For the first time this year, head coach Mike Krzyzewski expressed some op(toe)mism.
In a press conference yesterday afternoon the coach said, unprompted by questioning, that there “is a chance” Irving will play Friday against Hampton in Charlotte, N.C. He also said Irving participated in some parts of practice yesterday.
“Kyrie practiced a little bit with us today,” Krzyzewski said. “And we’ll see how he feels tomorrow. There is a chance that he will play. But that decision won’t be made until another few days. We have to see how he does over a period of time.”
Nolan Smith said that Irving “looked good” in practice. The senior added that he wasn’t worried at all about Irving showing rust on the court.
“He’s a player,” Smith said. “If you give him a ball, he’ll figure out what to do with it.”
Neither Krzyzewski nor Smith were concerned about problems integrating Irving on the floor. The freshman’s enthusiasm on the sidelines has been well-documented, and his celebrations after Duke buckets are a constant visual on TV.
“The thing is, all the guys, if he’s able to play, would welcome him back,” Krzyzewski said. “Throughout the whole season, he’s been the best guy ever on the sideline with his teammates. It would be different if he wasn’t that way. That’s a smooth transition.”
Irving has not played since his now infamous injury against Butler on Dec. 5. The injury was initially listed as day-to-day, but soon Irving and Duke found out it was much more serious. Krzyzewski said on Dec. 8 that the freshman was “out indefinitely,” and then the coach said repeatedly during the season that he didn’t expect him to return.
Now, even with the change in tone from the coach, the team would still be cautious and careful Friday not to re-injure the toe.
“He’s not going to start, if he did play. And he wouldn’t play for extended minutes at any one time,” Krzyzewski said. “That’s how he practiced today. You don’t want to get to where he gets hurt and hurts something else because you extend him.”
The news spread instantly throughout the college basketball world. ESPN analyst Jay Bilas jokingly asked if he “could change his bracket.”
“Three months is a long time,” Bilas told The Chronicle in a phone interview. “You never know how a young player is going to adjust to being off three months, especially in an NCAA environment. Getting to play in a 1 vs. 16 game, though, is the best possible scenario.”
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