The mass exodus has begun for Duke basketball.
It’s one thing when a college program loses its iconic, hall of fame coach to retirement, but players lining up to follow him out the door means Jon Scheyer won’t have it very easy taking over the Blue Devils.
Coach K got a puppy from his team at the post-season banquet, then handed it off to the dog sitters and headed for Boston where he watched three of his former players – Kyrie Irving, Seth Curry and Jayson Tatum – who are all far better in the NBA than they were in Durham.
Back home, the cupboard was getting bare by the minute.
The third player from Coach K’s last team, junior Wendell Moore Jr., entered the NBA draft even though he was a solid, second-round pick in the June draft. He follows 7-foot sophomore Mark Williams, slated as the 15th pick, and freshman ACC Rookie of the Year Paolo Banchero, who is a consensus No. 1 or No. 2 selection.
And, get this, two more projected first rounders haven’t announced yet, but are expected to give Duke a five-card straight to the NBA. Freshmen A.J. Griffin, rated as the 9th pick, and Trevor Keels, listed at No. 29, won’t be far behind, leaving Scheyer with a major rebuilding job.
Fortunately, he has the No. 1 recruiting class coming to Durham, led by 5-stars Dereck Lively, Kyle Filipowski, Dariq Whitehead and Mark Mitchell. In a late turn of events, the Blue Devils will not be picked first in the ACC next season, maybe not even second.
It is tough to tell what the other conference teams will look like with the NBA deadline still ahead and the transfer portal active. One thing for sure, Carolina will be picked ahead of Duke, and likely be favored to win the 2022-23 regular season.
Still awaiting Caleb Love’s decision, the Tar Heels have the rarity of an All-ACC senior center returning in Armando Bacot, along with premier super senior defensive ace Leaky Black and junior combo guard R.J. Davis.
So Duke won’t be playing for first place, where the Devils have only finished twice outright in the last 20 years. And by tournament time, Scheyer will discover for himself what inexperience and pro aspirations can do to a team’s championship hopes.
This isn’t much different from where Coach K started for the most recent seasons, only to prove one-and-dones are only good for themselves.
Photo via Todd Melet.
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