On June 23, Chronicle Sports Editor Paul Doran sat down for an exclusive one-on-one interview with men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. Here are excerpts from that discussion:
On his hip replacement surgery
"I really am doing great. It has been just about three months now and I feel like it's mine. I can't do bunjee jumping or anything, but I'm even and I haven't been even for about five years. I feel great."
On Chris Duhon
"I think in Duhon we have a kid that can be a leader for us.... He'll have a impact, how he works, what he does on and off the court, everthing will serve as an example for these kids. He has a tremendous opportunity to have as big an impact on a team as you can have as a player."
On next year's so-called rebuilding season
"There won't be anything about rebuilding. First of all, no one will write that because we're Duke.... I don't want any cop-outs because of youth or inexperience or things like that. It's one of those times where as a Duke fan you actually get to watch something being built."
On the turnover rate in college basketball
"That's one of the interesting things about coaching. When Avery left we didn't know Jason Williams was going to be Jason Williams or after his first two years we didn't know that Battier was going to turn out to be one of the best players ever to play college basketball. Certainly in the May or June of Battier's sophomore year, no one would have predicted that group would win a national championship two years later."
On the change to coaching a younger team
"The last two years when we walked on the court, everyone thought we should win, and we were graded by how much we won by. This year, this team will have an opportunity to win and lose like a lot of team. If we do win we put ourselves in a position to be in the tournament, and who knows what will happen."
On the incoming class
"We're really pleased. They're all gym rats, they like to play basketball, and they all want to be good. They came here not knowing that Dunleavy was going pro.... They didn't come here like 'I'm going to start, I'm going to be a star and I'm going.' From a player's perspective, whether it's freshmen or upperclassmen, the fact that there's opportunity is exciting."
On the returning players
"For Duhon there's the opportunity to just have his team. For Dahntay, I think that Dahntay was always looking to see if I should let someone else shoot it, I think there's the chance to have more freedom. For Daniel Ewing, who had an outstading freshman year, it's, 'Okay they need me.' For Casey, Nick, these guys they're looking for playing time."
On the team without Dunleavy
"It puts us in a position where we might have been too dependent on Mike, guys could defer to him.... Now there is no one to defer to so they're not even thinking about it. So I think that's good, and my belief is that these kids are going to step up some how, I just don't know who and when."
On next year
"I don't know what to anticipate for next year. Its a little bit like it was few years ago when Corey and William and Elton [left]. I'm not sure anybody's had three upperclassmen leave except for us. I don't think anyone's had it twice in four years.... I think we'll be a good team, but how we're going to do it, I'm not sure yet."
--compiled by Paul Doran
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