Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski named former Blue Devil David Henderson assistant coach of the men's basketball team Monday, filling a vacancy created by Tim O'Toole's departure to Seton Hall three weeks ago.
Henderson, a co-captain of Duke's 1986 NCAA Final Four team, joins former teammates Johnny Dawkins and Quin Snyder on Krzyzewski's coaching staff. He will fill O'Toole's restricted-duties assistant post, a position which can only be held for two years and prohibits him from traveling to visit recruits.
It is the first coaching job for Henderson, who helped lead Duke to a school-record 37 wins as a senior, averaging 14.2 points per game and 4.8 rebounds. A 6-foot-6 swingman, Henderson played professionally for 10 years before retiring last summer. He has spent the past year working as an intern in the Atlantic Coast Conference office.
"It's always been in the back of my mind that [coaching] is something that I would like to do," Henderson said. "I just didn't know at what point I wanted to do it."
After a brief stint in the CBA, the Drewry, N.C., native played one season in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers. He spent the last eight years of his career playing in France, Israel and Turkey.
"David was the first strong leader for me at Duke," Krzyzewski said. "I'm very excited to be working with David again on a day-to-day basis, and I know he will bring tremendous insights into the game to our program."
Henderson's hiring continues a trend of promoting from within the Blue Devil program, as all three current assistants are former Duke players. The hiring also ends speculation that Krzyzewski was seeking a "big-man coach" to improve Duke's disappointing inside play and help with the development of the team's three forward recruits, Shane Battier, Elton Brand and Chris Burgess.
Known for his scrappy play and strong work ethic, Henderson, with fellow captain Dawkins, led Duke to its first of seven trips to the Final Four under Krzyzewski. The Blue Devils fell 72-69 to Louisville in the 1986 NCAA Championship game, but finished with a 37-3 record and a No. 1 ranking in both the Associated Press and United Press International polls.
"I see my role as just providing a lot of strength of character," Henderson said. "I'm very dedicated, and I am very intense. I push myself, so therefore I will push the players."
As a senior, Henderson was named Most Valuable Player of the preseason Big Apple NIT in 1985, guiding Duke to the championship of the inaugural event. He also helped Duke to the ACC Championship that season.
"Hopefully his toughness and his work ethic will rub off on us," junior guard Steve Wojciechowski said. "He's a very tough guy, and you can just see it in his eyes and the way he carries himself.... That's something we need."
Dawkins joined Krzyzewski's staff March 20 when former associate coach Tommy Amaker resigned to become head coach at Seton Hall. Like Henderson, Dawkins will be making his debut as a coach-leaving Snyder as the only assistant with any experience.
"It depends on how you define experience," Snyder said. "Both Johnny and David have a wealth and breadth of experience in basketball and at Duke. So I think they are both ready to come in here and do a great job right away."
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