GREENSBORO— The good news for Quin Snyder is that Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski truly loves his former player and assistant coach.
The bad news, of course, is that those feelings hold little weight on the basketball court.
“I honestly think that if Coach K had a little sister and was coaching against her, he’d want to win by 50,”Duke senior Shane Battier said. “That’s just the type of competitor he is.”
“I didn’t know I made that kind of impression on Shane,”an incredulous Krzyzewski responded. “I wouldn’t want to beat my little sister by 50. Sometimes Shane’s analogies are a little far-fetched.”
Krzyzewski, Snyder and especially Duke’s players laughed a little Friday and also reflected at length on the subplot surrounding today’s NCAA Tournament second-round game.
The top-seeded Blue Devils battle No. 9 Missouri at 3:30 p.m. at the Greensboro Coliseum, but all eyes will be focused on the sidelines. That’s where the legendary Krzyzewski and second-year Missouri head coach Snyder will be standing, separated by a long scorer’s table between their respective benches.
Little separation exists between the two men, however, which makes today’s matchup incredibly difficult.
“I would choose not to play Quin’s team at any time. Quin is like a member of my family, I feel like a part of his family. Why would you want to compete against somebody you love?”Krzyzewski asked. “What I think is of utmost importance is that this is momentary. Whatever happens, win or lose, it should not have an impact on what we feel about each other personally. I know it won’t, but I hate to be in that situation.”
Snyder’s Duke ties run far deeper than the ones he’s started developing in Columbia. In 1986, a skinny high school All-American guard arrived in Durham and helped put Duke basketball on the map.
As a player, Snyder reached the Final Four in 1986, 1988 and 1989. He still ranks third on the school’s all-time assist list.
“I can remember him playing,”said current Blue Devil sophomore Mike Dunleavy. “He was pretty athletic for a little white guy from the state of Washington. But most of what I know of him is more of an assistant coach.”
A strong player-coach relationship blossomed into something extraordinary when Snyder returned to his alma mater as a coach in 1993. In the six seasons that followed, Snyder sat on the bench for two other Final Fours.
He also blazed the recruiting trail, signing players like current Devils Dunleavy and All-American Jason Williams, and the likes of Elton Brand and Trajan Langdon, who advanced to the 1999 NCAA championship game.
Immediately following Duke’s loss to Connecticut, Missouri hired Snyder to rebuild the Tigers’ basketball program.
In his first at Missouri, Snyder earned national Coach of the Year honors, leading the Tigers to an 18-13 record and the NCAA Tournament.
The success he’d enjoyed at Duke carried over even after he left.
“What didn’t I take from Duke?So much of who I am is a function of those experiences,”Snyder said. “I was there for 14 years.”
Snyder and Krzyzewski’s deep friendship wasn’t hurt by the new distance between them. They still speak frequently over the phone, and never miss a chance to watch the other’s team on television.
“In the last month I’ve talked to him frequently,”Snyder said. “Obviously you try to observe some level of respect for his season — it’s not like he’s running a hotline for all his assistants when they get in trouble.
“The thing that I like best,”said Snyder, turning serious again, “is that he’s my friend.”
And that’s what Krzyzewski likes least about today’s matchup.
“I won’t like (Saturday) for that reason. Will I like coaching my team?Yes I will. That’s my job,”Krzyzewski said. “You have to put the other thing aside.
“I want only good things for Quin. As a young kid he said, ‘I want to be with you. I want to play for you.’ Then he said, ‘I want to coach with you, I want to be a part of your family.’ He’s one of my daughters’ best friends.”
Snyder isn’t relishing today’s game any more than his mentor.
“I’m really proud that our team’s in this game, but it’s a difficult thing,”Snyder said. “I take solace in the fact that I know what he is to me in my life and what I’ve been to him as well. Regardless of what happens, I have confidence in that relationship.
“I love their players. I root for them all the time,”Snyder added. “My knowledge about Duke is much more personal than it is tactical. I know where to get coffee in Durham. I know how to find my way around campus.”
Perhaps the next time he visits, Snyder and Krzyzewski can grab a couple of drinks, reminisce over the good ol’ days — and gripe about what the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee put both of them through today.
“We got put in the same bracket,”Krzyzewski said, rolling his eyes. “I don’t know HOW that happens, but we’re going to have to do it.”
No matter how much neither wants to.
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Sportswriter Steve Hanf is covering Duke in the NCAA Tournament.
Steve Hanf