Champion Blue Devils at peace with roster uncertainty -- for now
DURHAM, N.C. -- There were a lot of times this season when Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski wasn't sure that his team would win a national championship.
But there were just as many times when he wasn't worried about it.
"I've always had confidence in them. I didn't worry about the outcome of a game I could handle the outcome of a game with this group, win or lose," Krzyzewski said. "I felt that way especially throughout he whole tournament because there's a lot of pressure on everybody because there's one game and your'e done, and anything can happen."
This young team of freshmen who came together with his upperclassmen for an eight-man rotation reinvigorated Krzyzewski, and he found himself, as stated many times, caught up in their moment.
One such moment came in the national title game. And it was one of the moments when he wasn't so sure if his team was going to win.
Down nine with 13 minutes to go and with both Jahlil Okafor and Justise Winslow in foul trouble, it seemed like his team was, using his words, "dead in the water."
Then he unleashed the least heralded of the freshmen, Grayson Allen, and told him to attack the basket. He did. Just like that, Duke went from nine down to in control; and it was in large part because of Allen's 16 points.
Krzyzewski demonstrated his reaction to one of Allen's finishes at the rim, and it was a cross between a growl and a groan.
"It was like in reaction to these plays that our guys are making, and saying you've got to be kidding me," Krzyzewski said. "Part of it is a minute ago I thought we were dead in the water. Someone's got a lifeboat. Holy mackerel, we've got a yacht. We went from drowning to having a glass of wine on a yacht."
In a lot of ways, this season was a perfect storm for Duke. This group had to overcome plenty, so it was far from easy. But Duke has at least three players who will be on an NBA roster at some point -- one has already declared in Okafor, and two more are still pending in Winslow and Final Four MOP Tyus Jones.
But because it was an eight-man rotation, and because his team was so reliant on freshmen, Krzyzewski honestly didn't know what his team would do this season. Even watching the replay at the team hotel, in the wee hours of Tuesday morning in Indianapolis as they ate pizza, Krzyzewski could only marvel at what the Blue Devils accomplished.
The focus will now shift to whether Duke's talented trio of freshmen will go pro.
Krzyzewski plans to get all the relevant information and meet with the players in the next few days, and Okafor's decision didn't take long. All four freshmen are very close, particularly Okafor and Jones, and they depend on one another for many things.
Even though it's been the Big Three frosh all season, Allen -- citing his strong performance in the title game -- actually crept on to ESPN.com Chad Ford's "Big Board" of 2015 draft prospects.
When asked if he was coming back to school, Allen smiled wryly. "To be honest, I don't think it's a question for me. I'll be back here."
Allen's name cropping up was a surprise for many. He didn't even play in several Duke games this year, much less see significant minutes. And even toward the stretch run, he wasn't a regular component of the Blue Devils' rotation.
"I didn't know I could go from being the eighth guy in the rotation to 'Oh, you could be a first-round draft pick now so you have to think about this.' That's just part of how crazy these last few days have been for me," Allen said.
Krzyzewski wasn't sure of much heading into the tournament. But he did tell his staff, before the games got rolling, that Allen would have a big role in Duke's ultimate success or failure.
He saw it in practice, and he saw it in the way Allen had played in games coming into the NCAAs. His bout of highs and lows was more visible in contrast to his fellow freshmen, who adapted to the college game a lot quicker.
"(Allen's) different from the other three freshmen. He's got this recklessness, an abandon. If he was in the military, he'd be a Delta Force or he'd be a SEAL. He's the guy washing windows on the 100th floor, not on the second floor," says Krzyzewski.
Allen saw his mentions on social media blow up with hatred. The brash wing played as if he weren't a rarely used reserve, getting his confidence from his teammates as he screamed and yelled and threw up his arms to the crowd, strutting after each big play.
That kind of persona, especially at a polarizing school like Duke, made him a lightning rod -- even in games where he rarely played.
But now, particularly if the other three freshmen go pro, Allen will be the centerpiece of the 2015-16 Duke tam.
So he's ready for it.
"There were times during the reason where I'd play two minutes and still get (hate), so it was like, why me? But after that, I feel like it means that I was doing something right," Allen said. "That's part of being a Duke basketball player. There's a lot of people that love Duke, but there's a lot of people that hate Duke. If that's what comes from winning a national championship, I'm fine with that."
Allen will be joined by yet another good recruiting class next year. The Blue Devils will add five-star forward Chase Jeter and five-star shooting guard Luke Kennard. And Coach K said they're still pursuing other targets.
But various changes that Krzyzewski and his staff have made in the last few years have helped make that transition for talented freshmen a bit easier.
There's a notion Krzyzewski completely adapted his style to embrace so-called "one-and-done" type talent, compared to four-year guys. But obviously, that's not entirely true.
In 2011, Kyrie Irving, limited by a toe injury, was one such talent, and Krzyzewski has let freshman play as big a role as they'd like. It just never worked out quite like this.
"We've always gone after, once we knew we could ... the best possible player who fits our profile. It just happens that some of those guys can be one and done or two and done or before graduation done, before four years, because all our guys have graduated if they're here four years. I don't think we've changed that much in that regard," Krzyzewski said.
"Now, how we develop their relationships with them and the depth, we've changed in that regard. Like, I know Luke and Chase real well. I've already critiqued their game while they're playing in high school. I've already kind of coached them, where I wouldn't have done that with Tommy Amaker, JJ Redick, John Scheyer. But in these last three years, you start doing more of that."
Krzyzewski hasn't slept much lately, for good reasons. And he's not worrying too much about the composition of next year's team.
Okafor will be one of the first two players selected in the NBA draft, almost certainly, and Winslow will likely be a top-10 selection. Jones could be a first-rounder, too.
So it's realistic to think all three freshmen will be gone.
Okafor's declaration was the first of many important decisions to come.
"My freshman year has been an amazing experience to say the least. It exceeded my expectations! I love Cameron and Duke University!" Okafor said in a statement released by Duke Thursday afternoon. "I can't thank my coaches, teammates and family enough for making this year so special and helping me grow on and off the court."
