S.I. Successor Series: Who would take over for Mike Krzyzewski at Duke?

[CaribouJim]

Sorry if this has already been posted - Wojo listed as a long shot. I was thinking Coach K was a bit younger than 67. He's 19 years older than when Al hung it up - yikes. It is amazing that he still doesn't have any gray hair.

http://www.si.com/college-basketball...l-replacements

Make sure to click on Wojo's pic for a very extended interview with Wojo - click on his picture.

Steve Wojciechowski, Marquette head coach. Former Duke player and assistant? Check. His chances are very similar to Collins' – no one would have been shocked if Wojciechowski took over via a mere promotion had Krzyzewski left last year – but he's included in the long-range category here simply because he hasn't even coached a game at Marquette yet. Presumably, Wojciechowski will do fine at a school with abundant resources. (Marquette spent more money on basketball in fiscal year 2012-13 than Indiana did, per U.S. Dept. of Education figures.) In the event that he does, he'll eventually be in the mix.

[unclejohn]

I think the speculation makes for an interesting magazine article, but that's about it. Of course things are going to change when these coaches do actually retire, so the whole situation will be different. But the thing that struck me about all the Duke possibilities is whether they would want the job. Of course Duke would be a coveted position. But also a tough one. It is always difficult to follow a legend, and that is probably more so at Duke than most places. Unlike Carolina, Kentucky, Indiana, Kansas, and most of the other blue bloods, Duke's success has been almost entirely under one coach. Look at how it went for Carolina. Dean Smith retired. The obvious choice, Roy Williams, declined and decided to stay at Kansas. His longtime assistant flopped. So they went after a former assistant and supposed up-and-comer, and he flopped. And they found that lots of people turned them down. Supposedly, George Karl wanted the job, but Herb Kohl wouldn't let him out of his contract. (Big mistake) Williams finally took it, only after Smith personally called him up and begged him.

That's how I see it here. I think Brey would be the best possibility. He is a much better coach than the ND fan base gives him credit for. But he can stay at ND forever, and Duke would be a tough place. And as that article notes, he might be a tough hire, since he has not had constant and high level success at ND. I think he has done just fine, but the Duke fan base probably would not. As for the rest, most of them are trying to or have built their own programs somewhere else. Amaker is not going anywhere. His wife is a professor at Harvard, and they supposedly love being there. I he was going to leave for something bigger, his big chance was last year and Boston College. He would not have had to leave town, and he could still enjoy all the intellectual and prestige advantages at Harvard. If he didn't move then, he isn't moving.

I think Stevens might be a good possibility depending on when he gets fired in the NBA, which he will, because everybody except Jerry Sloan and Popvich does. It depends on timing. I think either Wojo or Collins would be the most likely candidates. I expect both are going to have some success. Wojo is taking over a successful program and is already attracting some good players. Collins almost can't miss at Northwestern, as anything above mediocre is a huge success there. Both of them would likely find the Duke job tempting. OTOH, if either or both experiences significant success, it would be harder to move. Wojo could take over the Marquette program and make it his own. Collins is from the Chicago area, and can likely stay at Northwestern forever. Pat Fitzgerald probably will for football. He is from the area, the fans love him, and the expectations are reasonable. Despite their terrible season last year, there was absolutely no call to replace him last year. There is no expectation that he has to win the conference or a national championship. As long as his teams have winning records most years and beat a few big name opponents, he is fine. The same would probably be true for Collins. If he actually gets the team into the NCAA tournament, they will build a statue of him. If either of these guys were likely to move, it would have to be in the next few years. The longer they stay put, the more likely they stay put.

[TheSultan]

I think they will definitely hire a Coach K guy, because if they don't, Coach K will not be happy and his allies within the University will not be happy. Does that mean Amacher? Wojo? Collins? Dawkins? Capel? Who knows... But I doubt it will be an outsider because that will be very difficult for the athletic director and president - and frankly could cost both their jobs if he fails.

The time to hire an outsider, like Stevens, is if/when his successor fails.

[MKE_GoldenEagleFan]

I think that is the double edge sword that MU has, if they are super successful the next 3 years Wojo will bolt for Duke, no question in my mind. On the other hand you can't root for him to not be successful either. I kind of have the feeling that Wojo will be around as long as the Duke job isn't open, otherwise it means he got fired.

[MUAlphaBangura]

I think they will definitely hire a Coach K guy, because if they don't, Coach K will not be happy and his allies within the University will not be happy. Does that mean Amacher? Wojo? Collins? Dawkins? Capel? Who knows... But I doubt it will be an outsider because that will be very difficult for the athletic director and president - and frankly could cost both their jobs if he fails.

The time to hire an outsider, like Stevens, is if/when his successor fails.

Maybe they will hire a search firm!

[CaribouJim]

I think Stevens might be a good possibility depending on when he gets fired in the NBA, which he will, because everybody except Jerry Sloan and Popvich does. It depends on timing. I think either Wojo or Collins would be the most likely candidates. I expect both are going to have some success. Wojo is taking over a .

I really don't buy into the Stevens will be back in college at the first opportunity - I keep seeing that and I don't agree with that at all. As far as getting fired, I wouldn't assume that either. He is in a perfect situation with the Celts - no real pressure as they are rebuilding the team while giving him time to acclimate to the NBA game. If he did get fired, depending on the circumstances, that would decrease the likelihood that Duke would hire him IMO.

Stevens is off the charts smart and talented - you don't get to back-to-back championship games with a non-blue-blood, although talented, program with only 2 guys graduating to the NBA. Other than that big paycheck, I think he sees the challenge in reviving one of the premier franchises in all of sports.

That and he may not like the slime factor of college b-ball and/or the 24/7 of recruiting and he may just like the NBA style of ball better than the college game.

[Goose85]

I think that is the double edge sword that MU has, if they are super successful the next 3 years Wojo will bolt for Duke, no question in my mind. On the other hand you can't root for him to not be successful either. I kind of have the feeling that Wojo will be around as long as the Duke job isn't open, otherwise it means he got fired.

True, let's say Wojo has MU rockin and rollin over the next few years. It sure should make him a candidate.
But, what if Collins has Northwestern in the NCAA tourney a couple years in a row. That might put him at the top of the list, especially seeing as Northwestern has never made the NCAA tourney.

I will be pulling for Wojo to knock it out of the park for MU, but at the same time I also hope Collins and his Northwestern hoops team can make some program history over the same period.

[unclejohn]

Too many variables to worry about, so I will not speculate on what is going to be good for Marquette. Perhaps if Wojo is super-successful at Marquette, he runs to Duke at the first opportunity. Or perhaps he stays, because Marquette is now his program and he is bullet-proof. Not likely, but possible. But if he does, that means that Marquette will have had another successful run of 3-5 years, which would mean three straight coaches who have been successful here, which makes it a very attractive destination for the next Shaka Smart. (Obviously not the current one, but the next big name.)

[Litehouse]

If Wojo is so successful at MU that Duke eventually wants him in 5 years, I'm cool with that. Also, I kind of like the idea that other schools won't try to poach him if they think he'll eventually go to Duke anyway, so we don't have to go through the coaching carousel every year.

[CaribouJim]

If Wojo is so successful at MU that Duke eventually wants him in 5 years, I'm cool with that. Also, I kind of like the idea that other schools won't try to poach him if they think he'll eventually go to Duke anyway, so we don't have to go through the coaching carousel every year.

Good point. Three out of the last four MU coaches improved, for the most part, the program markedly IMO, but eventually moved on voluntarily. Give me another 5 years of the same from Wojo and I'm more than happy.