ACC Basketball

Mike Krzyzewski confirmed Thursday the 2021-22 season will be his final campaign as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils.

The 74-year-old held a press conference to announce his retirement at the conclusion of the upcoming season.

Krzyzewski engaged in a long-running tradition at Cameron Indoor Stadium by walking to the podium as Cascada's song "Everytime We Touch" played over the speaker system.

Coach K said his decision to walk away has nothing to do with the potential changes to college athletics regarding name, image and likeness rules. He said he and his wife, Mickie, made the choice together.

“The reason we’re doing this is because Mickie and I have decided the journey is gonna be over in a year," he said.

As for his expectations in 2021-22, Krzyzewski hopes to end his historic career on a high note.

Expectations are always high for the Blue Devils, but they'll experience even more pressure next year in their last ride with Krzyzewski.

Duke looks to have a strong roster for the 2021-22 season. Its recruiting class ranks fourth in the nation in 247Sports' composite rankings, led by 5-star prospects Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin and Trevor Keels.

The Blue Devils have a succession plan in place for Krzyzewski. Jon Scheyer, who played for Duke from 2006 to 2010 and has been an assistant coach since 2014, will take over.

"I don't want everything to end when I stop coaching," Krzyzewski said of announcing Scheyer as the next head coach. "I want it to continue."

Krzyzewski also called his dynamic with Scheyer and fellow assistant coaches Nolan Smith and Chris Carrawell "a partnership."

The 2021-22 season will mark Krzyzewski's 42nd year at Duke. His 1,170 career wins with the Blue Devils and Army are the most in Division I men's basketball history.

Krzyzewski ranks second in Division I men's history with five national titles. Only John Wooden (10) has more.

Duke is scheduled to tip off Krzyzewski's final season Nov. 9 against John Calipari and the Kentucky Wildcats at Madison Square Garden in the Champions Classic.

The men's college basketball community was rocked to its foundation by Wednesday's news (via Stadium's Jeff Goodman) that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to retire at the end of the 2021-22 season.

Even though he's 74 years old, even though Roy Williams just retired two months ago and even though rumors of this decision had been circling for the past few weeks, that push notification still hit our phones like a bombshell.

It truly will be the end of an era.

Krzyzewski has been leading the Blue Devils since 1980. With the exception of Pete Gaudet "pinch coaching" in 1995 while Krzyzewski recovered from back surgery, odds are you can't recall having ever seen another head coach in Durham.

At the time of Coach K's hiring, there was no shot clock, there was no three-point arc, and the idea of a freshman declaring for the NBA draft—let alone the notion of building a national championship roster around multiple one-and-done players—would have glitched people's brains.

If the combination of the transfer portal boom, the "name, image and likeness" revolution and an exhausting past 15 months in a global pandemic contributed to his decision to call it quits next spring, let's not pretend it's because he's unable or unwilling to adapt. Coach K embraced more than his fair share of changing times en route to 1,170 career wins, 12 Final Fours, five national championships and five Olympic gold medals (two as an assistant; three as the head coach).

It's simply his time to move on and pass the torch to Jon Scheyer. (What a first-time head coaching gig that'll be.)

That transition is still a year away, though, and love him or hate him, Coach K is a living, breathing monolith of the sport. If you're wondering whether he belongs on the Mount Rushmore of head coaches, it's a given in men's college basketball and an intriguing conversation if you're talking the four greatest coaches of all time regardless of sport. 

But those are your two options: Love him or hate him.

That is going to make his upcoming farewell tour an unforgettable one.

Whether you follow men's college basketball religiously, or you simply swoop in on an annual basis when it's time to fill out a bracket, you invariably have a strong opinion of Krzyzewski. While he's nowhere near as polarizing as, say, Muhammad Ali, LeBron James or Tim Tebow, he's easily neck-and-neck with Bill Belichick atop the list of current head coaches for whom it is impossible to have a lukewarm point of view.

Thus, whether you revere him as the G.O.A.T. and want to watch him go for 1,200 career wins and a sixth title, or whether you think he's a petulant crybaby and want to watch him slink away after a career-ending first-round exit from the NCAA tournament, the moral of the story is you want to watch.

