Hunted Beats Haunted For Duke

Coaches are not ones to forget.

Bob Staak, the former Wake Forest head basketball coach (1986-89), was in Raleigh last season to watch N.C. State in action. Once an assistant to Sidney Lowe in the NBA, Staak was on hand as a scout for the Orlando Magic. While making conversation in the press room, Staak was reminded of the great run his overmatched Demon Deacons enjoyed in the 1987 ACC Tournament.

Seventh-seeded Wake, led by diminutive Muggsy Bogues, reached the semifinals, only to lose 77-73 in double-overtime to Jim Valvano’s Wolfpack, the eventual ACC champs. But an acquaintance had barely finished harkening back two decades to savor the memory before Staak interjected, bitterly recalling a particular official’s call that went against his team and, to his mind, cost the victory.

So it was that, after holding a lengthy session with the media on Friday filled with upbeat talk, Mike Krzyzewski paused before leaving to lament the “five layups, literally,” he said separated his 2007 Blue Devil squad from finishing atop the ACC.

Most of the press conference at Durham’s Emily Krzyzewski Center, a spiffy community athletic facility named after the coach’s late mother, was devoted to discussion of scenes from summer camp, a three-generation family vacation at the North Carolina coast, the resolution of the Duke lacrosse fiasco, and “my teams, my national team and my Duke team.” Krzyzewski will again coach the USA men’s national squad, vying this summer for a guaranteed berth from the Americas zone in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China.

Yet, for all the banter, stories, analysis, and looks to the future, the coach could not help returning to the missed opportunities that saw Duke skid last season from an 18-3 start to a 22-11 finish marked by defeats in the final four games, including first round exits in the ACC and NCAA tournaments. The Devils finished tied for sixth in the ACC at 8-8, the first time in 11 years they failed either to finish first or to win the ACC Tournament, or both.

“We were more on an edge of a cliff, and each game we had a chance to lose,” Krzyzewski said of the ’07 squad. “Now, we had a chance to win every game we played, too.” 

Of course, there were plenty of opponents eager to help Duke take a plunge.

Krzyzewski said he knew in December that a team dominated by freshmen and sophomores, lacking either a senior or a star, would struggle to score. What he further suspected, and surely tried to avoid, were the ups and downs characteristic of a young group of which much was expected, both because of the program’s history and their own pedigrees.

 For much of the season Duke got by on its defense, the stingiest of Krzyzewski’s 27-year tenure at yielding points (62.0, best in the ACC). Only three of his previous squads enjoyed a bigger rebounding margin compared to opponents (+4.9), rather a surprise for a group that largely lacked an inside presence.

Unfortunately, the defense unraveled down the stretch; from February onward all but two opponents exceeded the 62-point average. The offense was too anemic to compensate, producing fewer points (70.4 per game) than any Duke squad since 1982.

The Devils were last in the ACC in scoring offense. More often than not, their ballhandling fueled opportunities for the opposition. Duke committed 76 more turnovers than assists, the third-worst ballhandling performance of Krzyzewski’s tenure. And, a program that thrives on getting to the foul line converted just 68.9 percent of its free throws, among the worst showings under Krzyzewski.

A seemingly positive change in the late going, improved offensive production from point guard Greg Paulus, may have inadvertently exacerbated Duke’s problems.

Paulus overcame a lingering injury for the second straight year – this time a damaged foot that required offseason surgery -- to emerge as one of the ACC’s more accurate (.450) and prolific 3-point shooters. This after a freshman year in which he was a negligible factor offensively.

But the other side of that coin was a decline in Paulus’ effectiveness as the team’s floor leader. Focused on scoring, he had more than four assists in just four of Duke’s final dozen games. Paulus also outscored Jon Scheyer, the shooting guard dependent upon his playmaking, in 10 of those outings.

This season, the Blue Devils bring in what is widely regarded as the ACC’s top recruiting class in forwards Kyle Singler and Taylor King and guard Nolan Smith. All are generally rated among the top 25 freshmen in the nation, and come from strong prep programs. “They’re all accustomed to winning,” Krzyzewski said.

Singler, from Oregon, is 6-8 and a heady, versatile, athletic presence who can operate inside and out. “He has a great feel for the game,” said Krzyzewski, harkening to a favorite descriptive to call Singler “a special player.” King, a 6-7 lefty from California, has tremendous shooting range and solid fundamentals. Smith, part of a 40-1 Oak Hill team dubbed the best prep unit in the nation, can play either guard position and is a good defender.

The addition of that stellar trio gives Duke the depth it lacked last season, as well as considerably enhanced offensive punch. There should also be greater stability and confidence, given that sophomores and juniors dominate the roster, making the Devils a veteran unit by modern standards. “We should be a very good basketball team,” Krzyzewski said unabashedly, a forecast he never ventured for last year’s squad.

Of course someone needs to pick up the 7.9 rebounds gathered last year by Josh McRoberts, an expected mid-first round NBA draft choice after two seasons in college. And a healthy Paulus must channel his emotion and competitiveness into a supportive role if Duke is to return to its accustomed place among the hunted rather than the haunted.