Game Changers

In case you've been in a coma during this C-19 pandemic, you may have missed the announced retirement of North Carolina Coach Roy Williams and just recently Duke Coach Mike Krzyzewski (Coach K) said that this upcoming season would his last as a head basketball coach. What is the reason that Williams at 70 and Coach K at 74 would think this is a good time to hang it up?

This has been a most difficult year to say the least and with all of the relaxed rule changes because of C-19, I’m sure that recruiting has not been a lot of fun. A kid transferring without having to sit out a year has been a problem for a lot of schools; just ask the Eastern Washington University coach.

For as long as I can remember, North Carolina and Duke have always been able to recruit the best athletes. In the last few years the one and done kids (freshmen that play for one year and turn pro) have not always turned talent into victories. Too often young talent attends college to work on their game instead of the team’s game and that can be a real problem.

I know that Williams wasn’t happy with at least one player who decided not to play this year fearing that he might be exposed to C-19 or get hurt, which would hinder his chances at a long NBA career. Williams had to be kicking himself for thinking this kid was going to bring the Tar Heels a championship of any kind.

There was a time when these schools could get the best talent, watch them grow, mature and improve their game and in two or three years compete for a NCAA championship. In today’s game you still have to acquire the most talented players and hope like heck they can be the ingredient that will bring instant success. Recruiting a lot of talent also means that your opponents don’t get to have those kids on their rosters.

A few seasons ago Duke recruited Zion Williamson who was the guy that was supposed to bring a championship just by walking out onto the court. But Gonzaga beat Duke in the Maui Invitational basketball tournament and later in the season Williamson was hurt when one of his sneakers blew out during a game. He would sit out a couple of games but upon returning he wasn’t the same player. One can’t be sure if it was physical, psychological or a combination of both. Duke didn’t make the Final Four that year like everyone thought they would.

Coaches like Williams and Krzyzewski are used to winning and the last two seasons have not been easy for them. Student athletes have been using the transfer portal to find a new team where they might be able to showcase their talent and not just be a role player. For many athletes, the grad transfer route was beneficial for them as well as the team they transferred to.

Along with being eligible to play right away after transferring, this year’s athletes won’t lose a year of eligibility because of the C-19 rule changes. So if you were a junior this season you can be a junior next season as well. I’m not sure why this rule came about except that the NCAA may have been looking out for any student athlete that contracted C-19 and missed several games, or if a season was cut short due to an outbreak of the virus within a team, forcing a cancellation of the season.

Williams and Coach K will be missed because their teams made other coaches work hard to be able to compete. Competition is always good for college athletics. They have seen the game change in the last fifty years but maybe this year was the one where they said okay it’s time for a younger man to come and take my place.