Tag: Mike Krzyzewski

Coach K and Bobby Hurley reunite at Cameron Indoor Stadium ahead of exhibition game

Ahead of a Sunday exhibition between Duke and Arizona State, Coach K and Bobby Hurley shared the Cameron Indoor Stadium court again.

Two architects of Duke’s first national championships shared the floor at Cameron Indoor Stadium again on Saturday evening.

Legendary men’s basketball coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag], who won five national championships during his four decades in Durham, and former Blue Devils point guard [autotag]Bobby Hurley[/autotag] spent some time together on the famed court ahead of a Duke exhibition against the Arizona State Sun Devils.

Rodd Baxley of The Fayetteville Observer caught their initial embrace on video.

Hurley, now the head coach of the Sun Devils, helped lead the Blue Devils to consecutive titles in 1991 and 1992. He finished his collegiate career with 1,076 assists, an ACC record that stands to this day, and he’s responsible for four of the five seasons in program history with at least seven assists per game (Dick Groat averaged 7.6 in 1952).

Arizona State hired Hurley ahead of the 2015-16 season, and in the nine years since, the program has put together four 20-win seasons and reached the NCAA Tournament three times.

The Blue Devils, now led by Jon Scheyer (who also won a championship with Krzyzewski in 2010), will face Hurley and Arizona State in an exhibition game on Sunday evening. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m., and fans can watch the game on ACC Network.

Virginia’s Tony Bennett, coach of Notre Dame ACC rival, retires

Big story in college basketball.

Notre Dame has part of the ACC for over a decade now, and it has gone against some legendary coaches during that time. While Virginia’s Tony Bennett doesn’t have quite the reputation of legends like Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim or Roy Williams, he has done a great job of building his own legacy.

When the Irish visit Charlottesville on Jan. 25 this season, the Cavaliers will look very different on the sidelines because Bennett reportedly has announced his retirement effective immediately. That this is happening less than a month before the start of the season is nothing short of surprising.

The Irish have gone 3-13 against Virginia since joining the ACC, and Bennett’s tenure with the Cavailers’ predates that period. But even before that, the Irish learned how good Bennett was when he coached Washington State to a 61-41 win over them in the second round of the 2008 NCAA Tournament.

Bennett retires having won one national championship, two national coach of the year awards, six ACC regular-season championships, two ACC Tournament championships and four ACC Coach of the Year awards. He has an all-time record of 433-169:

https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1847009701877461379

Best of luck to Bennett in whatever comes next in his life.

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Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Jon Scheyer includes Coach K on his college basketball coaching Mount Rushmore

Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer filled out his coaching Mount Rushmore on Wednesday, and he obviously included Mike Krzyzewski.

When Duke coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] was asked to fill out his Mount Rushmore of college basketball coaches on Wednesday, the first name that came to mind should be pretty obvious.

“First one’s easy for me,” Scheyer said. “Coach K. He’s there, no question about it.”

[autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] coached the Blue Devils from 1980-2022, winning five national championships and reaching the Final Four a record-setting 13 times along the way. He took Duke to the national semifinals seven times in nine years from 1986-94, including five consecutive trips from 1988 through 1992, and he won his first two national championships back-to-back in 1991 and 1992.

Scheyer worked under Krzyzewski for almost a decade before he took over the program, starting as an assistant coach in 2014 before being promoted to associate head coach in 2018. He even won a national championship for Coach K as a player in 2010.

Scheyer rounded out his four names with legendary UCLA Bruins coach John Wooden (who won 10 national championships between 1964-75), longtime Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim, and Georgetown legend John Thompson.

https://twitter.com/accmbb/status/1844133910919381484

Duke basketball freshman grew up rooting for the Blue Devils and shares childhood story

Duke basketball freshman Darren Harris, who grew up cheering for the Duke Blue Devils, shared a childhood memory involving Coach K Court.

Six freshman faces help make up the 2024-25 Duke men’s basketball roster, but for several of them, the Blue Devils have been part of their lives for a long time.

Darren Harris, a four-star sharpshooter from St. Paul VI Catholic High School in Virginia, said he grew up a Duke fan his entire life. He even shared a story from when he was in elementary school during Friday’s team media day to detail how much the program meant to him.

“It was K Academy, I was in fourth grade I think, and my family snuck in because the door was open, and I took a picture at the Coach K Court piece right there,” Harris said.

