Completed Event: Volleyball versus California on November 28, 2025 , Loss , 2, to, 3
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Final
Volleyball
2
vs California
3
Roth: Dream School, Home School
10/23/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football, Men's Lacrosse, Rowing, Women's Soccer, Swimming & Diving, Track & Field, Volleyball
DURHAM, N.C. ? During Duke's heyday as a Southern Conference basketball power in the early 1940s, it was not unusual for the Blue Devils to field a lineup heavily seasoned with local flavor.
Coach Eddie Cameron's freshman team of 1941 featured Bob Gantt and the Loftis brothers, Cedric and Garland, who had helped Durham High School to national prep prominence. A fourth member of their high school juggernaut, Gordon Carver, arrived the following year, and in 1943 all four were starters for a Duke contingent that won 20 games and lost just once in conference play. Gantt and Carver later earned induction in the Duke Sports Hall of Fame.
Numerous other noteworthy Durham products have decided to remain home for college over the years, such as basketball's Stuart Yarbrough (Jordan High) in the 1960s, two-sport standout Brad Evans (Durham High) in the 1970s, football linebacker Emmett Tilley (Hillside High) in the 1980s and one of Mike Krzyzewski's early co-captains, walk-on Richard Ford (Durham High).
With national recruiting now the lifeblood of most Duke programs, Durham talent seems to appear only rarely on Blue Devil rosters these days, especially in football and basketball. Frequently there is an added connection involved. For example, receiver Steve Spurrier Jr. (Northern) and dual-sporter Adam Geis (Riverside) enrolled at Duke following their fathers' tenures on the football staff. Football coach Scott Brown's daughter Meghan enjoyed four years on the volleyball team. And all three of athletics director Joe Alleva's kids played for Duke teams during the past decade.
This year there are at least a dozen Durham products listed on Duke rosters, a few with close family connections to the university and others who simply grew up as ardent fans. Senior men's golfer Bryce Mueller (Durham Academy) has been following the Blue Devils since he was four years old, once served as a ball boy for the basketball team, and has remained immersed in all sports even while playing his own. He has traveled to away football games and watched at least 25 basketball games from the front row of the student section at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
“The opportunity to be a Duke fan is just as much fun for me as being a Duke athlete,” Mueller says. “I know a lot of the people playing because they are my classmates and that brings another level of enjoyment for me, to be able to pull for people that are playing for Duke that I know.”
Mueller was the perfect selection to serve as a student speaker this year for a freshman orientation program aimed at new students and their parents.
“I tried to explain to them how lucky they were to be a part of the Duke family and community and then tried to let them know how special the next four years would be in their lives, and how they should make sure and capitalize on all the unique things that happen on the campus with their children as students. I really enjoyed talking with the parents and students about a place and a campus that I truly love.”
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Soccer standout Kelly Hathorn's love of Duke certainly runs true. Her parents went to medical school at Duke, her grandparents are alums and her uncle, Jim Spanarkel, is one of the school's all-time basketball greats. Hathorn scored over 100 goals during a decorated prep career at Riverside and listened to several recruiting pitches, but her heart was set on coming to Duke.
“I love it here,” she says. “I'm a big home person. I didn't really look at any schools that were too far away. I like my parents being at all the games. My club coach, who was a very big influence on my soccer life, is back in the area so she comes to the games. Parents from my club team that I've known since I was 13, they're at the games. It's really nice. Like I said, I like being at home and around people I really know.
“Duke's always been a big part of our life. There was never a push, that I had to go to Duke, but my parents were big supporters of it and it's a great place to go to school.”
Hathorn started closely following the Duke soccer program when she got involved in a local soccer academy as a youngster. Former Duke women's coach Bill Hempen was one of the organizers, and one of Hathorn's coaches was Duke player Samantha Baggett. Hathorn also attended Duke's summer soccer camp.
Every year during the preseason, current Duke coach Robbie Church has his team conduct a local clinic for participants in the Durham Girls Soccer League. He never fails to point out to the young kids in attendance that Hathorn is an alumnus of that program.
“They all come out in their country shirts, like Poland and Nigeria, and that's really nice because I remember when I was that age and how the Duke players were big influences on me when I came to camp. Now these girls from here are doing the same thing I did.”
Hathorn is enjoying her best season this fall, after moving to forward from a defender's role the past two years. She is one of the Devils' leading scorers and recently delivered the game-winning goal in an overtime victory over Virginia Tech.
Hathorn's older sister Erin was a reserve for the Duke program the past few years and graduated last May, as did another of her local teammates, Jenny Alleva. Two other Durham players join her on the roster this year, freshmen Kendall Bradley (Durham Academy) and Madeline McEwen (Riverside).
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Volleyball player Christina Falcone also has a strong Duke pedigree. Her father Sonny played football for the Blue Devils and has been the strength and conditioning coach for many years. Her late grandfather Carmen was a Duke football and wrestling coach and is in the Duke Sports Hall of Fame.
Christina says she flirted with the idea of going away to college while she was helping Cardinal Gibbons High School win three state titles, but that didn't last long. “Duke's always been like a second home for me and it's the best package. It has everything,” she says. “It was my dream school from the beginning and it became reality.”
That was just fine with her dad, who enjoys watching her play in a reserve role for the defending ACC champion Blue Devils and getting to know her teammates as well.
“One of them lived with her at my house this summer and it was neat having them there,” Sonny notes. “She'll have kids, including the football guys, over to the house for dinner sometimes. She does the cooking, I do the cleaning. It's neat to have that.
“She loves it here. She loves the school and she loves the athletics. I was real happy with how much she has loved school. She wasn't like her dad ? she really enjoys the academics and learning.”
