WRAL Sports Fan

Duke

Recharged Coach K eager to test out new depth

By Ryan Craig

Oct 28, 2008

According to Gerald Henderson, one of the Blue Devils’ team captains, head coach Mike Krzyzewski returned to the states this summer after winning a gold medal with the USA a more confident man.

“I’d say he’s a lot more confident,” the junior tri-captain said. “Him being able to coach those guys, those superstars and bring them together in a unified setting was definitely something special.”

That’s a scary proposition for the fans of any team not named Duke, but even the man with his name on the Cameron Indoor Stadium Court admitted he came back from Beijing a changed coach.

“I think it makes you better,” Krzyzewski told The Fan. “It gives you more passion for what you do…you’re with a different set of coaches, Mike D’Antoni, Jim Boheim, Nate McMillan, but you’re also coaching new players. You see how they do things, how they prepare, how they practice, and you pick up new things. You’re also teaching against a different pool of competitors and these international teams are great teams and those coaches really know the game. Sometimes there are some concepts you’re coaching against…and you learn from competing against different people.”

Krzyzewski returns to Durham armed with a crop of freshmen that many think will add to a team that has already seen its depth improve despite the loss of last year’s captain and leading scorer DeMarcus Nelson. More talented players on the floor means more competitive practices, something that every head coach wants in order to help his team improve the most on a day-to-day basis.

“Our practices have been great,” Krzyzewski said. “Part of it is that the two units you are putting on the floor are both capable of winning. We have depth, and when you have depth, you can be better.”

The reinforcements have arrived in the forms of Miles Plumlee, a solid, back to the basket forward, and Elliott Williams, and Olek Czyz, two players whose athleticism has already impressed the head coach and one of the team’s highest risers.

“Plumlee would start for us right now,” says Krzyzewski, “and Elliott Williams is a kid that would give us really good minutes off the bench and will keep improving.”

“We’ve got two freshmen in Elliott Williams and Olek Czyz that are pretty good athletes,” Henderson admitted after saying he wasn’t even sure if he had the highest vertical leap on the team. “I hope they get a few breakaway dunks this year so you guys can see how high they can jump.”

With Kyle Singler and preseason All-ACC pick Gerald Henderson already looking the part in the team’s first exhibition game, it seems as though the Blue Devils are ready for another run at another Final Four.

“We have a good group of three kids we can complement in Gerald Henderson, Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler,” Krzyzewski said. “They are good enough to play with anybody and then if I can put them in a position where they can use their skills and have guys complement them, then we’ll have a chance to be a very good team, a team that has a chance, every time it goes on the court, to win.”

 

Duke Blue Devils

2008 season: 28-6 overall record, 13-3 in ACC, lost in NCAA second round to West Virginia (73-67)

Key loss: G DeMarcus Nelson (14.5 points, 5.8 rebounds per game)

Returning starters: G Greg Paulus (11.4 points, 3.2 assists per game), F Kyle Singler (13.3 points, 5.8 rebounds per game), G/F Gerald Henderson (12.7 points, 4.7 rebounds), F Lance Thomas (4.3 points, 3.3 rebounds per game)

Key stat: Greg Paulus enters his senior season as the ACC's active leader in assists (420)

Mike Maniscalco of The Fan says: How does a team that wins 28 games underachieve? That is what happens when you are Duke and exit the NCAA Tournament in the second round. The Blue Devils will be deep and have added freshmen Olek Czyz and Miles Plumlee to give some bulk up front that in turn will open up the perimeter for a deadly array of shooters. There are questions: can point guard Greg Paulus effectively run the team? Do the Devils have enough depth? Any other year in the ACC this Duke team would be the favorite, but the attention being on someone else all year will help Duke stay focused and lead to another 28 _ or more _ win season. If the freshmen grow up quickly, the Blue Devils might have enough to reach the Final Four. They definitely are a Sweet 16 team and will be loaded for the future.