Duke Basketball

Legendary head coach Mike Krzyzewski didn't give Duke a hometown discount as his career began winding down.

Sportico's Daniel Libit reported Coach K collected $12.5 million across the 2020-21 season, describing it as "an amount that rivals the most ever paid by a university to a college head coach during a non-buyout year."

The total compensation for Krzyzewski would've made him the highest-paid coach in men's college basketball last season. Kansas' Bill Self would be second at $10.2 million.

That figure also exceeds the $9.8 million Nick Saban earned from Alabama last year and the $10 million Lincoln Riley will reportedly receive annually from USC.

Libit reported Krzyzewski was paid around $5.3 million in salary and incentives and that the majority of his paycheck ($7.2 million) came from deferred compensation.

It's unclear how much the 75-year-old received in 2021-22, his final season on the sideline. Per Libit, Duke will disclose his salary as part of its 2022 fiscal year tax returns, which won't be public until next summer.

Krzyzewski announced last June he was retiring after the 2021-22 season, setting up a farewell tour throughout the campaign. The Blue Devils nearly wrote him a storybook ending as they reached the Final Four, but they lost to their biggest rivals, North Carolina.

As part of Coach K's retirement announcement, Duke confirmed Jon Scheyer, a former Blue Devils player who joined the coaching staff after his playing career ended, would succeed him as head coach.

It stands to reason Scheyer won't be matching his predecessor's salary.

AJ Griffin's time at Duke is over after one season, as the forward declared for the 2022 NBA draft Sunday.

Griffin addressed his decision in a statement, via the Blue Devils' official website:

"I know a lot of kids grow up dreaming they could wear that Duke uniform and play in Cameron Indoor Stadium. I was one of those kids growing up, and I am so grateful I had that opportunity. As I declare for the 2022 NBA draft, I am filled with gratitude. It was an honor to play for Duke and represent The Brotherhood. It was a dream come true. My experiences have helped prepare me for this moment and I am proud to know I will be a Blue Devil for life."

Griffin plans on hiring an agent.

This is just the latest departure for the Duke program this offseason. Paolo Banchero, Mark Williams, Wendell Moore Jr. and Trevor Keels all previously declared for the draft.

Griffin arrived at Duke as a 5-star prospect and the No. 18 overall player, No. 5 small forward and No. 1 player from the state of New York in the 2021 recruiting class, per 247Sports' composite rankings.

He immediately faced plenty of pressure given his recruiting profile and the powerhouse program he chose to attend. After all, he brought an impressive combination of length, versatility and athleticism at 6'6" with the ability to defend multiple positions, attack the lane off the bounce and hit from three-point range.

The freshman wasted little time showing off some of that skill set with 18 points against Lafayette in November, but his spot in the rotation was in question after he played a combined eight minutes and didn't score in marquee back-to-back nonconference matchups with Gonzaga and Ohio State.

Fortunately for Griffin and Duke, that quickly changed.

He poured in 19 points in the next game against South Carolina State and was one of the Blue Devils' most important playmakers by the start of ACC play. He dropped 22 points in a win over Wake Forest and another 22 points in a victory over Louisville before dazzling in the always pressure-packed rivalry showdown with North Carolina.

He went on a 10-0 run by himself in the second half that included multiple three-pointers as Duke put the February game away. He finished with 27 points in a display of his sky-high potential.

Shortly after the UNC win, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman listed Griffin as the fifth-best player on his big board of 2022 NBA draft prospects.

Griffin finished his one and only college season averaging 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 44.7 percent from three-point range. He also helped lead the Blue Devils to the Final Four after he grew more accustomed to his role as a go-to option.

He will now look to build toward becoming a go-to option at the next level after declaring for the draft.

Duke star Paolo Banchero is declaring for the 2022 NBA draft, he announced via social media Wednesday.

The news was widely expected because the 6'10" forward was the No. 2 overall player in 247Sports' composite rankings for the 2021 recruiting class. He'd inevitably make the jump to the pros at the earliest opportunity.

