Before he learned that Stanford would be the Blue Devils’ opponent in the 2014 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic title game, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski already had mixed feelings about the potential matchup.
That was because of the Cardinal’s own head coach, Johnny Dawkins.
“I’d rather not play him,” Krzyzewski said in his press conference after Duke defeated Temple, 74-54 in the opening round of the tournament. “But I’d rather play him tomorrow because that means we won tonight. I’m proud of Johnny. Johnny is part of our family.”
“Johnny was the first great player to commit to me,” added Krzyzewski of his former pupil who later became one of his assistant coaches from 1998 to 2008 before moving to Stanford. “Johnny is as good a player as we have ever had at Duke, and he’s a great man. He’s got the whole package.”
As it turned out, Krzyzewski did end up squaring off against Dawkins, and the result was a 70-59 victory by then-No. 4 ranked Duke over Stanford. While freshman Jahlil Okafor – cousin of Emeka and widely considered to be the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NBA Draft – scored eight points and made six rebounds, it was senior Quinn Cook who received tournament MVP honors. Cook recorded 18 points in 39 minutes, including four three-pointers, and had similar numbers against Temple, with 17 points, nine of those from beyond the perimeter.
“To compete against your friend, your mentor, your former coach – of course it’s very awkward,” Dawkins said after his team’s loss to Duke. “The names may change on the back of the jerseys, but the young men are still playing for the name on the front of the jersey. You see they still play with a lot of pride in the program, and they all want to leave a legacy there. You see that in how they came out to compete tonight.”
Photos: Duke 70, Stanford 59 – 2014 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic
all photos by Kwai Chan / Meniscus Magazine
Videos: 2014 Coaches vs. Cancer Classic press conference playlist
videos by Mai D. Chan / Meniscus Magazine and Yuan-Kwan Chan / Meniscus Magazine
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