai, he answered an hour and a half’s worth of questions about Duke in an online chatroom for about 10 million Chinese students. They asked him about education and worldwide reputation, but they also wanted to know more about the leader of the University’s most visible team. Kobe Bryant, too, might know. Bryant, who bypassed college life by jumping from high school to the pros, is perhaps the world’s best basketball player. The reigning NBA MVP flew to Asia in September to promote Nike and Team USA in preparation for this summer’s Olympic Games in Beijing and traversed five cities—Beijing, Alana Beard is no stranger to accolades.
FUL E P O PIAN HEARD M Y L O AB ALAN BY ARCHITH RAMKUMAR
BASKETBALL FORWARD
She was the first women’s basketball player to have her jersey retired at Duke and has already been named to three All-Star teams in just four WNBA seasons. But despite these accomplishments, Beard has her eye on a more satisfying prize. “I’ve always wanted to be an Olympian—it’s been an ultimate goal of mine,” Beard said. “It’s something while growing up that I’ve always wanted to be a part of and do. To be picked from hundreds of women means so much, you can’t even put it in words. It’s definitely an honor.” The honor could now be Beard’s, as Team USA announces its roster in early July. Beard already has some experience with Olympic competition, having played for the 2003 Under-
Hong Kong, Manila, Taipei and Shanghai—in his five-day “Supernatural Tour.” When he returned, he talked to the national team’s coach. “It’s unbelievable,” he told Mike Krzyzewski. “Coach, they ask questions about you. They ask questions about Duke.” Krzyzewski certainly knows. He made his first trip to China in 2007, and some approached him using his nickname, even if they wanted to ask more questions about Bryant and LeBron James. Krzyzewski, who will begin his 29th year at Duke after he attempts to guide Team USA to its first gold medal since 2000, was struck with the Chinese adoration of basketball, their knowledge of Duke and, consequently, Duke Basketball. “I’m conscious of being a representative of Duke every second of my life, because I’m branded with Duke,” Krzyzewski said. “Whether I go out to eat, whether I go to the grocery store, getting gas... but I also know that if I’m on the road or somebody might not be able to pronounce my name, they’ll say, ‘Duke!’” I say, ‘No, it’s Mike Krzyzewski.’” Chinese is a tonal language; beautiful, it is not. But one name in Chinese is melodious to a school in the middle of a concerted effort to expand its international presence. “It is by happy chance that a famous Duke person will be leading probably the most watched sport in these Olympics,” Brodhead said. “Duke did not contrive the Olympics to be in Beijing. And Duke could not have gotten Mike Krzyzewski chosen as the coach.... Well, as it happens, you put these two coincidences together and you get a great drama played out on a great stage. It’s extraordinary—it’s absolutely extraordinary.” The answer to one question might define Duke’s great leap more than any other. So, again: How do you say “Coach K” in Chinese?
M
acau, baby, Macau. Like Vegas on the juice.
It is, with Hong Kong, one of two special administrative regions in China. It is almost autonomous. But Macau is most known for a byproduct of its relative independence: It is the top gambling destination in the world, having overtaken Las Vegas for most casino revenue in 2006. The Venetian Macau will host two of Team USA’s exhibition games July 31 and Aug. 1. The Venetian Macau will also be home to about 75 Duke represen-
21 World Championship team and the 2006 FIBA World Championship squad, which brought home a bronze medal. She knows that being part of the 2008 team would be even more demanding. “People don’t grasp how extreme the training is,” Beard said. “For you to be a part of the team, you have to undergo unbelievable preparation. From college to the WNBA it goes up one level, but from the WNBA to the Olympics, it goes up 10 levels.” Beard is not the only Duke graduate considered for the team. Minnesota Lynx guard Lindsey Harding, whose jersey hangs in the rafters next to Beard’s, is also on a short list to earn a spot on the roster, and Beard believes that the success of the two stars is a reflection of Duke. SEE BEARD ON PAGE 16
EFU P O H PIAN OWBUR M Y L O ON R N N A SH BY KATIE R
TRACK AND FIELD FIEL 1,500-METER
THE CHRONICLE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008 | 13
FILE O R P PIAN AWKINS M Y L O YD N N H JO
BY JOE DREWS
BASKETBALL ASSISTANT COACH Johnny Dawkins has lived in Durham since his freshman year at Duke.
