DURHAM -- A frequent topic of conversation in ACC basketball circles is who will succeed Mike Krzyzewski when he decides to retire as Duke's basketball coach. Looking fresh and rested at his yearly summer news conference Tuesday afternoon, Krzyzewski made it sound like that retirement date is a long time in the future.
He said he plans to keep coaching for a long time if his health allows him.
"I'm at a place that's perfect for me," Krzyzewski said. "I love my school. All the guys on my staff are my guys. We've got great kids. We've got a fan base that supports us in such great fashion, and really, for me, I don't have a negative about my position, and really it's why I'm here."
Krzyzewski said he feels good and is enjoying his job. Entering his 32nd season, he believes he is entering a new phase with a new group of players.
Over the past two seasons, Jon Scheyer, Lance Thomas, Brian Zoubek, Nolan Smith and Kyle Singler have completed their eligibility at Duke. Smith and Singler, who were selected in last week's NBA draft, won three ACC tournaments and an NCAA title in 2010.
After entering last season with two senior first-team All-America candidates -Smith and Singler - Duke doesn't have a senior starter returning in 2011-12. So Krzyzewski feels like he is starting over, in a sense.
This team reminds him of 2006-07, when Scheyer, Thomas and Zoubek were freshmen. J.J. Redick and Shelden Williams had just left the program, and there wasn't a returning player who averaged more than 8.7 points per game.
The top returning scorer on the current team is guard Seth Curry, who averaged 9.0 a season ago. Krzyzewski said he is entering the Blue Devils' August exhibition trip to China and Dubai with few preconceptions.
Instead, he will allow the players to develop and prove they deserve certain roles as they attempt to establish a long-term mark on the program. That's not to say players can't develop later, but there is a real, immediate opportunity for players to seize the reins with Smith, Singler and No. 1 NBA draft pick Kyrie Irving gone.
"Now it's this group's turn, not just for this year, but to set the wheels in motion to see how the next few years can be," Krzyzewski said.
Krzyzewski does believe that Duke's big men should be a strong point. The Blue Devils have back starting center Mason Plumlee and forward Ryan Kelly, who contributed mostly defense and rebounding last season.
Miles Plumlee, the lone senior on scholarship, also is back after playing a prominent reserve role last season.
"Those guys were good last year," Krzyzewski said. "I think they can match up with any team in terms of height, strength and experience."
Krzyzewski said Mason Plumlee in particular, after leading the team with 8.4 rebounds per game, appears close to being ready for an expanded, more prominent role. In the backcourt, Krzyzewski mentioned juniors Curry and Andre Dawkins as players who could elevate their games, and he said the team's freshmen will have a chance to show what they can do as well.
The most prominent freshman in a highly rated class is guard Austin Rivers of Winter Park, Fla., who's among the top recruits in the nation. Krzyzewski said Rivers is talented and confident but that he won't know how Rivers will react to a higher level of basketball until the season starts.
That's just one of the many unknowns awaiting Krzyzewski.
"I'm excited about the whole process, because it's like a new thing for us," Krzyzewski said.
Even at 64, Krzyzewski is looking forward to something new, and he doesn't sound ready for his tenure to end anytime soon. He needs just three wins to reach 903 for his career and break mentor Bob Knight's Division I record.
The number is significant, but Krzyzewski doesn't plan to stop there. Not even close.
"I'm just going to keep coaching," he said. "I mean, I feel good. I may not look good or whatever.
"But I feel great. I'm 64, and I really think I have more enthusiasm and endurance, I know, than I had when I was 54, because that was two hip operations ago."
