Wisconsin Badgers senior Forward Duje Dukan is a big time Chicago Bulls fan, as he was a ball boy for the NBA franchise growing up. Dukan served in this role for eight years, as his dad currently an international scout for the team. Dukan’s dad has held that job since 1992.
He was key in signing Nikola Mirotic, who has emerged this season as the only true legitimate contender to the Minnesota Timberwolves Andrew Wiggins in the race for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.
Dukan’s Dad works in the same Chicago Bulls office with the aunt of Frank Kaminsky, so Frank the Tank has also become a big Chicago Bulls fan. All that’s left to complete the proverbial circle of life is for the Bulls to draft Kaminsky.
Kaminsky, the Big Ten Player of the Year, and the overwhelming favorite to sweep all the national player of the year awards hails from Lisle, and he did his Prep ball at Benet Academy.
“So many good players across the board have come out of this area and there will continue to be good players,” said Kaminsky about all the talent in the Chicagoland region.
Kaminsky has a great game, but an even greater personality. He gives great soundbites and he writes even greater blogs.
So for the Wisconsin Badgers to run the Big Ten Tournament table, at the United Center, was especially sweet for these two seniors in particular. Dukan hails from suburban Deerfield, and played at Deerfield high school, just down the road from the Berto Center, which served as the Bulls practice facility up until last year.
“I think everybody kind of loves basketball in the Chicago area, growing up everyone had the ability to watch the great teams that we’ve had. We were too young to know what Michael (Jordan) was all about but we were able to watch it, when you see greatness like that everybody strives for something like that,” said Dukan.
“Growing up as a kid, I came to games, I worked here as a ball boy, shot around before games,” said Dukan of playing at the United Center.
“It’s always been a dream of mine to play in an arena like especially this one, so to be able to come here and have a good performance, it’s definitely very, very encouraging.”
“I basically grew up in this building.”
#1 Wisconsin takes on #16 Coastal Carolina on TBS this Friday night in Omaha.
Paul M. Banks owns, operates and writes The Sports Bank.net, which is partnered with Fox Sports Digital. You can read Banks’ feature stories and op-eds in the Chicago Tribune RedEye newspaper and hear his regular guest spots on numerous sports talk radio stations all across the country.
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