After Coach K, The Next Coach at Duke

[PADukeMom]

As posted above, I know some Penn State football fans who will tell you be careful what you wish for with regard to a coaching legend staying on the job as long as he wants to do so

The man who handled his exit the best was Coach Wooden - knowing when it is time to step down is a tough but necessary part of being a legendary coach

I'm a life-long Penn State fan but even I am of the opinion that Penn State needs to make JoePa "coach for life" & then hire a real coach to coach the team.

As for K(swear he found the fountain of youth) I am just fine with him coaching as long as he wants to. I'm not one to jump on the Stevens Bandwagon. Let's sit back & see how he & his team handle success, the pressure to stay on top & the vitrol that goes along with success. IIRC wasn't Gonzaga the media darlings a few years ago? I would hope that Duke would, when the time comes, keep the job in the family. Who wouldn't mind Coach Battier, Hill or Hurley?

[CrazyNotCrazie]

I don't think this is a topic that bears discussion during the season, but now that it is the off-season, I think it is very relevant. I have the utmost respect for Coach K and eternal gratitude for everything he has done for Duke, and he should be entitled to coach as long as he wants to. However, Coach K is often compared to a CEO, and most large, successful companies have a succession plan for their CEO. Similarly, Duke will need some type of plan for life post-Coach K. He will be pushing 70 when kids currently in HS are graduating from college. I am sure that other schools are using that to recruit against us - "if you want to play for Coach K, there is a good chance he will be gone by the time you're done at Duke." He and Duke are under no obligation to share a plan with us, the loyal masses, but hopefully if a prospect asks, he has a good answer.

I don't know how JoePa handles this situation, but in football, there is less of a direct relationship between the head coach and the player since there are multiple layers of assistants between them and there are much more players on the team.

[superdave]

Coach K has suggested Dawkins as his successor. Johnny not Andre. Until he says anything different, that's what wise men such as myself will continue to believe. As for how long it will be, check out Barry Jacobs' recent interview and you will get a sense of what's on Coach K's mind.

[uh_no]

Coach K has suggested Dawkins as his successor. Johnny not Andre. Until he says anything different, that's what wise men such as myself will continue to believe. As for how long it will be, check out Barry Jacobs' recent interview and you will get a sense of what's on Coach K's mind.

While I tend to go with what coach K says, think in the end johnny will be too old to be a legitimate successor. Coach K will probably coach 5-6 more years, by which time JOhnny will be 53. That gives him about 15 years to coach the team. I'm sure coach K would want in some part to protect his legacy as duke's best coach...idk, I'm torn. I guess it's not too old, I guess I'm just a huge fan of continuity so would rather see a guy in his late 30's (ala brad stevens) who could coach for closer to 30 years.

Obviously theres 0 guarantee of success, but from hearing K speak, I would have to say that his successor will most definitely be in the duke family, and johnny is the most likely candidate.

[J4Kop99]

Coach K has suggested Dawkins as his successor. Johnny not Andre. Until he says anything different, that's what wise men such as myself will continue to believe. As for how long it will be, check out Barry Jacobs' recent interview and you will get a sense of what's on Coach K's mind.

Andre may be the better fit... considering all of the succesful baby-faced coaches we have seen over the last few years.

[SoCalDukeFan]

Whomever follows Coach K will not be Coach K. The Duke faithful will need to maintain high expectations and standards, but realize that the coach is not Coach K.

I would hope and expect that the next coach avoids NCAA issues and embarrassments. I hope all of his recruits value going to Duke and benefit by their stay. Naturally I hope we win every game, but I would rather lose a few than recruit say a Nate Miles type.

SoCal

[fgb]

i'm curious about what sort of role k will have in duke basketball, one he has retired from coaching. i have a really hard time seeing him as someone who can just walk away; i think what will ultimately bring the coaching phase of his career to a close is the physical toll of game coaching, especially for a guy with two artificial hips. i think once that happens, though, there will be a lot of years in which he'll stay involved; i could see duke creating a position, sort of the college equivalent of a professional gm or team president, working just under the ad and running the basketball program.