tatives that weekend. The University, the development office and the basketball program’s Legacy Fund have collaborated to create a two-day event to coincide with Krzyzewski and Team USA’s appearance. There will be gambling, golf, basketball and, the main attraction, a chance to mingle with Krzyzewski, who will meet with Duke donors, alumni and parents. “It’s once in a lifetime. It’s never happened before, and it may never happen again that the Duke University head coach is the head coach of our Olympic team,” said Mike Cragg, associate athletic director and director of the Legacy Fund. “That alone is a reason to celebrate.” Eric Savage graduated from Duke in 1992 and was on campus for four Final Fours and two national championships. He lives in Bangalore, India now, but manages to catch every Duke game through a Slingbox, which transmits the cable from his parents’ television in Toledo, Ohio. A fellow Duke graduate in Hong Kong tapes the games and sends them to him, as well, and he watches them again on his iPod at the gym. Savage postponed an annual vacation to the United States to attend the Macau gathering. “Many alumni have a much stronger affinity for this school than alumni from other schools, and I think a reasonable part is due to the basketball program,” said Savage, who has attended the K Academy since its inception in 2003. “I know that whenever Duke alumni gather, it’s relatively common to talk about basketball. “If they had a star professor out and doing a dinner in Macau or Hong Kong, you probably wouldn’t get as many people flying in from all over.” The University will also sponsor an event in the United States’ own sin city, Las Vegas, for the national team’s July 25 exhibition against Canada, but once Krzyzewski and his 12 players—including former Blue Devil Carlos Boozer—reach Beijing, he belongs completely to Team USA. Of course, given the free publicity Krzyzewski will afford Duke, he might as well be wearing the Blue Devil on his lapel. After all, Krzyzewski’s affiliation with Duke defines his career. For some, he is not Mike Krzyzewski. He is the leader of Duke Basketball. “If you know two things about Coach K, you know these things: 1. He is a person who lives and breathes basketball, and 2. He is a person who absolutely loves Duke,” Brodhead said. “The name Coach K evokes both of those facts. SEE KRZYZEWSKI ON PAGE 14
First came the crutches. Then, the pool and the stationary bike. Finally, the elliptical.
EFUL BURY RIERA
ELD LD R
This was how Shannon Rowbury rehabilitated from a stress fracture in her hip. She ran last September for the first time since April. On Thanksgiving, the 2007 Duke graduate placed second at the Seagate Elite 5K in her professional debut. And then, just six months later, she shattered her personal best and left the global competition in the dust to become the odds-on favorite to represent the United States in the 1,500-meter at the Olympics. Her time of 4 minutes, 1.61 seconds
terwards that it really kind of sank in. It was like, ‘Wow, that goal was a pretty big one.’ More than anything, it was just a big sigh of relief.” In order to be eligible for the Olympics, an athlete must break the Olympic time standard over the season—the “A” standard is 4:10 for the 1,500—as well as place in the top three during the official trials July 3-6. Rowbury’s sole focus May 18 was to break the standard to position herself as a serious contender in the trials. Her record-setting performance was just an added bonus. And an especially impressive one
Being drafted by the San Antonio Spurs didn’t change that. Neither did later NBA stops in Philadelphia and Detroit. But now, Dawkins is gone. His house is on the market. The former Blue Devil point guard and nine-year associate head coach is 2,800 miles away, having taken the open head coaching position at Stanford April 26. For the first time in 26 years, Dawkins will make his permanent residence outside of North Carolina. “It’s a change,” Dawkins said. “I’ve definitely moved outside of my comfort zone. I’ve learned a great deal over the last month and a half.” And while Dawkins was learning, Duke’s coaching staff was undergoing its first major change since 2000. Assistant coaches Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins were promoted to associate head coaches, and Nate James was hired to fill the void left from Dawkins’ departure. Dawkins’ No. 24 hangs in Cameron’s rafters, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski said no one did more for Duke’s program in his 28 years at the helm. But after spurning previous overtures to leave his alma mater, Dawkins couldn’t pass up the Cardinal post. He felt it was the right time to leave, and the similar tenet of the schools’ athletic departments—the academic-athletic balance—made the job particularly appealing. “The [Duke] program is in great shape,” Dawkins said after running off a list of other reasons the Stanford job intrigued him. “Of course, I wouldn’t have departed if I didn’t think we were in terrific shape with where we were going and our future with what we were doing. “I’m always pulling for them, of course. I’m a Duke alum, and I’m excited when those guys have success.” Dawkins’ name is frequently brought up in connection with the Blue Devils’ future. Some consider him to be the leading candidate to replace Krzyzewski after the legendary coach retires, a topic that was sparked anew when Stanford athletic director Bob Bowlsby introduced his new coach as Krzyzewski’s likely heir. Krzyzewski will not name a successor, and he prefers that the job stays in the Duke family, he told The Chronicle in June. But Dawkins tends to ignore the suggestions that he may one day return to the sidelines of Coach K Court. “I try not to concentrate on that,” Dawkins said. “I can’t see anyone
SEE ROWBURY ON PAGE 21
SEE DAWKINS ON PAGE 17
LOUIE TRAUB/AP (TOP), ISAAC BREKKEN/AP (BOTTOM)
NBA MVP Kobe Bryant (below) SAID he has waited his entire life to play for Mike Krzyzewski, who will coach Team USA at the Olympic Games in Beijing this summer.
