January 2017 | Page 27 of 30 | Zagsblog
Recent Posts
About ZagsBlog
Adam Zagoria covers basketball at all levels. He is the author of two books and an award-winning journalist whose articles have appeared in ESPN The Magazine, SLAM, Sheridan Hoops, Sports Illustrated, Basketball Times and in newspapers nationwide.
Follow Zags on Twitter
Couldn't connect with Twitter
Contact Zags
Connect with Zags:
Sunday / November 17.
  • The Jeff Capel Era at Duke begins on Saturday against Boston College, and Capel has about a month to show he’s capable of one day succeeding arguably the greatest college basketball coach in the history of the game.

    No one knows when 69-year-old Mike Krzyzewski will coach his last game, but he won’t be on the sidelines forever.

    And Capel is the heir apparent to succeed Coach K once that day comes.

    Now with Coach K sidelined for about a month with back surgery, Capel has a golden opportunity — and a loaded roster — to show he deserves the job when that day does come.

    “I haven’t thought about it because I’ve never imagined the day of Coach [K] not coaching, of not being the head coach at Duke” Capel, 41, said Thursday on a conference call. “Since I started watching basketball, and really understanding basketball, he’s the only coach I’ve known at Duke. And so I’ve never thought about anything like that. I try to concentrate on doing my job and doing the best job I can for our program.”

    With high-flying shooting guard Hamidou Diallo set to announce his college choice on Saturday in New York, one of his AAU coaches is comparing him to some fellow high-flyers who starred in the NBA.

    “I definitely see it with his athleticism, I think he’s really unique,” Chris Alesi of the NY Rens said on The 4 Quarters Podcast. “I don’t think that there’s one guy that you can really point to, just because his game is different. But I definitely see Vince Carter, Dwyane Wade, guys who are just freakishly athletic.

    “But there’s a lot more to Hamidou Diallo. He can shoot the ball better than I’ve ever seen him shoot it. And I think the biggest thing with Hamidou, wherever he ends, he is a program-changer and I’ve seen that first-hand unfold with the Rens.”

    The 6-foot-6, 190-pound Diallo is expected to decide between Kentucky and UConn, with Arizona, Syracuse, Indiana and Kansas also having been on his list.

    } });
    X