[Indoor66]

i'm curious about what sort of role k will have in duke basketball, one he has retired from coaching. i have a really hard time seeing him as someone who can just walk away; i think what will ultimately bring the coaching phase of his career to a close is the physical toll of game coaching, especially for a guy with two artificial hips. i think once that happens, though, there will be a lot of years in which he'll stay involved; i could see duke creating a position, sort of the college equivalent of a professional gm or team president, working just under the ad and running the basketball program.

Personally, I hope that when he retires he only returns to Cameron to watch games or if he is specifically invited. I hope that the next coach is not constantly looking over his shoulder. I seriously doubt that K would do that, but being second guessed by a legend is a hard life. Take a cue from Wooden and be completely out of the loop.

[Bojangles4Eva]

I'm a life-long Penn State fan but even I am of the opinion that Penn State needs to make JoePa "coach for life" & then hire a real coach to coach the team.

As for K(swear he found the fountain of youth) I am just fine with him coaching as long as he wants to. I'm not one to jump on the Stevens Bandwagon. Let's sit back & see how he & his team handle success, the pressure to stay on top & the vitrol that goes along with success. IIRC wasn't Gonzaga the media darlings a few years ago? I would hope that Duke would, when the time comes, keep the job in the family. Who wouldn't mind Coach Battier, Hill or Hurley?

I'm currently a grad student at PSU and have a good friend and former roommate who used to play O-line for them (was in the FLA ST Orange bowl game) and he said that Paterno has been out of it for a while. I have also tutored many players on the PSU team, and while they have not said anything specific about JoPa, I have spent countless hours in the football facility and never seen him, while other coaches are constantly around. General sentiment around here is that he is a face for the program, but behind the scenes others are doing most of the work. I would hate to see something similar with K, but I think he will leave when he doesn't feel he can give it the same passion and attention that he does now. That being said, I hope he is coaching at the level he is now until he's 82, but that’s highly unlikely...

[licc85]

I doubt Duke will refuse to hire someone from outside the Duke family. After all, Coach K himself had no ties to Duke prior to getting the job. As I mentioned several times in the wojo/collins thread, I'm a huge proponent for Brad Stevens to to be the guy. He's such a perfect fit for Duke, although I'm not 100% sure he would take the job. It is, however, probably the best or 2nd best job in college basketball. It would be very difficult to pass up. The pressure of coaching at Duke will be intense, especially replacing a legend. I, for one believe that Stevens has the demeanor and the confidence to take such a job and handle the pressure with ease. He might end up coaching at UConn, Syracuse, or possibly Indiana before K even retires though.

[Duvall]

I doubt Duke will refuse to hire someone from outside the Duke family. After all, Coach K himself had no ties to Duke prior to getting the job. As I mentioned several times in the wojo/collins thread, I'm a huge proponent for Brad Stevens to to be the guy. He's such a perfect fit for Duke, although I'm not 100% sure he would take the job. It is, however, probably the best or 2nd best job in college basketball. It would be very difficult to pass up. He might end up coaching at UConn, Syracuse, or possibly Indiana before K even retires though.

UConn isn't that great a job, and Syracuse has its in-house successor in Mike Hopkins. Indiana is a real possibility, though.

Duke basketball is in a very different place from where it was in 1980. I would be very surprised if Duke's next coach isn't someone with extensive ties to the program.

[uh_no]

UConn isn't that great a job, and Syracuse has its in-house successor in Mike Hopkins. Indiana is a real possibility, though.

Duke basketball is in a very different place from where it was in 1980. I would be very surprised if Duke's next coach isn't someone with extensive ties to the program.

To append: Kevin Ollie will likely be Jim Calhoun's successor.

[gep]

Duke basketball is in a very different place from where it was in 1980. I would be very surprised if Duke's next coach isn't someone with extensive ties to the program.

I was about to mention this. I didn't follow Duke basketball (or even much college basketball) before 1980. But while Duke was successful prior to then, I don't think there was also such a "lasting legacy" back then, either. With the current Duke basketball legacy and culture, I would think the first successor to Coach K will be from within... if only to keep some kind of initial continuity. Maybe a few years after that, who knows...

