Nate James Returning To Duke To Become Assistant Coach To Head Coach Jon Scheyer Following Amile Jefferson Accepting Boston Assistant Coaching Job In NBA?
Nate James was Austin Peay Head Coach for two seasons where he finished with a record of 21-39 before getting fired on March 5, 2023.
Nate James played on the hardwood for former Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski! who retired following 2021- 2022-season!
When?
From 1997-2001 where he played in 135 games, making 63 starts, for Duke from 1997-01. The two-time team captain scored 1,116 points, made 111 three-point field goals and grabbed 500 rebounds while shooting .473 from the floor for his career. The Blue Devils won outright or shared the regular-season ACC championship in each of the five years that James was on the roster, a feat achieved by no other player in league history.
As a senior, Nate James was named to the ACC All-Defensive Team and garnered third-team All-ACC recognition from the league’s media.
One of James’ most significant contributions to Duke’s 2001 NCAA crown was the way he handled his move out of the starting lineup late in the season. Coming off the bench in a reworked lineup following an injury to Carlos Boozer, James averaged more than 24 minutes per game in the Blue Devils’ nine postseason victories.
With 117 career victories in a Duke uniform, James is tied for seventh in program history and 11th in ACC history with Quinn Cook, Andre Dawkins and Danny Ferry. Duke posted a winning percentage of .867 (117-18) with James on the court, a mark that still ranks seventh in school history.
Nate James was part of nine major championships while playing at Duke: one NCAA title, three ACC Tournament championships and five regular-season ACC championships. He is one of 67 players in Duke history to break the 1,000-point barrier and his 1,116 points currently rank 55th on the program’s career chart.
But that isn’t all he has done at Duke as he was former Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s coaching staff where Duke averaged 29.8 wins per season since James joined the staff prior to the 2007-08 campaign. Duke also has produced 26 NBA Draft picks, including 22 first-round selections and 14 lottery picks, during that time. From 2009-11, James helped lead Duke to three consecutive ACC Tournament championships, winning at least 30 games in each of those seasons.
Nate James aided in the development of some of the nation’s best players with a decorated list of former Blue Devils that includes the likes of Harry Giles, Jabari Parker, Mason and Miles Plumlee, Jahlil Okafor, Brandon Ingram, Marvin Bagley III, Wendell Carter Jr., Zion Williamson, Vernon Carey Jr. and Cassius Stanley.
Giles, Parker, Mason Plumlee, Miles Plumlee, Okafor, Ingram, Bagley, Carter and Williamson were all first-round picks following their time under James’ tutelage, including Williamson as the program’s fourth overall No. 1 selection. Mason Plumlee (2014), Okafor (2016), Bagley (2019) and Williamson (2020) were each named first-team NBA All-Rookie selections, while Ingram was selected the NBA’s Most Improved Player in 2020.
Nate James helped coach players to be named either ACC Player of the Year or Rookie of the Year in Bagley (2018), Williamson (2019), Tre Jones and Carey (2020). Bagley became just the third player in ACC history to lead the conference in scoring (21.0), rebounding (11.1) and field goal percentage (.614), while Williamson was the consensus National Player of the Year and became the first freshman in ACC history to be named both Player of the Year and ACC Tournament MVP in the same season. Carey joined Bagley and Williamson as a National Freshman of the Year selection, was the ACC Freshman of the Year, a consensus second-team All-American and led the league in field goal percentage (.577), was third in scoring (17.8) and fourth in rebounding (8.8). Jones became the ACC’s first player named ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in the same season.
”according to Nate James Biography on goduke.com”
For two seasons Amile Jefferson was Director Of Player Development when Duke Head Coach Mike Krzyzewski was coaching his final season as Duke Head Coach in 2021-2022 before current Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer promoted him to Assistant Coach. Now though Jon Scheyer is going to have to hire a new Assistant Coach or Assistant Coaches as the NCAA changed its rules to allow schools to add two additional coaches to their coaching staff effective July 1, 2023 . Amile Jefferson is leaving his Assistant Coach position at Duke to become Assistant Coach for Boston in the NBA who he played for professionally in 2020.
The deal is multi year.
According to Travis Branham article on 247sports .com
According Stephen Wiseman article on newsobserver.com
With that mind this question comes to mind Nate James returning to Duke to become Assistant Coach to Head Coach Jon Scheyer following Amile Jefferson accepting Boston Assistant Coaching Job In NBA?
I think Nate James would make a great addition to Duke Head Coach Jon Scheyer’s coaching staff because he has been apart of the Duke coaching staff with Jon Scheyer before because Nate James was on Mike Krzyzewski ‘s coaching staff before leaving for Austin Peay because he wasn’t very successful as Head Coach in two seasons at Austin Peay as stated above he finished with record of 21-39.