Banchero also affirmed his status as a possible top-five pick through his performance with the Blue Devils. In 39 games, he averaged 17.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 3.2 assists. He also shot 47.8 percent from the field.

In his most recent mock draft, Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman projected the 19-year-old to be the No. 2 pick:

Banchero has Duke in the Final Four after averaging 18.5 points through four NCAA tournament games. He's taken over key stretches with confident shot-making and self-creation while also getting teammates involved throughout games. It's worth questioning his iso-heavy game, ball-stopping tendencies, defensive motor and why he's fourth on the Blue Devils in box plus-minus.

Banchero's shooting leaves a little to be desired. He averaged 3.3 three-point attempts per game and connected on 33.8 percent of those chances. But there's enough evidence to think he can help space the floor and keep opposing defenses honest from deep as he improves on the court.

While it would be a nice luxury, he doesn't need to be a dead-eye sharpshooter in order to be an effective scorer.

The dynamic forward can create his own shot off the dribble or operate out of the post. He's also a great fit in the pick-and-roll as either the roll man or the ball-handler.

Banchero is athletic for his size and can quickly run the floor in transition, boasting the ability to finish himself or find an open teammate if the defender looks to cut off his route to the rim.

Scrutinizing Banchero's game last November, Wasserman wrote he "spends a lot of time in the mid-range attempting contested looks" and "lacks some explosiveness in traffic, where he's forced to frequently operate when playing the 4."

Auburn's Jabari Smith and Gonzaga's Chet Holmgren will be stiff competition for the No. 1 overall pick in the 2022 draft. In the event he isn't the first player off the board, Banchero won't have to wait too long to hear his name called.

Barring an unforeseen setback, he won't regret his decision to leave Duke now.

Any time a college program can land a player who has drawn comparisons to Jayson Tatum, it is a good day on the recruiting trail.

That is exactly what happened to the Duke Blue Devils on Friday when Mackenzie Mgbako joined their 2023 recruiting class. He is the second five-star recruit to commit to Duke over the last two days, joining Tyrese Proctor.

Mgbako, who checks in at 6'7" and 185 pounds, is a 5-star prospect, per 247Sports' composite rankings. He is also the No. 3 overall player, No. 1 small forward and No. 2 player from the state of New Jersey in his class.

The list of interested programs at one point included Duke, North Carolina, Kentucky, Memphis, Ohio State and Michigan.

His overall versatility immediately makes him stand out as someone who can defend multiple positions, battle for rebounds because of his length, shoot from the outside and get to the rim off the bounce. His combination of athleticism and size makes him a matchup nightmare for opponents.

Jason Jordan of Sports Illustrated noted Mgbako has been compared to Tatum because, like the Boston Celtics star, he can score from all over the floor at his size.

"I definitely want to play like Jayson Tatum, but I'm still trying to get there," Mgbako said. "I actually FaceTimed him before so that was pretty cool. For me, it's all about the fit, and that's something I feel like will come to me in time. I may take a couple unofficials, but I'm done with officials right now. I'm not in a big hurry. I may cut my list during the season, and I could see myself deciding next summer. Right now, I'm just enjoying the process."

That process resulted in a significant victory on the recruiting trail for Duke, as Mgbako figures to be a key part of its offensive attack and overall team defense during his freshman season. He could be off to the NBA after just one year if he lives up to his potential, but he is talented enough to guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four while in college.

This is also a notable recruiting development for Jon Scheyer, who is tasked with following in the footsteps of a legend in head coach Mike Krzyzewski. The only way he will be able to maintain Duke's status as an annual national title contender is by landing players like Mgbako, and he did just that on Friday.

Mgbako could be off to the NBA after just one year if he lives up to his potential, but he is talented enough to guide the Blue Devils to the Final Four while in college.

Mike Krzyzewski's retirement doesn't seem to be affecting Duke's recruiting. 

Tyrese Proctor, a 5-star prospect in the class of 2023, told Joe Tipton of On3.com that he was committing to the Blue Devils. 

