A different perspective of the Duke vs UNC rivalry

So when I was looking to transfer, it was a lot of one on one, and it didn't feel like I got lost in a huge university because I knew that if I came here, there was going to be someone I could talk to about every aspect of the courses I needed to take. But also to I love the smaller classroom sizes. And I liked how interactive and immersive all of the learning was going to be. It wasn't just going to be me sitting in a room with a couple hundred people and a professor who didn't know my name.

To find out more about transferring to William Peace University, visit peace.edu. Lee Spungen for about 30 or so years was the media room manager over at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I used to see him, I don't know, 12, 15 times a year. I don't go to basketball games anymore. Also managed Press Row, which is the most unique Press Row in anywhere in basketball that I have ever been.

The only thing that comes close to it, I think, is Reynolds Coliseum, and I don't even think that does really well. Really, and Lee's, Len is joining us here on the Adam Gold Show as we get ready for Duke Carolina, part two, the one at Cameron. Let me ask you this, Len. First of all, you've been gone about two years. Do you miss this game? Yes, this is the only game that I do miss. Those nine o'clock games turned out to be bears by the time you got home and had to get up and go to work the next day.

But I missed this game because it was just different. You know, walking from the parking lot to Cameron for this game, and I guess I didn't go to the COVID year one, so I guess I saw 32 of them. And, um, I would always make it a point to go around the backside of Krzyzewskiville, and I wanted to see what was going on there. And I'd get there about an hour, hour and a half before the game, so everything was starting to get chapped up a little bit. The kids would get lined up, and they were pretty much already lubed up and ready to go in and make the charge for the seat.

At half court. So, uh, it was just so exciting. And there was a buzz in the air.

There was said you had a spring in your step. It was just it was Duke Carolina, and it was different, and it was the greatest. And I was lucky to be there and relapse. My position was to stand at the end of press road. Where those cheerleaders are, and that was pretty good place to watch a game.

Oh, there's nothing wrong with that lens. Pungen is joining us here on the Adam Gold show. I'm gonna ask you about where you stood in a in a segment. I'm curious, um, the difference because there's a media crush. There's a national media crush for this game. Now, there have been a lot of big games at Cameron that were not Duke Carolina. So what's the difference for you managing the media room and press row for a big game?

And I'll just throw out a Maryland at Duke game from the early part of the two thousands versus a Duke Carolina game. What is the difference for you? Adam Gold with my man coach Peter to Capital Financial Advisory Group in Apex. Let's talk about a financial fill up, sir. Yeah, this is when you want to get close to retirement. When you're in retirement, you want to make sure you get a check every single year for the rest of your life. Not depending on the stock market and never goes away for you and your spouse. Guaranteed for life, Adam. That's what a financial fill up is. Alright, so text Adam to 600-700 for coach Pete DeRuta and get filled up financially. Absolutely.

Thank you very much. Well, the Maryland games are pretty good too. Great games, but I'm talking about in terms of what you had to do to manage the amount of people. The first thing that I would generally do for a Duke Carolina game is go in there and look at the seating roster. And the first thing that I would have to do is stand up and usually stood on a chair and got everybody's attention and says, I'm very sorry, but it's your name is not on this list. For a seating on press row.

There's nothing we can really do about it. Don't don't ask me if I could squeeze you in. I probably can't, but there were times where during the first TV timeout, I would take a look at first row. And if I had a spot, if you're not there by the first TV timeout, you're probably not coming. So I go in, I would go in the press room and I take a little piece of paper and I'd write down a number on it and I would get everybody's attention. I would say, okay, I've written a number down here in the sheet of paper between one and a thousand.

And if you get that number or are the closest to that number, I have a seat for you. So we went through that exercise, you know, whenever there was seen available, it was kind of like it was a poor man's lottery with a big time payoff. Oh, no, no question about that. That that's better than bingo.

I will say this. First of all, with especially for the Duke Carolina game would sit with the national people who would be drawn to it. And this wasn't even a Duke Carolina game, not even sure which one it was. I was looking at a picture of the the Cameron Indoor Stadium media room and there was Michael Wilbon standing at one of the postgame press conferences. So he came to this Duke Carolina game every once in a while.

I know my like, Lupica has come to this. Has anybody ever gotten to press row and got and went, what am I supposed to do with this? Why are these sweaty, smelly kids so close to me? Why are they spinning on my neck for for 40 minutes of basketball? Have you ever had to explain that this is our press row and this is what it is? That's exactly right.

You can throw in and I don't want to get blue paint on the back of my shirt or my sports coat because there was a lot of that. Um, there was, uh, it was, I kind of thought of it always as press row is like in the curl of a big wave. You know, you have to see these guys surfing in Hawaii and they're at the bottom of the curl and they have this huge wave over them about to come down, but they're going to escape it. But that's how the kids were at at camera and they were packed in there so much and they were constantly being pushed together.

