This is a Duke Student's first hand account as a Cameron Crazy and his crazy antics. Also below he describes some of the rituals and chants of the crazies.
One of the proudest moments in my still-brief Crazy career came versus UCLA at the tail end of the 97-98 season. First a little background: For starters, this game marked the return of injured freshman big man Elton Brand, whose broken foot was supposed to keep him out all season. However days before the game, teh news started to break that Elton would be returning early - against the Bruins. Secondly, this was the last home game before Duke's rematch with North Carolina the following weekend. Suffice it to say that the crowd was in top form. On top of all this, UCLA handed us a golden opportunity, violating rule #1 above. Just a week before the game UCLA player Jenali McCoy quit the team, ostensibly because of media pressure. However, rumors got out that in actuality, Jelani was suspended for marijuan use. Add to this the fact that senior Kris Johnson HAD been disciplined for marijuna and the table was set... The crowd that afternoon sported the occasional paper blunt,a dn roused many a marijuan related jibe (Where's Jelani? Smoking pot!), but the crowning glory, in my mind was the 500 green construciton paper marijuna leaves. Conceived by Matt Ching and I, we bought a ream of green paper, and, recuitng some guys from the tent line (see kville), worked for an hour and a half to cut out and distribute the leaves....the media reaction was mixed: ABC wouldn't show them, and the New York Times felt we weren't respecting the players' privacy. However, vindication was ours, when later that week at the pre-Carolina pep rally Coach K thanked the crowd for its support, and said "Those marijuan leaves - they were awesome."
GREAT MOMENTS FROM THIS SEASON (97-98):
Australia (X): "Hi Bob" is changed to "G'day Bob," "Start the kangaroo" "Ugly mascot" (to the lone Australia fan in the building)
Davidson: A scrub named Stewart makes an early three, and gestures to the stands...big mistake - he's taunted ruthlessly for the rest of the evening...
FSU: "Montel Williams" for Karim Shabazz - he missed 2 free throws ("Springer's better")
The Gator Chomp
Need 3 touchdowns
"New coach, same team"
UVa: Busted, Don't Drop the Soap, Jailbreak, "UVa Scholarship: 7-10 w/ good behavior," "Hi Norman, DONT SHOOT, etc," humming the Addams family song for Chase Metheny (Lurch)
Clemson: "Gonzaga?!?!?"
MD: "Where's Gary? Out for T!" "Coach, no coach"
Wake Forest: "2 teams, no teams"
UCLA: car keys for Davis, MARIJUNA LEAVES, "Start the Blazer," "Where's Jelani? Smoking Pot!," fake blunts, "Puff, puff, puff, pass.","T-H-C," Devil driving Baron's Blazer...
UNC: "Your mama can't spell!" to Antawn Jamison, "Whiny bitch!" to Carter, sign reading "Ndiaye is Ndumb," "Hack-tar"
STANDARD FARE
In addition to team-tailored taunting, there's a long list of stock Cameron material at certain points:
When the opposing team takes the court: "We're gonna beat the hell out of you"
During the Star-Spanlged Banner : yell O! on the "O say does that..." (stolen from the Orioles, but that's ok)
At tip off, the drummer starts a beat, and all the Crazies jump up and yell "Woo!" The beat is repeated and increases in speed, so in the final seconds before tipoff, everyone is jumping like maniacs and wooing their heads off. Result? Pandemonium.
On offense: "Here we go Devils, here we go <clap clap>"
"Let's go Duke"
"Let's go Devils <clap, clap, clap-clap-clap>"
On defense: The classic DEE FENSE <clap clap>
ohhhhhh (held for an entire posession
play by play : "BOINK BOINK BOINK OHHHH PASS OHHHH PASS
OHHHH SHOT MISS!"
Shooting fouls shots: everyone holds up their hands in silence - when it goes in, everyone responds WOOSH!
Contesting foul shots: dead silence, then a scream (shhhh......AHHH!)
hold arms left, then jerk right (see picture above)
Cycle arms (usualy accompanined by woo! woo!)
o Opposition foul: "You you you you..." "Four fouls no points"
Stupid refs: "Three refs, no clue" "I'm blind, I'm deaf, I wanna be a ref" "A rope! A tree! hang the referee!" "High school ref"
When an opposing player fouls out: AHHHHHHHH....SEE YA (when he sits). Some players have unwisley tried to toy with us or not sit down - the response? "He's got hemmrhoids!"
The list goes on and on, and frankly some of this stuff is kind of hard to capture in words. So, for the full Cameron flavor, try your damndest to get to a game...you won't regret it (unless you happen to be rooting against Duke)...
