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Duke has done it again with Jayson Tatum.
For the past 40 years or so, we have known that Duke not only has had one of the best basketball programs in the country, but also the smartest.
Once Coach K climbed into the saddle in his early years, he started going to Final Fours and winning national championships. Even before that, he didn’t knuckle under to wealthy Dukies who thought Cameron Indoor Stadium had to go.
While all the other schools in the ACC started to build much bigger arenas – like Carolina, which needed one (maybe not as big) to accommodate its large local fan base – Duke added by subtraction in keeping Cameron Indoor as one of the best home court advantages in the nation and instead began to expand around it.
Krzyzewski had great recruiting classes that mostly stayed four years to graduate before he suddenly pivoted to match Kentucky in signing 5-stars he knew would be one and dones. And Duke became a leader in that, too.
When he finally retired in his early 70s, Coach K didn’t need advice from any search committee to select his successor. He knew who he wanted and that was John Scheyer, a national champion and All-ACC player at Duke and one of the smartest young coaches in the game.
Since Scheyer took over, he has hired one of the first general managers in men’s basketball and kept the program at a very high level. This week, he announced former one-and-done Jayson Tatum as his new chief basketball officer. It is voluntary and may be mostly window dressing since Tatum is still an all pro.
But watch other programs follow suit. If UNC was smart, they would do the same with Michael Jordan, a billionaire whose association would be a big boon to Hubert Davis’ program. MJ is supportive behind the scenes, but he and the Tar Heels need to be more visible to capitalize on his alumni status.
In a release, Duke said Tatum will make personal visits to Duke around his rehab from an Achilles injury to rejoin the Celtics, talk with the players and coaches about personal development, professionalism and team culture, plus assisting where he can in mentoring athletes in career management, building NIL deals and handling time demands as college athletes.
Duke probably already has people to do that kind of stuff, but Tatum’s name will also help in recruiting even though as an alum he is not allowed to have direct contract with players Duke is chasing.
Maybe more cosmetic, but his association can’t hurt Duke’s brand.
The Blue Devils have another top freshman recruiting class enrolled, but Tatum’s presence will be more effective than retired pro players serving the same role unless, of course, it is someone like Jordan.
JT has already made a personal appearance at Duke’s “Countdown to Craziness,” an event that some schools including Carolina have scrapped in favor of playing more exhibition games. Why can’t you do both?
Featured image via Associated Press/Charles Krupa
Art Chansky is a veteran journalist who has written ten books, including best-sellers “Game Changers,” “Blue Bloods,” and “The Dean’s List.” He has contributed to WCHL for decades, having made his first appearance as a student in 1971. His “Sports Notebook” commentary airs daily on the 97.9 The Hill WCHL and his “Art’s Angle” opinion column runs weekly on Chapelboro.Chapelboro.com does not charge subscription fees, and you can directly support our efforts in local journalism here. Want more of what you see on Chapelboro? Let us bring free local news and community information to you by signing up for our newsletter.
