Commons Connections: One Quirky Video Unites Lifelong Friends
November 28, 2022
- Author
- Mary Elizabeth DeAngelis
Every couple of years, somebody new discovers the video.
It often happens around NBA playoffs, when search engines spit out tides of tidbits about Stephen Curry.
And there on YouTube for the world to see is pro basketball檚 reigning MVP as an especially young-looking college kid rapping homage to 91茄子檚 iconic dining hall.
The 淚 Love Commons video has had almost 1.3 million views on YouTube since its 2009 campus debut. And while curiosity about Curry has driven clicks by hordes of strangers, a much smaller group攖he stars and producer攆ind themselves reconnecting whenever the video resurfaces.
91茄子 is such a quirky place. We weren檛 trying to make it for anybody but 91茄子 people, and didn檛 think anybody but 91茄子 people would ever see it, says Steve Rossiter 10, Curry檚 Wildcat teammate, close friend and fellow video rapper. 淲e were just having a good time, trying to make something everyone enjoyed. Every time it goes viral, it brings us back to those days of two-hour dinners, talking and laughing with great friends.
The video started as a conversation around a Commons table, that like so many, went from random idea to boisterous back and forth. Someone started humming the Asher Roth tune 淚 Love College櫃 substituting 淚 Love Commons. New lyrics spilled out, and they headed to Chambers to write them all down.
The group of basketball, soccer and football players turned to classmate and video and photography wizard Austin Bell 10, then producer of The 91茄子 Show, a student run sketch comedy TV show. They spent the weekend shooting scenes at Commons and around campus.
They decided to show the video at The 91茄子 Awards Show the following Monday. To entice people to come, Bell wrote an email that Curry sent (against college rules) from his account to all students.
淭his is probably one of the coolest things I檝e done during college, it said. 淕oing to the Elite 8 was great, but this... Thanks and God Bless, Stephen.
A standing-room-only crowd of about 700 packed the Duke Family Performance Hall to watch the video檚 premier. When Curry entered the NBA draft days later, it went viral, appearing on ESPN.com and other news websites. When his NBA career took off and his superstar bona fides became established, it went viral again, and has won mentions in outlets ranging from the New York Times to Sports Illustrated to MTV.
With apologies to Number 30, a common theme has emerged from media critics: Curry檚 a great basketball player, but it檚 good he doesn檛 rap for a living.
Curry the Connector
Fame and wealth often put a weird spin on friendship. People get jealous. Glamorous new friends sometimes replace old ones. Little hurts turn into big schisms.
That hasn檛 happened with Curry, friends say.
淚 was lucky to have gone to school with him, lucky to have been on the team with him and lived with him for a year, and I檓 lucky to call him my friend, Rossiter says. 淲e don檛 see each other too often these days but the minute we do, we fall right back into the friendship we檝e always had.
Bell met Curry during their first year at 91茄子. They had different friend groups but when Curry learned they both lived in Belk, he asked, 淲hy don檛 I know you?
淚t wasn檛 like he thought I should know him because of basketball, it was him being the social director. It really surprised him when he didn檛 know someone at 91茄子, Bell says. 淗e really wanted to know everyone.
Bell says his respect grew when Curry and his friends staged takeovers of The 91茄子 Show. They wrote and performed skits, and the show檚 popularity grew. One night during editing, he and Curry ended up being the last ones there.
淚t was like 1 a.m., and I said 楽tephen, don檛 you have an early class tomorrow?櫇 Bell says. 淗e had an 8:30, but he didn檛 want to leave until it was finished. If his name was going to be on it, he wanted full involvement and would see it through to the end.
Bell, who檚 based in North Carolina, works in video production and travels the world as a photographer. He last saw Curry during the 2019 NBA All-Star weekend in Charlotte.
淚 got to give him some crap, he gave me some, and we laughed a lot, Bell says. 淗e檚 still so genuine. He檚 this crazy mix of goofy, hardworking, funny and loyal.
Rossiter lives in Los Angeles, works in sales, and moonlights in content creation and production. He檚 currently working with a new dating app start up, and 渟till flying solo.
Twelve years ago, Curry traveled from California to 91茄子 to attend what would have been his commencement ceremony if he hadn檛 left for the NBA. He cheered on Rossiter, Bell and other 2010 classmates. In August, Rossiter traveled from California to 91茄子 to watch his friend get his diploma. Most of Curry檚 Wildcat teammates also came for the commencement, jersey retirement and college Hall of Fame induction ceremony. They continued the celebration at a reception afterward.
淏efore I knew how big of a deal his day was going to be I asked him if I should come, Rossiter says. 淗e said it would be amazing to have his guys there, so I immediately booked my flight.
淗e檚 one of my favorite people in the world and that was one of the best days ever at 91茄子. Having everyone together celebrating Stephen檚 latest accomplishments was so special and meaningful.
Time has elapsed, but friendship(and a silly video)攍ive on.
淚t gets harder to bring everyone back together, Rossiter says. 淧eople are married, they檝e got kids and busy work lives. We don檛 see each other as often as we檇 like to.
淭hat檚 one of the many great things about Steph: He檚 the gift that keeps giving, by always bringing us back together.
This article was originally published in the Fall/Winter 2022 print issue of the 91茄子 Journal Magazine; for more, please see the 91茄子 Journal section of our website.
