Duke legend Chris Duhon takes on new role as high school basketball coach in North Carolina

By Mark Bergin, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

Gastonia, N.C. — Duke basketball legend and former NBA point guard Chris Duhon is starting a new job this school year as the head boys basketball coach at Gaston Christian School.

Duhon, 40, will have the opportunity to coach his teenage son in his new role.

“He’s actually in the toughest position just because of being the coach’s son, he has … to go above and beyond to kind of prove himself to give him an opportunity to play,” Duhon said of his son.

Duhon takes over for Gabriel Blair, who left to take the head basketball coach at Knoxville Catholic High School in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Last year, Duhon moved his family to the Charlotte area after his wife got a job as a math professor at Davidson College. Plus, his mom calls the state of North Carolina home.

“My oldest son, he’s going to be a freshman this year, and he was like, ‘Dad, I want you to coach me. That would be awesome,’’” Duhon said. “It’s kind of like, alright, you’ve got to be careful what you wish for.”

Duhon, a father of five kids, must now balance the role of coach, dad and husband.

“I’m still kind of learning as I go with that,” Duhon said. “I already told him you can’t be calling me ‘dad’ on the court.

“That’s going to make everyone run.”

Gaston Christian returns 6’11” big man Makoi Mabor Marier and 6’3” guard Joe Rhyne for their senior seasons along with 5’11” sophomore guard Cameron Newman. The school is coming off a 23-10 season.

“I tell this to my son all the time, ‘You have to want it. You have to want it more than I want it for you,’” Duhon said. “If it becomes to a point to where I’m the one waking you up to go get extra shots or do what you need to do, then you’re only going to get so far.”

Coaching the next generation of basketball players

Since retiring as a player, Duhon served as an assistant coach at Marshall (2014-2017) and Illinois State (2018-2019). He also served as the director of scouting and video analytics for Bryant University from 2021-2023.

Duhon played for the Chicago Bulls (2004-2008), the New York Knicks (2008-2010), Orlando Magic (2010-2012) and Los Angeles Lakers (2012-2013).

At Duke, Duhon was a four-year starter and won the national championship in 2001.

Great players and coaches have surrounded Duhon during his basketball career. He explained what he hopes to pass down to the next generation of players.

“Everybody wants things to happen right away without going through the process and the learning curves and the ups and downs that are needed, and I think that helps mature you and grow you as a person, and as a player, they want it instantly,” Duhon said. “So, just telling them to be patient.

“It’s a process, and there’s a price you have to pay. [There are] the sacrifices that you have to make in order to get to those higher levels.”

Duhon mentioned several NBA players he played with and against who now have sons that are playing basketball at a high level. It includes:

• Kenyon Martin Jr., the son of Kenyan Martin
• Bronny James and Bryce James, the sons of LeBron James
• Kiyan Anthony, the son of Carmelo Anthony
• Cameron and Cayden Boozer, star prospects of the 2025 high school class and sons of Carlos Boozer

“You feel the sense of pride that you’re able to play with and also compete against those guys, and now see their kids move and just see the difference in the style of games,” Duhon said. “They all are kind of putting their unique style to their [game] to where they’re not completely mimicking their father’s games and things like that.”

Playing at Duke from 2000-2004

Duhon came to Duke in 2000 having come off a high school senior season at Salmen High School in Slidell, Louisiana, where he won Mr. Basketball in the state and was a McDonald’s All-American.

“My freshman year, the ACC was loaded,” Duhon said.

Duhon said his “welcome to the ACC” moment came against Clemson guard Will Solmon, who finished the 2000-2001 season as the conference fourth-leading scorer at 19.7 points per game.

“He was just a straight bucket-getter,” Duhon said of Solomon. “And, we played them, and it was just like, ok, this guy is different.”

In Duhon’s first game against Solomon on Jan. 7, 2001, Duke won in a 115-74 blowout win. While Solomon extended his school record of consecutive double-figure scoring games to 45, Duhon helped limit him to just 13 points.

In Duhon’s second game against Solomon on Feb. 7, 2001, Duke won 81-64 and limited Solomon to 11 points. At one point, Solomon had 52 consecutive double-figure scoring games at Clemson.

Duhon called the ACC a “gauntlet” due to the fierce competition.

“It was just non-stop competition throughout the league, and it was just kind of like, this league is different because there [are] really no cupcakes in your conference at all and every single game matters because that’s just how talented everybody was,” Duhon said.

On Feb. 24, 2001, Duhon hit a running, off-balance 15-footer at the buzzer to beat Wake Forest, 82-80.

Later that month, Boozer, the team’s starting center, broke a bone in his right foot. It prompted Duke to start Duhon in his absence. Boozer did end up coming back in a bench role in late March.

