Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski enjoyed four-year stays from most stars in his first three decades on the job, and 10 stand out for having freshman campaigns that would be one-and-done caliber nowadays.
I remember back in the day when milk was delivered, we had to walk uphill to school both ways, and Duke basketball players stayed in college for four years.
One could argue the merits of leaving school early for the lavish riches and stardom of The Association. There have been many players from Durham who have opted out of returning to school after just one year of competition. I am not inclined to argue the value of those one-and-done decisions. I can, however, shift the paradigm and look at what great Blue Devils could have — nae, should have — been one-and-dones in their era.
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During the four decades of Coach K basketball in Durham, who were the best potential one-and-done players who didn’t one-and-did? While ruminating on this query, I considered freshmen who had fantastic first seasons under the tutelage of the GOAT. I researched both team and individual statistics and considered both team and individual awards.
The only stipulation I made in selection was the player had to have gone on to suit up all four years in a Duke uniform. So here are the 10 most probable Duke one-and-dones who never one-and-did: