Article on Coach K's retirement plans

[Steven43]

I agree with you. I want the best person available. Being a Duke grad may be a + but, to me, it is not the be all and end all of the choice.

You got that right, brother. At least I think so. Get the best coach in the world, if possible. Like Alabama definitely did with Nick Saban. Like the Celtics quite possibly did with Brad Stevens. Get the best coach regardless of Duke affiliation, as long as he also has high character. No John Caliparis or Urban Meyers or Rick Pitinos around here.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

You got that right, brother. At least I think so. Get the best coach in the world, if possible. Like Alabama definitely did with Nick Saban. Like the Celtics quite possibly did with Brad Stevens. Get the best coach regardless of Duke affiliation, as long as he also has high character. No John Caliparis or Urban Meyers or Rick Pitinos around here.

One key seems to be this: in addition to who can or cannot coach, is the coach/university is a good match? For whatever reason, this has always fascinated me a bit.

K may or may not have had the career at Iowa State (a job he reportedly almost took while he waited on Butter's decision) that he had at Duke...and K would certainly win anywhere - but it's hard to imagine a better match for K than Duke - and vice versa.

Now what's a good match is kind of like part black magic, part gut feel, part subjective opinion, and part "It factor." Some obvious ones:
Saban is a great coach, but also a great match or Bama. Ditto Dabo and Clemson. Bennet at UVa...Cut at Duke...Roy with the Cheats...Coach G at Duke...Shaka Smart at VCU, Boeheim at Cuse, John Thompson at Georgetown.

Some bad matches off top of head might be Charlie Strong at Texas, Matt Doherty at the Cheats (and he played there), Coach G at Texas, and maybe Smart at Texas, Crean at Georgia. Of course, maybe Doherty was just a sorry coach as well.

When it comes down to pure coaching ability, among the names bandied about, I think the two most obvious slam dunk people who have proven they can be an elite coach, and can operate in college and in the pros, are Stevens and Snyder. It would be foolish to assume they would have any interest in leaving the NBA...but I think foolish to assume not as well.

Of those, Quin fits K's double bonafides as Duke player and coach...and of course, Stevens does not. But Stevens and Duke certainly seem like a fit made in Heaven. Quin, with some bumps along the way, may not be...K was outwardly a huge fan of Quin while he was at Missouri...early...but haven't heard much since the troubles there.

It would be so much easier if Collins or Wojo or Amaker or Dawkins or anyone else who had played and coached at Duke had been a big time winner elsewhere...Wojo may prove that at Marquette, Capel at Pitt. But if at the appointed time, there is no big winner among those...you have to wonder if K's druthers are set in stone, or just best case scenario in his mind.

And this is all fun and hypothetical...for now...and what makes it more fun is, well, ZION and "living in the moment."

[Reilly]

K is 72+. Not to be too morbid, but how many coaches have died while still employed as a coach? V was out of coaching when he died too young. Skip Prosser comes to mind but no others for me (but I'm sure I'm missing someone).

If something were to happen to K twenty years from now when he's still coaching at the age of 92, we should make sure we have a plan in place like the Vatican and the silver hammer, to confirm things.

See:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday named the Irish-American cardinal Kevin Farrell as the new "camerlengo", the prelate who runs the Vatican between the death or resignation of a pontiff and the election of a new one.

Farrell, 71, who was in born in Ireland and is the highest-ranking American in the Vatican, succeeds the French cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran, who died in July.


The camerlengo, or chamberlain, runs the ordinary affairs of the Vatican city-state during the period known as the "sede vacante" (empty seat).

While the position is steeped in tradition and rituals, he cannot make any major decisions and cannot change Church teachings.

In the case of a papal death, the camerlengo is the person who officially confirms it, traditionally by tapping the pontiff’s head three times with a silver hammer and calling out his name. He then seals the papal residence and office.

In 2013, Benedict XVI became the first pope in six centuries to resign; Tauran began his duties the day the resignation took effect. Francis, aged 81, appears to be in good health.

[brevity]

...If something were to happen to K twenty years from now when he's still coaching at the age of 92, we should make sure we have a plan in place like the Vatican and the silver hammer, to confirm things.

Holy See:

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope Francis on Thursday named the Irish-American cardinal Kevin Farrell as the new "camerlengo", the prelate who runs the Vatican between the death or resignation of a pontiff and the election of a new one...