Um, to make more space. I'm pretty sure that a lot of relationships were were spawned at, uh, Carolina Duke game standing in the bleachers because if you didn't know someone when the game started, you probably knew them pretty well by the time the game ended because you were bodied up on them because there was so close. Len Spungen, by the way, I appreciate your use of the word spawned there.

Uh, that was phenomenal. Let me ask you two, two things. One of them was a, uh, a court storming and I don't know how many years ago it was now. I think Duke beat Carolina and stormed the court. Maybe Duke wasn't supposed to beat Carolina.

I don't know. Uh, wasn't there a, a future president of the United States who was pretty close to where you were standing? There was. I told you where I stand and he, he was in, he and his lovely wife were in the front row. And this is, uh, this is Donald Trump, correct? Right behind the cheerleaders in front of the band. Right.

Um, and, uh, I remember, uh, as the game was progressing, you know, Duke made this great comeback and subsequently won the game near the end of the game. Uh, Trump had a, a bodyguard with him. Right.

And I said to the guy, you, you need to consider moving him because they're common. And, um, I don't think he did. And, uh, Donald Trump was doing the apprentice at the time.

He hadn't had any political, you know, um, things happening. So, uh, he got, he kind of got run over like an armadillo in Texas. Yeah. So, um, I don't know, maybe after that game, he looked at that security guy and gave him a, you're fired. I don't know. That is fantastic. Now, uh, and he's a, he's a known germaphobe too.

So that probably was even a doubly problematic. Uh, uh, what was the Obama game like when Zion Williamson, uh, exploded a shoe on national television? Well, I only saw president Obama when he, uh, he, I saw him coming out of the Carolina dressing room and his feet were at the other side of the court, you know, at the end of the Duke sense, but he was, uh, calling all North Carolina sports fans soon enough. DraftKings Sportsbook will be live in your state starting March 11th. You'll be able to bet on all your favorite sports from the comfort of your own home with DraftKings. Download the DraftKings Sportsbook app now and sign up with code 999 to get up to $300 in bonus bets when you place a $5 bet. Once mobile sports betting goes live only on DraftKings Sportsbook coming soon to North Carolina on March 11th with code 999.

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Call click Granger.com or just stop by Granger for the ones who get it done. He was pretty gracious guy, you know, it's he's a basketball junkie is so he was he was there for that game. That wasn't a great game, but he was there. They've been you never knew who you were going to see at a Duke basketball game. I remember see walking into the press room one time and there's Larry Bird.

Well, you know, I grew up in Connecticut. I was a big Celtics fan. Larry Bird was my guy and there he was sitting there. So that was kind of thrilling magic would be there are lots of actors.

And actresses, I got they asked me one time to kind of shadow Ken Young from the head over. Yeah, and you talked about a funny guy. He was sitting in that same seat that I described for President Trump. You know, the last the last seat right on the row behind the cheerleaders and he was just he was just a funny guy who's at the end and he's such a huge Duke fan at the end of that game. It was a Duke victory. I was able to get him back to meet the team and they were really psyched and jacked up about that.

And then my friend John Jackson. We asked him if we could take can into the coaches quarters, you know, because there's not a coach's office. It's just a coach's quarter. Yes, next to a coach's office. It's just a coach's quarters. Yes, next to next to the locker room. So he went in there and there he was able to rub elbows with with the coaching staff and assorted other guests. So it was really really neat to trail can a little bit and he was very appreciative and you know, he's a funny guy. He would he would just lead tears.

He'd go out and dance in front of everybody. It was just funny lens bung and we have to go and I know you have some other things to do. I appreciate your time. I hope your seat in retirement is 1 10th as good as it was during your 32 years of watching Duke and Carolina go at it at Cameron Indoor Stadium. I appreciate you, sir. I'm sorry. I don't see you often, but I'll see you at a canes game soon. I hope okay. Thanks a lot.

Adam enjoyed being with you. You take care calling all North Carolina sports fans soon enough DraftKings sports book will be live in your state starting March 11th. You'll be able to bet on all your favorite sports from the comfort of your own home with DraftKings download the DraftKings sports book app now and sign up with code 999 to get up to $300 in bonus bets when you place a $5 bet once mobile sports betting goes live only on DraftKings sports book coming soon to North Carolina on March 11th with code 999. The crown is yours gambling problem call 877-185-543 or visit more than a game.nc.gov 21 plus North Carolina only new customers only subject to regulatory licensing requirements maximum $300 in bonus bets not available for use until March 11th 2024 bonus bets expire 168 hours after issuance deposit wagering and eligibility restrictions apply terms at DraftKings.com sports book slash NC