And, with all of the names thrown about, I thought, well, in 5-10 years, where will Greg Paulus be? He'd be young enough (very early 30's) at least, and who knows where he'll go or how he'll grow in that time.

[langdonfan]

I'd submit the mods could lock this thread and unlock it when Coach K announces his plans to retire.

LMAO, when I read this post I nearly broke my finger scrolling up to see exactly when it was posted!

[langdonfan]

Coach K has suggested Dawkins as his successor. Johnny not Andre. Until he says anything different, that's what wise men such as myself will continue to believe. As for how long it will be, check out Barry Jacobs' recent interview and you will get a sense of what's on Coach K's mind.

I think (or at least I hope ) this is going to be contingent upon Dawkins being successful at Stanford.

[bjornolf]

I think part of the problem here is that we have NO idea how long K will stay as coach. A legitimate candidate now might not be in five years, and definitely might not be in a decade. One of the absolute keys to K's success has been longevity and stability, and if they want that, they need someone young and dynamic who can learn on the job, like K did. Many schools pull the trigger too fast, being desperate for success, or the coach takes a different opportunity too soon. We don't want to be that school. If K sticks around long enough, someone like Dawkins might become too old to fill that role. Dawkins may become a great coach, but he's already 47. If K sticks around even a few more years, Dawkins will be nearing the end of his career when he STARTS at Duke, which I think we'd want to avoid. K is only 16 years older than Dawkins. We don't want a guy that we're gonna need to replace again after five years.

[formerdukeathlete]

I was about to mention this. I didn't follow Duke basketball (or even much college basketball) before 1980. But while Duke was successful prior to then, I don't think there was also such a "lasting legacy" back then, either. With the current Duke basketball legacy and culture, I would think the first successor to Coach K will be from within... if only to keep some kind of initial continuity. Maybe a few years after that, who knows...

And, with all of the names thrown about, I thought, well, in 5-10 years, where will Greg Paulus be? He'd be young enough (very early 30's) at least, and who knows where he'll go or how he'll grow in that time.

What Paulus did at Syracuse in one year, elected a team captain, turned down opportunities to play in Europe, and the USFL as QB, almost signed by the Saints, and where playing in the other leagues might have lead to another opportunity in the NFL, he really wanted to be a college basketball coach. Who among the names tossed about has K's competitive drive, and who among these names is the same level of quality person? Paulus has to be up there in these regards.

He will have to have a head coaching job first. Shaka Smart was a head coach at 30. K coaches 10 more years and Paulus has done well as a head coach for a couple of years, he'd be a contender for the Duke job.

[cptnflash]

I'd like to see a guy like Brad Stevens Coach Duke one day...

I wouldn't... I'd like to see Brad Stevens himself coach at Duke, the day after Coach K hangs 'em up (which hopefully is still a long way off)!

[sporthenry]

I just see no way Stevens comes to Duke. It would take perfect timing. I suspect if he is going to leave, it will be in the next few years if/when he has some struggles and the IU job miraculously opens up.

K will probably be at Duke for at least 4-5 more years, so if Stevens continues his current success, he will have no reason to leave Butler as he will have created his own program or if he falls off a bit, than I suspect Duke would want a better coach.

I think Stevens is a great coach but one thing I started questioning was how he would do with great players. It is obvious that he can ugly up a game and win just like K did with last year's national title game. But the problem is when you ugly up a game, you allow an inferior team to beat you as was probably the case with some losses Butler suffered. K has shown he is willing to win ugly but would prefer to blow the other team out of the gym when given the right team.

[rocketeli]

As posted above, I know some Penn State football fans who will tell you be careful what you wish for with regard to a coaching legend staying on the job as long as he wants to do so

The man who handled his exit the best was Coach Wooden - knowing when it is time to step down is a tough but necessary part of being a legendary coach

FYI Wooden did not want to retire-at the time there was mandatory retirement for state employees at age 65.