Duke honored legendary head coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] by branding the floor of Cameron Indoor Stadium as ‘Coach K Court’ during the 2000-01 season. The longtime Blue Devils coach retired in 2022 with 13 Final Four appearances, the most in NCAA history, and five national championships.

“It was a dream of mine to come here,” Harris concluded. “So it kind of made the decision easy.”

Harris could contribute in a big way this season as well. CBS Sports reporter Jon Rothstein said the first-year Blue Devil shot exceptionally well from distance during a practice he watched earlier this week, and Harris showed off that microwave ability on offense with a 36-point game against IMG Academy during Chipotle Nationals.

Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer wants to start a series with UConn

According to a Monday report, Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer has an idea for a future campus series with the Connecticut Huskies.

The Duke Blue Devils and Connecticut Huskies have played each other more on the football field than the basketball court over the past few years, but Duke head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] wouldn’t mind changing that trend.

According to a Monday report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, Scheyer is “open to starting a series” with the two-time defending national champions.

Duke and UConn have combined to win 11 national championships since 1991, including six of the past 14 titles, but the two have never played each other in their own stadiums.

Duke has a 5-4 all-time record against UConn with wins in the last two matchups. The schools haven’t faced off since December 2014 when legendary head coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] captained his team to a 66-56 victory on a neutral court. Tyus Jones led the team with 21 points in that game, and the Blue Devils won the most recent of their five championships at the end of that season.

The Blue Devils football team has also beaten Connecticut on the football field in each of the past two seasons, including a 26-21 comeback win on Saturday.

The best photos of Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer on his birthday

In honor of Duke basketball coach Jon Scheyer’s birthday, here are some of the best photos of the former national champion as a player and a coach.

The Duke basketball season is still months away, but Saturday marked an important day for the Blue Devils: head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag]’s birthday!

Scheyer stepped into the unenviable position of replacing five-time national champion [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] two seasons ago, but all he’s done since then is win the ACC Tournament in 2023 and reach the Elite Eight in 2024. Now, he’s got his sights set on the school’s sixth national title after he brought in top-ranked freshman [autotag]Cooper Flagg[/autotag] and the No. 1 recruiting class in the country.

The new Duke coach succeeded on the court for the Blue Devils as well. A former point guard, Scheyer won a national championship as a senior in 2010, ending his collegiate run on the mountaintop. He played in 144 games across his four-year career, starting 108 of them, and he averaged 18.2 points and 4.9 assists per game in 2009-10.

Here are the best photos of Scheyer in Duke’s signature blue, from his playing career to the start of his coaching run.

Duke basketball fans hilariously notice Coach K mid-workout in the background of a photo

Duke basketball shared photos of Grayson Allen’s workout on Monday, but fans (and Jayson Tatum) noticed Coach K mid-bench press in the background.

The Duke basketball social media team just wanted to share some photos of former Blue Devil [autotag]Grayson Allen[/autotag] during a workout. Instead, they got a gem of legendary head coach [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag].

Allen returned to Durham for a training session on Monday, working with current Duke coach Jon Scheyer on the court. The team posted some glimpses of his workout on X (the social media platform formerly known as Twitter), but fans immediately noticed Coach K mid-bench press in the background.

The five-time national champion was moving weight, too. At 77 years old, Krzyzewski had some heavy-looking plates on either side of the bar.

It wasn’t just Duke basketball fans amused by Coach K, either. Duke legend [autotag]Jayson Tatum[/autotag], fresh off his first NBA title and his second Olympic gold medal, shared a laugh about the photo on social media.

“Naw Coach still hitting the bench press he’s an animal,” Tatum said in a post on X.

Mike Krzyzewski praises LeBron James, Kobe Bryant for their mental approach

Former Team USA coach Mike Krzyzewski got to know LeBron James and Kobe Bryant well, and he talked about what set them apart from others.

LeBron James has been an elite basketball player for seemingly forever, and if his performances at the 2024 Summer Olympics have been any indication, he may not noticeably decline any time soon.

The 39-year-old has helped lead Team USA men’s basketball to two wins in its first two games of group play in Paris. There were some concerns the team was ripe for an upset, but it won those two contests so easily that those anxieties are starting to wash away.

Legendary Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski was long associated with Team USA basketball. He began coaching the squad at the 2006 FIBA World Championships and ended his tenure by guiding them to a third straight Olympic gold medal at the 2016 Games.