The transcontinental divide between the two camps of reactions to Wednesday's news—either "How will this legend ever be replaced?" or "Of course this vain dude is throwing himself a farewell tour!"—was merely the tip of the iceberg.

Krzyzewski's place in history is going to be a multiple-times-per-week debate throughout the upcoming season.

It'll start long before the Champions Classic opener against Kentucky on Nov. 9, it will build steam through the Nov. 26 game against Gonzaga, it will catch fire in the presumed regular-season finale against loathed rival North Carolina, and it will be an inextinguishable inferno for however long Duke lasts in the NCAA tournament.

By all means, feel free to start bracing yourself for it now.

Provided we're back at or close to full-capacity arenas five months from now, the secondary ticket market for each and every Duke game is going to be out of control. If people were paying thousands for the chance to see Zion Williamson for the first time a few years ago, you best believe people will be ponying up that type of dough to see Krzyzewski for the last time.

And though some may not want to see it, I appreciate Coach K's decision to run this season-long victory lap, if only because I appreciate good theatre in sports.

Not only would it have been a little messed up to sign three of the top 20 recruits in the country and leave them high and dry, but Duke is a legitimate title threat (per usual) because of that incoming class. And the prospect of Duke possibly winning it all in Krzyzewski's final year is the type of thing that could lead to increased national interest in college hoops long before March Madness—AKA the eternal struggle of our beloved niche sport.

Where things go from there in men's college basketball, I truly don't know. Winds have already been shifting swiftly as far as transfers and NIL are concerned. But high schoolers declaring for the NBA draft didn't kill the sport. The one-and-done era hasn't kill the sport. Guys playing overseas didn't kill the sport. The FBI scandal didn't kill it. It will live on beyond Krzyzewski's time on the sideline, and people will still hate Duke with the burning passion of a thousand suns—especially if Scheyer immediately flourishes.

However, there's no question that things will feel different without Coach K.

Having this concrete expiration date on his career is going to make this a season to remember.

Kerry Miller covers men's college basketball and college football for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @kerrancejames.

On Wednesday afternoon, Jeff Goodman of Stadium reported that legendary Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to retire following the 2021-22 season. 

Later on Wednesday, former Kansas and North Carolina head coach Roy Williams reacted to the news while talking with reporters:

Everybody knows it's coming. But Mike's been fantastic for the game of basketball, he's been fantastic for college basketball, been fantastic for the ACC. It's the greatest rivalry in sports, Duke and North Carolina basketball. He's been a good friend, he's been a guy I've respected a great deal. He made everybody bring their A-game for years and years and years." 

Krzyzewski, 74, took over as Duke's head coach in 1980 and has gone on to lead the men's basketball program to 1,097 wins (the most in Division I history), five national championships, 12 Final Four appearances, 12 regular-season ACC championships and 15 conference tournament titles. Under his watch, Duke has developed 28 NBA lottery picks. 

He also led the U.S. men's national team to gold medals in the 2008, 2012 and 2016 Olympics. 

"He's just been phenomenal in everything he's done. The only thing wrong with Mike Krzyzewski is he doesn't play golf," Williams joked. "That's the only thing wrong with him."

Krzyzewski and Williams have had more than a few battles over the years, especially after the latter took over as North Carolina's head coach in 2003. Since then, Duke and North Carolina have combined for 12 regular-season titles (three for Duke, nine for UNC) and 11 conference tournament titles (eight for Duke, three for UNC). 

The ACC will have a different feel without the two men at the helm of the conference's flagships schools, with ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski reporting Wednesday that Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer is the favorite to replace Coach K:

Hubert Davis is the new head coach at North Carolina, and Williams told reporters he believes the two schools will continue to be dominant forces, even with new leadership. 

"Well, it'll be different. ... But you know, Vic Bubas and Dean Smith left, and Duke and North Carolina were still pretty good," he said. "And Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski leave and it's still going to be pretty good in this area."

Jon Scheyer has been named the successor to Mike Krzyzewski as head basketball coach of the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball team.

Krzyzewski officially announced his intention to retire following the 2021-22 season on Wednesday, with the school naming Scheyer as the replacement.