Christina says her wardrobe growing up seemed to consist almost entirely of Duke gear her father collected at work. But when one of her teammates or fellow students from out-of-town needs advice on where to pick up something in Durham, she is only too glad to put her local knowledge to work.
“During the first week of orientation, I was like the dorm MapQuest for everyone,” she laughs.
“How do I get here? Where's the nearest Bed, Bath and Beyond? I think most of the time I gave accurate directions, but sometimes Durham confuses me, too.”
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Unlike Falcone and Hathorn, Kinney Rucker of the football team had no prior connection to Duke. He moved from New York to Durham for personal reasons when he was in eighth grade, to live with his grandparents. He attended Githens Middle School, then Jordan High School, where he played basketball but not football as a freshman.
Rucker was a standout defensive end and linebacker his last three years of high school, all of which ended in playoff berths for his team. He was all ears when Duke expressed interest after his junior year.
“When I moved to Durham I immediately fell in love with Duke and wanted to come here,” he says. “Just to be a local kid and help turn the program around was a big interest of mine. That was one of the main attractions, and to compete in the ACC, which is one of the premier conferences in the country.
“At the end of 11th grade I went to the Nike combine and did well, and that's when I thought I could play at the next level. I came over here and toured the facilities and the same day Coach Roof gave me a scholarship offer. I talked to my parents and just felt like this was a good place for me.”
Rucker, now a junior academically, didn't see a down of playing time his first two years. He redshirted as a true freshman and then last year worked as a reserve on the offensive line, though he admits he wasn't passionate about it. His move back to defense energized him this year and he has started to contribute, with roles in several packages as a nose guard, tackle and end. He earned a start at Virginia and played 171 snaps in the first six games. He had his first sack against Wake Forest and was in on two more against Virginia Tech.
“It feels good to get out there and compete against somebody besides my teammates everyday,” he says. “I feel like each game I've improved. The first game was shaky. I had butterflies the whole game. The Virginia game they went away and then Northwestern and Navy I slowly improved and want to keep improving.”
“He's come a long way,” Roof says. “He had a great summer and he's in the process of figuring it out. I'm really pleased with him and the way that he's working. I'm pleased with his attitude and he's been performing well. He's probably our most athletic big man. He's become more physical; he wasn't a contact guy the last couple years but he's become more of a contact player. He's earned this and I've been pleased with his development. I think he'll continue to develop and get better.”
Rucker may be one of the few 285-pound college nose guards who lines up in a deep spot on the kickoff return team, primarily to help form the blocking wedge. He's got excellent footwork and he understands the return game; as a high school senior he returned three kicks for touchdowns and was his conference's special teams player of the year. “That was about 70 pounds ago,” laughs Roof. Still, Rucker will keep his eyes open for any kicks that don't quite reach deep man Jabari Marshall. “If they squib one to me, that wouldn't be bad,” he jokes.
Along with having the chance to play in front of his grandfather and other relatives, Rucker enjoys interacting with the community and making appearances at local schools in the Read with the Blue Devils program. “I do feel I chose the right place,” he says. “It's a great fit. I love Durham and I love giving back to the community. I think it's a great place ? nice and mellow.”
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Like Rucker, Liz Martin of the rowing team was born outside the Triangle area. She hails from Washington, D.C., and lived there until her move to Durham in seventh grade. She ran track for Northern Durham High and might have tried out for that sport had she enrolled at N.C. State, her initial plan. She hesitated in applying to Duke because she didn't think her grades were good enough, but after she was accepted by her mother's alma mater, she couldn't turn it down.
Joining the rowing team was another matter. Martin knew virtually nothing about the sport. But after attending coach Robyn Horner's annual fall meeting for prospective newcomers, she signed up and began learning the mechanics. She was on the novice team as a freshman and has been on the varsity the last three years.
“When I got here, since I'd always been an athlete and couldn't imagine not being one, I decided to walk on and learn the sport and see if I wanted to do it,” Martin says. “It seemed to fit me pretty well so I stuck with it and earned a partial scholarship. I wanted to keep doing something active and that was my way to stay active.”
Martin says she learned a lot more about her home city when she decided to stay in it for college. She continued to frequent some of the same places she enjoyed in high school, such as the Cosmic Cantina near Ninth Street, but she also made some new discoveries.
“I do feel like the Duke world and the Durham world are really different,” she explains. “Being from north Durham, there are a lot of places around Duke that I never went to before. Coming to Duke was almost like coming to a different city.
“I would go to a restaurant like Parizades for dinner in high school, and then find out when I came here that it was a club at night, which I never knew. So there was some familiarity, and then another whole new side of Durham that you never see when you are a resident of Durham and not a student at Duke.”
After graduation in May, Martin expects she will be leaving Durham to pursue graduate school or an internship in the field of sports administration.
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In four years on the golf team, Bryce Mueller has made the lineup a handful of times each season. By far his biggest highlight was competing in the 2006 ACC Championship.
“I think I had as hard of a time on the first tee as any Duke golfer ever,” he says. “My hands were shaking. I was crying. Just the idea to be able to represent Duke in an ACC Championship was something I had dreamed of doing for so long.”
Playing for the dream school. His home school.
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Other athletes from Durham on Duke rosters this year include: swimmer Matt Rinehart (Jordan), tracksters Avery Berkowitz (Jordan) and Elisabeth Sloan (Durham Academy) and men's lacrosse players Mike Hutchings (Durham Academy) and Sam Solie (one year at Jordan, three at Middlesex in Concord, N.H.).
Players Mentioned
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/ Men's GolfFree/Fly/IM
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/ Women's SoccerSprints
/ Track & FieldAndie Smith, Duke | Interview | CGN
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