at the adidas Track Classic May 18 clocked in as not only the fifth-best in U.S. history and the fastest American time in the last six years, but the fastest 1,500-meter time in the world in 2008. Romania’s Liliana Popescu ran a 4:00.35 May 24 to subsequently nab the top global time, but the title of “fastest female 1,500 runner in the world” was, at that point, not yet Rowbury’s goal. After all, she was forced to overcome a crippling injury and wasn’t supposed to be in this position. “I didn’t think of the bigger picture when I went into the race, I just focused on what I had to accomplish,” said Rowbury, who shaved six seconds off her previous best to attain her time that day. “It was af-
14 | WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008
THE CHRONICLE
OPINION
Will the Olympics help Duke Basketball? Publicity will eventually benefit Blue Devils
Only 1 team warrants Krzyzewski’s attention
Picture this: it’s August 24 in Beijing, the final day of the 2008 Olympics and the championship game in men’s baskeball. There, at the top of the widest podium in sports, stands Mike Krzyzewski, a gold medal around his neck, his hand over his heart and eyes toward the American flag as the national anthem plays. Surrounding Krzyzewski are NBA luminaries, all of whom will tout the Tim coach’s meticulous strategy and liberal rotation that pleased everyone as the keys to the team’s success. They will casually mention him as one of the best coaches they’ve ever had. It might as well be a commercial for Duke Basketball. It certainly speaks louder and clearer to the Blue Devils’ target demographic than any ad for American Express or State Farm ever could. For better or worse (OK, it’s for better), Krzyzewski is the face of Duke Basketball in a way unlike any other coach in the United States. And Coach K’s inextricable connection to his “other” gig will be evident throughout the Olympics, whether it’s broadcasters introducing him as a college basketball institution at Duke or feature stories highlighting his close relationship with Kobe Bryant. You see, Coach K is at the head of USA Basketball at the best possible mo-
When the best high school basketball players in the nation compete in national tournaments and camps this July, the most high-profile coaches in the country will be visible in the crowd. One familiar face, however, might be absent from the bleachers—Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. No face-to-face contact with recruits is allowed in July, but the mere visibility of coaches is essential in the later stages of recruiting. Of course, Coach K won’t be missing most of the action without good reason, as he will be preparing Team USA for the Olympics later in August. But with all the hoopla surrounding Krzyzewski’s new squad and its quest for the gold medal in Beijing, the fact remains that the months of July and August are a crucial time for Coach K’s other team, the Blue Devils. Perhaps you’ve heard of them. “He’s a face that won’t be there,” said Dave Telep, scout. com’s national recruiting director. “Whether it makes a difference—that’s another story.” And although Krzyzewski might be visible to recruits during the first
Britton
ment. It is almost certain that he has the best team, but the United States isn’t the slam-dunk favorite it used to be, not after failing to win the last three international tournaments. These Olympics, then, will be the first time since Barcelona and the Christian Laettner-led Dream Team in 1992 that winning gold would be an accomplishment, and not a fait accompli. And if Team USA loses? Well, then the story is the continued growth of international basketball, and Krzyzewski would have failed no more than Larry Brown did in 2004, when the Americans lost three games en route to the bronze. Aside from increasing Duke’s already-astronomical exposure in the basketball world, Krzyzewski’s work with Team USA should benefit the coach on the court. We’ve already seen the positive impact working with Team USA assistants Mike D’Antoni and Jim Boeheim had for Duke last season, and another summer on the sidelines should only deepen those relationships. And maybe while Boeheim is teaching him the SEE BRITTON ON PAGE 17
