Duke Visits Olympic Venues

BEIJING, CHINA – Duke's second to last full day in Beijing had a very Olympic feel. Prior to playing their third game against the China Olympic Team in MasterCard Center, the site of Coach K's Olympic gold-medal winning performance with Team USA in 2008, Duke spent time at two other venues used during those Games – the Bird's Nest and the Water Cube.

After a team breakfast at the hotel, the Blue Devils headed out to the Bird's Nest, AKA Beijing National Stadium, a 91,000 seat architectural marvel that served as the arena for the 2008 opening and closing ceremonies, as well as the track and field events. A number of the players took pictures inside and outside of the venue, while members of the Duke travel party rode segways around the track located in the center of the arena.

After a team picture outside the Nest, Duke headed across the pavilion to the Water Cube. Along the way, the team was treated to a close-up view of the Olympic torch that was lit for the duration of the Beijing Games in 2008.

The Water Cube, a swimming facility combined with a water park, had the players impressed. Again, a number of pictures were taken, while several members of the team recalled the dominance of Michael Phelps in the pool they were standing above. Phelps, a 16-time Olympic medal winner, won eight gold medals during the 2008 Games, a record for one Olympics. As the players walked through the concourse, they stopped to take pictures of several statues erected in the building in Phelps' honor.

"It's cool to see them in person," Seth Curry said after Duke's Monday afternoon shootaround. "You see it on TV but it looks totally different in person. The "Bird's Nest" was way bigger than I thought it would be and the Water Cube - it was cool the way it was built - it's good to actually be there and see it."

After the tour it was time for a shootaround at MasterCard Center. The workout, which lasted just over one hour, saw the Devils walk through a number of their own sets along with those the Chinese had been using against them in the last few games. Coach K took time to remind his team that it was three years to the day that his Team USA club beat Argentina in the semifinals of the 2008 Olympics on the very same floor.

The team returned to the hotel after the workout where they ate lunch and entertained a special guest. Yao Ming, the former NBA superstar, and easily the most popular athlete in China, arrived at around 1:45pm. Yao spoke with Coach K for about 20 minutes before posing for several pictures with the Hall of Fame coach and conducting an interview with GoDuke. Marshall Plumlee, who stands at seven feet tall, was dwarfed by the 7-foot-6 Yao in a picture the two took together at the end of the lunch.

Following the meal and several hours of rest, the players took to the team bus for the MasterCard Center. Up next? A date with China for the third game of a three-game series with the China Olympic Team. The game will be televised by ESPNU at 8am EST.

Players Mentioned

Seth Curry

Marshall Plumlee

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