Coach K & Amaker

[Laettner]

The true inner workings of big time college athletics is cut throat. At coaching clinic few years ago Coach K said this and it stuck with as a coach “To achieve great things you must have difficult conversations”. Amaker experienced this.

Mike Krzyzewski pushed ‘heartbroken’ Tommy Amaker out as Duke successor

Duke University wanted to hire Harvard basketball coach Tommy Amaker last spring to replace the retiring Mike Krzyzewski, even going so far as to offer him the job.

nypost.com

 

[Duke1783]

I like Tommy but he would have turned Duke into a bubble team

 

[bleediteveryday30]

Should be an interesting read. Time will tell if K and Duke made the right decision with Jon. Recruiting certainly hasn't taken a hit.

 

[christophero]

Sounds like K will be very involved. If the article is true. The control mention was interesting.

 

[Quavarius]

Nothing I’ve seen has risen to the point of needing a book dropped right before the NCAA Tournament.

 

[hart2chesson]

Nothing I’ve seen has risen to the point of needing a book dropped right before the NCAA Tournament.

True, hope the surrounding publicity doesn't serve as a distraction. I am sure someone will ask K about it at some point- at risk of being snapped upon, lol...

OFC

 

[LetsGoDuke83]

Sounds like K will be very involved. If the article is true. The control mention was interesting

Key word in the article was “sources” someone needs some book sales it seems

 

[Duke1783]

If a book causes a distraction, then this team wasn’t that good to begin with

 

[Quavarius]

True, hope the surrounding publicity doesn't serve as a distraction. I am sure someone will ask K about it at some point- at risk of being snapped upon, lol...

OFC

Right, which is why I’m sure someone had to rush the book right before the Tournament. I can’t wait until K retires so he can start telling the media they can kiss his a** with all of the dumb stuff they write now.

 

[BM16]

Sounds like K will be very involved. If the article is true. The control mention was interesting.

On the surface, I don't like the idea of Scheyer being a puppet hire so that Coach K could control him and essentially coach through him.

That rarely ever works in sports. K knows that Amaker has plenty of coaching experience and would want to do things his way.

 

[GAAP]

On the surface, I don't like the idea of Scheyer being a puppet hire so that Coach K could control him and essentially coach through him.

That rarely ever works in sports. K knows that Amaker has plenty of coaching experience and would want to do things his way.

Are you the “source”?

 

[Liftee]

Coach K used to say he wouldn't be the one to choose his successor. That went out the window. However, I always felt Scheyer was the logical choice. He's been recruiting top guys for several years and I suspect has been doing most of the practice coaching. Amaker hasn't been coaching or recruiting at the highest level since Michigan which didn't work out well.

 

[mo.st.dukie]

According to ESPN, the book also examines how the NCAA favors Duke. The book is definitely a hit piece on K and Duke and any mentions of sources or people in the know should be taken with a grain of salt.

 

[sheyduke]

What I read in another article, it said K called Amaker and talked him out of it.

my thing is , it was the right choice in my opinion . How much pressure is he under at Harvard? He doing good there. Duke is way different then the Ivey league conference he plays in . Scheyer was the right choice and all the recruits think so as well. Time will tell but this is a non issue .

 

[Quavarius]

I’d rather read this:

 

[Quavarius]

According to ESPN, the book also examines how the NCAA favors Duke. The book is definitely a hit piece on K and Duke and any mentions of sources or people in the know should be taken with a grain of salt.

Lots of anonymous sources

 

[Liftee]

Apparently the writer was a NY Post reporter? 'Nuff said. Not exactly a paper known for its objective quality reporting.

 

[KDSTONE]

Apparently the writer was a NY Post reporter? 'Nuff said. Not exactly a paper known for its objective quality reporting.

The article’s main intent was to suggest that Coach K is somehow an evil puppet master who favored Scheyer over a more qualified Amaker. Amaker does have hc experience and we all loved him as a player. However,he failed to take Mich to one NCAA tournament in six years and with Seton Hall made the NCAA once in four years. I like Sheyer as the choice Amaker was barely more qualified than Dawkins Collins and Wojo, who all coached more difficult jobs than UM. They were coming off a scandal when he first got to Ann Arbor so the first few years can be understood being mediocre but not that the last three

 

[KDSTONE]

The true inner workings of big time college athletics is cut throat. At coaching clinic few years ago Coach K said this and it stuck with as a coach “To achieve great things you must have difficult conversations”. Amaker experienced this.