half of July, there is no denying that he has other things and other teams on his mind this summer. Duke’s past two early exits in the NCAA Tournament certainly don’t help the argument that Krzyzewski’s Team USA duties have taken nothing away from his commitment to his primary job. The uproar was a little softer, you may re- Sam member, when Coach K took over the national team in 2005. At that time, Duke had two returning All-Americans in J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams and was the consensus preseason No. 1. Now that the Blue Devils haven’t reached the Sweet 16 the past two seasons, the question of whether Coach K’s committment to Duke has shown its effects in recent recruiting and on-court success is valid, if unpopular. But since Redick and Williams graduated in 2006, Duke has not maintained a strong presence in the paint to balance its depth on the perimeter. Josh McRoberts was the highest-rated big man in the Class of 2005, but his two-year career at Duke was underwhelming at best. (For the record, Duke fans were then ecstatic they landed McRoberts over Tyler Hansbrough.) Eric Boateng, Jamal Boykin and
Levy
SEE LEVY ON PAGE 17
KRZYZEWSKI from page 14
FILE O R P PIAN WARD M Y L O CCA E B E R BY SEAN MORONEY FENCING SABER Please excuse Rebecca Ward
if she seems tired during orientation. She will be less than a week removed from fencing in the Olympics. Ward, an incoming freshman fencer, has a chance to win two gold medals in the individual saber and team fencing competitions in Beijing. In 2006, Ward won gold in the individual saber competition and a silver medal in the team event at the World Fencing Championships. Now, Ward is No. 1, having won almost every international competition. The only hardware missing from her thing case is an Olympic medal. Although the Olympics will be the biggest competition of her young career, Ward said she is preparing for it like it’s any other event. “I haven’t changed my training all that much,” said Ward, who hails from Beaverton, Ore. “I’ve just kept training the way I always have, with a bit more cross-training.” Ward won’t have much time to dwell on the results. The team competition ends Aug. 14. Freshman move-in is just five days later.
“There are ways in which we wouldn’t seek to exploit [the attention]. Coach K won’t wear Duke paraphernalia during the game. But to some extent, we don’t need that. Let me put it this way... it’s the kind of thing the University doesn’t need to do much to capitalize on.” The men’s basketball gold medal game is anticipated to be one of the most watched sporting events in the history of the world. ESPN’s broadcast of North Carolina’s win over Duke in Cameron Indoor Stadium March 8 took in 5.6 million. It set a record for a men’s college basketball game. The 2008 Super Bowl drew 97.5 million viewers. A 2007 NBA game between Chinese basketball heroes Yao Ming and Yi Jianlian attracted about 200 million viewers on 19 television stations in China. The Olympic final? It could eclipse the 2006 World Cup final, which drew an average of 260 million viewers. “What does that mean? Well, it means a lot, especially if you win,” Krzyzewski said. “That will bring something to Duke. That’s the thing about whether you’re a history professor here or a doctor or whatever— when you do something that gets national or international recognition, it helps Duke. Well, the fact is, Duke always helps you. It’s a neat thing.”
D
uke already has a brand inEurope— just ask John Burness.
Burness, the University’s outgoing senior vice president for public affairs and government relations, traveled to Italy about 10 years ago and noticed a Duke hat. Then he spotted another one. He soon began counting college’s caps and, by the end of his trip, Burness had tallied 27 Duke hats—nine more than Georgetown, its closest competitor. The reason behind the abundance of Duke hats rather than, say, Harvard, was clear to Burness. “I have to believe that some of that has to do with the sports programs at these institutions,” he said. “There is this wonderful loyalty that exists at American universities, but that loyalty is so much stronger at a place like Duke. If you have a foreign student at a place like Duke and he goes back, you can bet he’s going back with a basketball cap.” The University has made a conscious push to expand its global presence in the last decade, evident in the list of recent international SEE KRZYZEWSKI ON PAGE 15
KIN CHEUNG/AP (TOP), DAVID GUTTENFELDER/AP (BOTTOM)
Duke will host an event at The Venetian in Macau, China (above) to coincide with a Team USA exhibition.
