Special K's Disciples: Krzyzewski's Aides Combine for Losing Tourney Record
In aftermath of 24 consecutive appearances in tourney coming to a halt last season, one of the biggest questions bubbling up from time to time dealt with who was most likely to eventually succeed Mike Krzyzewski as coach at Duke if they hadn't promoted from within. If any of them had posted an inspiring mark in NCAA playoff competition, they might have secured job as his successor instead of Jon Scheyer. If Krzyzewski needs something to do in retirement, he can go on an extended road trip from coast to coast serving as a consultant to all of his proteges to try to help them experience more success in postseason play.
Coaching community shills frequently proclaim automatic success for Duke assistants when they become bench bosses. But the overall impact of Coach K's 13 disciples in the aftermath of serving under the all-time winningest major-college mentor has been anything but special. They've combined for a losing mark in the NCAA playoffs (more than 60 fewer tourney triumphs than Coach K's all-time high of 99 entering Sweet 16) and only three regional final appearances (Quin Snyder with Missouri in 2002 before Mike Brey with Notre Dame in 2015 and 2016). Nate James is next on hit list (hired by Austin Peay), joining the following alphabetical list summarizing impact of Krzyzewski's assistants after they left his incubator and became a DI mentor on their own:
| Coach K Assistant | NCAA Tourney Mark | Biggest Flaw of DI Head Coaching Career |
|---|---|---|
| Tommy Amaker | 4-5 | 14 games below .500 in power conference competition in 10 years with Seton Hall and Michigan |
| Bob Bender | 2-3 | 36 games below .500 in power conference competition in nine seasons with Washington |
| Mike Brey | 15-15 | impressive performance this year but no NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance with Notre Dame |
| Jeff Capel III | 4-3 | 32 games below .500 in ACC competition with Pitt in first four seasons |
| Chris Collins | 1-1 | 57 games below .500 in Big Ten Conference play in first nine seasons with Northwestern |
| Johnny Dawkins | 3-2 | only one NCAA playoff appearance and 10 games below .500 in Pac-10/12 Conference play in eight seasons with Stanford before dismissal led him to UCF and entertaining NCAA playoff game in 2019 |
| Mike Dement | 0-1 | losing conference mark in SWC and WAC in nine seasons with Southern Methodist |
| David Henderson | DNP | losing overall record in six seasons with Delaware |
| Nate James | DNP | losing overall record and in OVC competition in inaugural campaign with Austin Peay in 2021-22 |
| Tim O'Toole | DNP | losing overall record in eight seasons with Fairfield |
| Quin Snyder | 5-4 | never finished among undisputed top five in Big 12 Conference and compiled cumulative losing mark in last three of seven seasons with Missouri |
| Chuck Swenson | DNP | lost more than 2/3 of his games in seven seasons with William & Mary |
| Steve Wojciechowski | 0-2 | losing Big East Conference record in seven seasons with Marquette before dismissal a year ago |
NOTE: Duke All-American guard Bobby Hurley, who never served as an assistant coach under Krzyzewski, has compiled a 1-3 NCAA tourney record with Buffalo and Arizona State before the Sun Devils flopped in 2020-21 as Preseason Top 20 club. Kenny Blakeney, a backup to Hurley in the early 1990s, is 24 games below .500 in three seasons coaching Howard University. Playmaker Greg Paulus, a three-year teammate of Scheyer, posted losing records each of his first three seasons as bench boss for Niagara.