Coach K’s last home game: Some observations from the scene at Cameron Indoor Stadium
History happens tonight at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
As Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski prepares to coach his last home game at 6 p.m., the celebration in honor of his 42-year career leading the Blue Devils started well before the game.
The News & Observer has five writers, two photographers and an editor on site for the rivalry game between Duke and North Carolina. Here are some of their early observations from the scene at Cameron.
Last minute tickets
As game time approached on Saturday, the secondary market for tickets begin to narrow its focus.
Well, with one exception, that is.
At 4:40 p.m., 100 minutes prior to the scheduled 6:20 p.m., StubHub.com had one hyper-expensive ticket being offered up for $75,000. Other than that, tickets available on the site ranged from $3,950 to $10,000.
At VividSeats.com, the top price being asked was $16,905 per ticket with two available. The lowest available price was $3,407.
Sports celebs
In addition to the nearly 100 former Duke players who attended Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron, Atlanta Braves outfielder Joc Pederson and retired NBA star Dirk Nowitzki attended the game.
Pederson’s ties to Duke are through his wife, former Blue Devils volleyball player Kelsey Williams. Shortly after noon Saturday, Pederson spent a few minutes getting some shots up in Duke’s practice facility adjacent to Cameron Indoor Stadium.
”I had to show respect to Coach K, what a legend,” said Nowitzki during an interview on one of ESPN’s broadcasts of the game. “And actually, I’ve never been here to Cameron Indoor, so this is the perfect game and I wanted to show respect to one of the greats.”
Nowitzki was a 14-time NBA all-star during his career with the Dallas Mavericks from 1998-2019. When Nowitzki walked through the practice facility about 90 minutes before tipoff, Duke junior forward Wendell Moore stopped him for a quick photo.
“I didn’t go to college, so I missed out on this atmosphere,” Nowitzki said. “To see this, this is amazing.”
Asked whether he was going to offer Krzyzewski any advice on retirement, Nowitzki laughed.
”If I get to talk to him, I guess, but I’m sure he has his plans laid out,” Nowitzki said. “But retirement, retirement is a lot sweeter on the other side, I’ve got to say.”
NFL players Todd Gurley, Kyler Murray and Terrell Owens were in attendance.
From the world of golf: Justin Thomas, who has taken the past two weeks off on the PGA Tour, sat behind the scorer’s table. Not far away sat Fred Perpall, the next president of the USGA. Perpall is the CEO of the Beck Group, the contractor responsible for the expansions of Cameron and Wallace Wade Stadium, among other athletic facilities.
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 5:26 PM.