That tenure allowed him to coach LeBron James, as well as late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, multiple times. Krzyzewski reflected on what made both of them special during an appearance on “The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd.”

“I noticed him when I started coaching him how smart he was,” said Krzyzewski.”… And then you add intelligence, then you add a command voice. Then you add leadership, and then you add something that a lot of people don’t have, and that’s the will to prepare to win. … He [James] and Kobe were the two guys who were just above everyone in preparation. Physical, mental, you name it. When they were on the court at a practice or at a game, they wanted to be the best, all the time. They paid the price for it.

“For anyone that knocks LeBron for anyone, they’re crazy,” Krzyzewski said. “We’re not going to see anybody like him. He’s one of a kind. What he’s doing in the Olympics— his verve, demeanor, his attitude, he helps his team by how he looks, not just how he plays. I want to play with a guy who looks like him because there’s hardly anybody who looks like that. This guy has the face of a champion.”

James just became only the third player in Team USA men’s Olympic basketball history to score 300 points along with Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant. He’s going for his third Olympic gold medal, which would be one more than Bryant and Michael Jordan, although critics also point out he only won a bronze medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics, something neither Bryant or Jordan ever did.

Mike Krzyzewski praises JJ Redick, feels he will do well as Lakers head coach

Legendary Duke University head coach Mike Krzyzewski, who coached JJ Redick, feels Redick has what it takes to be a good head coach.

People are clearly split on whether JJ Redick will succeed as the Los Angeles Lakers’ new head coach. He has been lauded for his basketball intelligence and acumen, but others feel he simply isn’t ready to be an NBA head coach because he hasn’t paid his dues as an assistant yet.

Some have also accused Redick of being arrogant and prickly. Adam Lefkoe recently said people around the league want him to be humbled, not because they personally want him to fail but because it simply isn’t that easy to be a head coach.

Of course, there is also the fact that Redick co-hosted a podcast with Lakers superstar LeBron James called “Mind the Game,” which made some wonder if he could objectively coach the 39-year-old.

During their coaching search, the Lakers reportedly leaned on the advice of Mike Krzyzewski, the legendary retired Duke University coach. He coached Redick when Redick was in college, and he had some complimentary things to say about the former sharpshooter while on “The Herd w/ Colin Cowherd.”

“For me, JJ is amazingly competitive, and is prepared as well as any player I’ve coached at Duke,” said Krzyzewski. “He’s smart, he’s confident and he understands the game and having 15 years of being a pro, he has empathy for the guy trying to make it when he’s trying to make and makes it, and for the veteran who is still trying to make it. … I think he has empathy for what a roster would look like.”

Since Redick has the stamp of approval of someone like Krzyzewski, fans should feel a little more confident that he can make it as the Lakers’ bench leader despite his real and supposed deficits.

It is true he has chosen the most stressful head coaching job in any major pro sport, but he just may have enough of what it takes to get the most out of the Lakers’ roster.

ESPN shares feature on Duke basketball fan who attended UNC game for Make-A-Wish Foundation

ESPN released a feature on Tuesday showing Duke basketball fan Bradee Vance meeting the team and attending a rivalry game against UNC.

Countless people across the United States consider themselves die-hard Duke basketball fans, but few can measure up to West Virginia teenager Bradee Vance. Earlier this year, Vance experienced a one-of-a-kind Blue Devils journey to commemorate that fandom.

ESPN released a feature on Tuesday about Vance, a high schooler who was diagnosed with Alport syndrome at age 13. The disease, which attacks blood vessels in the kidney, required a transplant back in 2022. His aunt provided one of her kidneys for the replacement.

After the successful operation, the Make-A-Wish Foundation took Vance and his family to see the Blue Devils play North Carolina at Cameron Indoor Stadium earlier this spring. Vance and his family got to walk onto the court and sit in the team meeting rooms the night before the rivalry game, and head coach [autotag]Jon Scheyer[/autotag] embraced Vance and talked with him.

During a meeting with the team, senior captain Jeremy Roach presented Vance with a custom-made Blue Devils jersey bearing his last name.

He and his family also spent some time with five-time national champion [autotag]Mike Krzyzewski[/autotag] during the day of the game.

Duke fans can watch the full feature down below, an incredibly well-made tribute to his family and their journey.