Winning isn’t easy when most Duke basketball players want out after a year.
The first five seasons of my rabid Duke basketball fandom were 1987-88 through 1991-92. Across that span, I watched 23 Blue Devils in all — including walk-ons — take the court. I felt like I got to know each one.
Fast forward to 2017-22.
Assuming at least one more addition to next season’s roster in light of Tuesday’s announced departure by Henry Coleman — actually, a few more transfers or early exits might still be on the horizon — there will have been at least 40 Duke basketball players in the five seasons from 2017-18 to 2021-22.
That’s an average of eight new faces per year. And this essentially equates to an entirely different bunch in Durham from one year to the next.
Coleman, a former four-star recruit, is transferring after averaging 1.1 points and 1.4 rebounds in only 5.0 minutes per game for the Blue Devils last season. The freshman forward joins three others to have left Duke for the transfer portal this offseason: freshman forward Jaemyn Brakefield, senior forward Patrick Tape, and senior guard Jordan Goldwire.
Two more Blue Devils, sophomore forward Matthew Hurt and freshman guard DJ Steward, have declared for the 2021 NBA Draft with the intent of signing an agent. And then, of course, there’s Jalen Johnson, a freshman forward who bolted for the pro ranks with six games remaining on Duke’s regular-season schedule.
Needless to say, rewinding to a simpler time, the 2017-22 Duke basketball accomplishments don’t exactly stack up to the program’s five Final Four appearances and two national championships between its 1987-88 and 1991-92 campaigns.
How do Duke basketball coaches even keep up with all the turnover nowadays?
Sure, hardly any program is immune to the explosion of transfers these days given the new rule permitting all athletes to switch schools one time without having to sit out a year. However, add that to the fact Mike Krzyzewski and his assistants continue to operate one of the leading one-and-done factories.
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Overall, the sheer number of new names, personalities, and skillsets must be utterly exhausting for the 74-year-old Coach K to remember as he strategizes for his 42nd season at the helm in Durham.
I know all the faces are becoming a bit much for this 39-year-old fan to become familiar with each go-round; after all, it’s now so rare for anyone with any star talent whatsoever to stick around.
And just think, all I have to do is watch it unfold and then whine about it here.