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How Clemson basketball honored Dick Vitale, 85, in return from cancer battles before Duke game
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- How Clemson basketball honored Dick Vitale, 85, in return from cancer battles before Duke game
CLEMSON — Dick Vitale emerged from the tunnel to go to the broadcast booth courtside, but something caught his eye.
Vitale greeted Clemson basketball fans instead, taking photos with them, putting on an " Ian Schieffelin " chef hat and introducing himself before No. 21 Clemson (18-4, 10-1 ACC) faces No. 2 Duke (20-2, 12-0) on Saturday (6:30 p.m. ET, ESPN) at Littlejohn Coliseum.
As Vitale settled in at the broadcast table Clemson honored him on the videoboard moments before tipoff. It showed still photos of Vitale at Littlejohn Coliseum, then showed him with "Welcome back, baby!" on the board.
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Fans, coaches and players gave Vitale a standing ovation. He rose from his seat and waved to the crowd.
Saturday is Vitale's first time calling a men's basketball game since April 3, 2023, when he called the international broadcast of the San Diego State vs. UConn national championship. He overcame battles with melanoma, lymphoma, vocal cord and lymph node cancer to make his long-awaited return, and Clemson and its fans made sure to honor him.
Vitale knew Saturday would be emotional, and he embraced those feelings in his return.
"Tomorrow, even if I'm horrible, it's my championship, man," Vitale said Friday during a media availability.
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MORE: Clemson basketball vs Duke score today: Live updates, Dick Vitale returns
Derrian Carter covers Clemson athletics for The Greenville News and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at dcarter@gannett.com and follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter, @DerrianCarter00
This article originally appeared on Greenville News: Dick Vitale return: Before Duke-Clemson game broadcaster is honored