“You couldn’t ask for a better group of guys,” Duhon said of his college coaches and college teammates.

The 2000-2001 team featured several future NBA players in Shane Battier, Jay Williams, Mike Dunleavy, Carlos Boozer and Dahntay Jones. The team won the national championship over Arizona. The Wildcats featured Gilbert Arenas, Luke Walton and Richard Jefferson.

Duhon also credited several of Duke’s assistant coaches, who ended up becoming head coaches themselves.

It includes:

• Chris Collins, now the head coach at Northwestern
• Johnny Dawkins, now the head coach at the University of Central Florida
• Steve Wojciechowski, now the head coach of the Salt Lake City Stars in the NBA G League

At Duke, Duhon also played alongside future NBA players JJ Redick, Luol Deng, Sheldon Williams and Daniel Ewing. Duhon said the competition every single day helped him improve as a player.

“Not only were they really, really great basketball players, but they are great people,” Duhon said. “People that I am still friends with today and still stay in contact with today.”

Like any truly great point guard, Duhon had a strong rapport with his head coach. Duhon’s relationship with Mike Krzyzewski is no exception.

“One of the great things that Coach K does, which makes him the best coach, is that he develops relationships,” Duhon said.

Duhon said Krzyzewski was tough and made his teams earn the success they achieved.

“There was a standard that we had as a program, and then, obviously, there is a standard that he has for you individually, and anything short of that, he was going to let you know in knowing that … you could push yourself to be better and that you can get better,” Duhon said. “And, that was something that was very, very important for all of us because it just taught us kind of how life is.

“Like, you’re not going to be given anything. You’re going to have to put in the work, put in the time, put in the dedication.”

Duhon also said each year Duke would bring in a new group of McDonald’s All-American players.

“No matter what you did the season before, that has nothing to do [with the current team],” Duhon said. “It was a completely new year.

“[Krzyzewski] coached every one of my teams completely [differently]. And so, just to be able to see him adjust day in and day out and hold everyone accountable, it was just something that we can take … for the rest of our lives.”

During Duhon’s sophomore and junior seasons, Duke made it to the Sweet 16.

Duhon and Duke were poised to get back to the national championship during the 2003-2004 season.

In the 2004 game against North Carolina in Chapel Hill, Duhon hit a game-winning reverse layup with 6.5 seconds left in overtime. It was Roy Williams’ first time coaching against Duke at the Dean Smith Center in Chapel Hill.

“You can’t ask for anything more, and then, especially being a senior, my last time being in that arena, to leave them with me hitting a layup as the last memory that they’re going to have, it just meant a lot,” Duhon said. “They were obviously really, really good that year.

“We were really, really good that year, and I mean, the game was incredible. [An] overtime game. Big shots after big shots, and just being in that atmosphere and being in that moment and [to] be able to achieve that was something that was very special that I get to talk about all the time.”

Duhon likes having bragging rights over his friend and former North Carolina guard Raymond Felton.

“It’s kind of my ace of spades that I can always pull out and say, ‘Hey, remember that reverse layup that I put on you to win the game?’”

In 2003-2004, Duke made it all the way to the Final Four, losing 79-78 to eventual national champion UConn, which featured future Chicago Bulls teammate Ben Gordon and second-overall pick Emeka Okafor.

Duhon made a 38-foot heave at the buzzer, which cost gamblers dearly considering Duke was a 2.5-point underdog.

Duhon finished his career as Duke's all-time leader in steals (300) and minutes played (4,813), and second in assists (819).

Duke compiled a 123–21 record in Duhon’s four years, making him the second-winningest player in Duke and Atlantic Coast Conference history, behind Battier (131 wins).

Playing for the ‘Baby Bulls’ and head coach Scott Skiles

The Chicago Bulls selected Duhon with the 38th pick in the second round of the 2004 NBA Draft.

“We were basically a college team,” Duhon said.

Duhon, Gordon and Kirk Hinrich were part of a backcourt that led the “Baby Bulls” to three consecutive playoff appearances. Duhon also had familiarity with Deng, his teammate on the Bulls and at Duke. The group led the Bulls to the postseason for the first time since Michael Jordan retired in 1998.

“All of us were really, really young, just trying to make our marks in the league,” Duhon said. “[We] didn’t know how kind of how the NBA worked quote on quote, so [Coach Scott Skiles] was able to coach us hard, and we didn’t know any better.”

Duhon played in all 82 games as a rookie, averaging 5.9 points and 4.9 assists per game. His best game as a rookie came in a comeback win against the Atlanta Hawks. Duhon hit 8 of 9 three-pointers, scoring 24 points. Gordon tied the franchise record a season later.