In a statement, Scheyer noted he is "deeply committed" to continuing the Blue Devils' championship legacy:

Duke University has been a central part of my life for more than a decade, and I could not ask for a better place to continue my career. This is absolutely humbling. First, I offer extreme gratitude to the greatest coach of all time whose career is unrivaled in basketball. Coach K has built the premier program in our sport thanks to his unwavering competitive edge, a tireless attention to detail, a family-first approach and a remarkable compassion and care of his players, coaches, and staff. He has set a standard that every coach at every level should strive to achieve.

I'd also like to express my sincere appreciation to President Vincent Price, Kevin White and Nina King for believing in me and providing me this opportunity. It is an honor to call this great institution my alma mater, and I'm deeply committed to furthering its academic and athletics excellence while continuing the championship legacy of Duke Basketball.

According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Duke spoke with outside candidates, including former Duke player and current Harvard head coach Tommy Amaker, before deciding on Scheyer, who currently serves as the team's associate head coach. 

Krzyzewski has been Duke's head coach since March 18, 1980. He took over a program that made just eight NCAA tournament appearances in its first 27 seasons as a member of the ACC. 

After three initial rebuilding years, the Blue Devils have grown to become one of the most dominant and storied basketball programs in the nation. They have won five NCAA championships, 12 ACC regular-season titles and 15 ACC tournament titles under Krzyzewski. 

Scheyer played for Krzyzewski for four years from 2006-10. He was part of the Blue Devils' national championship team as a senior in 2009-10. The Illinois native led the team with 23 points in a 78-57 win over West Virginia in the Final Four. 

After playing four seasons overseas, Scheyer was named a full-time assistant coach on Krzyzewski's staff in April 2014. The 33-year-old won a championship as a coach during the 2014-15 season when the Blue Devils beat Wisconsin in the national title game. He was named associate head coach in 2018.

Duke is scheduled to begin Krzyzewski's final season at the helm on Nov. 9 against Kentucky in the Champions Classic at Madison Square Garden. 

Legendary Duke men's basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski plans to retire after the 2021-22 season.

Krzyzewski announced his decision in a statement on Wednesday:

My family and I view today as a celebration. Our time at both West Point and Duke has been beyond amazing and we are thankful and honored to have led two college programs at world-class institutions for more than four decades. That, coupled with 11 unforgettable years as the United States National Team coach, has resulted in a remarkable journey. Certainly, I have been blessed to coach some of the finest young men and greatest players in basketball history as a direct result of these unique opportunities. For us, there is no greater joy than being part of our players' respective endeavors through basketball, and more importantly, their lives off the court. Our family is eternally grateful to everyone who contributed to our career for the past 46 years. So, to the countless members of our extended family, thank you very much.

Associate head coach Jon Scheyer was named as the successor to Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski will be entering his 42nd season as the Duke head coach. He is the winningest coach in men's college basketball history with 1,170 victories and has led the Blue Devils to 12 Final Fours and five national championships. He coached Army for five years before taking over at Duke.

Duke has not gotten past the Elite Eight since it won the 2015 national championship, and it struggled to a 13-11 record last season. Coach K hinted that retirement could be near in an interview with Rece Davis in February.

"It's frustrating that you can't do all the things you normally do and you don't achieve that success," he said. "Well, in about a week, I'll be 74 years old. You know, whether it's the light at the end of the tunnel or the end of the cave or whatever the hell it is, it's there.

"Whenever it happens, it's going to happen. I can't be focused on that. I'm focused on this team."

Scheyer, 33, has been an assistant coach at Duke since 2013. The former Blue Devils guard has become a well-respected voice within the program and was promoted to associate head coach in 2018. Other programs have taken notice, with Scheyer interviewing for the head coaching position at DePaul in March.

As ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski noted, Scheyer was the lead recruiter when Jayson Tatum and Zion Williamson came to Durham. It's possible a desire to leave the program in good hands and Scheyer's rising star within the coaching ranks led Coach K to reportedly walk away.

Krzyzewski's retirement means Duke and North Carolina will have lost their legendary coaches within a calendar year. Roy Williams announced his retirement following the 2020-21 season and was replaced by assistant Hubert Davis.