This seems like a good idea, but let me point out two concerns:

1. In Angels & Demons, the camerlengo appointment did not work out so well.

2. In The Book of Syracuse, there was an analogous situation where the head priest of great longevity decided to name a head-priest-in-waiting, but that priest got tired of waiting and left Syracuse to become the head priest at the University of Washington.

[Ima Facultiwyfe]

Just to point out, when Coach K says "He thinks his successor should be someone who played and coached at Duke," that doesn't mean it's set in stone. I have to imagine Bobby Hurley will be considered.

Hurley coached on the floor! Just sayin'.
Love, Ima

[cato]

You got that right, brother. At least I think so. Get the best coach in the world, if possible. Like Alabama definitely did with Nick Saban. Like the Celtics quite possibly did with Brad Stevens. Get the best coach regardless of Duke affiliation, as long as he also has high character. No John Caliparis or Urban Meyers or Rick Pitinos around here.

I tend to agree — hire the best coach available who has demonstrated an ability to succeed at a university with Duke’s academic requirements and who has strong ethics. Yet now that K has apparently gone on record saying that he thinks one of his former player/coaches is the best choice, I’m rethinking a bit.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Hurley coached on the floor! Just sayin'.
Love, Ima

IMO Hurley will not be considered unless he kinda gets a handle on his sideline demeanor....he can go totally apesh-t batsh-t whatever you want to call it.

[Bay Area Duke Fan]

IMO Hurley will not be considered unless he kinda gets a handle on his sideline demeanor...he can go totally apesh-t batsh-t whatever you want to call it.

Sorta like K when he was younger.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Sorta like K when he was younger.

Oh, I think even more so...but yeah, K has mellowed a lot on the refs. Maybe more than I would like....

[jv001]

Oh, I think even more so...but yeah, K has mellowed a lot on the refs. Maybe more than I would like....

Maybe he wants to remain calm for this particular freshmen group. Just as he did against Louisville. GoDuke!

[frb]

Johnny Dawkins is getting the job after Coach K retires. He just has to be solid at UCF. He's doing well this year at 19-5.

You know Coach K would like nothing more than Dawkins to get the gig. Even if it's just a longer Bill Guthridge type reign. The belief is Coach K has elevated the Duke brand to such levels that even someone with Dawkins pedestrian track record as a HC can win big in Durham.

Dawkins was the first guy to believe in Coach K. He helped transform the program. I think making him the HC makes a lot of sense. One and done will be over by the time K retires. He would leave the cupboard extremely full for Dawkins. That will give him 3-4 great seasons right there.

[uh_no]

Johnny Dawkins is getting the job after Coach K retires. He just has to be solid at UCF. He's doing well this year at 19-5.

You know Coach K would like nothing more than Dawkins to get the gig. Even if it's just a longer Bill Guthridge type reign. The belief is Coach K has elevated the Duke brand to such levels that even someone with Dawkins pedestrian track record as a HC can win big in Durham.

Dawkins was the first guy to believe in Coach K. He helped transform the program. I think making him the HC makes a lot of sense. One and done will be over by the time K retires. He would leave the cupboard extremely full for Dawkins. That will give him 3-4 great seasons right there.

I think the JD ship has long sailed. A mediocre coach at an AAC school who largely failed at his only big time gig? He's made the dance once. in 10 seasons across 2 schools. That might have been the de-facto plan at some point, but I can't imagine it being anyone's plan right now. JD also may well be 60 when the time K retires.

Believing in K and transforming a program as a player does not qualify one to be a successful head coach.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Johnny Dawkins is getting the job after Coach K retires.

Dawkins was the first guy to believe in Coach K. He helped transform the program. I think making him the HC makes a lot of sense. One and done will be over by the time K retires. He would leave the cupboard extremely full for Dawkins. That will give him 3-4 great seasons right there.

I don't see JD getting the gig at all. Yes he was the first big time recruit to believe in K, and yes he and his classmates transformed the program - and that's why it would make a tremendous story. That 85-86 team is still my favorite team perhaps....but there's just no evidence he's a good enough coach.

[sfinleyo]

I work with former Duke assistant Chuck Swenson and he visited Duke and Coach K recently and K told him that Jon Scheyer is a rising star. Obviously this doesn't mean that Jon would be anywhere close to a favorite but something to keep an eye on. I can't imagine Jon would have found a head coaching job elsewhere to build on by the time K retires though. But imagine a staff with him, James, Carrawell and Smith. That would be fun to watch and they could recruit anybody with their personalities and love for Duke.

[Troublemaker]

I see people pushing back at K’s preference that he be succeeded as HC by someone who both played and coached in the Duke program.

