It’s only been three days since Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Duke, but speculation is already rampant that he could return to the program.
On Monday, ESPN’s Marc Spears reported that top Duke assistant Nolan Smith, responsible for recruiting much of the school’s No. 1-ranked recruiting class for Coach K’s successor Jon Scheyer, is leaving to become associate head coach at Louisville under Kenny Payne.
On ESPN Radio’s “Keyshawn, JWill & Max”, former Duke star Jay Williams wondered aloud if this would potentially open the door for Krzyzewski to return for one more year to fortify the Blue Devils’ transition.
“I don’t know this for a fact — this is sheer speculation on my part — but there’s a lot of moving parts here,” Williams said. “First off, I’m really happy for Nolan Smith. He deserves to be an associate head coach. To go back to where his father played — he lost his father when he was younger … I love that for Kenny Payne, who was an assistant coach with the Knicks and worked under John Calipari at Kentucky, now the head coach of Louisville. Louisville is about to be a crazy program for bringing Nolan Smith on as associate head coach.
Jay Williams thinks there’s a ‘legit chance’ Coach K un-retires and coaches Duke next year after assistant coach Nolan Smith left the program. Getty Images“But I think it leaves a huge gap at Duke. 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.”
Williams was clear that he was not speaking with inside information, but continued to apply logic to the possibility of a return.
“Now, I’m not saying I know this,” he said. “I’m just throwing it out there because these kids are coming in expecting to win a championship. They were recruited [by] and have close relationships with Nolan Smith. It’s like, if I recruit Key, and I’m one of the main reasons he’s coming to my school, and now I’m leaving the school — even though the school has a great footprint — that creates a different dynamic between all these players.
Nolan Smith (left) with Mike Krzyzewski on Oct. 15, 2021 Getty Images“So now, will some of these players de-commit? Will they go to other schools?”
Keyshawn Johnson chimed in and asked about the dynamic on whether Duke could lose any of the players who are in the No. 1-ranked recruiting class.
“That’s a legit question,” Williams said. “If you’re Dereck Lively II, who’s a top-three rated player in the class, if you’re Tarik Whitehead, who’s the No. 1-rated player in the class as a guard — do you want to come to a first-year head coach where the relatability you had with the assistant is no longer there?”
Max Kellerman entered the chat and asked if Smith’s departure would create a “plausible” situation where Coach K could justify returning because the institution needs him, after the “bitter taste” of losing his last game to rival North Carolina in the Final Four.
“Here’s why I give it a legit chance,” Williams said. “If you’re Nolan Smith, and you have a great relationship with all these players, you’re in the (same) conference. You’re at Louisville. You’re picking up the phone and [recruiting the stars from Duke]. It weakens the hold of Duke. If you’re Coach K, how do you strengthen that hold? You’re coming back.”