Brian Bowen Jr.'s lawsuit against Adidas was dismissed by a federal judge in South Carolina on Wednesday. 

Per ESPN's Mark Schlabach, United States district judge Joseph F. Anderson wrote in a ruling that the court doesn't doubt Bowen's "life was upended by the revelation of payments to his father and the University of Louisville's decision to withhold him from NCAA competition," however, the arguments presented were "not relevant to the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act's ("RICO") statutory standing requirements."

Bowen filed a lawsuit in November 2018 against seven defendants, including Adidas, implicated in the bribery scandal involving the University of Louisville. 

Adidas director of global marketing James Gatto, Adidas consultant Merl Code and client recruiter/runner Christian Dawkins, who were all convicted in the case, were also named in the lawsuit. 

Bowen claimed that the plaintiffs in the lawsuit derailed his NBA career when they promised to pay his father $100,000 if he committed to play basketball at Louisville.

Schlabach reported earlier this month that Adidas filed a cross-complaint against Brian Bowen Sr., former Adidas consultant T.J. Gassnola and financial planner Munish Sood, alleging they conspired with some of its employees to "misappropriate the apparel company's money to pay players' families to steer them toward Adidas-sponsored schools."

Bowen was suspended from all team activities at Louisville in Sept. 2017. He initially planned to enter the 2018 NBA draft, but withdrew from the draft in order to potentially pursue a G League contract or play overseas. 

In August 2018, Bowen signed with the Sydney Kings of the National Basketball League in Australia. The 22-year-old spent one year overseas before returning to the United States. 

Bowen spent most of the past two seasons with the Fort Wayne Mad Ants in the G League after signing a two-way contract with the Indiana Pacers.  He has appeared in 12 NBA games since the start of the 2019-20 season. 

The Pacers waived Bowen in April. 

Former Louisville assistant coach Dino Gaudio is facing federal charges of extortion.

Following the end of the 2020-21 season, Louisville declined to renew the contracts of Gaudio and Luke Murray. According to Hayley Minogue of WHAS11 News in Louisville, Kentucky, Gaudio allegedly demanded a payment from the school in exchange for keeping quiet about possible NCAA violations:

WLKY's Andrew Chernoff shared a copy of the filing by U.S. Attorney Michael Bennett:

According to Bennett, Gaudio allegedly threatened to expose details about how Louisville produced videos for recruiting targets and used graduate assistants in practices. Gaudio also allegedly sent one of the offending videos to a member of the Cardinals staff.

Louisville said in a statement it "cannot comment further due to the ongoing federal investigation and the NCAA process." The school added it's cooperating with federal authorities and the NCAA.

Head coach Chris Mack added he's "grateful for the professionalism of members of law enforcement and the United States Attorney's Office." Mack added he and Louisville were "victims" in Gaudio's scheme.

WDRB's Rick Bozich wrote in April the explanation for Gaudio and Murray's departures remained a bit of a mystery. That was a month after Kentucky Sports Radio's Matt Jones reported there was "lots of turmoil right now behind the scenes" in the program in the immediate aftermath of their departures.

The narrative around Gaudio will undoubtedly take a different turn.

Mack assumed his current role in 2018 while Louisville was still dealing with the fallout from multiple scandals during the tenure of Rick Pitino.

Pitino was suspended in June 2017 after a former director of basketball operations arranged for escorts at parties for some members of the team and prospective recruits. He was fired that October after the university became ensnared in the FBI's investigation into corruption in college basketball.

Last May, the NCAA sent a notice of allegations to Louisville about a Level I violation regarding the recruitment of Brian Bowen II. The notice also included three Level II violations. 

While the alleged violations Gaudio referenced don't appear to be too serious in nature, the Cardinals once again find themselves at the center of off-court drama.

The Syracuse Orange are gaining another Boeheim for next season. 

On Friday, head coach Jim Boeheim's oldest son, Jimmy Boeheim, announced he's transferring to Syracuse after playing for Cornell in the Ivy League. Another of the coach's sons, Buddy, is already a star guard for the Orange.

“I honestly think the possibility of playing with my brother and for my dad and for the program that made me fall in love with the game outweighs [anything else]," Jimmy told Syracuse.com's Donna Ditota. “I love Syracuse. I never stopped loving Syracuse. So it was pretty much a no-brainer.”

