By Paul Gotham
This article was originally published April, 2010.
Another decade and another national title – such is life for the Duke Blue Devils and Coach Mike Krzyzewski.
Kyle Singler scored 19. Jon Scheyer and Nolan Smith added 15 and 13 respectively as the Blue Devils trimmed Butler 61-59 in the national championship game.
The victory gave Duke its fourth title under Coach K, and elevated the 30-year coach into some lofty status. Only Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp (4) and UCLA’s John Wooden (10) can claim that many NCAA Division One Men’s Basketball Championships.
Rupp’s titles all occurred from 1948-1958. Wooden’s teams won their 10 crowns from 1964-1975.
Leading his team in 2010, the beginning of a new decade, Krzyzewski has now coached teams to titles in three different decades.
The significance of such a feat is as simple or complicated as 7-foot-1 Brain Zoubek grabbing an offensive rebound, pivoting, and kicking the ball to a wide open Scheyer for a 3-pointer.
Coach K’s first trip to the Final Four came in 1986. His Blue Devils won 37 games that year, but their third loss came in the national title game to Louisville.
That game was played without a three-point arc or shot clock.
By the time Duke won its first title in 1991, an arc, 19’9″ from the basket, appeared at either end of the floor and a shot clock which counted from 45 stood mounted above each basket.
The Blue Devils avenged an embarrassing loss from the prior year downing UNLV 79-77 in the national semi-finals. Duke used a deliberate, patient offense to slow the heavily favored Runnin’ Rebels.
Two nights later, the Blue Devils completed the run defeating Kansas 72-65.
Bobby Hurley led those Blue Devils with 76 three-pointers.
This past season, Scheyer trumped Hurley’s output from long range with 110. Singler added 85 and Smith poured in 60 from behind the arc.
Krzyzewski’s ’90-’91 team made 176 of 459 attempts from 19’9″. Their opponents went 164-473.
The 2009-10 edition of the Blue Devils finished 296-795 from 20’9″ while holding opposing shooters to 158-559.
Hurley’s squad finished 32-7 – scoring 3,167 points and allowing 2,615.
Scheyer and company went 35-5 and accumulated 3,079 while giving up 2,439.
The result is the same. Both teams won the title. The process used to arrive at that point varied.
Those numbers illustrate just one aspect of Coach K’s ability to adapt.
Over the past 30 years, the game of college basketball has changed, arguably, more than any other period of time in game’s history. Throughout all those adjustments, Coach K has shown that to be a great leader one must change with the times.
The Blue Devils repeated in 1991-’92 with a similar lineup. Hurley’s three-point totals dropped due to injury. So, too, did the team’s totals drop (Billy McCaffery transferred after his sophomore year. He took 70 from behind the arc the previous year.)
The numbers, though, did not show the change in mindset. Frequently, Hurley pulled up in transition and let if fly from long range. A tact that few teams attempted to the same degree of success that Duke experienced.
Duke and Krzyzewski returned to the finals in ’94 but lost to the Arkansas Razorbacks.
Injury and illness forced Krzyzewski from the sideline, and, over the next three years, Duke won just one game in the NCAA Tournament.
Coach K and the Devils returned to the finals in ’99 but fell to UConn 77-74.
Then, Krzyewski would have to learn to adapt to a new situation. For the first time in program history, Duke players left early and went to the NBA. Elton Brand, William Avery, and Corey Maggette all opted to enter the draft. Along with Trajan Langdon‘s graduation, Duke lost four starters.
Kzyzewski accepted it and moved on to his next recruiting class and team.
Within two years, the Blue Devils climbed the ladder at the Final Four again.
Duke reached the Final Four in ’04, and the experience left Coach K with a new scenario with which to contend. Upon the season’s end freshman Luol Deng went to the NBA.
“One and done” is now a part of basketball parlance. The shot clock counts down from 35. Three-pointers come from nearly 21 feet. Throughout it all, Coach K still wins. This year’s Blue Devils not only took more 3-pointers than their fellow alums some 20 years ago, but the 2009-’10 Blue Devils might have caused people to look at the game differently.
Trading a deuce for a triple has merit. Instead of defenders trying to stop a rebounder from going back up with the ball, now they have to worry about defending the arc. It’s rather simple. The shooter’s hips are already squared to the basket. All he needs to do is step into his shot.
Why didn’t someone think of this before now?
All in day’s work for Coach K and his staff.
