Mention Duke University to 10 people and the first thing nine of them will likely think of is the men's basketball team. Back-to-back national championships, seven Final Fours in nine years, a level of excellence that is unsurpassed in the past two decades. But that level has fallen in the last two seasons, and head coach Mike Krzyzewski is determined to return Duke to its place atop the throne.
The Blue Devils will start anew this fall as Krzyzewski has reloaded with three freshmen recruits, two players who redshirted last season and six returning players who all started at one point last season. Often times last season Krzyzewski referred to his team as a bridge between Duke's past and Duke's future. Heading into the 1996-97 campaign, he is positive the bridge has been traversed.
"The thing I would mention to our players is just forget about the past because the way we've done things in the last two years really has no bearing on how we're going to do things now," Krzyzewski said. "We're moving into a new house and let's adjust to the new rooms we're going to live in. It's, in some respects, a different start for everybody and how we play, how we practice, how we condition. As far as how [players and coaches] communicate and all, that's not going to change. We've been honest with one another all the time... But those other elements are going to be new."
The biggest difference between last year's unit and this year's will undoubtedly be depth. The Blue Devils were decimated by injuries last season. By the end of the year, they had as many walk-ons as they did healthy scholarship athletes. This season Krzyzewski should have 11 players on scholarship, and plenty of competition for playing time.
The depth will help Duke in a number of areas. The most important area will likely be on the practice floor. Competition for playing time will be fierce among the 11 players and practices will likely be the place where Krzyzewski and his assistants are able to make decisions on which line-up works best, and which players play well with each other.
"A practice should closely approximate what youngsters will see in a game," Krzyzewski said. "You try to make it as game-like as possible. And with last year's team, that was impossible to do that with the numbers, especially in the last month because we were down to about six kids and that hurts you. Now our kids did a great job with that, but I'm excited about the opportunity to see how guys will respond to competition.
"There also will be a greater sense of accountability in that now, if you are not playing as well for whatever reason, there is somebody who can take your place. The standards of play should go up measurably as a result of having more guys who can play and I think that's good for everybody."
The Blue Devils will test themselves immediately next season as they open up on Nov. 20 in the Preseason National Invitational Tournament against St. Joseph's in Cameron Indoor Stadium. The Preseason NIT is a 16-team tourney, which includes Indiana, UCLA and Seton Hall.
Then in December, Duke will face top non-conference foes Michigan, at home, and Villanova, on the road. Plus, it will open its Atlantic Coast Conference slate with a game against Florida State. The tough early season schedule should allow Krzyzewski to learn a great deal about his team before 1997 arrives.
"We want to get back to playing at the highest level," Krzyzewski said. "The early schedule the way it is, there's going to be a reality check. This team may think it's real good or good or outstanding, but we'll know a lot more by the time exams are over."
The biggest question will likely center on the team's primary ballhandler next season. Junior Steve Wojciechowski is the only true point guard on the team, but a number of players can handle the ball and will be asked to do so. The two most likely candidates are senior captain Jeff Capel and sophomore Trajan Langdon, who is expected to return after sitting out last year for medical reasons.
The Blue Devils have a number of players who can play more than one position, and Krzyzewski stressed that he does not want to label any of his players and potentially limit their development.
"[The Chicago Bulls] just won the NBA championship, and they don't have a point guard, so to speak," Krzyzewski said. "They had good players and just because when you introduce them you say, 'Guard, Guard, Forward, Forward, Center,' it doesn't mean that those people have to be those things. The Bulls are a great example of that. On our championship teams in '91 and '92, Bobby [Hurley] was the point guard, but what positions did those other guys play? I don't want any one of our players in a position where they think of themselves as something one-dimensional."
All three freshmen can play more than one position. Krzyzewski is extremely excited about this trio of Chris Carrawell, Michael Chappell and Nate James.
"For all three of them, the first thing that comes to mind to me is character," Krzyzewski said. "I think this class has great character and [they are] three youngsters who really identify with [team] goals ahead of individual goals."
Also joining the team will be junior transfer Roshown McLeod, who sat out last year after transferring from St. John's. He was able to practice with the Blue Devils all year, and he should step right in with his big 6-foot-8 frame and play any of the frontcourt positions.
Last year's frontcourt starters will all return-senior captain Greg Newton, junior Ricky Price and sophomore Taymon Domzalski. All three stayed in Durham this summer to get ahead in classes and work on their games. Krzyzewski has been impressed with the commitment shown by those three and the other Blue Devils in town for the summer-Capel, Wojciechowski, Langdon and senior captain Carmen Wallace.
"[Experience] is one thing the upperclassmen bring to us this year-and moving into that new house, so to speak, doesn't mean you don't bring that experience with you," Krzyzewski said. "It's just that experience is going to be used differently than it was last year. The fact that Newton was a double-figure rebounder a lot of times last year-he played a full season; he was a good player, the fact that Ricky Price hit a game-winning shot, missed a game-winning shot-those things are all important. Those are things that he had not done before and that level of experience is good to bring forward."
New-found depth and experience, plenty of versatility and a tough early season schedule-what will they all add up to for the Blue Devils? Krzyzewski is not sure, but he knows one thing-if the Duke is healthy, it may soon have some trophies for its new house.
"The perfect scenario for me is that we're healthy," Krzyzewski said. "That's all I want every year-that we're healthy and that the kids listen and believe. If that happens, then we'll be real good."
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