CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Mike Krzyzewski sat with a dutiful expression as reporters and cameramen encircled his table at the ACC basketball media day on Tuesday in a Marriott City Center ballroom. Duke’s coach with five NCAA titles was peppered with subjects.
Among them: the recently passed California Fair Pay to Play Act for college athletes (he’s in favor of it); the ACC’s 20-game conference schedule, up from 18 (he doesn’t like having a league game early in the season); and his latest freshmen recruiting class (not as spectacular as last year’s Zion Williamson Show, but talented with its own identity).
Then, as Coach K worked his way patiently through the session, a change-of-pace query lifted his face with a smile — flashed as bright with anticipation as if he was a college freshman looking forward to his first game.
What are your thoughts on playing at Michigan State?
“Oh, that’s a pretty big game,” Coach K said. “Tom Izzo’s program is fantastic and to play them there is a heck of a thing for us. That level of game will hopefully help us no matter what the outcome is. Just like the Kansas game (in the Champions Classic) to start out the season, we’re playing two teams a lot of people think can win the national championship.”
Krzyzewski is 72 and in his 40th year at Duke, but he’s not jaded by the thought of big games. Over the years, the Blue Devils have participated in plenty of hyped events, but this one has their coach and players eager to flip the calendar to travel to the Breslin Center for their Dec. 3 Big Ten/ACC Challenge.
Coach K didn’t mention that the Spartans ended Duke’s national title hopes last year when they beat Duke 68-67 in the NCAA Tournament East Regional, marking only the second time Izzo has defeated Krzyzewski in 13 meetings. And although it’s human nature to want to avenge a loss, Krzyzewski and his players spoke more about what they see as a special experience in a new season while chasing a national title. Duke has played at the Breslin Center only once, beating the Spartans 72-50 on Dec. 3, 2003.
“I can’t wait, to be honest,” said senior Jack White, who attended the media day with Coach K and senior teammate Javin DeLaurier. “I’m really, really looking forward to that game.
The Blue Devils are used to opponents looking on in awe as they enter their hallowed Cameron Indoor Stadium, but this is somewhat of a twist. They are the ones checking off a bucket list item to visit an arena featuring the “Izzone” that they’ve seen plenty on TV.
“It’s going to be a great a environment, a challenging environment. I’m excited,” White added. “We’re looking forward to it. I can’t wait to get going.”
If the 6-foot-7, 222-pounder from Australia hits his three-point range shot as many ways as he expressed his anticipation with that quote, well, Duke opponents are trouble.
The Blue Devils, voted the ACC preseason favorite at media day, gains its first look at Michigan State in the other half of the annual Champions Classic, this year on Nov. 5 at New York’s Madison Square Garden. While the Blue Devils face Kansas, Michigan State meets Kentucky.
Duke again has a star-studded freshmen class, although this one doesn’t have the talent of last year’s three one-and-done players taken among the first 10 picks in the NBA draft — Williamson, first; R.J. Barrett, third; and Cam Reddish, 10th.
Vernon Carey, a 6-foot-10, 260-pounder that picked the Blue Devils over the Spartans, is the only freshman projected as first-round pick, in the low 20s, in early mock drafts. Duke’s other freshmen are 5-star prospect Matthew Hurt (6-9, 200), 5-star Wendell Moore (6-4, 214) and 4-star Cassius Stanley (6-5, 185).
There may be less star power, but Krzyzewski expects more balance from this year’s team with White (6-7, 222), DeLaurier (6-10, 237) and point guard Tre Jones (6-3, 185), who opted to return for his sophomore year, leading the freshmen. Jones is projected as an early second-round pick and DeLaurier a late second-rounder.
Jones was voted to the preseason first-team All-ACC and Carey to the second-team. Carey also was second in Freshman of the Year voting to North Carolina’s Cole Anthony, the son of Greg Anthony, an 11-year NBA veteran out of UNLV and long-time NBA television analyst.
“Tre is a key guy for us because he’s going to have the ball most of the time,” Krzyzewski said. “Last year he got the ball especially for Zion and R.J. Now he’s going to have to distribute it to a number of guys. His ball pressure gets things going.”
The team that was something to see a year ago is eager to see the Breslin Center and the Spartans this year.
OF SONS AND GRANDSONS
Although Izzo and Krzyzewski have met 13 times, this time there is a double-dose of family on the bench.
Izzo’s son Steven is a 5-8, 150-pound freshman walk-on from Lansing Catholic. Krzyzewski’s grandson Michael Savarino is a 6-0, 182-pound freshman walk-on from Durham Academy. As walk-ons both know their place is deep on the bench.
That prompted Syracuse coach Jim Beoheim, who is close to both Izzo and Krzyzewski, to wonder why some fans criticized Izzo for having his son on the team, while Coach K has seemingly been “grandfathered in” without critics charging him with nepotism.
“I don’t know why there would be blow back over a guy that isn’t going to play,” Boeheim said at ACC media day. “He’s not a scholarship player. What’s that?”
Boeheim has experience on the father-son subject. His son Buddy is entering his sophomore year with the Orange, although the 6-foot-6, 195-pounder is on scholarship. He averaged 6.8 points and 1.6 rebounds with five starts in 32 games.
“It was interesting that last year my son didn’t start well but people were still behind him,” said Boeheim, adding “right?” with a look at a Syracuse beat writer that nodded in agreement. “They pulled for him, although there’s always a blogger that says something. Then he started shooting good and everybody liked him.”
Boeheim says his assistant coaches had encouraged him to offer his son a scholarship, but he resisted until the summer before Buddy’s senior year. He agreed after Buddy led an AAU league in three-point shooting.
“If a guy plays badly, he’s going to get negative reviews whether he’s my son or not,” Boeheim said. “That’s the way it works in college. It’s not something I think about. He plays well, he gets praised. He doesn’t, he gets criticism.”
Then, the 74-year-old coach added, “I don’t let things bother me anymore.”
COACH K ON FAIR PLAY ACT
Krzyzewski explained at length on media day why he supports the California Fair Pay to Play legislation that was passed allowing college athletes to make money off their name, image and likeness beginning in the 2023. Here is a snippet:
“We need to stay current with what’s happening; I’m glad it was passed,” Krzyzewksi said. “It has pushed the issue. I say let’s look at all the things. I’d like to see a bunch of people get together over a period of time and see what changes we can make that we should have been making in the past decade or two.”
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I invite you to follow me on Twitter @shanny4055
Tom Shanahan, Author: Raye of Light http://tinyurl.com/knsqtqu
— Book on Michigan State’s leading role in the integration of college football. It explains Duffy Daugherty’s untold pioneering role and debunks myths that steered recognition away from him to Bear Bryant.
http://shanahan.report/a/the-case-for-duffy-and-medal-of-freedom
Don’t believe the myths at Duffy Daugherty’s expense about Bear Bryant’s motivation to play the 1970 USC-Alabama game or myths about the Charlie Thornhill-for-Joe Namath trade. Bear Bryant knew nothing about black talent in the South while he dragged his feet on segregation.
http://www.shanahan.report/a/forty-four-underground-railroad-legacy-facts
http://shanahan.report/a/myths-that-grew-out-of-1970-alabama-game-with-usc
http://shanahan.report/a/mystery-solved-in-thornhill-and-namath-myth
David Maraniss, Pulitzer Prize winner and biographer; “History writes people out of the story. It’s our job to write them back in.”
https://www.augustpublications.com/
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