His successor has been debated many times and several names have been thrown around. Hopefully I included them all.
K Successor
- Thread starter LetsGoDukies
- Start date
Stevens would be great, but Capel can flat out recruit and I think he has grown a lot....Capel is my choice
Capel pays $ to players. Read it on THR. He would get the university in trouble.
I voted for Mike Brey....I do not think he will get the post or be seriously considered however, because he did not play for K. However of K's associates (ex-players, assts, etc),he clearly has our number and I think has the BEST UNDERSTANDING of the Duke system.
Always liked Brey when he was under K, and thought he conducted himself well also. I am not familiar with their own personal relationship since they parted ways. Does anyone have familiarity regarding their closeness now as colleagues/friends??
Always liked Brey when he was under K, and thought he conducted himself well also. I am not familiar with their own personal relationship since they parted ways. Does anyone have familiarity regarding their closeness now as colleagues/friends??
Coach K and Brey are still close.
The thing with Brey is this....he's turning 57 in less than two months. Even if we conservatively assume K will be around for another three years, that would make Brey 61 in his first full season as the Duke coach. I'm not saying he would be a bad choice, but I don't think the university is going to look for a stop-gap replacement. And I disagree to the point that Brey "clearly" has our number. He's clearly had some success against Duke and K, though.
Also, while I'm sure he has a great understanding of the system, I'm not sure it's the best. He left Duke over 20 years ago. Duke has changed quite a bit since then, and Brey has, as well. My main concern with Brey would be his ability to recruit at such a high level. I know we often say it's easy and that schools like Duke, UNC and UK recruit themselves. And to a point, that's true. But we saw Guthridge struggle recruiting at UNC. We saw Tubby trying to recruit at UK. It's not that easy.
I like Brey and think he's a great coach....but he probably wouldn't be in my top five. In fact, I can think of a guy or two outside the Duke family I'd prefer over him.
The thing with Brey is this....he's turning 57 in less than two months. Even if we conservatively assume K will be around for another three years, that would make Brey 61 in his first full season as the Duke coach. I'm not saying he would be a bad choice, but I don't think the university is going to look for a stop-gap replacement. And I disagree to the point that Brey "clearly" has our number. He's clearly had some success against Duke and K, though.
Also, while I'm sure he has a great understanding of the system, I'm not sure it's the best. He left Duke over 20 years ago. Duke has changed quite a bit since then, and Brey has, as well. My main concern with Brey would be his ability to recruit at such a high level. I know we often say it's easy and that schools like Duke, UNC and UK recruit themselves. And to a point, that's true. But we saw Guthridge struggle recruiting at UNC. We saw Tubby trying to recruit at UK. It's not that easy.
I like Brey and think he's a great coach....but he probably wouldn't be in my top five. In fact, I can think of a guy or two outside the Duke family I'd prefer over him.
Capel.
I think Tommy Amaker is a candidate who was omitted and who is more likely than some listed.
When Dawkins left for Stanford, I thought that was the step he needed to take to set himself up for it, but he's not blown up like we all hoped.
When Collins and Wojo left, they both looked to be taking a similar step... but it opened up an opportunity for Capel to become the obvious top of the pecking order among current assistants, and he has really surged to the top.
Scheyer deserves a mention for being a current assistant, at least, and he is so young it's fair to lump him into the "other category." I'd also add Tyler Thornton to that category.
I think Tommy Amaker is a candidate who was omitted and who is more likely than some listed.
When Dawkins left for Stanford, I thought that was the step he needed to take to set himself up for it, but he's not blown up like we all hoped.
When Collins and Wojo left, they both looked to be taking a similar step... but it opened up an opportunity for Capel to become the obvious top of the pecking order among current assistants, and he has really surged to the top.
Scheyer deserves a mention for being a current assistant, at least, and he is so young it's fair to lump him into the "other category." I'd also add Tyler Thornton to that category.
Out of anyone is Stevens says "I want the job" then he should get it IMO other than that Capel all day with Hurley a dark horse
I chose Bobby. IMO, he has the closest personality to K. A hard ace like him and smooth operator like Capel would make a great team.
Hands down, no contest, I would open the checkbook for Brad Stevens. If it were humanly possible, I would do whatever it takes to get him.
Go Duke!!
JC-OFC
Go Duke!!
JC-OFC
If we did get Brad besides the fact he will be the greatest basketball mind once K retires will be the sad depression that Carolina and Kentucky fans go through
DJ I agree about Brey's age although I still say he's the best candidate from other factors IMO. I still would submit he has K's number very respectfully, compared to any OTHER CANDIDATES....
The other thing I liked about Brey is I believe like K, he has a clean slate from any wrongdoing. I believe Dawkins does as well. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty comfortable with most all of the ones listed, but like MB the best....
The other thing I liked about Brey is I believe like K, he has a clean slate from any wrongdoing. I believe Dawkins does as well. Don't get me wrong, I am pretty comfortable with most all of the ones listed, but like MB the best....
I voted for Capel as well. Capel is an excellent recruiter and the guy can really coach!! I would love for him to be K's successor!
It's hard to say. Hurley is still early (I didn't actually try that pun on words) in his coaching career. I think he looks pretty good right now, but it's a long ways from ASU to Duke in terms coaching. As a UNC fan I'd think you clearly understand that.
Back in 2000, to everyone, including outsiders, Doherty looked like a homerun hire. He'd studied under Roy as an assistant for a handful of years, was a revered former player and a member of the basketball family. But...he had one year of head coaching experience. One. For the record, I thought it would work and thought UNC might be set-up again for a long time with a great coach.