"Ever since I first stepped on campus at Duke, it just felt like home," he said. "Me and my family talked while I was back in Sydney, and they're happy, and I'm happy. It just felt like home."

Proctor is considered the No. 4 combo guard and the No. 17 prospect overall in the class of 2023, per 247Sports' Composite Rankings. 247 also rates him as the top prospect out of his home country of Australia.

Duke has been crushing the recruiting game, even with the school transitioning from Krzyzewski to Jon Scheyer at head coach. The incoming class of 2022 is the top in the nation, with four 5-star recruits—Dereck Lively II, Kyle Filipowski, Dariq Whitehead and Mark Mitchell—highlighting the bunch. 

But the Blue Devils also have the top class of 2023 currently, with three 5-star commits in Proctor, Caleb Foster and Jared McCain. 

Proctor, who reportedly chose Duke over Arizona or the NBA's G League Ignite, said his goal was to fill any role the Blue Devils needed. 

"Just come in and help the team win," he told Tipton. "I can do my part by scoring the ball, finding my teammates when they need to be found, and just overall getting the job done."

There is going to be plenty of talent in Durham for Proctor to play with once he hits campus. From a recruiting standpoint, the Scheyer era hasn't missed a beat. 

Former Duke men's basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski denied any speculation that he could change his mind about retirement in a conversation with college basketball analyst Sean Farnham on ESPNU Radio.

"I'm done with the coaching part of it," Coach K said in response to a question from Farnham about whether he could return.

Krzyzewski also noted how lucky he was to coach for nearly five decades with Army and Duke and how honored he was to represent both institutions.

ESPN analyst Jay Williams, who starred for Duke under Coach K and won the 2001 national championship, said on ESPN's Keyshawn, JWill & Max Show on Tuesday that he thought there was a "legit chance" Krzyzewski could return.

"It leaves a huge gap at Duke," Williams said (h/t USA Today's Cydney Henderson).

"And the question is, who fills that void from a recruiting perspective? And it leads me to think, which I've been thinking a lot about since I heard this news (Monday), does Coach K come back for another season? One more final season."

A quick return from a brief retirement wouldn't exactly be unprecedented. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady retired for all of 40 days before announcing his comeback.

But another ESPN analyst and former Duke player, Jay Bilas, doesn't believe Krzyzewski will pull a similar move.

"Zero," Bilas said on the Rich Eisen Show when asked if there was a chance Krzyzewski returned (h/t Sam Marsdale of 247Sports).

"Yeah, zero. But if he does it, if he does come back, I hope he does it on one of Tom Brady's most important days—because Brady announced he was coming back during the bracket reveal on Selection Sunday. I think Coach K should time it to one of Brady's most important moments and do that."

Krzyzewski called it a career after Duke's 81-77 loss to UNC in the Final Four last Saturday. He retires with five national titles, 13 Final Four appearances and 1,202 wins. Krzyzewski also won five Olympic gold medals as a coach (three leading Team USA in 2008, 2012 and 2016 and two as an assistant in 1984 and 1992).

Jon Scheyer, who starred for Duke when it won the 2010 national title, has taken over on the sidelines. The 34-year-old served as an assistant coach from 2014 to 2018 before being promoted to associate head coach.

The Duke men's basketball team survived a tough test Sunday in the second round of the NCAA tournament, holding off Michigan State 85-76.

It not only kept the Blue Devils alive in the tournament and kept the final season of Mike Krzyzewski's coaching career alive, but it also was the 1,200th win of Coach K's historic career. No other coach in Division I history has ever reached that milestone.

"Turning around and seeing all my grandkids right behind the bench and they are crying and they're cheering. Wow. I mean, god bless, how lucky,"  Krzyzewski told reporters after the game. "I mean, it's so good. It's so good. So 1,200 is great. But that scene was better."

Add it to the list of Coach K's accomplishments. He's led Duke to five national championships, 12 Final Fours, 13 ACC regular-season championships, 15 conference tournament championships and 36 NCAA tournament appearances.

