Per Duke Sports Information:
Special airs tonight and Thursday on SiriusXM NBA Radio and ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM channels
NEW YORK, N.Y. (from SiriusXM)– Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the Duke University Blue Devils, hosted a special Town Hall edition of his SiriusXM show today, ahead of this week’s NBA Draft. His guest on the special was NBA Commissioner Adam Silver.
The show, which was co-hosted by Mark Packer, airs today (6pm ET & 9pm ET) on the SiriusXM NBA Radio channel, and Thursday (6pm ET) on the ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM channel. Both channels are available nationwide on SiriusXM radios and on the SiriusXM app.
Among the highlights, Coach K shares his insight into three NBA Draft prospects he knows well – former Blue Devils Zion Williamson, RJ Barrett and Cam Reddish.
Watch the video of Coach talking about his former players and their future in the NBA here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKTRu_4o9yI
Coach K on Zion: “Zion’s incredibly unique. Not just as a player but as a young man. He’s still only 18 years old. And as good of an athlete – he’s a top percentile athlete in the world, not just in the game of basketball – he’s that level of young man. He gets it. I enjoyed every day with that kid. And he’s improved, he’s going to be a star in the league. Everyone talks about his jumping and his dunking, but he’s very smart and his lateral quickness is phenomenal. Not good, phenomenal. And his ball handling, it’s hard to think of him small, but when he was smaller he was a point guard. So he has an incredible skill set and talent set that’ll set him apart.”
“He’s improved so much this past year,” Krzyzewski continued. “And what he’ll do for the community – unless, you know, something is really crazy in this world, he’ll be in New Orleans – for that community, he’ll reach out. He’s an amazing people person and humble. He’s just so humble. I love him. I love him as a player and as a young man. I’d take him any day of the week.”
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Coach K on RJ Barrett’s potential as a Knick: “R.J. will flourish here in New York. He wants to be here. He is so mature. He just turned 19 last Friday, but he’s been a part of the Canadian basketball program since [he was] a little guy, always played up. And what says a lot about him is his relationship with Zion. You know, the two of them could [have been] very jealous of one another, envious. [Instead] they became brothers. Literally. They love one another. And this kid is a multi-dimensional player. He would start right away. He has the potential to be a double-double guy. He’s a great defensive rebounder, and if he gets the defensive rebound he can push, and he can play one through four. Because he can pass too. As he grows, there’ll be times in this kid’s career where the triple-double will happen more than once. He’s a star. There’s no question. Beautiful, beautiful kid.”
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Coach K on Cam Reddish: “In Cam you have an extremely talented kid. A player, and a great kid. A little bit younger in the game. He’s more of a freshman. That’s not bad, he was a hell of a freshman. And he had some nagging injuries that have been taken care of. I think he has the biggest growth potential. And I’m hoping that he goes to a program that will develop him that way, and doesn’t expect him to be necessarily a double-double guy right away. I think he’s got a great chance to be an outstanding player in the league.”
Basketball and Beyond with Coach K airs weekly during college basketball season on ESPNU Radio on SiriusXM (channel 84). Visit www.siriusxm.com for more info.
