My Mom would've been 47 years old this coming week, on the 18th. My best moments with her have nothing to do with sports, but we are definitely a sports family, especially her. Since I can remember, her favorite team was Duke basketball. She sat on the smaller couch in our den wrapped in her Duke blanket and watched every game as a nervous wreck. As the years went on, she would inevitably fall asleep during every 9pm game, but my Dad kept it on TV for those times she would wake up and ask what the score was. A whole shelf in our den was dedicated to Duke stuff, including Coach K's books, National Championship articles, and all the things our family would give her for Christmas with a Blue Devil on it. I remember Scott and I coming home from school one afternoon to a black Cocker Spaniel puppy sniffing our feet under the kitchen table. Mickey was the newest addition to the family, named after Coach K's wife. She was a great dog, and maybe even a good luck charm as I know they had some pretty memorable teams and a couple Final Fours during Mickey's life. The four of us would agree that some of our best trips we took together was to Clemson for the Duke/Clemson game. We could never get tickets to a game at Cameron Indoor, and Clemson was right down the road, so that was our Christmas present for a few years as kids. It was in January every year and sometimes even a school night but we loved going to see them play.
If you know my sports preferences, I'm more of a football girl, and it would seem that I'm a fan of several basketball teams throughout a season. Marrying a Kansas grad and one trip to Allen Fieldhouse has turned me towards the Jayhawks, and of course, the hope that my Winthrop Eagles will make it to the Tournament is there with passion each year. But Duke basketball will always have a special place. It will always be one of the ways I remember my Mom, staying up and watching every game with her and living to watch them in the Tournament each year. I know if she were still alive I would be calling to find out who her "favorite" player is this year. It's usually the young guy with the baby face or the "best hair." I've started picking a favorite each year, as Eric can tell you. Truth is, I don't think we have any idea why we're a Duke family. Sure, they win a lot, and maybe that's why. I just remember growing up loving the Blue Devils and pretending to be WoJo out in the driveway playing basketball with Scott and my neighbors up the street. We burried my Mom with two things: Scott's football jersey that she wore on Friday nights to watch him play, and her Duke blanket. So I'll probably always cheer those boys on. And hopefully build some fun sports memories with my kids someday too, no matter what team we choose to watch with them.
