Last night Duke lost to North Carolina 81-77 in the Final 4, which was the final game of Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s incomparable career. And what a game it was for these 2 Tobacco Road foes in their 1st-ever meeting in the NCAA Tournament: 18 lead changes, 12 ties, and neither team led by more than 7 PTS all evening. Earlier today HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to speak with Duke band member Grace Dessert about having a front-row seat for 1 of the most memorable games in the history of this remarkable rivalry.
You are from San Diego, CA: what made you choose Duke? When I was applying to colleges I was hoping to find a place with awesome academics as well as school spirit. I was excited to leave home and go somewhere where I could be around driven students who care about learning and where people loved being a part of their school. I always knew that I would join the marching band in college so I also looked for schools where I could do that. Duke really was the perfect choice.
You are majoring in Neural Engineering through the Pratt IDEAS program (a make-your-own-major program): how did you pick that subject? I was planning to major in neuroscience and music as a freshman on the pre-med track. However, during freshman year I realized I thought very differently from all the other neuroscience majors, but I really connected with my friends in engineering and got excited about the same things they got excited about. So, I dropped the pre-med track and switched to the engineering school. I was still very interested in neuroscience though, and was behind in credits for the Biomedical Engineering major, so I decided to combine them by making my own major. I have always loved learning about the brain and am very math/science-oriented, so this major is a way for me to approach neuroscience from a very technical perspective.
Last year you were named a National Goldwater Scholar: how do you balance your work in the band with your work in the classroom? It is tough at Duke to balance classes and research with any extracurriculars, but because I love band so much it makes the job much easier. The Duke Band also is a smaller time commitment than a lot of comparable marching bands because we work hard to be as efficient as possible. Everyone at Duke is very focused on academics so to have a successful band we need to fit the Duke student lifestyle.
You are the flute section leader in the Duke University Marching and Pep Band: how did you 1st get into music, and what is the best part? I started playing the flute in second grade because I went to an elementary school that really prioritized music. I spent the rest of elementary/middle/high school playing classical/jazz flute in various competitive groups and orchestras. In high school I joined the marching band in my first year and later became section leader/drum major. I had so much fun building that band up and just loved the community and energy so much that I knew I wanted to continue being in a band. I always loved music, but most of all for the people you get to play with and communities you get to be a part of, so in college I ultimately dropped my other musical interests to commit fully to marching and pep band.
You are also VP of the band: what kind of responsibilities do you have in such a role? As vice president I do not have a ton of official duties, but I fill in with whatever leadership work needs to be done. I help the president/director organize pep band travel, I run three of our band’s intramural sports teams, and help organize the section wars competitions throughout the year (where different sections compete in a variety of challenges from fitness to costume contests to meme making competitions). I also help run interviews for the next round of leadership and with various administrative tasks to keep the band going.
You are planning to take a gap year and then go to graduate school to get a PhD in Biomedical Engineering: what is the post-PhD plan? I hope to become a professor and lead a research lab at a university.
You were in New York City for the ACC tourney and have been traveling with the basketball team for the entire NCAA tourney: what has it been like to join Coach K on this journey? There has been a lot of stress and a lot of joy. My goodness we have had so much fun! It is very sad knowing that any loss would be our last game of the season…and the last game for Coach K…and the end of my band experience. Last night was our last game, but more than anything I feel so incredibly grateful to have been along for this journey. I love band with all of my heart and I love our team and our school with all of my heart. What a special time we have had together.
How does your school decide who gets to go to the postseason? We have a complex point system for band travel that rewards leadership, seniority, and attendance. Based on this point system and the instrumentation we need for the travel bands, we award bids to band members to travel. I have been lucky enough to have a “perfect bid”, meaning that I have gotten to go to every round of the NCAA and ACC tournaments with the men’s team. It has been incredible and I know that I will never forget this past month.
Last Saturday the Blue Devils had a 9-PT win over Arkansas in the Elite 8: what was the reaction like when you got back to campus, and can you explain the UNC-Duke rivalry to people who have only watched it on TV? We flew back to campus the night of the Arkansas game and arrived a bit before the team. We managed to catch the team coming back and got to welcome them home. Everyone was so incredibly elated: I have never seen such energy and love for our team. The Duke-UNC rivalry is the biggest rivalry in basketball. From day one as a Blue Devil you know who to love and who to love to hate, and you know what colors you should and should not wear. We try to keep it kind-hearted, as most of us have friends at UNC, but on gameday (the biggest day of the entire year) you are a Blue Devil and only a Blue Devil. There is so much emotion and history wrapped up in these games. Playing UNC for the last time under Coach K, and for the first time we have ever met them in the NCAA tournament, in the Final Four, with 70,000 people in the stadium: there is nothing that felt more grand. Every point was exhilarating and we danced and yelled as hard as we ever had. It was an incredible game and a tragedy of an ending…but someone has to win and someone has to lose and I love our team no matter what. It is hard to remember that our team, composed of guys who we idolize so much, are mostly 18 and 19 year-olds. Coach K has the most beautiful perspective on the game. We walked off that court defeated and sad, but we walked off with our heads held high because of the legacy of basketball and leadership and joy that he, and we, have created.
Any predictions for Monday night? I am hoping so much that Kansas beats UNC because the Tar Heels need someone to teach them a lesson (I say this in the kindest way possible!). We also got to meet a bunch of the Kansas band members because we were staying at the same hotel: they were awesome so I am rooting for them.