Duke basketball can get back to the top on the back of a few amazing stars.
All five Duke basketball teams that have won it all shared two common denominators:
- Mike Krzyzewski on the bench
- Three or more bonafide superstars on the court
The 1990-91 national champs had, in no particular order, Christian Laettner, Bobby Hurley, and Grant Hill. And, of course, the 1991-92 back-to-backers prospered with the same trio of treasures, only a year wiser across the board with a slight shift or two to their supporting cast.
As for the next decade, the 2000-01 net-cutters enjoyed a potent leading quartet of Jason Williams, Shane Battier, Mike Dunleavy, and Carlos Boozer. Then the 2009-10 veteran bunch realized its goals while seeing Kyle Singler, Nolan Smith, and now-head-coach-to-be Jon Scheyer bask in college hoops stardom.
Finally, the freshman-laden 2014-15 collection benefitted most throughout its campaign from the beyond-their-years manhood of rookies Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, and Justise Winslow, in addition to the newfound star power of senior Quinn Cook.
Now, the question is, are there enough star-studded jewels in Durham to end the Hall of Famer’s legendary career with scissors and net in hand?
Well, let’s look here at the three 2021-22 Duke basketball talents who should have what it takes to return the program to prominence after the massive underachievement that was last season.