No. 19 Duke will be without this coach and player at No. 20 Virginia Tech due to illness
Illnesses not diagnosed as COVID-19 will leave Duke without one player and an assistant coach for Tuesday night’s game at Virginia Tech.
Assistant coach Chris Carrawell and freshman forward Henry Coleman did not make the trip to Blacksburg, Virginia, for the No. 19 Blue Devils’ ACC game with No. 20 Virginia Tech at Cassell Coliseum.
Duke in a release said both are sick but both have tested negative for COVID-19 as part of the team’s daily testing protocols.
The Blue Devils (5-2, 3-0 ACC) will also be without 6-9 reserve center Patrick Tapé, who will miss his third consecutive game with a back injury.
Duke will have 6-9 freshman forward Jalen Johnson in uniform for the first time since a Dec. 8 loss to Illinois. Johnson has missed Duke’s last three games with a foot injury. The preseason all-ACC selection returned to practice on Sunday after receiving medical clearance.
A decision on whether or not he’ll play tonight will be made prior to tipoff against the Hokies (9-2, 3-1 ACC).
Blue Devils missing big interior players
On Monday, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said the lack of interior players is concerning for the Blue Devils. Tapé and the 6-7 Coleman were a small part of that rotation. Mark Williams, a 7-foot freshman center, will be Duke’s lone true post player available for Tuesday night’s game.
“We don’t have any big guys,” Krzyzewski said. “You lose two guys like that and, even though our perimeter has done a great job, we need to get those guys back.”
With Johnson sidelined, 6-9 sophomore Matthew Hurt, a strong 3-point shooter, has served as Duke’s main interior player. Hurt’s game is just as suited to playing on the perimeter as it is inside, though. He leads the ACC in scoring at 19.6 points per game while averaging 8.1 rebounds. He’s made 43.2% of his 3-point shots.
Williams has started four games and has played in all seven of the Blue Devils’ games but has averaged just 6.9 minutes of play per game. Tapé (5.3 minutes per game in three games) and Coleman (2.4 minutes per game over five games) have played even less.
This is the second game in the last three that Duke’s coaching staff will be shorthanded. Krzyzewski was not on the bench for Duke’s 83-82 win over Boston College last Wednesday at Cameron Indoor Stadium as he was quarantining after close contact with his daughter, Debbie Savarino, and granddaughter, Emmie Savarino, who both tested positive for COVID-19.
After testing negative daily during his 10-day quarantine, Krzyzewski returned to coach the Blue Devils to their 79-68 win over Wake Forest on Saturday.
Duke at Virginia Tech
When: 7 p.m., Tuesday
Where: Cassell Coliseum, Blacksburg, Virginia
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published January 12, 2021 at 11:29 AM with the headline "No. 19 Duke will be without this coach and player at No. 20 Virginia Tech due to illness."