Monday night, the roles were reversed. Once the hunter, Duke has now become the hunted. Instead of Duke slowing the game like they did 20 years ago against UNLV, it was the Bulldogs’ turn to try and dictate the pace.
It didn’t matter. The Blue Devils adjusted.
As the saying goes, the only constant is change. No one embraces that change more than Coach K.
Casey —
First time caller … love your show. I have the highest regard for Coach K … I think I share your admiration for the man. Now, I pose these questions to you:
Not that this would ever happen … but what if Notre Dame lured him away from Duke (a guy can dream, can’t he?). What impact would this have on ND hoops? Do you think the Irish would ascend to perennial Top 10 status, a trip to Final 4 every 3-4 years, and maybe a title every 10 years? In other words, would they become what Duke is? Or do you not see that ascension happening because there are other impediments at Notre Dame that a great coach like K could not cure?
Thanks … I’ll hang up and listen for you answer.
Wally,
It is always great to hear from “first-time callers.” Thanks for the comment.
You pose an interesting question. What if Coach K was lured to South Bend? Wow! What an idea. Not in any particular order, but it is important to note that even Coach K is not a miracle worker. I heard him over the past week and half make mention of his first three years at Duke. They went went 38-47. He didn’t win an NCAA Tournament game with Duke until his fifth season. Even then, they lost in the next round. Coach K will tell you how lucky he got with that recruiting class of Johnny Dawkins, Mark Alarie, David Henderson, and Jay Bilas. Those guys got him over the top. Duke took a huge chance with him, and they were willing to stick with him. That took some commitment.
I know it seems like Mike Brey has been given enough time (11 years), but I am not even sure Coach K could guarantee success. Think of it this way, remember the year Coach K went out with the injury? The next year they 18-13! That was with his guys.
Duke went to the Final 4 in 2004. From ’05 – ’09 they could not get beyond the Sweet 16. Duke’s NCAA record during that period was 7-5. I know ND nation would be ecstatic with those results, but given Duke’s basketball reputation and the subsequent recruiting advantages, that was satisfactory at best.
Now, convert that to Notre Dame. Brey’s Fightin’ Irish have won five games in The Dance. Should they have won more? Sure. But the margin for error is small. Look at Dayton this year: https://pickinsplinters.com/2010/04/04/daytons-season-decided-by-slightest-of-margins/
Of course, Brey could start working to recruit “one-and-done” guys. But that tact kind of diminishes the end result.
By the way, we already have a guy named Wally on the site. Funny, he has the same gravatar as you. Not sure how that happened. You might want to come up with a different name for Pickin’ Splinters. We would have to hold you to some pretty high standards. The original Wally is the closest thing we have to untouchable when it comes to the amount of sports trivia he has swimming around in his brain. 🙂
Another thing to keep in mind – the Irish lost Scott Martin in the pre-season. Martin transferred from Purdue and was expected to add rebounds and muscle in the paint for the Irish. Kinda like Duke lost Shaun Livingston, and the Blue Devils struggled at point for a couple of years.
So maybe it boils down to this … ND essentially wants all the recruits Duke gets … those kids are very good students, good citizens, and great basketball players … most of whom stick around for at least 3 years, if not 4. But if there are 5 players that fit that description, Duke gets 4 of the 5 !!! Occasionally a Harangody or Troy Murphy fall to the Irish. So why do the other 4 choose Duke? I think 90% of the reason is Coach K. The other 10% is maybe a preference to play in ACC, because “hoops is king” at Duke, etc.
So that’s my opinion. Smart kids who are great hoops players will go to the “academic school” where the coach has established a great tradition of not only winning, but also getting a fair share of guys to the NBA. That’s Mike! So if Coach K decided to give South Bend a try, I’d be willing to bet that within a couple years he’d be luring 4 out of 5 of those smart blue-chippers to ND and the Irish would be the team going to the Final 4 every 4 years. Meanwhile, Duke would assume ND’s former position as a decent program but not nearly elite. It would be like Eddie Murphy and Dan Akroyd TRADING PLACES !!! Even I’d be willing to bet $1 that this transformation would be complete if Coach K switched allegiances. Does somebody have the phone number for Randolph or Mortimer DUKE ???? I’d like to make this bet. Where’s Beaks ?!?!?!
Haha
Now that you mentioned Murphy. He might want to reach into his deep pockets and help build a basketball facility at Notre Dame a la Carmelo Anthony at Syracuse.