Mike Krzyzewski talks about ‘The Brotherhood’ at Duke

Mike Krzyzewski helped form ‘The Brotherhood’ at Duke during his incredibly successful run as the head coach of the Blue Devils.

Even though Krzyzewski is no longer in charge of the program, ‘The Brotherhood’ continues on, which is something he loves to see.

“We’re proud of it,” Krzyzewski recently said on The Brotherhood podcast. “Other people might try to copy it, but it’s tough to copy, because I was here as the coach for 42 years. We created a family. Since me and my wife were here the whole time, that’s a common thread. Not just that they’ve all been yelled at by me or coached by me, but they became part of our overall family.”

When Krzyzewski retired from Duke following the 2021-22 season, Duke made its hire from within the Blue Devils family.

Jon Scheyer, who played at Duke and was working as an assistant under Coach K, was hired in 2022 to run the Blue Devils program. That allowed ‘The Brotherhood’ to continue.

“In every sense of the word, it is a brotherhood and it is a family. With Jon Scheyer taking over, Jon was with me for eight years. We recruited him. He is Duke. But he’s part of the family. And I’m proud of that. In a family, we take care of one another. You’re concerned for one another. You’re with that person during the ups and downs,” Krzyzewski said.

“I think our guys have really loved it, and I’m glad that it’s going to be perpetuated through the hopefully long time that Jon is going to be coaching here.”

Duke has had as much success as just about anybody over the years when it comes to recruiting top talent and putting players in the NBA.

There are currently several former Blue Devils in the NBA, including Jayson Tatum, Kyrie Irving, Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram and Paolo Banchero.

Former Duke players are invited to come back to Durham and spend time around the Blue Devils program regularly, including during the Duke Basketball Fantasy Camp.

“Campers spend five days in Cameron Indoor Stadium where they go from opening day tryouts to Sunday’s championship tournament. Along the way, campers play games on Coach K Court in Cameron and learn the inside scoop on Duke’s five-time national championship program,” the website says of the camp.

Former and current Duke players are on hand for the event, which Krzyzewski believes is a great bonding opportunity for everyone.

“[The Brotherhood] started when we started a fantasy camp, which is 20 years old now. And we started it primarily to bring back our former players, 30 to 40 of them, and have them interact with people from all over the country, have them network. All of a sudden there was that bond,” Krzyzewski said.

“The fantasy camp is like a family reunion. The current players are at it, too. And you see it, you feel it. I love it.”