"I'm proud of the fact that we've been there for four or five, for four decades, that we're at least knocking on the door and five times the door completely let us in," Krzyzewski said. "I got guys who want to win and our goal is to win the whole thing all the time, even if we're young."

He also won gold medals as the head coach of the men's national team at the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics.

But his legacy will be most closely tied to his time at Duke, where he's now gone 1,127-308. He also coached Army from the 1975-76 to 1979-90 seasons, going 73-59 at the school.

"The 1,200 wins is substantial," he said. "Obviously, it's a lot of wins, but it's a lot of wins against quality competition. And that's what I'm most proud of. It's not just the number of wins, it's the competition we've had in order to win. Today was a good example of it."

The second-seeded Blue Devils will have a tough road to add four more wins to Coach K's record and earn him a sixth national title. They'll have to go through a scrappy Texas Tech team Thursday, and Drew Timme, Chet Holmgren and No. 1 seed Gonzaga might be waiting for the Blue Devils in the Elite Eight.

So Coach K's curtain call might not end in a bow. But he's had plenty of those in his career already.

If you didn't already get your tickets for Saturday's game between Duke and North Carolina, then you might be out of luck.

The average ticket price at StubHub exceeds $5,000 for what will be the final home contest for legendary Blue Devils coach Mike Krzyzewski:

This may not even be a good game in terms of the action on the court.

Duke blew out UNC by 20 points during the last meeting between the teams in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Although the Tar Heels have since won five of their past six, they figure to be big underdogs. 

But whether this is another epic encounter in one of college basketball's biggest rivalries is of secondary concern. Anticipation has been building toward this occasion for months because of what it represents for Krzyzewski.

Coach K divulged in October that the V Foundation auctioned off four tickets to the game for $1 million:

The atmosphere inside Cameron Indoor Stadium is always special for Duke vs. UNC. For those lucky enough to attend Saturday's clash in person, it won't be a moment they soon forget.

Paolo Banchero will be the first collegiate player featured in an NBA 2K season in the newest launch of NBA 2K22.

"Season 5: Power Within" is headlined by Kevin Durant, Rui Hachimura and Banchero, the latter entering MyTeam mode with a 95 overall rating.

The forward is in his first season at Duke, averaging 16.9 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game. Banchero has been a go-to option for a 23-4 squad that is considered a top contender for a national title, while he also has a bright future at the professional level.

Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman lists the 6'10" player as the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2022 draft class.

Gamers can get an early look at the "future NBA superstar" even before he reaches the league. 

Duke Blue Devils men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski provided some details about why he left Tuesday's win over Wake Forest at halftime.

"It was basically exhaustion," he said after Saturday's 88-70 victory over Florida State, per David M. Hale of ESPN. "Nothing else. I feel great."

Coach K did not return for the second half of Tuesday's narrow 76-74 win that came down to the final buzzer. He pointed to a stretch of five games in 11 days as part of the issue.

"We get back to more of a normal schedule now, so I think I'll be good," he said. "I'm trying to be good."

The game itself featured plenty of drama, as Duke extended its lead to 19 points over Wake Forest in the second half before the Demon Deacons came roaring back to tie the contest in the final seconds. However, Mark Williams grabbed Paolo Banchero's missed shot attempt and scored on the last second to win by two.

Associate head coach Jon Scheyer, who will take over for Krzyzewski after the legend retires, coached the second half.

Saturday's game was far less stressful for the Blue Devils.

All five starters scored in double figures in the 18-point victory, and Banchero led the way with 17 points and eight rebounds. Duke also enjoyed a 41-23 advantage on the boards and extended its winning streak to four.

The Blue Devils have four more games remaining in the regular season and could still challenge for a No. 1 seed in the NCAA tournament if they continue to play well.

The NCAA selection committee unveiled its top 16 seeds Saturday, and Duke is in line for a No. 2 seed in the bracket at this point.