Every year, March is a very special month for basketball fans everywhere. Everyone hopes that their nearby city/arena will host at least one round of the tournament so maybe they can have a chance to be part of the insanity. Well, I got lucky enough to go to school within a one hour radius of a NCAA Tournament site. Being a major Duke fan, I knew I had to get down there at some point, even if I couldn't score tickets to the first stop on the tournament tour to be sold out. Then while scouring the internet, I realized that there was an open practice for all the teams the day before their first round of the madness. I knew I had to go, but I didn't exactly know what to expect. Open practices aren't something that are well talked about so I didn't know if I should expect hoards of people or if I should expect to be making friends with janitors, the only people obligated to be in the arena. I also didn't know if it would be as boring as all of my basketball practices or if they would make it a spectacle the day before the big show. If you’ve never been to one, you just don't know what to think. So i am here to share the experience that I had, so you know what to expect when one of the best things to happen to college sports comes back around next year.

First off, the only thing you have to pay for is parking- which is expensive and chaotic but it’s worth it, so don't let that deter you. My arena didn’t have a bag policy of any kind so I brought my laptop right in there to take notes and fully absorb everything that was NCAA postseason basketball. The practices were slated to have ten minute spaces between them, except for the hour intermission between North Carolina and Duke. The seats were GA and I arrived during UNC’s practice. UNC was making a huge spectacle out of this part of the practice. I mean dunk lines and ball tricks and they were just so extra. And the fans LOVED it. They signed autographs and everything dipping into the hour intermission between their practice and Duke’s. So as UNC fans cleared out, this Duke fan took her opportunity and moved down to the row closest to the court in preparation to see Coach K and all his glory. During the intermission, I experienced some really interesting stuff that might've even rivaled the practice itself.

Pro Tip: Only leave for potty breaks and snack breaks and the merch booth (which you can get early access to. Heyo!)

The thing that really got me is how many people there were college age, like me, on the court in suits and I just wanted to learn how to get that opportunity. Everyone on the court looked so important. Honestly, there were just so many people with lanyards that I cant imagine what all they do. There was one guy who's job (I’m pretty sure) was to watch the other March Madness games on the monitors. As if they weren't playing them on the jumbotron. How do I get that job? I will take that job! Also, for some reason, during the practices they play pop/hiphop/rap, but during the intermission they play sappy slow, decades old love ballads. I just love being behind the scenes.

Another thing that people might not realize, is it is not just the teams that are practicing during an open practice. They have mascots, cheerleaders, band, video, audio, whistle-blowers, buzzer-pressers, photographers and shot-clock keepers all there practicing too. They are not messing around. I watched them test official whistles, and I kid you not they did about 5 test rounds for those. And then they tested every length of buzzer possible, including some sort of 30 second long buzzer that I cant imagine would be used unless Grayson Allen tripped someone into a coma. Honestly, it was headache inducing by the end of it. The people applauded at the end. Open practices are weird. Basketball fans are weird. But boy are basketball fans nice! Or maybe it is just Duke fans, but the people around the arena were so polite and helpful; it was quite the atmosphere. Speaking of helpful, I had the wonderful opportunity to meet Mrs. Kryzezewski and the woman helped me climb over a row of chairs so I could take a selfie with her. She said Coach K’s back was doing well and they couldn't wait for the madness to begin. (Side note: The Kryzezewski’s are team iPhone so the jury has made its verdict.)

After the almighty Duke basketball team finished their presser, they took the stage…er…the court. Everyone applauded. Coach K looked like the greatest basketball coach of all time would look. All black Duke track suit. His assistants in gym shorts and tucked in T-shirts (of course) and the Duke boys in practice unis that rivaled most school’s game unis. I still didn't know what to expect from by-the-book Coach K in a practice that had higher attendance than some state championships. But it started out like any other practice I’ve seen or been a part of; the boys did line stretches, then static stretches. This is when I realized Luke Kennard is the smiley-est player I’ve ever seen. If I learned anything from this practice, it’s that if you ever need a new favorite player, Luke Kennard just seems like a really cool, deserving dude. My man was dancing and jumping around and high-fiving everyone- but not in that douchey showboat kind of way, just in a genuinely happy-to-be-there sort of way. When it came to the practice itself, the boys had an instinct as to what they needed to do and how long they needed to do it. The event ran as a normal practice, as if there weren't people screaming their names and applauding their slack practice shots. They ran drills and the boys hustled real well. Almost every shot they took, contested or not, went in.The team was super supportive of each other, they lost their mind when Harry Giles dove and sacrificed his body for a ball. It was really great chemistry, I mean they never knocked each other’s balls out of the hoop, didn't look uncoordinated, they just really seemed to really be comfortable with one another. Not to mention, you could tell they were absolutely thrilled to be around Duke Nation.

Needless to say, if you get the opportunity to attend an open practice, it is a pretty rad thing to see. If you get the opportunity to see your team’s practice, that is one of the coolest things you can do if you cant attend the game itself. (Or even if you can!!) So as March Madness rolls through, if your local arenas give you this opportunity, be sure to check it out!