Cameron Indoor

I was keeping an eye on the Carolina-Duke and a friend texted me asking me what it was like playing at Duke. It brought back a great memory. I've watched Carolina-Duke games since I was old enough to remember, and that rivalry really defined college basketball for me ever since I was in high school.

In my 3rd year at Maine we went down to Duke to play a buy game. We needed to bring in close to $400,00 dollars in money games just to have a manageable budget at Maine. Because of that we looked for one or two games each year that would be a great experience for our kids, and Duke was looking for an opponent on a certain day that worked for us. When you have to go on the road to make money and you are going to get your head kicked in, you might as well make it a memorable experience for your players.

When that game came out on our schedule it was a big deal for Maine basketball. The game would be on national TV (what Duke game isn't?) and an opportunity for our alumni to get together and share a great experience. The game turned into a bigger deal because at the time North Carolina was dealing with the controversial HB2 law regarding discrimination, and a number of states would not allow any state entities to do business in North Carolina. Certain teams were canceling games or changing their schedule because they weren't allowed to spend state money to travel to state that had a discriminatory law.

My AD approached me late in the summer and said there might be an issue. He wasn't sure if the state was going to allow us to go play the game. I asked him where I was supposed to get the $85,000 they were going to pay us for our budget. We really couldn't survive that year as a program without that money.

We decided to make the entire trip an educational experience. We talked to our guys about the HB2 law and what they knew about it. We brought in speakers to talk to them about the effects of homophobia and discrimination. I remember when we actually went to Duke and practiced at Cameron Indoor, we met with some members from Athlete's Ally on the Duke campus. We opened our guys minds up to conversations about stuff that they hadn't really thought about before. For the game, our team wore rainbow colored warm up shirts from our league's "You Can Play" campaign. Overall, it was a great educational experience for our guys.

But it became a national story in the media, and that took up a lot of energy. I remember on the day of the game talking to my AD on the phone, and he still wasn't sure if the Governor of Maine was going to let us play. We were in North Carolina heading over to shoot around in the morning, with a 5:00 tip set on ESPNU, and I was having conversations about whether or not we were going to play. I made sure to tell him (and our team) that they weren't required to wear the warm up shirts or think a certain way. I just wanted them to be open to a conversation about a way of thinking that was maybe different to them. The way they handled it was terrific. It turned into a great learning experience for everyone, myself included.

I had to go to an alumni event before the game, so I didn't go over on the team bus. One thing I'll always remember is they were asking what time I was getting to campus and what type of vehicle I was arriving in. That seemed odd to me.

At Duke they have a state trooper who is assigned to the opposing team's head coach, from the time he gets on campus until the time he leaves. They had to know when I was coming to campus and what vehicle I was arriving in. As soon as I got on campus, there was a state trooper to greet us. He met us at the entrance and followed us to where we parked. When I got out of the car, he walked with me to Cameron Indoor. I asked him what his name was, and he told me - Frank Gore. I thought he might be related to the running back, but he wasn't. I'll be he's never been asked that question before. But I'll never forget his name.

We walked a bit of campus to get to Cameron (there isn't a parking lot right next to the building), and I thought it was kind of funny. Campus was buzzing and as we got close to Cameron we could see a bunch of fans hanging out in front of the building, with the students lined up waiting to get in (this was probably an hour and forty five minutes before the game). I chuckled imagining what it was like for Roy Williams to take that walk before a game, with the Duke students all over him. I walked in and they had no idea who I was. But I had my own cop. Frank Gore.

Cameron is a spectacular, simple place. At its core it's really just a gym, but it feels like a cathedral. They have an incredible hall of fame and lobby that takes you through the history of Duke basketball. But the bones of the place are really like your CYO gym. The locker rooms are nothing special (at least for the Maine Black Bears). When the fans walk to their seats before the game and at halftime they have to walk in front your bench to get to their seats. It has an incredible feeling of your neighborhood gym, except its one of the elite venues in all of sports.

For a building of its size, it is built perfectly. Every seat is right on top of you. There are about 9,000 seats, but it feels like 3,000. The students get in early and make noise the entire time. The buzz, the feel, the energy is just special. I'm a golfer, and I've made a couple of trips to Scotland to play the Old Course. Cameron had that type of feel when I was in it. It almost felt like that was where the game was invented.

Coach K could not have been a better guy. It was a little weird to see him walk out and come over to shake my hand. Both teams had suffered a bunch of injuries (granted, one of his was to Jayson Tatum), and we had lost 3 starters for the year. He said hello and I said "Thanks for having us." He said "I hope you guys get healthy. And I hope we get healthy too." A good friend of mine took a picture of our handshake and actually sent it to Coach K to ask him to sign it. About a month later I got a copy of the picture in the mail with a note that said "Bob - best of luck in your career. Coach K."

I remember we were down 9 late in the first half with the ball, our guys were playing hard and together. Then we turned it over and gave up an easy basket, and Luke Kennard hit a long 3 at the halftime buzzer. I thought we were okay, but we went into the locker room down by 14. I probably don't need to tell you how the second half went.

The energy is Cameron is just different. Growing up in the 80s as a college basketball nut, I'm sure it hit different for me. I started high school in 1986, the first year Duke went to the Final Four under Coach K. It was the venue in college basketball, the place where the biggest games were played.

My family and friends came down for the game, and that made it special. A bunch of my former players from Rhode Island College came down. I still have a picture with them on center court at Cameron.

It's hard to believe that a small, old building like that has such a big place in the college basketball landscape. Obviously it's a credit to Coach K and what he built. But there is just nothing like it. It's amazing to think over all of the years and with all of the success they never build a 20,000 seat arena.

If you get a chance to go, go. Pay for the ticket. Plan a trip with your buddies. Take your kids down for a game during February break. There is just nothing else like it in college basketball. Whether you love Duke or hate them, it doesn't matter. It's just one of those experiences that is different.