Duke outduels Eastern Kentucky (?) for point guard recruit

Much of the credit for Mike Krzyzewski’s greatness goes to his ability to adapt. In recent years that has meant a willingness to drift from his reputation of taking only guys who seemed destined to stay in Durham for three or four years, and instead mix in a handful of one-and-dones.

The result of this has been Duke beating out the likes of Kentucky, North Carolina, and Kansas for players like Jabari Parker, Tyus Jones, Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow, and Brandon Ingram. The middle three of that group helped the Blue Devils win a national title in 2015.

Of course, the new ideology hasn’t always gone so swimmingly. This past season, Duke was a near-unanimous preseason No. 1 thanks to a healthy of mix of proven veteran talent and an incoming freshman class that ranked as the best in the country. For a number of reasons, the season was a roller-coaster ride where the bizarre valleys outnumbered the expected peaks. In the end, the Blue Devils were upset by seventh-seeded South Carolina in the second round of the NCAA tournament.

One of the key issues that plagued Coach K’s 2016-17 group was its lack of a true point guard. Duke is already guaranteed to return Grayson Allen, who shouldered much of the floor general duties in his junior season. Still, that’s not the position where Allen is the most effective, and his being forced into that duty deserves some of the blame for his diminished offensive returns. Frank Jackson, who came on late in his freshman season, also seems likely to return to school, but point guard isn’t a natural position for him either. All this means that if Duke whiffs on top unsigned class of 2017 point guard Trevon Duval, they’re right back in the same unenviable spot they were all last season.

This being the case, Krzyzewski adapted in a strange way again this week. He went after class of 2017 point guard Jordan Goldwire, a three-star point guard who had appeared destined to play his college basketball in the state of Kentucky. Not for John Calipari or Rick Pitino, though.

“I was going to commit to Eastern Kentucky, but Duke showed interest recently, and it was something I couldn’t pass up,” Goldwire told ESPN.com. “This is crazy. Something I never expected.”

That has to be a bitter pill to swallow for Dan McHale, who has a 27-35 overall record as a head coach and has failed to qualify Eastern Kentucky for the Ohio Valley tournament in either of his first two seasons at the school.

Even if Duke doesn’t land Duval, it seems unlikely that Goldwire could commit for a starting spot as a freshman. In that case, Krzyzewski would most likely roll the dice with Allen again, or work with Jackson or one of his other backcourt players to nail down the possession.

All of that is just fine with Goldwire.

“They didn’t promise me anything,” Goldwire said. “They said they needed another ball handler who would be able to run the second group. It’s a great opportunity for me.”

Mike Krzyzewski: Master of recruiting extremes.