Duke Press Hired Dean Smith and the Internet Loved It
When Duke University Press announced its new director, who has the same name as the late legendary basketball coach at rival UNC-Chapel Hill, you knew the jokes would follow.
And, sure enough, it didn't take long for social media to jump on it Thursday afternoon:
Up is down, down is up. https://t.co/yUnnNCquor
— Adam Rowe (@AdamRoweTDD) April 18, 2019
Coach K is really getting out of hand with his recruiting. https://t.co/DEeeAk8GnX
— Richie Donald Jr. (@richiedonald1) April 19, 2019
Smith comes to Duke following years of leading Cornell University Press, one of the most respected university presses in the country. He has an interest in sports – he’s written one book about the Baltimore Ravens team that won the 2013 Super Bowl. And he is the son of a college basketball coach.
Some welcomed Smith with tongue in cheek.
— Discover Durham (@DurhamNC) April 18, 2019
Others had a more apocalyptic take:
Among other exciting world events occurring, the fact that @DukeU hired Dean Smith tells me the end times are indeed near.
— Geoff Hughes (@geoffuse) April 18, 2019
And for those who remember that even Michael Jordan never averaged 20 points a game while playing for Smith, this Reddit posting from "goatsquirrel" will resonate:
“Fun fact: Dean Smith is the only press operator to ever hold Johannes Gutenburg to under 100 pages per minute.”
Smith starts at Duke Press on July 1. Perhaps when he has time, he might enjoy sitting down for lunch with Duke’s Roy Williams (medical assistant, Duke Outpatient Clinic).