DURHAM, N.C. — As of Wednesday morning, when he spoke with reporters during a preseason news conference, Mike Krzyzewski is preparing his Duke team for a 27-game schedule.
He admits — heck, expects — though, it all could change.
"Right now we have pretty much what we think is a 27-game schedule," Krzyzewski said. "But we'll just wait until tomorrow. And the next day. And the next day. And then you have to adjust accordingly."
The worldwide coronavirus pandemic that wiped out the ACC and NCAA tournaments last spring continues to wreak havoc with college basketball, even with the new season set to begin on Nov. 25. Duke, like other ACC teams, has yet to announce a finalized schedule.
The 73-year-old Krzyzewski's 41st season at Duke was originally supposed to begin in his hometown on Nov. 10, where the Blue Devils would have played Michigan State in the Champions Classic at Chicago's United Center. The pandemic eliminated that plan.
This season still reminds Krzyzewski of those long ago schoolboy days in Chicago, when his buddies from his neighborhood Columbus Park schoolyard court would take on whichever teams from other parts of the city were available that day.
"On a Thursday we could schedule a game with the guys from Riis Park on Saturday and maybe the guys at Humboldt Park on Monday," Krzyzewski said. "Who knows? But I'm gonna check on those Riis Park and Humboldt Park guys to see if they are available in case we get any cancellations. Crazy. It's crazy."
Duke has had no basketball players, coaches or staff test positive for COVD-19 despite undergoing daily testing, Krzyzewski said. That continuity of practice time puts the Blue Devils in a good position to prepare for the season.
One thing Krzyzewski believes would calm the craziness with scheduling are universal health and safety protocols for all teams nationwide. As it is now, individual conferences are setting guidelines for their schools to follow to be able to play games.
"Hopefully by the time we do play," Krzyzewski said, "there will be national protocols, medically, so that everyone who is playing against one another will be under the same medical protocols, which I think are essential to the safety of these kids."
Though he, North Carolina's Roy Williams and Syracuse's Jim Boeheim are all Hall of Fame coaches aged in their 70s and thus susceptible to serious health implications if they are infected by the virus, Krzyzewski said the focus should be on the players' health first and foremost.
"The key thing is we should have sensitivity to the kids playing the game," Krzyzewski said. "That's the key thing in all of this, the sensitivity to the kids playing the game and making sure it's a safe environment and that everyone is doing it the same way medically."
This year's Duke team features four returning contributing players in senior guard Jordan Goldwire, junior guard Joey Baker and sophomore forwards Wendell Moore and Matthew Hurt. They've been joined by another stellar crop of incoming freshman, including 6-9 forward Jalen Johnson, 7-1 center Mark Williams, 6-8 forward Jaemyn Brakefield, 6-7 forward Henry Coleman, 6-1 guard Jeremy Roach and 6-2 guard D.J. Steward.
Duke also added 6-10 graduate transfer forward Patrick Tape from Columbia.
"These kids are really together and we are athletic," Krzyzewski said.
Hurt has shown tremendous improvement from his freshman year, Krzyzewski said. He's added 20 pounds to his frame and is playing with more confidence. Moore has also started to separate himself from the group over the last two weeks.
Roach, expected to be the team's starting point guard, is also progressing.
"A kid that's really come on this week is Jeremy Roach," Krzyzewski said.
So, as usual, Duke is gearing up to contend for ACC and NCAA championships. Just what path the Blue Devils will take to get there has yet to be determined.
