Imagining the first Duke basketball season without Coach K

The realist’s post-Coach K Duke basketball prediction

Sure, the realist envisions that Mike Krzyzewski’s retirement will bring opportunities for the model program to prosper even further under new leadership. Assuming a former pupil is next in line, not only will there be some sense of continuity, but there’ll also be a high probability that the new leader adds helpful tweaks to the proven equation.

A new defensive set. A few new plays. A younger, more relatable voice to provide the instruction and inspiration.

That said, the realist also reminds Duke basketball fans that the replacement and his staff are sure to have a difficult time keeping all of the top high school prospects who may have already signed prior to Coach K’s announced departure. Also, there could be instant transfers when the news break.

In other words, even if an assistant at the time winds up getting the job — a proven recruiting mastermind in current associate head coach Jon Scheyer comes to mind — chances are Duke loses a couple of players dead set on lacing ’em up for arguably the most well-known head coach in the history of college hoops. Therefore, the roster that year should be a bit weaker than normal.

However, don’t discount the fire that Coach K’s replacement may exhibit in his first year. A safe bet is that the new coach will be a former Blue Devil who inherited the great one’s penchant for staying relevant nationally, no matter the star power (keep in mind, all but one Duke squad this century finished inside the top 20 of the AP Poll, and all but three finished in the top 10).

All in all, the realist predicts the first Duke basketball team after Coach K won’t overflow with former McDonald’s All-Americans yet won’t skip a beat in the heart department. Then, factoring in exciting fresh twists from the new head honcho, expect those Blue Devils to barely crack the top 25 but to mirror some teams from Coach K’s younger years by making some noise come March.