Mike Krzyzewski pushed ‘heartbroken’ Tommy Amaker out as Duke successor

Duke University wanted to hire Harvard basketball coach Tommy Amaker last spring to replace the retiring Mike Krzyzewski, even going so far as to offer him the job.

nypost.com

That link about Knight and Coach K was an entertaining read. I sure hope Knights not really that petty He prob is though. I read where he was so jealous of K after the back to back titles that he would play golf with Dean Smith in hopes it would make Coach K upset lol

 

[LetsGoDuke83]

a book written by “sources “ lol what a joke

 

[Hurley22]

On the surface, I don't like the idea of Scheyer being a puppet hire so that Coach K could control him and essentially coach through him.

That rarely ever works in sports. K knows that Amaker has plenty of coaching experience and would want to do things his way.

Don't take the bait man.

 

[GAAP]

Don't take the bait man.

Nor the hook, line and sinker…

 

[hart2chesson]

Right, which is why I’m sure someone had to rush the book right before the Tournament. I can’t wait until K retires so he can start telling the media they can kiss his a** with all of the dumb stuff they write now.

Q they LOVE to HATE us!!! Makes me embrace Duke even more! OFC

 

[hart2chesson]

If a book causes a distraction, then this team wasn’t that good to begin with

That's a good point. Any elite team or I should say PROGRAM is going to have potshots taken at it occasionally. It gets clicks.You have to have tunnelvision and keep your eyes on the prize as much as possible.

I wasn't surprised Rece Davis of ESPN (play by play last nite, and UNC LOVER) referenced the book. He asked K about the it pregame.K told him he would comment after the season, after he read it. I hope K sticks to that rest of year, and keeps his eye on the sea, as he guides the ship. Hopefully to the 'SHIP!

OFC

 

[Duke Blu]

I absolutely believe the Amaker story. Why? Because that is what successful MEN do. You talk to the person straight up, no matter how difficult and you make tough decisions. Thats life. It aint always sweet, kind and gentle. And there was NOTHING wrong with it as written IMO. If I am Amaker, I have more respect for K than ever, instead of me taking the job without having any idea that coach prefers the other guy.

 

[hart2chesson]

I absolutely believe the Amaker story. Why? Because that is what successful MEN do. You talk to the person straight up, no matter how difficult and you make tough decisions. Thats life. It aint always sweet, kind and gentle. And there was NOTHING wrong with it as written IMO. If I am Amaker, I have more respect for K than ever, instead of me taking the job without having any idea that coach prefers the other guy.

Nice take Duke Blu.With all K's coaching "family tree" interested in the job, it's almost inevitable such a scenario would play out.

OFC

 

[Quavarius]

Nice take Duke Blu.With all K's coaching "family tree" interested in the job, it's almost inevitable such a scenario would play out.

OFC

Right! Someone in the Duke family was going to be disappointed. Just like at UNC, but we don’t see any books about their choice (probably because there is nothing to gain since Roy quit).

 

[Liftee]

What I don't believe is that the Duke Administration would offer the head basketball coaching job to someone without Coach K's blessing. We have learned several times who the most powerful man is on campus and it's not the AD or even the President.

 

[GAAP]

What I don't believe is that the Duke Administration would offer the head basketball coaching job to someone without Coach K's blessing. We have learned several times who the most powerful man is on campus and it's not the AD or even the President.

Gotta agree with this, unless President Price is a dick. Amaker failed miserably at Michigan.

 

[mo.st.dukie]

I absolutely believe the Amaker story. Why? Because that is what successful MEN do. You talk to the person straight up, no matter how difficult and you make tough decisions. Thats life. It aint always sweet, kind and gentle. And there was NOTHING wrong with it as written IMO. If I am Amaker, I have more respect for K than ever, instead of me taking the job without having any idea that coach prefers the other guy.

My problem with it isn't that K called Amaker to tell him he preferred Scheyer. It's that the author included a bunch of conjecture based on unnamed sources that the reasons K preferred Scheyer was so that he would have more control over the younger coach and wouldn't rock the boat with the current assistant coaches. Now I haven't read the book, just these headlines and articles, but it doesn't seem like the author included anything about K preferring Scheyer because he is the best candidate for the job based on skills and abilities but rather the author focused on painting K as controlling and not wanting to upset any of the current staff. Of course, I'll add, it is very possible that the NY Post and ESPN is taking small excerpts from the book out of context to sensationalize it for clicks.

