The Social Media Connection

Social media has been a beautiful thing for Duke Basketball and for myself. Social media has given the world access - access to special behind-the-scenes footage and thoughts of Duke players.

Before social media, many people had ideas and speculation of how members of the Duke program are on a regular basis. Twitter, YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, Instagram stories: in this order, the outlets to see our players have grown. So has the social media team of Duke Basketball because we want all our fans to be able to feel up close and personal with our players, to see who we really are as people.

I find it very cool that I can be walking down the street and people call out, “NDOTSMITTY” which is my Twitter handle that people were able to get familiar with while I was playing at Duke. I can also walk in the mall and hear, “Hey, it’s the Peoples Champ!” - something that makes me smile, as well!

Why do I hear these things? The answer is easy: Duke Basketball and its social media presence. I can only imagine if Twitter never came into the world, and I wasn’t able to reach the millions of Duke fans in that way. I would have never known how special our fans really are, except for when I see them in Cameron or on our road trips. We built a special connection that I am thankful for!

What if YouTube viewers and Duke Blue Planet never came into the picture? Well, “The Peoples Champ” title probably wouldn’t exist right now. As a player, I had so much fun making videos with my teammates, showing how personable, funny and down to earth we really are. Postgame videos, on the bus, on the plane returning to Cameron to our Cameron Crazies waiting on us, it was so much fun to show the Duke fans our personalities.

That is the goal for Duke basketball in using social media! I just want to say thank you to the Duke fans around the world for your great support and engagement with our social media outlets. I know you will continue to follow, and we are going to keep getting better with the creation of the @DukeMBB accounts.

We have some special people behind scenes thinking about the great fan base daily, probably even nightly, because they are devoted to social media. Even better, they are devoted to you: DUKE BASKETBALL FANS!