Duke basketball: Big man, bigger hire for Blue Devils

Don’t underestimate the influence of Duke basketball champ Amile Jefferson.

The Duke basketball deficit is growing, the fouls are mounting, and all hope is going from winning this particular game. It comes down to one man to help rally the troops, keep the faith, and stabilize a team full of newcomers.

It’s April 6, 2015, and the game in question is the national championship. The squad happens to be losing to a killer Wisconsin Badgers team.

Blue Devil freshman big man Jahlil Okafor spent what seemed to be that whole night in foul trouble, and the effect of that on Duke wasn’t exactly peachy.

At this point, Wisconsin had jumped out to a nine-point lead as things we’re looking down for the Dukies. The body language was poor, frankly, but it was what you might expect from a young team playing a squad full of vets. Yet among the doom and gloom, two upperclassman leaders stayed calm and trusted the plan of head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

One was senior guard Quinn Cook, and the other was junior forward Amile Jefferson. Now, one can’t deny that super freshman guards Tyus Jones and Grayson Allen lit the fire that sparked a title down the stretch.

But fires don’t start underwater, and the upperclassmen kept the ship afloat that night.

Amile Jefferson looking to help young Duke basketball bigs stay above water

In early July, a month after announcing his upcoming retirement in the spring, Krzyzewski chose Jefferson to be the director of player development for the Blue Devils, hoping he can be the same stabilizing force as a coach next season that he was as a player.

During his five years at Duke (2012-17), Amile Jefferson was a fantastic teammate and always seemed to be there for his guys.

Since the one-and-done era began, Durham has been the premier landing spot for these young players. While most have been as advertised, some have missed the mark a bit.

And more often than not, the few players who have underwhelmed as Dukies were big men. Chase Jeter, Harry Giles, Josh McRoberts, and Shavlik Randolph were talented players, but they sometimes seemed to lack direction.

It’s not like I would know how to operate in the post against ACC foes, but I feel it could only be easier with the right coach. For all the unmatched brilliance Coach K has shown on the Duke basketball bench, there hasn’t been an actual big man coaching the bigs since George H.W. Bush was in office.

That’s right, everyone’s favorite analyst, Jay Bilas, coached on the staff for his alma mater from 1990 to 1992, and the Blue Devils took home two titles during that stretch.

It helps to have coaches who played the position that they coach. Surely, Krzyzewski and his announced successor, 2010 Duke basketball national champ Jon Scheyer, must agree with that sentiment.

Nate James, who primarily played on the wing for Coach K, did an excellent job with the bigs in his 12-year tenure as an assistant. But as the 2001 national champ takes his talents to Austin Peay in a head-coaching role, you have to think the large bodies would have been even better off with a former big on the pine.

It’s important to have coaches who can tell players where to stand and operate from personal experience, particularly in clutch situations. As skilled as the post players are this year in Durham, they have almost zero clutch-game experience.

Freshman power forward Paolo Banchero, sophomore center Mark Williams, and grad transfer Theo John need a position coach who has been through the wringer at Duke.

Undoubtedly, Amile Jefferson, a three-year full-time starter for the Blue Devils who later spent two years in the NBA with the Orlando Magic, has a world of experience to give to these fellas. The 6-foot-9 Duke basketball treasure is a guiding force to keep the young guys steady. Above water.

Because as much as I don’t want to get ahead of myself, I can’t help but foresee a situation in a very near April where Jefferson may have to do what he did from the bench in 2015: help the Blue Devils take home a banner.