 

[Guy Smiley]

Well, with Scheyer securing a badass recruiting class in his first year, I’d have to say that K looks to be right so far. Also, perhaps K’s involvement after he retires will help our next coach succeed through the transition, which perhaps sets Scheyer up for success more so than Tommy.

 

[timo0402]

My problem with it isn't that K called Amaker to tell him he preferred Scheyer. It's that the author included a bunch of conjecture based on unnamed sources that the reasons K preferred Scheyer was so that he would have more control over the younger coach and wouldn't rock the boat with the current assistant coaches. Now I haven't read the book, just these headlines and articles, but it doesn't seem like the author included anything about K preferring Scheyer because he is the best candidate for the job based on skills and abilities but rather the author focused on painting K as controlling and not wanting to upset any of the current staff. Of course, I'll add, it is very possible that the NY Post and ESPN is taking small excerpts from the book out of context to sensationalize it for it clicks.

Absolutely and you see this sort of thing all of the time when a book like this comes out.

I will give some credit though to the author after reading his interview on the athletic. He gives a little more context than the headlines and stories that came out yesterday.

 

[Duke1783]

That's a good point. Any elite team or I should say PROGRAM is going to have potshots taken at it occasionally. It gets clicks.You have to have tunnelvision and keep your eyes on the prize as much as possible.

I wasn't surprised Rece Davis of ESPN (play by play last nite, and UNC LOVER) referenced the book. He asked K about the it pregame.K told him he would comment after the season, after he read it. I hope K sticks to that rest of year, and keeps his eye on the sea, as he guides the ship. Hopefully to the 'SHIP!

OFC

That was weird to me too that the book was mentioned during the game. They are treating this like it’s a bombshell book coming out a month before a presidential election. This is getting more coverage than Hillary’s emails

 

[johnl1219]

My problem with it isn't that K called Amaker to tell him he preferred Scheyer. It's that the author included a bunch of conjecture based on unnamed sources that the reasons K preferred Scheyer was so that he would have more control over the younger coach and wouldn't rock the boat with the current assistant coaches. Now I haven't read the book, just these headlines and articles, but it doesn't seem like the author included anything about K preferring Scheyer because he is the best candidate for the job based on skills and abilities but rather the author focused on painting K as controlling and not wanting to upset any of the current staff. Of course, I'll add, it is very possible that the NY Post and ESPN is taking small excerpts from the book out of context to sensationalize it for clicks.

Completely agree with this. While I love Amaker, he's not been around Duke for 25 years and hasn't had to recruit at this level and several years. Scheyer is definitely better situated having been a lead recruiter for some of the current players and new players coming next season. I think the Amaker hire would have paused some of the top recruits from signing with Duke next season. I definitely don't think this has anything to do with controlling Scheyer next season, I think it was just a tough but correct decision.

I do find it funny that this hire has gotten more attention than the Hubert Davis hire. At least Scheyer was the Associate Head Coach, Davis wasn't even that. It would be like hiring Chris Carrawell as the head coach. Just wouldn't make as much sense.

 

[christophero]

Its unfortunate because it just feeds into the K negative stereotypes I have to read whenever I wander onto another board.

 

[Liftee]

Chris, stop wandering onto another board. It leads to no good. Do you think Coach K cares what Tar Heel Radar says?

 

[christophero]

I only do it when our board is dead ha. That Knight story of him ignoring K when they honored him at West Point, if true, just makes Knight look petty and mean. Knight sounds like he is jealous of Coach K's success. Sounds like he never treated K as an equal. Yes he got him the Duke job, but K won the 5 titles.

 

[pisgah101]

If k had left us with Amaker I’d have had a serious amount of questions

 

[KDSTONE]

If k had left us with Amaker I’d have had a serious amount of questions

But he’s been tearing it up in the Ivy League. I’ll take my chances with Jon

 

[KDSTONE]

That was weird to me too that the book was mentioned during the game. They are treating this like it’s a bombshell book coming out a month before a presidential election. This is getting more coverage than Hillary’s emails

Rece Davis is a tool. I don’t get why anyone likes this cat