The 2010 college basketball season had been over for barely one hour, but Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski knew the next storyline — the 2011 season.
The first batch of preseason Top 25s will be arriving soon. And Krzyzewski is ready to help everybody with their lists. Not by nominating his team. By nominating Butler.
Don’t start believing that Butler will disappear now that Gordon Hayward’s attempted game-winning shot has hit the backboard, the rim and then the floor.
“Somebody’s going to pick them top 10 for next year,” Krzyzewski said. “Where are you going to put Butler?
“Yeah, right up there, one or two. Pretty good. Pretty good. They were a top 10 team all year this year. They’ll be a favorite next year.”
Especially if Hayward returns for his junior season. If he does, Butler coach Brad Stevens will have a nucleus that scored 47 of the 59 points the Bulldogs tallied in their 61-59 loss to the Blue Devils at Lucas Oil Stadium on Monday night.
But what about Duke? Top five? Top 10? Top 25?
The folks in Cameron Indoor Stadium would have to be more than crazy to put Duke in their preseason top five. Top 10? It seems unreasonable — unless junior forward Kyle Singler, the Most Outstanding Player of the Final Four, returns. Singler, of course, wasn’t ready to announce his decision after he scored 19 points and grabbed nine rebounds against the Bulldogs.
But the Top 25? Certainly.
The Blue Devils have the nation howling at them again, in a way that basketball fans have not been howling at Krzyzewski’s program for a half dozen years. He has a solid collection of returning players, an intriguing transfer in sharp-shooting Seth Curry and a top 10 recruiting class, led by point guard Kyrie Irving.
When this season started, some basketball people were wondering if Coach K had lost his mojo. No national titles since 2001. No Final Fours since 2004. Losses to teams with lower NCAA tournament seeds in five consecutive seasons.
He had done remarkable work coaching the U.S. Olympic team to a gold medal in 2008, but it left some wondering if Duke’s program and recruiting had slipped because of the time away.
Add the surprising decision by top-five recruit Harrison Barnes of Ames, Iowa, to sign with North Carolina instead of Duke last November, and the consensus was that Roy Williams had clearly directed the Tar Heels back into the alpha position on Tobacco Road.
Not so fast. There’s more to Krzyzewski than his XM radio show — much more. At the age of 63, he has pushed ahead of Bob Knight and pulled even with Adolph Rupp by winning his fourth national title. Sometime during the 2011-12 season, he will also eclipse Knight to become the all-time wins leader among men’s Division I coaches.
Good luck trying to out-sell that recruiting pitch.
If Singler returns, he will give Krzyzewski an inside player to match with guard Nolan Smith, who played his best basketball during the NCAA tournament.
Smith, a junior, was Duke’s second-leading scorer in the tournament, averaging 17 points. He was voted the Most Outstanding Player of the South Regional and also made the all-tournament team at the Final Four.
“This team had a special bond,” Smith said. “We got along great. That’s what championship teams have to do. Coach K said that even though we didn’t have any first-team All-Americans, we were one of his favorite teams. That’s the kind of spirit we have to build.”
After Smith and perhaps Singler, Krzyzewski will have parts he can mix and match.
Brothers Mason and Miles Plumlee played formidable basketball in March, averaging a combined 5.3 points and 7.5 rebounds in about 26 minutes per game. That’s a foundation to replace center Brian Zoubek.
Andre Dawkins is the only other guy who earned significant minutes in the NCAA tournament. But he’ll need to upgrade his shooting (less than 38 percent) to improve his spot in the rotation.
Curry, the younger brother of former Davidson star Stephen Curry, averaged 20.2 points at Liberty last season before transferring to Duke. He practiced with the Blue Devils all winter, while adding bulk to his narrow, 6-foot-1, 175-pound body.
Irving, from St. Patrick High School in Elizabeth, N.J., is also 6-foot-1. But Curry is a shooter while Irving is a play-maker, which works for Krzyzewski because Smith can play either guard position. They will have a chance to share Jon Scheyer’s minutes.
Forward is where Krzyzewski will have to scramble. Lance Thomas departs. Singler projects as a first-round NBA pick, which figures to make his return questionable at best.
For the first time in Krzyzewski’s 30-year run, the Blue Devils have recruited a junior college player, signing Carrick Felix, a 6-foot-6 forward from Southern Idaho.
Two players from the Washington, D.C., area — Josh Hairston, a 6-8 forward, and guard Tyler Thornton — complete the class. Krzyzewski has done more with less.
“I do some things differently,” Krzyzewski said. “I think I do them better right now than I’ve ever done them in my life because of the experience that I’ve had.
“Where my passion has not waned, my experience has grown. So I think that’s a good combination."
