It was a strange night for Duke coaches — past, present and future.
Before the tipoff between the Blue Devils and Wake Forest in a typically wild Cameron Indoor Stadium, excerpts from a new book hit the internet. It is written by long-time college basketball reporter Ian O’Connor and is titled “Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski.”
The biggest headline was about the choice to be the next Duke coach after this, Krzyzewski’s 42nd season in Durham and his 47th as a head college basketball coach. As we all know, that is Jon Scheyer: the captain of Coach K’s 2010 national championship team and his assistant since 2014.
But, according to O’Connor, Duke President Vincent Price favored Tom Amaker, another former Blue Devils captain who has been the coach at Harvard for the last 15 years after stints at Seton Hall and Michigan. To heck with continuity in the program, Price wanted experience. But not Coach K.
Since Duke had blown out Wake on its home floor in January, the Deacons have been one of the best teams in the ACC. Still, it wasn’t surprising the Devils ran out to a 14-point lead as the Crazies went insane.
When Krzyzewski left the court at halftime with his normal police protection under his five NCAA championship banners, he was limping even more than usual on one or both of his artificial knee joints. He didn’t look great either but, hey, he had just turned 75 on Sunday.
During halftime, many fans were on their phones with some obviously reading about O’Connor’s book, which says Coach K had a “very difficult conversation” with Amaker, who was left “heartbroken” about the decision. It also claims he had clashed with another former Duke player and assistant Quin Snyder who had favored recruiting kids without traditional Duke backgrounds.
The book apparently covers the eventual recruitment of Zion Williamson, whose family has been implicated in illegal payments from the time the No. 1 NBA draft pick left school. Duke is usually bullet proof from such things.
A murmur grew in Cameron when Coach K did not come out with his team for the second half. Word spread that he “wasn’t feeling well” and would let Scheyer put away the Deacs, who soon fell behind by 17 points.
Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer reacts during the second half of an NCAA college basketball game against Wake Forest in Durham, N.C., Tuesday, Feb. 15, 2022. (AP Photo/Gerry Broome)
The murmurs turned into a collective groan as Wake roared back and eventually tied the game with less than 18 seconds remaining. What would be the reaction if the protégé couldn’t finish what his mentor started?
After Duke center Mark Williams dunked the winning basket, the crowd went nuts. Coach K and his minions had avoided some serious second-guessing.
Photo via Walt Unks/The Winston-Salem Journal and The Associated Press.
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