We all know the day is coming. As the accolades, successes and trophies continue to pour into the coffers of Duke basketball, it’s easy to ignore the day. But one day in the future, the sun will rise over Cameron Indoor Stadium and the sixth-story windows of Schwartz-Butters, into the office that belonged—past tense—to Mike Krzyzewski.
And everyone will wonder who should replace the legend.
During an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show this past Wednesday, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Doug Collins talked about his son Chris, Krzyzewski’s longest-tenured assistant and perhaps a top candidate to replace Coach K.
Collins’ advice to his son? Stay away.
“I would not recommend my son to take that job,” the elder Collins told Patrick. “I think to follow coach [Krzyzewski] would be… I don’t know how you could do that.”
Doug, who has had a lengthy career as an NBA coach and TV analyst, said he has recommended that Chris keep his eyes open for other head coaching opportunities rather than merely waiting for Krzyzewski to retire. He emphasized, though, that there’s no reason for his son to be anxious to leave.
“He’s going to be very selective where he goes because he’s got one of the best jobs in the country as it is right now,” he said.
Doug Collins has a point. No tortured cliche about legacies or big shoes can express how difficult it will be to succeed Coach K. Obviously there’s the basketball element: Duke fans and administrators have expectations of national prominence for the Blue Devil basketball program, and while Krzyzewski may make such sustained success look easy, it may not be as simple for his successor. Any top recruit that considers Duke but chooses another school, any loss to a team that Duke “shouldn’t lose to,” any early exit from a conference or national tournament, and the new coach will start hearing the whispers. It’s unavoidable.
But that’s not the only challenge that confronts the next coach. Krzyzewski is a campus icon, his persona embedded deeply within the culture of Duke. He represents Duke on an international stage as the head coach of the U.S. national team. His motivational skills are admired all over the world. He’s a staid and respected face for a university whose athletic PR has not always been stellar.
Big shoes, indeed. But someone has to fill them. It won’t be easy, but someone will have to do it.
The athletic administration could hire an experienced college coach with a long track record of success, like North Carolina did when it hired Roy Williams, who already had Final Four appearances under his belt from his tenure at Kansas. But that would only raise the expectations for immediate success, and a coach with an established style could be a culture shock to a program that’s been defined for so long by Krzyzewski and his unique brand of coaching expertise.
They could look for a rising star in the coaching world, a promising young leader of a less prestigious program looking to make the jump to a major institution. Think Butler’s Brad Stevens or VCU’s Shaka Smart, whose phones are undoubtedly ringing off the hook after their deep NCAA Tournament runs this season. Someone of that ilk would be an exciting jolt to Duke, since his youthful exuberance and coaching prowess has been displayed on the biggest stage. But will they be able to handle the crushing pressure of a national powerhouse after being used to lower expectations?
Or they could hope that Doug Collins was wrong, and that one of Coach K’s proteges will be open to moving one seat over on the Duke bench and removing the “associate” from the title of “associate head coach.” These men won’t have experienced what it’s like to helm a major program, but they will have experience that most other coaches can’t boast: They understand not only basketball, but basketball at Duke. And that’s no small distinction for a university whose lore has often been written on the hardwood.
They have seen the way that Krzyzewski operates, manages, motivates, listens and teaches. Krzyzewski is unafraid to delegate responsibilities to his assistants, so it’s not as if Collins and his colleagues of the present and future are accustomed to just sitting cross-legged on the sidelines while the big guy does all the work. They’ve had a chance to develop their own coaching personalities, but not without the image of Coach K as inspiration.
I won’t be the first or the last to say that no one can replace Mike Krzyzewski, but someone is going to have to try. And who better than someone that’s had the opportunity to learn from the Coach himself?
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