Like any star basketball player, Austin Rivers has grown accustomed to hearing his name announced among the starters. It has happened every game dating back to third grade, he said.
But it was a feeling of alarm, not nostalgia, that registered when his name was not called Jan. 19 against Wake Forest.
After a five-game span in which the freshman averaged 8.6 points per game, Rivers began the game on the bench, forced to confront a midseason rut lowlighted by a season-low four-point performance against Clemson.
“Personally, I think that was my turning point in the season,” Rivers said. “They said, ‘Austin you’re coming off the bench,’ and they just wanted to see how I reacted.”
The message was a brief but strong one as Rivers led Duke with 32 minutes against the Demon Deacons, breaking out of his funk with a 20-point performance, making 3-of-4 3-pointers.
His progression since then has turned him into the focal point of the Blue Devil offense, a development highlighted by his game-winning 3-pointer to defeat archrival North Carolina at the Dean E. Smith Center Feb. 8. The buzzer-beater gave Duke an 85-84 victory and capped a season-high 29-point performance in which he made 6-of-10 attempts from beyond the arc.
Although the shot itself was a signal of his progression and trusted role within the offense, what impressed his coach most was how he dealt with the glamor of the moment, never allowing the bucket to get to his head.
“He started to play at a higher level before the North Carolina game,” head coach Mike Krzyzewski said. “When a youngster hits a shot like that—not many people hit a shot like that—it can hurt him…. [But] I think he’s stayed consistent, and he hasn’t tried to do crazy things. I think he’s handled everything in a really poised, mature manner. I’m proud of him.”
The ability to nail big shots is something Rivers displayed even in his high school days.
As a junior at Winter Park High School, in front of a crowd that included Krzyzewski, Rivers hit six consecutive 3-pointers in the first half of a regional game to break it open. Verbally committed to Florida at the time, he lit up the scoreboard with 41 points.
So the fact that he wants the ball in pressure situations has come as no surprise to Winter Park head coach David Bailey.
“He is a competitor,” Bailey said. “That’s what makes those kinds of players really good is that they want the shot at the end of the game, and they’re willing to take the criticism if they miss. He likes to put himself in those positions.”
He has had to endure such critiques throughout this season, most recently as he threw up an errant 3-pointer with six seconds remaining in the ACC semifinals against Florida State with the Blue Devils trailing 62-59, the eventual final score.
But such moments have defined this roller-coaster season for the first-year guard who despite his midseason struggles, excelled in his first collegiate games. He scored 22 points in a Nov. 29 loss to then-No. 2 Ohio State and continued to play well through a stretch in which Duke won the Maui Invitational and then his second game at Madison Square Garden.
Those marquee victories left him riding high, which made the slump leading up to his benching even more jarring. More than anything, he had to restore his belief in himself that drove him throughout his high school days and first months at Duke.
“I had to find myself and had to make sure I stayed confident,” Rivers said. “The reason I chose Duke [is] Coach K and [his staff] are going to push you. They’re never going to let you get away with anything.”
Krzyzewski and his staff have never relented in trying to get the most out of their budding star. Rivers has not received any special treatment despite the constant hype of being a top recruit and the son of NBA legend Doc Rivers.
“We have not coached him with kid gloves,” Krzyzewski said. “He’s been coached hard, real hard. And he likes that, and he’s been one of the guys.”
While Rivers has been “one of the guys,” Krzyzewski said a primary step in his evolution has been nurturing relationships with his new teammates in order to get there. As the freshman with the largest role on the team, it was initially a difficult balance between managing his roles as an individual and as a teammate.
But with Rivers’ maturation throughout the season, finding that equilibrium has come more naturally.
“I think as guys have gotten more comfortable knowing who they are, the relationships with everyone have gotten better,” Krzyzewski said. “You have to earn respect, and Austin has earned the respect of his teammates. He’s actually becoming a little bit of a leader for us right now. He’s grown a lot, and they’ve grown a lot together.”
This growth has come as his success on this year’s team has fluctuated, culminating with the wake-up call when he spent his first opening tip in 10 years on the bench.
But with a game on the line and time running out, what matters is the team places him alongside trusted veterans Seth Curry and Ryan Kelly, in terms of whose name Krzyzewski would call to take a game-winning shot.
“We’ve won a lot of games with me putting the ball in the hands of my best players,” Krzyzewski said. “I think that’s axiom No. 1 as a coach. You have a good player, he should take more of your shots.”
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