Nate James’ five-year Duke career was defined by prolific winning and steadfast toughness. The 2001 national champion won the ACC regular-season championship five times, claimed the ACC Tournament three times, and reached a pair of Final Fours. Duke fans will always remember Nate’s selfless play and unwavering commitment. We caught up with Nate to discuss his latest career move (a huge positive for our program), the Krzyzewski Center, this year’s team, and the 2001 national championship run.Nate: I am going to be the assistant strength and conditioning coach if I get the job. It is not official yet but I am hopeful it will be soon. When the guys are there, I would be overseeing things, helping Will (Stephens) out with whatever he needs me to do, whether it is showing guys different techniques, hanging folders — It can be a broad range of responsibilities. It is a great opportunity for me to be around the guys and share some of my experiences with them.
BP: How will you apply your experiences as a former player, great leader, and one of the all-time strongest and toughest Duke guys pound for pound to your new role both in the weight room and on the court?
Nate: Well, the weight room can help to promote a little more swagger. You use the weights to get that edge and that mentality of getting bigger, stronger, faster so when it is time to play, you will be that much more confident. You take that weight room type of attitude onto the court. On the court, since I played under Coach for five years, when the players are going through tough times I can relate, I have been through it. You may be in the dog house right now, but whatever is going on, don’t worry about it. He’s behind you, he wants to make you better, so listen to what he has to tell you, shake it off, and go out there and play the game. Having someone who has been in the trenches can really help our guys get over what they are going through a lot faster.
BP: Do you hope to become a basketball coach in the future?
Nate: Definitely, definitely, that is my goal to one day be a coach and share all the knowledge I have to help players improve and get everything they want out of the game.
BP: What do you think of our new training facility?
Nate: It is amazing. If we didn’t have the number one recruiting tool in Coach K, having that type of facility… You bring a recruit in and you show him that our facilities are better than some NBA teams and that will get him right there. It is has come so far from when I played here. We were sharing a small little weight room with all of Duke Athletics, so to see where they are now is a wonderful thing and I am happy for the young guys.
BP: What are your thoughts on this year’s team?
Nate: I think this year’s team has a lot of potential. I can honestly say this is one of the deepest teams we’ve had. This is a team where it is not just one or two guys really getting the job done. If everyone comes to play, it is 10 guys with the rotations, guys going in and out. We can really be a dominant team because we can come in waves and wear teams out.
BP: You and Shane Battier were the consummate Duke senior leaders in 2001 and the results spoke for themselves. What was your secret back then and is there anything in particular you have shared with DeMarcus?
Nate: Well, I think one of the secrets, if you call it a secret, is just living in the moment. Don’t worry about your future. Just soak it all in because four years here at Duke, in my case five years, they go by so quickly. If you focus on anything but the moment, you can lose out on something special. Constantly working on your game, developing relationships with your teammates, having that “us against the world” attitude, that can propel you to some wonderful things. When I was here, we worked hard every day, we enjoyed the battles, we enjoyed the camaraderie. I told DeMarcus, “You are a senior, this is the year you are going to be remembered. So, it is your responsibility to check your teammates, to be the captain, to be the senior and say ‘Hey this is my year, this is our year to do great things, and I want to keep it on track.’”
