Coach K gets what he wants.
Duke’s men’s basketball coach is retiring following the 2021-22 season. His former point guard turned assistant coach, Jon Scheyer, will be taking over the program as head coach.
That’s what Coach K wanted. According to a new book excerpt from Ian O’Connor, though, that’s not what Duke wanted.
Ian O’Connor reports that Duke wanted to hire Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker. The former Blue Devils guard has done a respectable job building up Harvard’s program. However, Coach K was able to convince him to not take the job, paving the way for Scheyer.
From Ian O’Connor’s book:
O’Connor reports that Krzyzewski held a Zoom call with Amaker last year and had what a source described as “a very difficult conversation” with him. Coach K explained to Amaker that if he left Harvard to join the Duke staff as a successor-in-waiting for the 2021-22 season, the move would force the demotion of a Blue Devils assistant and “create an awkward dynamic with Scheyer.” Realizing that he didn’t have his mentor’s blessing, Amaker left the call “heartbroken,” according to someone close to him.
“Mike had to explain to Tommy why he couldn’t be the guy,” said one Duke source. “He can be Don Corleone when he needs to be.”
Scheyer will now take over the program in 2022-23.
Duke wanted to Harvard coach Tommy Amaker to replace Mike Krzyzewski.
Mike Krzyzewski wanted Jon Scheyer to succeed him.
From my new book, “Coach K,” the story of how Coach K beat Duke at his own game.https://t.co/9gdexFZmvH via @nypostsports
— Ian O’Connor (@Ian_OConnor) February 15, 2022
Fans aren’t too surprised.
“If you’ve actually been following Duke for the last few seasons it’s been pretty apparent this was Scheyers job to lose, and he didn’t lose it,” one fan tweeted.
“Coach K knew Jon Scheyer was the guy for Duke and made sure that it happened.
The fact that Duke tried to make a hire without Coach K’s approval is really weird,” another fan added.
“The Duke job was never going to an outsider like Brad Stevens with Coach K running the search show. Neat,” another fan wrote on Twitter.
The Duke job was never going to an outsider like Brad Stevens with Coach K running the search show. Neat.
“In retirement, Coach K believed he would maintain more control over the program through the 34-year-old Scheyer than the 56-year-old Amaker, sources told O’Connor…” https://t.co/APGhUEdwHu
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) February 15, 2022
Amaker has been Harvard’s head coach since 2007.
Scheyer, meanwhile, won a national championship with the Blue Devils and will take over the program next season.
The post Duke Reportedly Wanted Another Coach K Successor: Fans React appeared first on The Spun.