Another former Duke basketball captain is joining Coach K’s staff
Another former Duke basketball captain and national champion as a player is joining the Blue Devils staff.
Amile Jefferson, who played for the Blue Devils from 2012-17, is returning to Duke as the team’s director of player development.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski revealed the news on a podcast appearance with Charles Barkley and Ernie Johnson. The school is expected to make an official announcement next week.
A Philadelphia native, the 28-year-old Jefferson played in the NBA, the G League and overseas in Turkey. He replaces Nolan Smith as Duke’s player development director after Smith was promoted to assistant coach in April.
The player development director role doesn’t involve Jefferson working with players on the court or recruiting on the road, but he will assist the coaching staff with planning practices, analyzing game film and game strategies.
Duke is preparing for the 74-year-old Krzyzewski’s final season as head coach. He announced last month he’ll retire from coaching following this season, his 42nd as Duke’s coach. Duke named associate head coach Jon Scheyer as a coach-in-waiting, meaning he’ll take over as the Blue Devils’ head coach once this season is completed.
Scheyer, associate head coach Chris Carrawell and Smith are recruiting and working with the current team this summer.
Smith moved up from director of player development to assistant coach after Nate James left Duke’s staff to become head coach at Austin Peay.
A 6-9 forward, Jefferson played in 150 games over five seasons for the Blue Devils, taking a redshirt season when his 2015-16 season was limited to nine games by a foot injury. He was a team captain in three seasons and was named the Academic all-ACC team four times. He earned an undergraduate degree in history in addition to a master’s degree in Christian Studies from Duke Divinity School.
In Duke’s NCAA championship season in 2014-15, Jefferson played in all 39 games with 26 starts. He averaged 6.1 points and 5.8 rebounds as the Blue Devils went 35-4.
He started and played in 35 games in 2016-17, averaging 10.9 points and 8.4 rebounds in a season when the Blue Devils won the ACC tournament championship.
As a pro, Jefferson was on the active roster for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Orlando Magic and Boston Celtics. He played in 30 games for the Magic from 2018-2020.
In the NBA G League for the Iowa Wolves, he recorded 36 double-doubles in 47 games in 2017-18 when he was named second-team, all-NBA G League and the league’s defensive player of the year. Jefferson played for the Lakeland Magic during parts of the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons.
This story was originally published July 3, 2021 at 9:57 AM.