Duke Basketball One-And-Done Leads Student Section in Win Over Clemson
Dereck Lively II, who went No. 12 overall at this summer's NBA Draft following his lone Duke basketball campaign and now has giant expectations with the Dallas Mavericks, was back in Durham this weekend. And on Monday night, he attended Duke football's monumental 28-7 victory over No. 9 Clemson in Wallace Wade Stadium.
But the 7-foot-1, 230-pound center was more than just a mere spectator.
During the most critical stretches late in the third quarter and early in the fourth, as the Blue Devils worked to pad their lead en route to 22 unanswered points in the second half, Blue Devil Country noticed Lively and the Blue Devil mascot co-conducting what felt like the loudest single-game student section in Duke football history:
Sure, as the 19-year-old Lively tried to make clear by yelling "53" in the video below, one reason for his enthusiasm was his support of his cousin, a second-string offensive tackle for the Blue Devils in redshirt freshman Brian Parker II:
Nevertheless, of all the countless Duke basketball faces in the stands, Lively set himself apart with his unmatched liveliness.
He strutted back and forth in front of the heart of the student section, strategically located behind the Clemson bench, ensuring the Cameron Crazies who once chanted his name brought that same energy as Wade Wackos (still not certain this is their official nickname, for their regular attendance had been a work in progress until now).
Mission accomplished.
Of course, the on-field credit goes to second-year head coach Mike Elko's 2023 batch of brazen Blue Devils, led by quarterback Riley Leonard. As another former Duke basketball big man, Charlotte Hornets sophomore Mark Williams, pointed out on social media, Leonard became an instant Heisman contender:
Despite Clemson's insane 56-2 advantage over Duke in former four- and five-star recruits on their respective rosters, the three-star home squad and its three-star dual-threat signal-caller looked like the superior product. Plain and simple.
Even so, the five-star power of Dereck Lively II, the former No. 2 overall prospect on the 247Sports 2022 Composite, undoubtedly added to the atmosphere in a giant way. Yes, it's a safe bet he'll be back any chance he gets — and warmly welcomed by the Crazies/Wackos every time.
Who wouldn't want to be a part of this newfound wackiness in Duke football land?
Stay tuned to Blue Devil Country on SI.com for more Duke football and basketball news.
