The former Blue Devils player and current head coach reflects on the fluke injury that ended his pursuit of playing professionally, but opened the door to returning to the bench in Durham.

I was determined to make it to the NBA still and I felt I was the same player, uh, but, um, I think part of what made me the player that I was is I had a special belief and a special edge and the injury just I didn’t, I could never regain that same confidence to that level and I’m proud of all the attempts I made.

Uh, playing for, uh, the Los Angeles Clippers two months after it happened training camp, going to the G League with the Houston Rockets, uh, played a year in Israel.

Then when I was playing in Spain, you know, my dream was always to coach us someday.

I thought it would be more, you know, starting at 35 after, uh, you know, 10 plus NBA career, uh, just so happened it was at 25, you know, as I was going through that season in Spain, uh, I have Chris Collins to thank.

Uh, you know, he put coaching in my mind at that time earlier, you know, I think he felt he had a good chance to get the Northwestern job.

Uh, he had mentioned he wanted me to come with him, uh, and I really started to think about it and I, I really had a dream of being a young head coach and so, uh.

I was ready to go with Chris.

I called Coach K. Coach K called me an idiot for thinking about going anywhere other than Duke, uh, word for word, uh, don’t be an idiot, come back here and, uh, it was the best decision I could have ever made, and Chris and I are still as close to this day as could be as well, uh, but I just, I felt in my heart it was the right thing at that time.