Preparing to shoot a pair of free throws late in a 2009 game at Virginia Tech, Duke’s Greg Paulus nodded to the official to indicate that he was ready for the ball. He might as well have been saying, “Yeah I expected this” in response to the Hokies crowd taunting him with “Tea-b*g Paul-us” (clap-clap-clap-clap-clap).
It was Paulus who was posterized by former Tech forward Deron Washington during a rare Hokies win at Cameron Indoor Stadium a little over two years before. On a fast break, Washington flew over Paulus — positioning himself to take a charge that was never called (nor should it have been) — and laid a finger roll in off the glass.
Paulus would overcome the chants to make 1-of-2 free throws and Duke eventually triumphed, 72–65. After graduating that spring, Paulus would spend one year at Syracuse as the Orange’s starting quarterback. He is now the video coordinator for Ohio State’s men’s basketball team.
Will Hokies fans serenade a Duke player with a similarly clever chant when the Blue Devils visit Blacksburg on Thursday night? Only time will tell. Greg Paulus profile
