Two players and a coach are out of the expected return of Duke basketball.
The good news is that, unlike the last two basketball games scheduled for Duke, there has still been no word of postponement for the home game at 8:30 pm on Wednesday.
Knock on the wood.
Assuming No. 21 Duke (3-2, 1-0 ACC) takes the floor against Boston College (2-7, 0-3 ACC), the 20 days that have passed since the team’s victory at Notre Dame in December 16 will mark the longest period of the program between competitions in the same season since the 1911-12 campaign (29 days, December 13 to January 12).
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The bad news is that, for some different reasons, the Blue Devils will not have the services of some major weapons against the Eagles.
Mike Krzyzewski is out. After recently contacting a family member who tested positive for COVID-19, the 73-year-old remains quarantined throughout the week. And according to the Hall of Fame’s conversation with the media on Monday, it’s doubtful whether he’ll be at the bank when Duke hosts Wake Forest at noon on Saturday.
Jalen Johnson remains indefinitely. The first-year five-star striker, averaging 11.5 points and 8.3 rebounds, has not played since the December 8 defeat in Durham to Illinois due to a foot injury shortly before Duke’s trip to Notre Dame .
Now, Patrick Tapé is also out and about every day. According to a press release from Duke on Wednesday afternoon, the transferred student injured his back in training last week. Against Fighting Irish, the 1.83m tall, 235-pound big man, who averages just 1.3 points and 1.3 rebounds, but has only had 16 minutes of action in total so far, debuted as Blue Devil.
Fortunately, Duke basketball has a large bank of players and coaches
Associate coach Jon Scheyer, along with assistants Nate James, Chris Carrawell and Nolan Smith, will maintain control in terms of coaching duties until Mike Krzyzewski returns.
As for the pieces the team will work on for Duke’s first game in 2021, the Blue Devils look a little thin without Jalen Johnson and Patrick Tapé.
However, there are still seven active players who have already made at least one start this season: senior point guard Jordan Goldwire, point guard Jeremy Roach, point guard DJ Steward, junior striker Joey Baker, striker Wendell Moore, striker Matthew Hurt, and the Mark Williams freshman center.
Furthermore, it is conceivable that, with Johnson and Tapé out, Jaemyn Brakefield will win his first initial nod at Duke; after all, the freshman striker has been consistently productive off the bench for the past four times. In addition, first-year striker Henry Coleman may have a bigger role.
Stay tuned on Ball Durham to learn more about the game against Boston College, as well as other news and views from Duke basketball.