Coach K and Jon Scheyer welcome Duke legend ahead of Cooper Flagg and his team's second exhibition game
Ahead of Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils' second exhibition game against Arizona State, head coach Jon Scheyer and Coach K hosted a special guest. Bobby Hurley, former Duke All-American guard and current Sun Devils coach, made his return to Cameron Indoor on Sunday night.
Hurley played for the Blue Devils under coach Mike Krzyzewski from 1989 to 1993, during which he went to the Final Four three times and helped lead Duke to back-to-back national championships in 1991 and 1992.
Alongside his All-American teammates Christian Laettner and Grant Hill, Hurley won Final Four Most Outstanding Player honours in 1992 and earned himself a first-team All-American selection in 1993.
Bobby Hurley - A Duke royalty
Hurley wrote himself into Duke University lore by becoming the all-time assists leader in the NCAA, recording 1076 assists during his career and the Blue Devils' single-game assist leader with 16.
His Duke jersey number, 11, was retired in 1993 in honour of his achievements inside Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Before Sunday's tip off, Hurley received a standing ovation from the Duke faithful when he came out of the visiting tunnel. He then joined Scheyer and Krzyzewski at midcourt to acknowledge the Duke Brotherhood ties that had brought them together.
Speaking to the Associated Press, Jon Scheyer gushed about his admiration for Hurley.
"It's an honour to have Bobby back here," he said. "I've been a huge fan of his ever since I've watched college basketball.
"So to have that moment before the game with him and Coach K meant a lot to me, hopefully meant a lot to him," he added.
Cooper Flagg catches the spotlight at Duke
However, it wasn't all positive for Hurley's return to Duke. The respect and love shown pregame was not reflected during the game, as Cooper Flagg and the Blue Devils pounded Hurley's Sun Devils 103-47.
Flagg put up nine points, three assists, and four rebounds while shooting 3-of-9 from the floor.
The demolition job came straight off the heels of Duke's 107-56 win over the Lincoln University Lions last Saturday, where Cooper Flagg dropped 22 points and dished out six assists.
It's probably way too early to put Flagg into 'royalty' status at Duke, but there's zero doubt that his potential to become one of the greatest college athletes is sky-high.
The Blue Devils will begin their season on Monday, Nov. 4, versus Flagg's native Maine.