ESPN Men's Basketball

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(Information in this team report is as of October 1.)

There was a moment last spring when it appeared that the smooth running machine that is Mike Krzyzewski's Duke basketball program was about to break down. It was bad enough that he had to replace four seniors, including a pair of first-team All-Americans, but his best underclassman appeared almost certain to jump to the NBA.

Without Josh McRoberts, Duke would have been woefully undermanned up front and Coach K would have been left with just two returnees on his roster with any significant experience. Had McRoberts taken his expected place in the NBA draft lottery, it's hard to imagine how the 2006-07 Blue Devils would have matched -- or even approached -- the level of excellence that Krzyzewski's teams have maintained without a slip over the last decade.

It has been an amazing run. Starting in 1996-97, the Blue Devils have averaged 30.4 wins a season, won either the ACC regular season or tournament title in 10 straight seasons, and finished in the AP Top 10 every year (with five No. 1 finishes). Duke won the 2001 national title in that span, played in two other Final Fours, and last spring extended its streak of Sweet 16 appearances to nine straight -- the second-longest such run in NCAA history and seven years longer than the next longest active streak.

But Krzyzewski understands as well as anybody just how fragile such success can be. When he was sidelined by a back injury in 1995, his program -- which had been to seven Final Fours in the previous nine years -- collapsed and stumbled to a 13-18 finish. He saw at close quarters how North Carolina's proud program went from No. 1 in the nation in February 2001 to 8-20 in 2002 after an awkward series of coaching transitions after Dean Smith's retirement in 1997.

Could the same thing happen to Duke in 2006-07?

Luckily, Krzyzewski doesn't have to face his worst-case scenario. At the last moment, McRoberts had a change of heart and elected to pass up the draft and return to Duke for at least one more year. He'll team with sophomore point guard Greg Paulus and junior wing DeMarcus Nelson to provide Coach K with a firm foundation to anchor a talented collection of young players.

And if that was not enough good news, two weeks after McRoberts' decision, prep All-America forward Lance Thomas signed with Duke over hometown Rutgers, providing Krzyzewski with another talented frontcourt player and helping to turn what had loomed as a weak spot on the roster into a potential strong point.

But "potential" is the operative word. In the wake of the euphoria over the McRoberts/Thomas decisions, it's easy to forget that Krzyzewski still faces a major rebuilding job. His last four Duke teams have been built around his 2002 recruiting class -- nicknamed "The Super Six" -- that produced two-time national player of the year J.J. Redick, two-time national defensive player of the year Shelden Williams, two-year starter Sean Dockery and Lee Melchionni, who emerged as an effective sixth man in his last two seasons.

Krzyzewski is not complaining -- just like he didn't complain when the Super Six replaced the Jason Williams-Carlos Boozer-Mike Dunleavy troika after the 2002 season ... or when that threesome replaced the Elton Brand-Trajon Langdon-Will Avery-Corey Maggette quartet after the 1999 season.

"One of the great things about college basketball is that there is turnover," Krzyzewski said. "That is exciting for us."

It's exciting because Krzyzewski has another collection of talented players to build what figures to be a very different kind of Duke team.

"We are going to play more players," Krzyzewski said. "One thing with younger guys is that there is more of a chance for inconsistency and there is more of chance of playing with emotional energy and getting tired. We're going to need Greg to be a leader. We're going to need Josh to be an outstanding player and we're going to need a healthy DeMarcus, because he will be a really good player if he is just healthy. You start out with those three guys and you build from there."

Krzyzewski compared rebuilding his Duke team to the NBA all-star team that he's building as the head coach of the U.S. National team.

"Just like with my U.S. team, I start with Kobe [Bryant], LeBron [James] and Dwyane Wade," he said. "Somehow I've got to make sure they're on the court. I'm a better coach if they're on the court."

Coaching the U.S. team that will try to restore America's place as the world's premier basketball power is the culmination of Krzyzewski's 31-year coaching career. It's also recognition of his status as the nation's premier college coach.

But the new responsibilities bring a heavy new workload, a workload that could distract him from his duties with Duke. Krzyzewski spent most of July, a vital recruiting month, working with the national team. He spent most of August -- a month when most coaches rest and recharge their energy for the coming season -- pursuing the World Championship in Japan.

"This has been the busiest year of my life, by far," Krzyzewski said. "I am pacing myself by having people help me make good decisions. It is a huge honor and a huge commitment and there are three priorities, our family, the Duke program, and USA basketball. The infrastructure of our Duke program is so strong; [assistant coach] Johnny Dawkins could run any program in the country. I have a strong program. I have people who will step up and they have, so that has made it a lot easier for me."

Indeed, Duke does have a strong program. But the heart of that program is Krzyzewski. His value was demonstrated in 1995. Duke was 9-3 and ranked No. 11 in the nation when he stepped down because of his back problem ... then the team finished 4-15 without him.

That was a young team that needed his guidance. This year's Duke team will be very young as well -- no seniors and just one junior on the roster. Yes, the return of Josh

McRoberts was important to Duke's chances of remaining a national contender in 2006-07, but the single most important thing for the Blue Devils' hopes is for Krzyzewski to return from his Team USA duties healthy and fresh enough to put together another winner.

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