I tend to lean Capel because he has the head coaching experience, he's "one" of us, and he's become K's right hand man. He's also a phenomenal recruiter who has the complete trust of K. The only thing that scares me, and it's probably from witnessing what happened at UNC, is that he's going to come under extreme scrutiny for any- and everything that goes wrong....so how does he handle that? Dean and K are two of the best ever....following in their footsteps is, in a sense, is beyond difficult.
Now, if K keeps going for longer than most expect, like, say, another 8 years, and Capel moves on to another head coaching gig, things could change drastically. As it is, b/c he already has coaching experience and no former assistants are currently tearing it up elsewhere, the continuity of sliding over one seat on the bench is a really appealing factor. We all know the guy who follows the man is going to have a significantly tougher time than the guy who follows the guy who follows the man, so things that help that first transition may be a bigger consideration than usual. We won't, for example, be looking to give a young guy w/ lots of long-term potential the opportunity to learn on the job over the course of 5-6 years. That would be like giving your 16-year-old a Ferrari, a penis, and a bunch of Red Bull.
Its pretty factual that everyone in college ball wants Brad Stevens as their next coach. This has been beaten to death many times when theres a pedigree program wanting a new coach. Not me, I want Bobby Hurley or Chris Collins or Capel.
I would just like to see them hire the best man for the job. If he is from outside the family , that's fine. Have seen too many "family " people hired that just don't work out. Not saying they have to go outside, but, I won't be upset if they do .
I believe he is best equipped to manage the Duke basketball program in a manner that sees the least drop off after K. He brings INSTANT credibility and very little questions. Easily one of the best young basketball minds in the game. He is successfully managing one of the highest profile jobs in all of professional sports in the Boston Celtics. I think the argument should be "he wouldn't come Duke" but I do find it difficult to comprehend that folks PREFER another option simply because the referenced option is a "Duke guy." If all things are equal then yes I would prefer the option be a Duke guy but is anyone here actually suggesting that ANY of the Duke guys are on the same level as Stevens? Is it even close?
This is debated a lot on the uk board as well. A lot of people there want Stevens if Cal were to leave. The question is not so much whether he would be the best option, it's whether he'd want to leave the NBA. I can only assume it's where he wanted to be if he's there now. And the Celtics have gotten progressively better. I can only imagine if he keeps them rolling that he'll get a hefty raise when his current contract is up.
Personally I'd love to see you guys hire one of the Plumlees as the new coach when K hangs it up
Personally I'd love to see you guys hire one of the Plumlees as the new coach when K hangs it up
Maybe some of us don't know how Stevens recruits anywhere but Butler.
Maybe some of us think Duke can remain excellent under a variety of coaches but that the best way to ensure there is no dropoff in the transition is to hire a guy who knows the program.
Maybe some of us think he'll be too easily mistaken for Jon Scheyer.
Maybe some of us have just enough of an attachment to guys from Duke that for the completely hypothetical nature of this question we're answering a bit from our hearts.
Maybe some of us got punched in the face by a Brad Stevens who had had too many Mai Tais, Spring Break '94, Ft. Lauderdale.
Maybe some of us see a difference between the pro game, the midmajor game, and the game at the highest D1 level.
Maybe some of us don't see a big enough sample size.
well done my good man well done and yes I guess I did sort of look past the human/attachment element of it or familiarity.
@Dattier I hope the Ft. Lauderdale story is true. Dear God I do.
I voted Capel. I think Scheyer would be a damn good coach at Duke and if things don't work out with Capel he'd be next.
I'd like to thrown in a wild card in Geno Auriemma. He has mentioned in the past Duke is the only other job he'd consider, and while he's no spring chicken, I think in 3-4 years he'd be looking for another challenge. And after someone like K, it may be good to go with another big personality before throwing a young guy to the wolves. Just a thought.
I voted Capel. I think Scheyer would be a damn good coach at Duke and if things don't work out with Capel he'd be next.
I'd like to thrown in a wild card in Geno Auriemma. He has mentioned in the past Duke is the only other job he'd consider, and while he's no spring chicken, I think in 3-4 years he'd be looking for another challenge. And after someone like K, it may be good to go with another big personality before throwing a young guy to the wolves. Just a thought.
I can't stand Geno. That would hurt me if they even considered him jmo.....
OFC
OFC
Of my 5 serious responses, only 1 is entirely about the human element. That an in-house candidate would have certain advantages at any elite program isn't strictly that, and the other 3 have nothing to do w/ pro-Duke bias. To recap: First, we're not hanging our hopes of competing in the ACC on Stevens' ability to find every Gordon Haywood. What more do we know about his ability to recruit elite recruits? Second, just like a flop w/ the Celtics says nothing to do w/ whether he's a good college coach or not (see Pitino, Rick), success isn't necessarily the same, either, and the same hit-or-miss nature exists when moving from one level of college to another. Third, he has all of 8 full seasons as a head coach under his belt right now. That's more than K had when he came to Duke, and Stevens' resume is way, way more impressive at this point, but it's also a very different time, wrt both the sport in general and Duke's status as an elite program.
Stevens is awesome and he's a great candidate who should be on the short list of candidates for any high major college program, including Duke. But he's not the only one. I think you went too far in acting as if he ought to be the only candidate and insinuating that there's no possible way to prefer anyone else other than through being emotionally compromised and unreasonable. When you do that, you back people into a corner where they have to trash a great candidate all b/c they're being forced to justify any other candidate.