Duke national champion Nate James talks 2001 title run, Final Four matchup, first season as head coach

EXCLUSIVE: Nate James is aware of the sensation of successful a school basketball nationwide championship as a participant and an assistant coach — and likewise shedding on the largest stage of his collegiate profession.

James, who’s now the top coach at Austin Peay, performed for Duke from 1996 to 2001 and was on the Blue Devils after they misplaced to UConn within the nationwide championship in 1999 and after they defeated Arizona within the sport in 2001. He was a conditioning coach and later an assistant coach below the legendary Mike Krzyzewski from 2008 to 2021 and was there when the staff gained all of it in 2010 and 2015.

James recalled in an interview with Fox Information Digital his fondest reminiscences of the nationwide title run in 2001 with Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Chris Duhon and Carlos Boozer, to call a number of.

“It’s not simply essentially one explicit second however it’s extra so simply the general bond that we had and the closeness of the group with Shane and I being the captains and simply form of determining get higher and simply the ups and downs you undergo through the season, no matter how good you’re,” he mentioned.

“As a matter of truth, my spouse and I had been simply speaking in regards to the loss to this 12 months’s staff, the loss to [North] Carolina for [coach Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game] and I mentioned look, , it sucks. I hated that was the final sport. I used to be there. And I mentioned it is form of like my senior 12 months. I misplaced to Maryland and that was my senior night time and we simply talked in regards to the subsequent time we come again on this health club [Cameron Indoor Stadium] it’s going to be to thanks guys for supporting us and being with us as we’re nationwide champions. That’s what we did my senior 12 months. It was simply stunning. Coming again, addressing the Cameron Crazies within the crowd and elevating that banner for them.”

Nate James of the Duke Blue Devils strikes with the ball round Max Owens of the North Carolina Tar Heels through the ACC Match Recreation on the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. The Blue Devils defeated the Tar Heels 79-53.
(Craig Jones /Allsport)

James advised it’s the proper second for Duke to beat North Carolina of their Remaining 4 matchup on Saturday night time. North Carolina blew out Duke by 20 factors of their final assembly at Cameron Indoor Stadium and it’s the primary time in match historical past the 2 groups are squaring off towards one another.

“That is storybook,” James informed Fox Information Digital. “They couldn’t have written this up any higher than this turned out to be. So now, our guys simply need to play their video games and care for enterprise and don’t let the emotion of it come into play.”

“I feel that considerably occurred the primary time they performed. All of the emotion, every thing that form of went on that led as much as the sport and earlier than it you’re on the market comatose. With this time, it might probably’t be a lot about final time. Final time, doesn’t matter. The one factor that issues is you deliver your finest sport this time round and also you observe the sport plan, you’re enjoying your butt of on protection and also you’re doing every thing essential to win the sport. That’s what they need to do greater than the rest.”

Blocking out the noise within the days main as much as the Remaining 4 is likely one of the challenges all student-athletes need to face, not to mention beginning down a rivalry sport as one of many largest video games of the 12 months. 

Assistant coach Nate James of the Duke Blue Devils celebrates after he minimize down a chunk of the web following their 61-59 win towards the Butler Bulldogs through the 2010 NCAA Division I Males’s Basketball Nationwide Championship sport at Lucas Oil Stadium on April 5, 2010 in Indianapolis, Indiana.
(Kevin C. Cox/Getty Pictures)

James admitted it’s a tough factor to do.

“It will be laborious. I imply as a coach now and somebody who’s older it was straightforward to say, hey man don’t take into consideration final sport. Don’t give it some thought being your rival. Don’t take into consideration the magnitude that us as followers and former gamers need to throw into the equation, however you actually simply need to deal with the current,” he mentioned.

“They’re going towards an especially proficient staff that believes they’re able to successful all of it. And everybody within the Remaining 4 is worthy of being there they usually simply have to point out up locked into the sport plan. They need to be all-in, play their butts off and simply take into consideration the second and never the rest. I feel the sport’s large enough as will not be to try this so hopefully they’ll attempt to try this. I’m positive the primary couple of minutes they might be a bit of wired up, a bit of extra puffed up however they’ll settle into the sport like they’ve been doing all match.”

New problem

Austin Peay Governors head coach Nate James holds out his arms out questioning a name from officers throughout a sport between the Vanderbilt Commodores and Austin Peay Governors, Dec. 18, 2021, at Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee.
(Matthew Maxey/Icon Sportswire through Getty Pictures)

James was the primary particular person to win a nationwide championship at Duke as a participant and as a coach. He was named Austin Peay’s head coach in April 2021 – the primary head teaching gig of his profession.

The Governors had been 12-17 general and 8-10 within the Ohio Valley Convention in James’ first season.

He talked in regards to the challenges he confronted in his first season on the finish of the bench. He mentioned coming from Duke he wasn’t used to having to construct issues from the “floor up”

“What I needed to overcome is the expectations and the requirements that I’ve, not that I’ll decrease them, however to be a bit of extra affected person to work with them on simply the basics and simply take it day-by-day,” he mentioned. 

“Liked it. A variety of anxious nights however that’s a part of transferring over a chair however in the end, I simply need to observe what Coach Okay has informed me. Take your lecturers, take your data, take every thing that you simply’ve form of skilled and also you make it your personal. Clearly, there’s just one Coach Okay however his recommendation was simply to be genuine to your self and put your personal spin on it. However don’t overlook your values and the rules and the issues that you simply be taught. Educate them elevate your requirements and that’s what my employees and I’ve been attempting to do day-after-day with them.”