As he picked up the phone and began punching numbers, the Team USA men's basketball coach had a feeling of uncertainty.

After all, Mike Krzyzewski had made a similar call years ago, only to hear Harrison Barnes turn down his pitch to play for the Duke University Blue Devils.

This time, Krzyzewski was offering the former University of North Carolina star a spot on the U.S. Olympic Men's Basketball team.

And this time, Barnes, freshly signed to a four-year, $94.438 million contract by the Dallas Mavericks after spending four seasons with the Golden State Warriors, agreed.

"I thought you were going to say no again," Krzyzewski told Barnes, according to the Raleigh News & Observer.

Perhaps more than agreeing to play for the all-time winningest men’s college basketball coach, it can be argued Barnes said yes to finally being teammates with Cleveland Cavaliers star Kyrie Irving.

Krzyzewski had recruited Barnes and Irving with the idea they would be the cornerstones of the Duke team beginning in 2010, but Barnes settled on the University of North Carolina Tar Heels

Barnes played 75 games spanning two seasons with the Tar Heels before opting to ply his trade in the NBA. He averaged 16.3 points per game and 5.5 rebounds for teams that reached the Elite Eight in both of his two years at Chapel Hill.

Following a loss to second-seeded Kansas in the 2012 Midwest Regional Final, Barnes announced he was leaving North Carolina for the NBA.

"Chapel Hill is a special place. Over the past two years I've enjoyed every single moment of my Tar Heel experience. The road we took to reach the Elite Eight in 2011 and again in 2012 were great team accomplishments. I am thankful to UNC fans, my teammates, and to have played for Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams and the entire coaching staff. Now it's time for the next course of my journey," Barnes said in a statement when he, John Henson and Kendall Marshall announced their decision to opt out of North Carolina. 

Irving, meanwhile, played under Krzyzewski for all of 11 games at Duke before the Cavaliers made the point guard the first overall pick in the 2011 NBA Draft.

Irving suffered a toe injury in the Blue Devils’ 83-48 win over Bradley, which sidelined him until the NCAA Tournament

A few weeks after Duke’s season-ending 93-77 loss to Arizona in the the 2011 Sweet 16, Irving announced he was leaving to go pro.

"It was a great experience playing for Coach K. He taught me a lot about the game. Even when I was hurt, I learned a lot. Also a special thanks goes to the medical staff for getting me back on the court for the NCAA Tournament and my teammates for sticking with me throughout the entire year. Duke offered me an experience I could never have imagined," Irving said in a statement released by Duke.

"This was a special year for me. I love everything about Duke and I'm going to miss it. Duke has a special place in my heart. Even though I'm leaving this year, Duke will always be in my mind and my heart. I'm going to miss putting on that No. 1 jersey," he added.

A little more than five years after saying goodbye to Krzyzewski, Irving will once again be able to call him his coach.

And now he’ll be able to play with Barnes, whom he plans on reminding — along with Draymond Green and Klay Thompson — about the Golden State Warriors' seven-game loss to Irving and the Cavaliers in the NBA Finals.

"There will be a few jabs thrown," Irving told ESPN Radio’s "Mike & Mike" radio show, according to CBS Sports. "There are three Warriors on this team, and I am the current champion, so I will be throwing it in their faces."

Contact Us