This current staff is young and vibrant.
If your candidate is over 50 we shouldn't even be talking about them to be honest.
Now we have a staff with the vibe of Shaka Smart but the brains of Coach K and Brad Stevens.
If they bring in anyone I hope its Zoubek, Kyle, Paulus, Quinn Cook, Jabari Parker or my personal favorite - Lance Thomas.
After I typed Cook I realized he might actually be a shoe in for the job. Recruiting would go crazy.
Cook, Parker, and Thomas almost certainly still have years of making money in the NBA left for them. Seems unlikely they'd be jumping to take a junior assistant job in college at this stage. But I agree, that if Cook ever decides to get into coaching, he'll be a fantastic recruiter. Paulus is currently a head coach, so not sure that he wants to go back to being an assistant yet.
I think Amile would be incredible as a third assistant but he is only 28 with more playing years ahead of him - very bright and charismatic.
"We are not provided with wisdom, we must discover it for ourselves, after a journey through the wilderness which no one else can take for us, an effort which no one can spare us, for our wisdom is the point of view from which we come at last to regard the world." --M. Proust
I PRAY Quinn gets another few rounds but the NBA is fickle and he's always been last man out. When the Cavs are your last squad - it's a bad sign.
Could he go overseas? FOR SURE.
He's a success story in literally almost every kind of way.
BUT, making a few hundreds as a Duke assistant aint quite so bad...
It would be still kind of a dream scenario for him - on the bench with Nolan. That's crazy.
Put me on the Cook for Asst. train.
We know that Quinn is good enough to play in the NBA, but rosters are tight and as you say the NBA is fickle. But I would imagine he would thrive somewhere overseas. If he can find a situation where he’s starting and earning good money, why not give it a shot? A spot on someone’s bench will be available if he decides to turn to coaching down the road.
I suppose the main question would be whether he has any interest in living overseas as an athlete in his prime with cash to spend.
Carolina delenda est
It feels like the program is in a situation that as long as the K-created culture and influence permeates, they won't look outside the K tree, and I agree that the youth movement is fully in swing so bringing in an older dude feels like a bad fit. Besides, something tells me the current older dude, while he will allow Scheyer to run the program, will be quite available.
So we look to the recent young players closer to the end of their playing days than the start...
Quinn Cook is a great idea. He'll be near 30 when K steps away, the NBA does not seem to be banging down his door, etc. These guys, if they are healthy, do seem to want to scratch that playing itch as long as it itches so the timing may not be right. As you guys have said, Amile feels like he is also in this category.
Tyler Thornton is up at Howard with Kenny Blakeney. He could be poached the way K poached C-Well from Wojo. He crossed with Nolan for one year as a player and C-Well as an assistant. It is tough to know what the relationship was.
Will Avery spent a lot of time around the program recently as he was earning his degree. Maybe he built up enough goodwill and showed the staff something during that time?
David McClure is already in the NBA coaching ranks, part of the Memphis Grizzlies Duke posse. It does seem like the pros would probably want to stay with the NBA, but he crossed over with Jon and Nolan as teammates.
Paulus is already a head coach, and I also don't know how he vibes with the existing staff. He doesn't seem cool enough, and, from the outside, he doesn't feel like he's inner circle Brotherhood. He seems like the 3rd cousin whose 4-year regression deems him "factory defect" status. I'm not saying that is fair, but that's how it feels.
I don't know the kid at all, but Kyle Singler seems to me to be the least likely basketball coach of those suggested. He was a great player, but I think the kid's passion is art. As for Shane, I think the front office is where he belongs as I don't sense him connecting with 16-22 year olds. He belongs in the C-Suite with the bean counters and excel nerds. As for Zoubs, it seems like his burgeoning Philly-based residential/mixed real estate development career is keeping him very happy. G-Hendo is very close with these guys but has a budding NBA broadcasting career with the Hornets and banked $40MM, so I don't see that being an option. As long as the job would allow him to attend Burning Man every September, maybe Miles Plumlee would want to come back? If Lance comes back, would he be forced to talk to the NCAA about his bling purchases back in 2010?
One final thought...J Rob?
Here's a link on Greg Paulus and his accomplishments so far at Niagara. I agree he is not likely to return to Duke as an assistant, but he seems destined for a "high-major" coaching position.
I never heard there were any "personal issues" involving Paulus, and while his basketball career appeared to founder, Syracuse was willing to make him a starting QB.
Sage Grouse
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'When I got on the bus for my first road game at Duke, I saw that every player was carrying textbooks or laptops. I coached in the SEC for 25 years, and I had never seen that before, not even once.' - David Cutcliffe to Duke alumni in Washington, DC, June 2013
How did Wojo do as a recruiter at Duke? I don't know and am not trying to make an argument by asking the question.
All of K's assistants have seemed kind of robotic on the bench. Wojo, more than most.
I don't know any details but his loss of the Hauser brothers at Marquette was significant.
If Wojo can recruit, he has a future in college basketball. If not, he will struggle to find another good job.
Scheyer has proved, as an assistant, that he can recruit. He was the lead recruiter for many of the recent, high level recruits. I don't know whether Wojo had comparable success.
Loved Wojo as a player. Wish him the best.
Wondering what you expect them to do? An assistant's job isn't about game day, it's about getting to game day. The rare exception is if K is unavailable. (I think only Capel and Scheyer have filled that role. Wouldn't be surprised to be wrong.)
And per your recruiting question, as far as I know, all of them have been stellar. Wojo, Capel, James, and Scheyer (plus Collins and Dawkins) were instrumental in Duke having the classes that we've become accustomed to. They toss the line out, K lands the catch.
Q "Why do you like Duke, you didn't even go there." A "Because my art school didn't have a basketball team."