DURHAM, NC - Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski couldn't get back on the bench for the second half of Tuesday night's game against Wake Forest, but he had a message for his team after they took a nearly 19-point lead .
"He said we need to play smarter," said forward Wendell Moore Jr.
Duke went on to win 76–74, thanks to a follow-up dunk by Mark Williams and a long run from Wake's Damari Monsanto, who came out hard on the buzzer, but the biggest story was the 75-year-old's coach's absence. , received medical treatment in the second half for what the school called the disease.
Krzyzewski was in his usual position near the end of Duke's bench for the first half, as the Blue Devils took a 42-33 lead, but Moore said it was clear the coach "wasn't on his own." Moore checked Krzyzewski's condition several times, but was assured there were no problems.
In the locker room at halftime, however, Moore stated that Krzyzewski was feeling dizzy and informed the team that assistant John Scherer would coach the rest.
The skier, set to take over the program upon Krzyzewski's retirement at the end of the season, said he was initially concerned about Krzyzewski's well-being, but quickly turned his attention to helping the team win.
"Clearly the coaches themselves were not, not perfect," Scheer said. "I told the team that they need to focus on taking care of themselves, and they need to move on and take care of the second half and do what we need to do. It's all about our game plan. Our men were focused on getting the coach and our team to win."
Wake Forest coach Steve Forbes said he noticed at the start of the second half that Krzyzewski had not returned to the bench and was concerned about his well-being. During the under-16 timeout, he waved to Duke assistant Chris Caraway to inquire about Krzyzewski's health and was given a thumbs-up.
"I've got a lot of respect for that guy," Forbes said. "He's been really, really nice to me and I hope he's feeling fine."
For skiers, it was a sneak peak at what life could be like next season. While he has previously filled in for Krzyzewski, he said Tuesday's game was his first coaching team at home with fans in the stands.
"It was much better," he said.
Scheer said he spoke with Krzyzewski after the game and that the coach was feeling better. Duke's next game is against Florida State on Saturday.
"He needs some rest," said the skier. "But he's in a much better place, especially since we got that win."