THE CHRONICLE
WEDNESDAY, JULY 16, 2008 | 15
Kevin Cullen picked up his
FILE O R P PIAN ULLEN M Y L O NC I V E K
BY BEN COHEN
BASKETBALL
VIDEO COORDINATOR
phone one day after he had accepted a new position on Duke’s basketball staff and associate head coach Steve Wojciechowski was on the other end. “By the way,” Wojciechowski said, “we’re going to have to take you to China with us.” “Well, if you have to,” Cullen responded. And so began the 2007 graduate’s Olympic journey. Cullen never scored a point at Duke and the lanky computer science major worked at a firm that builds and manages video editing software in the year after graduation—that is, he’s not your average Olympian. Five years ago, he didn’t even think he would be a manager at Duke and two
KRZYZEWSKI from page 14 initiatives, from the advent of DukeEngage to the development of a partnership with a Singapore hospital. In his annual speech to faculty in October 2007, Brodhead described Duke’s international ambitions and laid out a plan to increase its dimensions. “Duke’s international efforts to date have been somewhat opportunistic in character, and almost exclusively unit-based,” he said to the faculty. “So far, so good. But we are nearing a time when the University’s internationalization will need to become more concerted and more strategic.” The impact of Krzyzewski’s Olympic appearance, then, goes against both tenets of Duke’s globalization philosophy. The potential of the athletics sector has been untapped—almost all of the University’s international efforts have come in the academic and service fields—and Krzyzewski’s selection as Team USA head coach was a stroke of luck for Duke. The ways in which Duke seeks to use Krzyzewski’s introduction to the rest of the world are far from concerted or strategic. They are purely opportunistic. “Duke University has an enormous brand in higher education,” said Director of Athletics Kevin White, who has a scholarly interest in globalization and has taught a class about the business of sport for the last 26 years at various institutions. “Duke Basketball is kind of in a position all by itself within college basketball. I don’t know that people would argue with that. Coach K has a brand, and that’s perhaps why he’s been invited to coach that team and do so many darn things. “Now you take all of those things and you put into that mix the opportunity to coach the Olympic team and all of that, if it’s possible, will go to another level.” Still, using sport as a talking point is less of a priority for a University distinct in its commitment to rigorous academics and highly competitive athletics. That combination would likely be lost in translation. “It’s unique in colleges and universities around the world that you have these big-time sports programs,” Burness said. “They’re not tacked onto or part of the university. It would not then be the natural interplay.” Basketball reigns supreme in China, though, and its popularity will only surge as the growing superpower continues to export NBA All-Stars like Yao, who is something of a transcendent celebrity. Add the inherent internationalization of basketball as a sport, and it’s no surprise that so many will sit down to watch the gold medal game Aug. 24 if Team USA’s band of superstars is involved. It also makes sense that Duke administrators’ rooting interests are not simply fueled by patriotism or friendship with Krzyzewski. The further Team USA advances, the more attention Duke receives. Play-by-play announcers and analysts don’t even have to mention Krzyzewski’s day job; whenever the camera flashes to Krzyzewski’s face, “DUKE” is essentially emblazoned on the screen. So Brodhead understands that he must pull hard for a Team USA gold medal. “You bet I will! I’m not a fool,” he said. “It’s a fantastic event. It’s completely phenomenal. Sometimes you hit it lucky.... A Duke coach being chosen just at this moment, when the media make more things available to more billions of people than we’ve ever seen? That’s just good fortune.” In other words, the University’s fortune cookie reads: K jiào liàn. That’s how you say “Coach K” in Chinese.
months ago, he was sitting in his apartment in Charlotte watching the Final Four. In fact, the former four-year manager considered traveling to Beijing for the Olympics as a fan. He was willing to take two weeks of vacation and burn all of his frequent flyer miles, but the price tag on hotels and flights was too much for the 23-year old. But through his job at Sportstec, Cullen worked closely with the athletic department and traveled back to campus about once a month. When Duke was interested in establishing a video coordinator position to compensate for the program’s growing dependence on film study and after former director of basketball operations Mike Schrage left for Stanford, Cullen was the man for the job—and backtracked his way
into the position with USA Basketball. None of Cullen’s experience will rival what looms in China, what he calls a “logistical nightmare.” The power system and video format are different, and there is no equipment. “It’s not like being here at Duke, where you can run down to the closet and get something else,” said Cullen, who anticipates several all-nighters. “There’s no closet over there.” So instead of having a month and a half of downtime in Durham to adorn a new video room, Cullen will be living a goal that has never been his, but he’s nonetheless happy to adopt. “It’s certainly one of the best things I could have ever imagined,” he said. “It wasn’t a dream of mine, but now to think that I’ve been able to do it, it’s a phenomenal dream come true.”