It is 63-62 with seven seconds remaining, and Seton Hall has an opportunity to knock off No. 9 Syracuse on its home court. After point guard Andre Barrett dribbles the ball up the court and passes it to the left wing, forward Desmond Herod attempts a three-pointer from the corner which is blocked by Orangemen forward Damone Brown, ensuring the Feb. 10 victory for Syracuse. It is a disappointing loss for the struggling Pirates, who have played neck-and-neck with many of the top teams in the country but have frequently fallen up short in crunchtime.
But it is just another loss for coach Tommy Amaker, who has been through it all as a player, nine-year assistant coach at Duke and now as the head coach of the Pirates. His goal of establishing a top-notch program that rivals the best of the Big East and the nation is well on its way to being accomplished.
In other words, Amaker, the youngest head coach in the history of the Big East, is on the cusp of overwhelming success that might not come this year, but which many believe will occur in the near future. And when this success becomes a reality, college basketball observers across the country will all be asking the same question: Will the former Duke player, long-time assistant coach and Seton Hall savior be the heir to Mike Krzyzewski?
"I don't think either [Krzyzewski or Amaker] have really thought about it, since Coach K is still doing so great right now and he feels like he's got such a long way to go," current Duke assistant coach and former Pirate assistant Chris Collins said. "But with his track record and everything that he brings to a program, you can't go wrong with Tommy Amaker."
But for right now, the only job Amaker is worried about completing is at Seton Hall, where he has made a team that was 38-48 in the three years preceding his arrival into a squad that has received berths for postseason play for three straight years and has stolen many of the nation's top recruits from perennial basketball powerhouses. And in the process, he has rejuvenated a once-proud Seton Hall basketball program, which made it all the way to the NCAA Championship game in 1989 before slumping in the early 1990s.
"We've been in the postseason all three years and we're very proud of that," Amaker said. "We feel like we've come here to do a job, which is to build a program, and I think we've done that. We're in that infancy stage of putting together a solid foundation to build a fan base, to attract top-level kids, and all of the things [Krzyzewski] did so successfully at Duke."
While Amaker attempts to build a reputation of excellence at Seton Hall, Krzyzewski attributes much of his career success in Durham to his former point guard and protegé.
"Tommy was here for a long time," Krzyzewski said. "There is nobody here except me who has been here longer as a player and coach. He gave such a great foundation for this program. He was a great point guard-that missing ingredient for the team-and then he was a fabulous assistant."
So how has the young coach been so successful? Well, for starters, he has implemented the successful Krzyzewski coaching paradigm at Seton Hall both on the court and off. Aspects such as similar plays and drills in practice and an emphasis on pressure defense have become a staple of Seton Hall basketball just as they have been at Duke for so many years.
But Collins said Amaker has taken much more than a coaching strategy from the Krzyzewski model. He has also brought an understanding of running a high-level college basketball program, an experience that few assistants receive. And evidently, Krzyzewski's influence on Amaker is continual, as the young coach constantly stays in touch with his mentor.
"I'm always trying to get advice from him," Amaker said. "He's probably tired of me being such a sponge and he's probably wondering when I'm going to give back to him. He's seen everything and he's gone through everything, so as a coach still trying to find my way, it's always terrific to know that you have someone to talk to when you pick up the phone."
Of course, Amaker's early success cannot be entirely attributed to Krzyzewski's influence. The young coach has proven himself in his own right, especially on the recruiting trail, where he has carried over his proficiency as an assistant coach in charge of recruiting at Duke to his job as the head coach at Seton Hall. In other words, the man responsible for recruiting Blue Devil legends such as Grant Hill, Bobby Hurley and Christian Laettner, as well as Duke's current sophomore class, one of the nation's best, is the same man who has snagged a number of high school All-Americans in his first three years in New Jersey, including consensus top-five blue-chipper Eddie Griffin and highly touted point guard Andre Barrett.
"He was very honest with me during the recruiting process," Battier said. "You could see the passion he had for his program when he talked about it, and it was believable to see why Duke is such a great program. Everything he told me was true about this place."
Another person who certainly has a profound respect for Amaker is Collins, who, like Battier and James, was recruited by the former Duke point guard to play in Durham. However, unlike his current pupils, Collins has been a first-hand witness to Amaker's metamorphosis into a head coach at Seton Hall, as he joined Amaker there for two years before filling the Duke's assistant coaching vacancy last July.
Collins feels that he will always be indebted to Amaker for giving him his first coaching job two-and-a-half years ago and is not surprised by the solid reputation that Amaker has in the college basketball world.
"Players want to play for him because he's a true player's coach," Collins said. "He's not a ranter or a raver-he's got a real calm demeanor, which is something I've always admired about him as a coach. He's cool in tough situations, and I think that's one of the things that helps his team out on the floor, because they look over to the sideline and their coach is cool and confident and it rubs off on them."
Unfortunately for Amaker, this calm demeanor has not been as reassuring for his players this season, as the Pirates have struggled during conference play and seem to have only a remote chance of returning the NCAA tournament this season. In fact, the Syracuse game this past weekend is an example of the type of season Seton Hall has had-a step away from greatness.
Not only have the 12-9 Pirates suffered a number of close losses, especially on the road, but they have had various other difficulties, including a locker room tussle between Griffin and forward Kevin Wilkens. Amaker responded by suspending each player for one game, a decision that luckily proved inconsequential, as Seton Hall defeated Notre Dame, coached by former Duke assistant Mike Brey. But all in all, this season has not unfolded the way Amaker would have hoped.
"We've been on a roller coaster ride so far this year," Amaker said. "I think coming off last year, when we were fortunate enough to make the NCAA tournament and the Sweet 16, things have kind of gotten the best of us thus far. We're in a little bit of a slide right now, but there is still time to right the ship."
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