I agree that the university should consider all qualified candidates, but want to explore *why* K thinks that one of his former players who coached *and* played for him is in the best position to succeed.

[snip]

Nice post.

I would say often, the "inside the family" vs "outside the family" comparisons are unfair because people only remember or mention the "insiders" that failed and the "outsiders" that succeeded. For example, Archie Miller was one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country (I would say THE hottest), and his reign at Indiana hasn't started out so hot. (Small sample, I know -- let's check back in a few years). And before Archie, Shaka Smart was one of the hottest coaching prospects in the country (I would say THE hottest and someone I personally believed in), and his reign at Texas has been underwhelming; Shaka hasn't elevated them as a program at all.

I think, among other things, what Coach K understands is that people tend to underestimate how hard it is to find and hire an elite coach, whether you're looking inside the family OR outside. If the situation is murky no matter what, "tie" goes to the insiders.

My challenge to "outside the family" fans is for you to name me the coach you would hire when Coach K retires. The picks needs to be realistic. And then we'll keep track of how your coach performs, especially once he gets hired at a big program. My guess: people are going to be underwhelmed by your selection.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

I see people pushing back at K’s preference that he be succeeded as HC by someone who both played and coached in the Duke program.
.

Speaking for myself, I am not pushing back at "K's preference" because I think that's all of our preferences. I would think everyone would understand that K would want that, and why. That's why we would want it.

But I do would question the assumption that K's preference is the same as K's mandate or K's dictate. What else has he said/thought about the issue? It could be an ultimatum, or it could be merely a preference. I wouldn't pretend to know. I mean, did he ever say or think something like "of course, if Brad reached out to me then....etc" or not? No way to know. Does he include Quin in that list in his mind, or not, due to Quin's baggage?

I think everyone loves the sentiment. It would be easy if one of the branches of the K tree is mega successful elsewhere, and is the easy natural slam dunk choice. Reality rarely is that neat. So will the best decision fit the played for/coached for parameter?

[diamond dave]

So with those criteria, is this the complete list (to date)?

Dawkins
Amaker
Snyder
James
Wojo
Collins
Capel
Smith
C-Well
Scheyer
Bilas

Highly unlikely but for the sake of thoroughness, David Henderson is also on the list. I'm not sure what he is doing now but I don't think he has coached in over 10 years since leaving Delaware. But he did both play and coach at Duke under K plus has head coaching experience.

Also unlikely but meets the criteria, Bob Bender played ('77-'80) and coached at Duke ('83-'89).

Diamond Dave E'90

[jimsumner]

Also unlikely but meets the criteria, Bob Bender played ('77-'80) and coached at Duke ('83-'89).

Diamond Dave E'90

He's also in his 60s.

Tony Barone played and coached at Duke. He's 72.

And let's not forget Steve Vacendak. He was an assistant AD. Jeff Mullins also was assistant AD. Does that count?

Eddie Cameron, Vic Bubas and Mike Krzyzewski are the three most successful coaches in Duke MBB history and all three started at Duke in their early 30s. Jon Scheyer will be 32 this summer. Is he already too old?

[wsb3]

I work with former Duke assistant Chuck Swenson and he visited Duke and Coach K recently and K told him that Jon Scheyer is a rising star. Obviously this doesn't mean that Jon would be anywhere close to a favorite but something to keep an eye on. I can't imagine Jon would have found a head coaching job elsewhere to build on by the time K retires though. But imagine a staff with him, James, Carrawell and Smith. That would be fun to watch and they could recruit anybody with their personalities and love for Duke.

I have wondered if Scheyer would be considered as well.. I know the no HC experience is a drawback but you never know how these things play out, especially if K thinks he is the right fit.

[wsb3]

He's also in his 60s.

Tony Barone played and coached at Duke. He's 72.

And let's not forget Steve Vacendak. He was an assistant AD. Jeff Mullins also was assistant AD. Does that count?

Eddie Cameron, Vic Bubas and Mike Krzyzewski are the three most successful coaches in Duke MBB history and all three started at Duke in their early 30s. Jon Scheyer will be 32 this summer. Is he already too old?

Jim, Many years ago I would attend high school basketball games in the area, mainly to see some of the guys that played for me when they were kids. I kept seeing this face at Laney games..I couldn't put it together. NO Google then. It dawned on me..Steve Vacendak.. He was recruiting Andy McKoy who he did sign to play at Winthrop. One of my favorite Blue Devils. But since he is older than me I think we can safely rule him out.