The Duke Men’s Lacrosse had their home opener yesterday, defeating Dartmouth 17-11. It was their well deserved start at normalcy after having their season cancelled last year. Originally I was not going to photograph the event (originally I planned on doing UNC’s home opener) but I received a call from Inside Lacrosse to photograph the game for them and well, money is a motivator. In any case, it was great to be back photographing my favorite sport to photograph. Forget ACC basketball; I forgot how much I loved this sport until today.

The media was not as intense as I originally expected. But it was certainly more than one would find at a typical lacrosse game. Even the AP covered the event; I don’t know if the AP has ever covered a lacrosse game except maybe NCAA title games. There were some TV crews but really not many. After doing NFL this to me was low key. Fortunately, there were no protesters. Just a good friendly crowd. I felt bad for the Duke kids really. During pregame warm-up, we were taking pictures of everything they did. Like another photographer said, “If they fart, we take a picture”. That’s just part of our job. I feel bad doing it at times but I am there to do a job and paid to do it. In the end, however, I think all the media attention was good. It showed the team returning to normal life after all the craziness they have been through. Today was the first day of their return to being just regular college student athletes.

Even though I am a UNC grad, I found myself pulling for the Duke team. I wanted them to win it after all that has happened to them. Just don’t tell the folks at UNC; I might have my diploma revoked.

Here are pictures of Duke Lacrosse vs. Dartmouth.

I don’t know how long this link will be active, but I had to link to this photo gallery of photos by Charlotte Observer photographer Jeff Siner. The photos are from North Carolina’s 79-73 victory over Duke at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The action stuff is great, but the feature (the non-action) work he did is what really impressed me. Check out this great work to see what the rivalry between UNC and Duke is like. Also good toning to get rid of the terrible color cast typically of photos taken in Cameron Indoor. (sorry, only a photographer like me would note this)

**Update 3/15/08**

Well sadly, the gallery has been archived and is no longer up.

I don’t care what people want to think or say about Dickie V; he is a cool guy. Working sporting events, I have interactions with him “backstage” when he is working the games for ESPN. People think that the friendly disposition he has on camera doesn’t carry over to “real life”. Well I can tell you it does. He is one of the most genuinely nice TV personalities that I know. There are some (insert sound of my clearing my throat) who aren’t. Yesterday at the Duke/UNC game he mingled with fans and had fun with them. He volunteered to have his picture taken with them. (see the picture that I took of him last night with fans) Whenever I pass him backstage he gives his always enthusiastic “Hey how you doin’?”.So Dick, you are one cool dude in my book.Anyway, here are some pictures from the UNC Duke Basketball Game.photo by Peyton Williams/US Presswire

Tonight is phase 1 of one of America’s biggest and most watched rivalries in college basketball as Duke will host UNC at Cameron Indoor Stadium at 9pm tonight. Phase 2 is of course with UNC will host Dook in March at the Dean Smith Center.

UNC has history on their side. When both teams enter the game having lost their prior game, UNC has a 9-4 record over Duke. Of course, UNC owns the overall record at 125-96 so I’m not sure how much that record is really meaningful.

Last Saturday I was at the UNC - NC State game at RBC Center in one of the loudest environments I have ever heard there. Tonight I will enter what will probably be an even louder environment at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Look for me on TV! I sit on the court by the Duke bench. I’m easy to recognize because Coach K will often come by to talk with me during timeouts to talk basketball strategy with my just insane amount of knowledge and all. OK, maybe not. But you can recognize when {insert name of Duke player but usually Josh McRoberts} plows me over going for a loose ball. That seems to happen too often these days.

“People might not think this, but I was cheering like crazy for Roy.”

I was born and bred a Tar Heel. But I have always also supported the ACC and have strongly believed that the ACC should support its own. Even if that means pulling for Dook Duke when they play an out of conference team. Not because I like Dook Duke, but because what is good for one ACC team is good for all the ACC teams. I certainly don’t worship the Altar of K, but I do respect him just as I respect the Dook Duke program.
So, imagine my delight to hear my views on the ACC were affirmed by Coach K himself last night:

“Our league is a league right now in the way people are playing in close games, you could get seven teams in [NCAA tournament]. Our league is the best league. You cheer for the other teams when you’re playing someone else. [North Carolina’s] win over Arizona was huge for our league and we need to talk about that as a league. I’m not saying the other leagues aren’t really good. There’s not an easy out in our league. We should talk about the league. Our league is terrific and it always has been.”

A tip of the hat to you Coach Krzyzewski. I liked that comment so much that I am making my 2007 resolution to finally commit the spelling of your name to memory.

The ACC and conference schools released their 2006-07 schedule for men’s basketball. UNC’s final at home game this year will be against Duke.

Of note, UNC will be playing Florida Atlantic, formerly coached by former UNC coach Matt Doherty. But it doesn’t stop there. The current head coach of Florida Atlantic, Rex Walters, played for Roy Williams while he was at Kansas. Walters had met Matt Doherty while he was a senior at Kansas. Coach Doherty later hired Walters as an assistant coach in 2005.

What can I say folks — in basketball, the Carolina connections are everywhere.

More on the ACC’s official website.

Photo by Peyton Williams for UNC Athletics

I was photographing the 2006 Men’s ACC tournament this year and as usual, it was a circus. Someone sent me the below photo after seeing me in the background. Even in the carnage, I was able to snap this photo of JJ Redick and Coach K.

Here are also some photos from the ACC Championship.

But without further delay, my moment of fame:

JJ Redick (pictures) had a parting punch with UNC alum Stuart Scott during the NBA draft.

After the photo op with NBA commissioner David Stern, Redick’s next order of business was to zing ESPN mouthpiece, and UNC graduate, Stuart Scott.

You can read more at the News and Observer.

For the 12th year in a row, Stanford has won the US Sports Academy Directors’ Cup (formerly known as the Sears Cup). However, all but one ACC school placed in the top 50. Additionally, this is the first year an ACC school has broken the top five since Duke did so in 2004-05. That school, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the only other school, other than Stanford, to win the top prize.

The Cup ranks schools on postseason finishes in its top 10 men and womens teams. Read the rest of this entry »

Unlike last year, when UNC alone landed 4 in the first round, and the ACC landed 7, the ACC only landed 3 in the first round of the NBA draft. Congrats to Shelden Williams (#5 overall), JJ Redick (#11) and Cedric Simmons (#15).

Compare the ACC’s success in the NBA draft compared to the NFL draft. In the 1st round of the 2006 NFL draft, the ACC placed 12 players. Note though there are 30 1st round spots in the NBA compared to 32 for the NFL.

Put another way, the ACC took 37.5% of the first round spots in the NFL draft and 10% of the NBA first round spots.
To be fair, the NBA draft has more foreign draftees than the NFL.