An Important Factor For Duke Basketball Next Year

We’ve talked before about how Duke’s organization gives it a huge advantage, especially early in the season. We saw it this year as Mike Krzyzewski took team full of freshmen up against Kansas and picked the Jayhawks apart.

By later in the season, other teams have caught up, but Duke generally stands well apart prior to January or so.

We’re not sure how that’s going to work next year.

One of the things that Duke has done for years is to bring freshmen in for summer school sessions. This gives them a leg-up in many ways. They get used to the academic requirements, get into the training and nutritional grooves needed and get an early exposure to what Duke basketball is really about.

It’s been a key to Duke’s success over the years and particularly in the one-and-done era. Not having that - if it comes to that due to the pandemic and of course it’s still not clear that it will - it’s going to be something Duke has to creatively overcome.