DURHAM - Duke assistant men's basketball coach Nate James sat at the front of the Duke press room on Wednesday and compared life playing basketball overseas with being at Duke.

In the first scenario, you're "being served cow tongue in Russia, cause that's what they do out there," James said. In the second, you're "where you have people taking care of you all the time."

So you understand why James, who co-captained Duke's 2001 NCAA championship team, pursued the Duke basketball assistant job he landed on Monday.

"It's almost like a dream," James, 30, said. "I'm still pinching myself from time to time saying out loud, 'I'm a coach here now.' "

In addition to hiring James, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski promoted his other two assistants, Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins, to associate head coaches.

Krzyzewski had to replace former associate head coach Johnny Dawkins, who began his duties as the new Stanford basketball coach on April 28.

Krzyzewski, who was out of town on Wednesday, said earlier in the week that he picked James because of the attitude James showed as a player.

"His maturity, toughness and dedication to Duke will blend well with the current staff," Krzyzewski said.

James was at Duke during a wildly successful period, playing for an ACC-record five ACC regular-season championship teams,. He also played in two Final Fours.

The McDonald's All American didn't star at Duke right away. He had to fight through numerous injuries, take a redshirt year his second season, fight for playing time when he returned, then took a demotion to the bench as a senior during the 2001 title run.

"I can relate to [the current Duke players] in every way you can possibly think of," James said.

James hadn't had a chance to pursue other jobs before this one came open. He ended his playing career last winter -- playing overseas in 12 countries -- then took a job as Duke's assistant strength and conditioning coach in January.

When Dawkins left, the staff that hadn't changed in eight years was looking for a new member.

As a Duke assistant -- it was his first interview for a coaching job -- James finds it easier to laugh about playing in ice-cold gyms in Bosnia and eating noodles and rice for seven months in Japan.

"I always felt I'd be coaching, maybe high school somewhere or a another level because I love it," James said. "Coaching at this level, it's still like a dream."

James knew he wanted to coach when he realized how much he enjoyed coaching during summer camps at his high school in Washington, D.C., and later at Duke.

James joins the staff during a transition period. Krzyzewski, Collins and Wojciechowski are completing a three-year commitment with USA Basketball.

Because James will be available to recruit and travel, he'll be available to cover a late July evaluation period that the others will miss as they head to the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.

Also, he arrives at a time when Duke exited the NCAA Tournament in the first round in 2007 and the second in 2008, after nine years of reaching the regional semifinals.

James was asked if the program needs his familiarity with the best brand of Duke success.

He avoided the question saying that he will be coaching a great group of players and that he hoped his trademark intensity as a player would help him as a coach.

"That makes me who I am and I bring that same mentality to coaching," James said. "I look forward to getting after it with the guys. ... I believe we're going to accomplish a lot of good things here. So in the future, I do see us getting back to that point."