“It was special how Coach K made me, Zion Williamson, Cam Reddish, and Tre, make that work”: RJ Barrett talks about the legacy of legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski from his one year experience at Duke

RJ Barrett speaks about the greatness of Coach K which he got to witness from his one-year experience with the Blue Devils.

Legendary coach Mike Krzyzewski is one of the most successful figures in college basketball history.  Coaching the Duke Blue Devils program for over 4 decades now, he’s made himself one of the most respected coaches ever. With 5 NCAA championship wins, 12 Final Four appearances, 97 NCAA tournament wins (most ever), the 3-time Naismith College Coach of the Year has one of the most decorated resumes in all of college basketball.

Every year, Duke University attracts some of the biggest high school prospects. And definitely, their 2018 team had to be one of the, if not the best recruiting class ever. With big names on the roster like RJ Barrett (#1 nationally in the class of 2018), Zion Williamson (#2 nationally in the class of 2018), Cam Reddish (#3 nationally in the class of 2018), and Tre Jones (#9 nationally in the class of 2018), the 2018-2019 Duke team was one of the most stacked teams in college history.

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Even though this star-studded team didn’t win the NCAA title, the squad had a rather successful season. Ending the year with an impressive 32-6 record, coach K’s boys won Duke’s 21^st ACC tournament title and gave us some of the best college highlights of all time.

“Coach K wants all his players to really star in their roles”: RJ Barrett

At the end of that season, Zion (1^st pick of 2019 Draft), RJ Barrett (3^rd pick), and Reddish (10^th pick), all declared for the draft and went to the pros. However, in that one year at Duke, the team had a special bond and their chemistry was unparallel. Not only did the teammates develop a brother-like relation, the coaching staff too formed a pleasant affiliation with the boys.

Recently, RJ was asked about the greatness of Coach K. In his interview with “The New York Post”, the Knicks guard revealed:

“I think one, the way he could just adjust with the times, just adjust to the way the game of basketball is being played. But also, he cares about his players. He wants all his players to really star in their roles, and to be the best that they could possibly be, and he puts his players in the position to do that.” 

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The two-way guard was then asked to disclose the most memorable speech the Hall-Of-Fame coach gave them. To which, the Canadian southpaw said:

“Honestly, I just remember him talking a lot to me. Personally, just about being the best player that I could be. How if I come to Duke, he would definitely help me along that path, and how much he wanted me to come to the school, and that was big-time for me, having such a great coach like Coach K tell you that he wants you to be a part of his program. It was special, and to just see how he really made me, Cam [Reddish] and Zion [Williamson] and Tre [Jones], how he made all that work.”