Duke basketball is going global.
The school will broadcast its Jan. 15 game against Virginia in Mandarin Chinese in a stream that’ll be available live and on-demand, according to a Duke news release.
Duke undergraduate students Yunze Chen, John Sheng and Jesse Sun will call the action, which starts at 2 p.m. ET – and 3 a.m. China Standard Time. Anyone can listen in at GoDuke.com.
“Duke Basketball unites people around the world,” Michael J. Schoenfeld, Duke’s vice president for public affairs and government relations, said in the release. “We are excited to bring this part of the Duke experience to our Chinese-speaking students, alumni and fans, regardless of where they live. It illustrates the global nature of the university, and our aspirations for the future.”
The school’s also touting Mike Krzyzewski’s popularity as the head coach of Team USA during the 2008 Beijing Olympics as another drawing factor.
PR speak aside, Duke has more than 1,000 current students, faculty and staff from China. More than 600 Duke alumni live in China, according to the school.
Now, if they can get Yao Ming to make a guest appearance on the broadcast, they might have something.
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