Jimmy Boeheim averaged 16.5 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists as a forward for Cornell in 2019-20. The Ivy League canceled its 2020-21 season due to the pandemic. 

This will mark the first time Jim has coached Jimmy, and the younger Boeheim feels more than ready for the challenge. 

“I’m excited for it,” Jimmy said. “I think I can handle coaching pretty well. So I’m sure he’s going to get on me, but I’m looking forward to having to separate on-the-court from real life and I think we’ll be able to do that. We’ll both know how to handle that.”

The Orange made a surprise run to the Sweet 16 as a No. 11 seed last March thanks largely to Buddy Boeheim's shooting. Now, he's getting some backup in the front court in the form of his older brother. 

It'll be the first time the two have played on the same team since they were at Jamesville-DeWitt High School in New York. Now, the two will try to win a national championship at the school they grew up rooting for and where their father established his Hall of Fame credentials. 

“I’m really just counting down the days when I can get into the Melo Center," Jimmy said. "Just picturing my name on a locker there. My name on the back of a jersey. It’s honestly surreal. I never expected this was going to happen. My plan was always to stay at Cornell, graduate and use my eligibility up there. But given the circumstances of the last year, here we are. I really can’t wait. I’m counting down the minutes.”

The Duke men's basketball team announced former player Nolan Smith will be an assistant coach under head coach Mike Krzyzewski.

Smith revealed the news in a video on Twitter:

The 32-year-old had been on the team's staff since 2016, starting as a special assistant before becoming director of basketball operations and player development in 2018. He now fills the vacancy left by Nate James, who was named the head coach of Austin Peay earlier this month.

Smith is best known for his playing career at Duke from 2007-11, helping the Blue Devils take home the national championship in 2010 alongside Jon Scheyer and Kyle Singler. Scheyer is also on the current Duke staff.

As a senior, Smith led the team with 20.6 points per game and was a consensus All-American.

The guard was taken in the first round of the 2011 NBA draft, but his career lasted just two seasons. After spending time in the G League as well as Croatia and Turkey, Smith eventually ended his playing career and returned to Durham to start his coaching career.

Krzyzewski praised Smith amid the latest announcement:

Nolan is a rising star. To get him on the court with our players on a day-to-day basis will mean so much to our program. Our players will benefit immensely from his enthusiasm to teach, but also the fact that he's young enough, he can show them. He can still play. We're very fortunate that he and his wife Cheyna are so involved in our program and our community. He is a national champion and has been such a great member of my staff as director of basketball operations, but he's done so much more for our school and our community. Nolan has always used his platform for the good of others. We are so lucky to have him and Durham is even luckier. The staff I'm fortunate to have of Jon Scheyer, Chris Carrawell and now Nolan Smith is a truly special one.

Duke is coming off a disappointing 2020-21 season where the squad finished 13-11 and missed the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1994-95.

Duke forward Matthew Hurt will be on the board at the 2021 NBA draft.

The sophomore told ESPN's Jonathan Givony he will hire an agent and forego his collegiate eligibility.

Hurt was a first-team All-ACC honoree and was named the conference's most improved player. He averaged 18.3 points and 6.1 rebounds on 55.6 percent shooting from the field and 44.4 percent from deep. 

The 6'9" star is ranked No. 48 in ESPN's Top 100 list for the 2021 draft, though he didn't make the cut in the latest big board from Bleacher Report's Jonathan Wasserman. 

According to Givony, Hurt is the second-best three-point shooter among players who are projected to go in the draft. Davion Mitchell of Baylor has the slight edge behind the arc, coming off of a year in which he shot 44.7 percent from three.

Still, Hurt's statistics put him in historical company. According to Givony, he will be just the second player in the last 30 years to be drafted after posting at least a 63 percent success rate in two-point range and 44 percent from deep. 

The other was Doug McDermott, a Creighton product who is in his seventh NBA season and third with the Indiana Pacers.

Hurt previously played for Team USA at the FIBA Americas U18 Championship and played in the 2019 McDonald's All American Game and Nike Hoop Summit. 

The NBA draft will be held July 29.