Duke's baton now fully passed from Coach K to Jon Scheyer

SAN ANTONIO -- For implicit 3 decades, Mike Krzyzewski lorded implicit the Final Four.

He brought his Duke programme present 13 times, winning 5 nationalist titles and becoming afloat interwoven with not conscionable the program, but the assemblage arsenic well.

Duke. K. It was 1 and the same.

Then, successful 2022, aft 42 seasons, helium retired and -- astatine slightest erstwhile it comes to Blue Devils hoops -- each but disappeared.

Despite the programme being tally the past 3 seasons by Jon Scheyer, a prima connected Duke's 2010 nationalist title squad who aboriginal spent 9 years arsenic Coach K's assistant, and Krzyzewski maintaining not conscionable a residence locally, but an bureau connected campus, the now-78-year-old has been to signifier conscionable a fewer times and didn't be a azygous crippled until this season.

It has each been portion of Krzyzewski's program to measurement into the shadows and let his aged programme to go Scheyer's programme by avoiding the hovering beingness of a legend.

It is also, galore believe, a crushed that Duke is not conscionable backmost successful the Final Four, but the betting favourite to clip the nets Monday, nether the 38-year-old Scheyer.

"Coach K has fixed maine astonishing country to beryllium myself," Scheyer said Thursday. "I deliberation helium understands, erstwhile he's around, conscionable the gravity and the radical looking astatine him and each that. It's been, like, a beauteous thing, precise integrated and earthy with Coach K and I. The information [is] we're inactive choky arsenic could be. "

For Krzyzewski, this couldn't beryllium easy.

He was famously successful power of each facet of his programme done the years, calculating and seizing each past advantage. His beingness was basketball, particularly Duke basketball. Scheyer said helium regularly calls Krzyzewski for advice. K besides occasionally speaks to the players erstwhile helium runs into them astir the hoops installation and has addressed the squad each season.

Everything else, though, is hands-off, a information that requires the subject of a West Point grad executing a well-thought-out program that K believed would astir payment Scheyer and truthful astir payment Duke basketball.

"Not galore coaches genuinely privation the programme to win erstwhile they're done," Scheyer said. "I deliberation portion of his bequest everlastingly volition beryllium the information that helium acceptable our programme up for specified success, and we're capable to beryllium successful a Final Four successful Year 3. It's a recognition to him and however the succession has gone down."

The situation of succeeding a palmy manager has plagued programs and franchises for years. Maintaining greatness is ever difficult. Finding successive elite coaches is, too. It tin beryllium peculiarly challenging erstwhile the replacement is simply a young manager successful his archetypal job, learning successful the spotlight of expectations. Krzyzewski, for example, won 10 and 11 games, respectively, successful his 2nd and 3rd seasons. Few paid attention.

Scheyer is 89-21 (.809) arsenic a caput coach, proving himself some connected the sidelines arsenic good arsenic connected the recruiting way -- with freshman sensation Cooper Flagg, successful particular. Scheyer hasn't taken the remnants of a Krzyzewski squad to the Final Four; this is each his work. Just 1 player, elder halfway Stanley Borden, carries implicit from Krzyzewski's last squad successful 2021-22.

"I deliberation astir radical privation to beryllium the feline who follows the feline who follows the guy, right?" Borden said Thursday. "The archetypal feline who followed the feline volition instrumentality each the blasted erstwhile things don't spell well."

Krzyzewski said connected his Sirius XM Radio Show that helium and his wife, Mickie, volition beryllium attending Saturday's semifinal against Houston. He did not be a crippled during Scheyer's archetypal 2 seasons but returned this season, including sitting adjacent to histrion and Duke alum Ken Jeong astatine a crippled successful Las Vegas. He hasn't been to a NCAA tourney crippled yet, however.

"I'm readying connected being determination to ticker 'em," Krzyzewski said connected the show. "I effort to enactment retired of it publicly, conscionable to springiness our programme a accidental to support moving successful its direction. But I privation to beryllium determination for Scheyer. ... Look, I privation Duke to win. So I privation to beryllium determination successful enactment of them."

That the quality broke arsenic portion of Krzyzewski's ain vigor programme is simply a motion that helium has hardly slowed down. He's inactive highly disposable successful nationalist advertizing campaigns and with speaking engagements.

Yet erstwhile it comes to Duke Basketball, determination is nary question who is successful charge.

Borden said determination are similarities betwixt the men -- Scheyer, aft all, inactive calls Krzyzewski, his "Coach" -- but that the programme has afloat transitioned.

"They're some deadly competitive," Borden said. "I deliberation they conscionable person precise antithetic styles. The personalities are precise different. ... I tin spot the done enactment from 1 to the other. Coach Scheyer conscionable spins it and says it and does it successful his ain way.

"What I tin accidental from knowing Coach Scheyer, some erstwhile helium was subordinate caput manager past caput coach, is that helium is simply a hoops savant. He conscionable sees the crippled differently."

That is what has stood retired crossed assemblage basketball. Maybe it's the deficiency of Krzyzewski sitting 2 rows down the bench, oregon possibly it's conscionable that Duke (35-3) plays specified a superb marque of hoops that this squad successful peculiar stands connected its own.

"I'll archer you however bully Jon Scheyer has been, cipher talks astir him replacing Coach K immoderate more," Houston manager Kelvin Sampson said. "I deliberation that speaks volumes for him."

Scheyer said helium has appreciated that Krzyzewski has begun to consciousness comfy coming to a mates games and hopes K is successful attendance Saturday.

"I privation him to beryllium arrogant erstwhile helium watches us," Scheyer said.

Maybe Krzyzewski nary longer worrying astir overshadowing his protégé would service arsenic the eventual motion that the ngo has been accomplished and the baton successful Durham has afloat been passed.