Kyle Singler snapped pictures with his digital camera, Brian Zoubek clutched a much-needed water bottle on a blisteringly hot morning and Reggie Love received ovations, cheers and rounds of applause—just for putting the president’s speech on the podium.
Yes, it was Duke day at the Rose Garden in Washington, D.C., Thursday, May 27. The Blue Devils were honored around 10:30 a.m. by President Barack Obama in a celebration that Richard Brodhead called “the icing on the cake” to their national championship-winning season.
After lingering in the porticos of the West Wing, then marching to line up behind the podium, each player stood beaming as Obama walked out to a standing ovation. The president shook each player’s hand, stopping at Jon Scheyer to call him “my homeboy.”
“That was pretty cool,” Scheyer said later.
In his remarks, Obama repeatedly lauded the Blue Devils for their achievements. He especially congratulated the seniors for their progress during their four-year career—from making it to the first round as freshmen, the second round as sophomores, the Sweet 16 as juniors and winning it all their final year.
“It’s really been a four-year journey for these guys. And each year, they’ve gotten better together,” Obama said.
The president even threw in a well-received Krzyzewskiville joke.
“You know, when I woke up this morning and I saw a few hundred students camping out on my lawn, I remembered that today is Duke day,” he said.
The president also made light of his spat with head coach Mike Krzyzewski last year, which occurred after Obama picked North Carolina to win the national championship. Krzyzewski, perturbed when notified of the president’s picks, said then that Obama should focus more on the economy than his bracket.
“Now, I know that all of you remember last year, when I filled out my bracket, I picked North Carolina to win it all,” Obama said. “It wasn’t anything personal. Just trying to win some money. I was right. Coach K wasn’t too happy. He basically told me to stick it.
“And then, this year, he went out with all these guys and he won, so he could come to the White House and crow about it. Payback is sweet, isn’t it, Coach?”
After the remarks, and after Scheyer and Zoubek presented a No. 1 Duke jersey to Obama, Krzyzewski handed the president a framed, wooden copy of the 2010 bracket, complete with a large Blue Devil logo in the middle.
“You see that, it says ‘Duke’,” Krzyzewski said, pointing at the line where the national title winner is scribbled in.
While the coach did get to have his payback at the president’s own house Thursday, he had nothing but kind words for his host after the ceremony.
“For him to take the time out and greet us in such a way was just terrific,” Krzyzewski said.