Originally Posted by Anonymous
Here are the 5 emotional stages of being a Duke's parent:

1) Hope and desire - you've been to the mini camp and see all the ballers. You are excited to be on the team. Wow, so much potential. Your son is going to really grow with this team. You happily write the check.

2) Doubt sets in - a few bad mini camps (maybe one in the snow like last year) or the schedule keeps getting changed. You start to wonder what is going on and whether G really cares about the kids. Or maybe he's in financial trouble. You're not sure, but something doesn't seem right. But your kid is having a good time so you go with the flow. Those posts on BOTC can't be true, can they? I mean, everyone who says bad stuff about Duke's was on the bottom of the depth chart. That has to be it, right?

3) Euphoria - your kid plays in a tournament and you win (or do really well!) and you're excited. You're playing with a lot of talent. This has to be good for your son (and probably is if he gets playing time.) You really like some of the coaches and realize there is some real quality in this program. You even consider putting that Duke's magnet on the back of the family truckster. Buy that Duke's sweatshirt or tight Duke's Mom t-shirt at the next mini-camp!

4) Disappointment - something changes. Perhaps you put a bunch of events in the calendar that didn't materialize. Perhaps G decided to start coaching your team and suddenly the excellent coaches who made sure the team was balanced and competitive aren't a factor. Maybe G doesn't like you anymore because of who you are or who your club team might be. Or maybe you start to realize that 90% of what is said to parents at mini camp is a bunch of complete BS. (Oh, you have a secret way of getting an 8th grader in front of college coaches right now?!?!?! Wink wink!) You see that they have been dangling this carrot called Duke's Elite and college recruiting in front of you all this time but is it real? Maybe not. You paid your money for tournaments but kids you have never seen before show up with a uniform and play. And you find out that they didn't pay a penny. You're subsidizing ringers!

5) Disgust - you spend your days posting trash about Duke's on BOTC to warn other families to not waste their money. It becomes your personal mission.

So are you a stage 1 or stage 3 parent?
This post is 100% legitimate. Ask me how I know? Because as the parent of a former member of the Duke's Nationals "family", this is ridiculously accurate in describing our experience. ANYONE who is considering joining the organization, understand that this is honestly how it works. If somebody tells you differently there are 1 of 2 reasons. A) they are an absolute anomaly vs the vast majority of players or B) they are G or one of his cronies trying to ensure that the gravy train keeps on chugging.