Dereck Lively II and Dariq Whitehead are not Duke's only departures this offseason.
On Thursday afternoon, the program announced that former player and assistant coach Amile Jefferson will vacate his position with head coach Jon Scheyer's Duke team and join the Boston Celtics staff. The official announcement comes after Travis Branham reported the news on Twitter for 247Sports June 21.
"Amile is a rising star in the coaching profession and I'm so excited and proud of him for earning this opportunity with one of the NBA's iconic franchises," Scheyer said in a team release. "The Celtics are getting a winner — one of the hardest working, most passionate, positive and dedicated people I know. He is a tremendous teacher of the game and his ability to connect with players is innate. I can't thank Amile enough for all he's meant to me and our program."
During his time in Durham, Jefferson helped lead Duke to an outright ACC regular-season title and Final Four appearance in 2021-22 and an ACC tournament championship in 2022-23. Jefferson also spent five years under former head coach Mike Krzyzewski as a player, captaining the Blue Devils in three seasons while leading them to a national title in 2015. His 150 games in a Duke jersey are the most by any player, while his 124 wins place him third all-time.
Jefferson also suited up for various professional teams during his four-year career, bouncing between the G-League's Iowa Wolves, Orlando Magic, Celtics and Galatasaray in Turkey before coming back to Cameron Indoor Stadium as a coach in July 2021.
In his two years on Duke's staff, Jefferson has helped former center Mark Williams become one of the ACC's top shot blockers and earn ACC Defensive Player of the Year honors. His work helped make Duke's frontcourt become one of the nation's most feared, sending Paolo Banchero and Williams to the NBA in the first round of the 2022 draft and preparing Lively for a lottery selection in 2023.
"Duke has meant the world to me — this place is home," Jefferson said. "I'm so grateful to have earned my degree, played and began my coaching career here. I can't thank [former head coach Mike Krzyzewski], coach Scheyer, the players and our staff enough. Although I'm going to miss Durham and my Duke family tremendously, the Brotherhood is forever. This opportunity with the Boston Celtics was something that felt like the right next step in my journey."
Jefferson's departure leaves the Blue Devils with an open seat on their bench alongside associate head coach Chris Carrawell, special assistant to the head coach Mike Schrage and newly named associate head coach Jai Lucas.
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Andrew Long is a Trinity junior and recruitment/social chair of The Chronicle's 120th volume. He was previously sports editor for Volume 119.