The most crucial sounds on the court are ones most fans won’t hear. Drowned out by the clamor of the Cameron Crazies, the constant chatter among the players is a hallmark of Duke’s defensive success.
Talking is something that head coach Mike Krzyzewski preaches from day one, something he says every player needs to learn to be successful.
“It’s huge,” Krzyzewski said. “Communication is the key to a unit, and you need it not just from the coach but from people within your unit. You need internal leadership, not just the figurehead leader.”
Duke’s man-to-man pressure defense requires constant communication because the Blue Devils switch on nearly all screens and frequently leave their own men from the weak side to assist teammates. Unlike in high school, when the Blue Devils were often the most athletic players on the court, the collegiate level requires teammates to talk in order to play efficient team defense.
But for some of the current Blue Devils, being vocal during the action has not always come easy.
“I came here real quiet,” Daniel Ewing said. “I didn’t really understand why it was required to talk so much out on the court. In order for you to play, it’s something that you have to develop. It’s something you have to work at.”
The senior has made steady progress over the past few years in that regard, as Krzyzewski has exerted more pressure on him—and his teammates—to be verbal.
The typically hushed Shelden Williams has also learned to become more vocal because as a forward, he can generally see all the back screens that opponents are setting and can direct traffic through the paint in a way guards cannot.
“Being a person who was the last line of defense, I thought it was given that I didn’t have to talk,” Williams said. “I just come over and somebody just automatically takes my man, but apparently I’m taking those things for granted.”
Perhaps partially because of their communication, the Blue Devils regularly have one of the best defenses in the country. This year they led the ACC in scoring defense and opponent three-point percentage and are second in opponent field goal percentage. Individually, Williams earned ACC Defensive Player of the Year and sits at the top of the conference with 3.78 blocks per game.
Speaking on the court is a practice that has resonated with players throughout the history of the program under Krzyzewski. Because so many of Duke’s younger players are unaccustomed to talking during games, veteran leadership has been especially important in getting them to speak up.
“Playing with Shane [Battier] my freshman year and playing against him, he was always talking so it was one of those things that you pick up on and embrace a little bit,” senior Reggie Love said.
Krzyzewski said former Blue Devil Chris Carrawell, who spent the past summer in Durham completing his degree, was instrumental in Ewing’s development as a vocal leader. Carrawell, whom Krzyzewski described as a “social butterfly,” has spoken to Ewing on a number of occasions about his role as a senior.
J.J. Redick, who said he was vocal even during his time on the AAU circuits and in high school, said Chris Duhon and Dahntay Jones were the verbal leaders when he arrived. While they were still at Duke, he learned from them. And as captain this season, the junior has become the team’s loudest player on the court.
All of the players, despite their natural tendencies, have realized Krzyzewski’s trumpeted communication buoys the team’s performance.
“I think it’s the way we play, especially on defense—the way we get after it in passing lanes,” Ewing said. “Certain things happen on the court where it’s not always going to happen the way you draw it up. Just being able to talk and communicate helps you a lot on both ends of the court.”
Get The Chronicle straight to your inbox
Signup for our weekly newsletter. Cancel at any time.