Junior Captain Gerald Henderson
How would you describe Coach K’s coaching style?
I’d call him a players’ coach. He’s very personable. He can relate to a lot
of things we go through, he’s played the game at the college level and he’s
been coaching for 30-40 years or so. Is that right?
Not quite 40… This is his 29th year at Duke.
Well, he’s been doing this for a long time so he’s had a lot of different
players, a lot of different men come through here and he has been through
a lot of experiences. He can really relate to anything that we’re going
through.
Describe Coach K in three words…
I think the best three words to describe him would be honest, passionate
and tough. Not only on himself but tough on us, in a good way, to push us to
higher levels, I think. That’s one of his biggest attributes that’s helped me
individually.
We just started ACC play with the students coming back from Winter
Break. Talk about that.
With ACC teams here or tough non-conference games, there is so much on
the line. Anyone who’s been in here or played in a game here understands
it gets louder than any stadium that you could ever be in. Just the intensity
of all the games we play in here is really high and to me, it’s the best place
you can play, in college basketball. And the Cameron Crazies are great
-- they give us a lot of energy during the games. They like to come up with
some kind of new chant or something funny that helps to keep things loose
before the games. They’re a lot of fun for us, they’re a lot of fun for the rest
of the fans, and our games wouldn’t be the same without them. It is good to
have them back.
Is there a point during a game where you guys talk about a funny chant
or something funny you see in the crowd?
Well, before the game, when the away team comes out, they always create
something new. Before a big game, you might be nervous or real serious.
It’s a pretty serious atmosphere, but they lighten it up a little bit with some
of the stuff that they say.
You’ve played in a number of other loud and intense environments at this
point in your career. What makes Cameron different?
I think that we do our stuff in a classier manner than really anywhere else
out there. Some places are pretty tough, pretty tough. We focus more on
us. Also, Cameron is more intimate with the students right on the court in a
small arena.
How has the team adjusted to the coaching change with Nate and C-Well
coming on board?
Well, Nate specifically was on the national championship team, a four-
year player -- he’s a guy that has been there. He’s been there where we’re
trying to go this year. He knows what it takes. Just him being around everyday, not even being a coach, just him
being around is so valuable. With C-Well, the same -- he didn’t get the national championship but he was on
some great teams and they’ve both been through everything that we’re going through. Even Nate played for
Coach Collins, Coach Wojo -- coaches that we play for today so they’ve gone through everything that we’ve gone
through. We can come to them about anything and they can just relate to us a lot.
What are your thoughts on the team’s style of play this year?
I think our style of play is great. Me, individually, I like to play fast. Getting out on the break is something I
probably do best and guys like Nolan and Kyle like to play that way too. It’s just something that makes me
better and makes them better. Coach likes to play that way and so does really the whole league. It should be an
exciting ACC season.
JanaurJanuary 2009 15y 2009 15
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