Duhon said he was appreciative of Skiles, who was a hard-nosed NBA point guard in his own right. Skiles still holds the NBA record for most assists in a game with 30. Skiles, who stands at 6’1”, also is known for fighting Shaquille O’Neal in practice. O'Neal stands at 7’1” and weighed more than 300 pounds as a player.

“[I’m] very appreciative of him,” Duhon said of Skiles. “Obviously, being a guard, being a guy that had to grind his way in the NBA with his career.

“He gave, obviously, his guards a lot of freedom to kind of run the team and be who we are, and he held us accountable. I think that’s one of the things that, obviously, learning that from Coach K that he kind of mimicked to where we wanted to be the best defensive team out there.”

Duhon said Skiles had the team play a specific coverage when defending the pick-and-roll. The goal was to keep the ball near the sideline and not let the offensive guard go over the top on a pick-and-roll. If the defender allowed the guard to get over the top, Skiles would substitute the player out of the game.

“It was genius in a way because it was in our heads,” Duhon said. “It just kind of developed that mindset and mentality for us.”

The Bulls had two first-round playoff exits and lost in the conference semifinals in 2007.

Skiles was fired after a 9-16 start in the 2007-2008 season. Later in the season, the Bulls traded away Ben Wallace and Joe Smith to the Cleveland Cavaliers for Larry Hughes and Drew Gooden.

On Feb. 7, 2008, Duhon played one of his best games as a pro, scoring a career-high 34 points along with 9 assists, 3 steals, 2 rebounds and 4 three-pointers. His contract expired at the end of the 2007-2008 season, in which the Bulls missed the playoffs.

“I wasn't happy with playing time and during those moments, I became really selfish,” Duhon said. “My energy level was kind of like a not-care attitude to where I wasn’t preparing as hard as I could have prepared, I wasn’t putting in the extra work that I should have been putting in.”

About 20 games left in the season, Duhon said he had a conversation with former Bulls player Adrian Griffin, who is renowned for his work ethic in NBA circles. Griffin is now the head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and the father of former Duke forward A.J. Griffin, who plays for the Hawks.

“He was just like, ‘Hey, man, you’re being evaluated every single day, not only by your team, your coaching staff, but every arena [there are] coaches, [there are] scouts, there’s someone out there that if the Bulls are not the right fit for you, they may want to bring you to you to their locker room,’” Duhon said. “‘And, if you’re going out there with this nonchalant attitude and you’re not putting in the work, why would they trust in bringing you to their organization as well?’”

In July 2008, Duhon agreed to a two-year deal worth nearly $12 million to play for the New York Knicks.

On Nov. 29, 2009, Duhon set the record for more assists in a single game for a Knicks player with 22. The 2008-2009 season was Duhon’s best as a pro, starting 78 games, averaging 36.8 minutes per game, 11.1 points per game and 7.2 assists per game.

Duhon played for the Knicks through the 2009-2010 season. He signed with the Magic on a four-year deal in July 2010. He played for the Magic through 2012 alongside Dwight Howard and Jameer Nelson.

In August 2012, Duhon and Howard were traded to the Los Angeles Lakers. Duhon played with the Lakers alongside Kobe Bryant. Duhon was waived in June 2013.

Role of NIL, transfer portal and social media

Duhon laughed when asked how he would handle making money off NIL, the ease of the transfer portal and the role of social media if he were a young basketball player.

“I have no idea [how I’d handle it],’” Duhon said. “How immature I was back then, man.”

Duhon said 17-year-old and 18-year-old athletes are still developing. He said many times, they are faced with making adult decisions.

“I try not to judge and everyone’s situation is completely different,” Duhon said.

Duhon said he misses the rivalries when players used to stay in school for several years. He mentioned his rivalries with Felton at UNC, Steve Blake at Maryland and Juan Dixon at Maryland.

However, Duhon said he understands the role and importance of student-athletes being able to make money off their NIL.

“It’s become a business,” Duhon said. “You [have] to also understand people’s situation as well. A lot of these kids don’t come from money, and you start throwing out figures like that to where they can help their families and things like that, it makes sense that you see these guys make the jump from [school] to [school] to be able to help their families.”

Duhon mentioned how high school athletes are ultimately the ones getting hurt by the transfer portal. He said how a student-athlete with years of experience playing collegiately tends to be more sought after than a recruit without any collegiate playing experience.

“I think at the end of the day, that’s where [basketball] is getting hurt the most is the high school seniors that are obviously not your top 50 [players], but the ones beyond that … guys that are going to have to grind … because they now have to make decisions [quickly],” Duhon said.

Role of dad

As Duhon navigates moving from coaching at the college to the high school level, his five children keep him busy. He enjoys golfing when he can.

"With five kids, my day never stops," Duhon said. "It's basketball, it's dance, it's cheerleading, it's soccer.

"Someone has something going on every single day."

Duhon said he's excited for the start of the school year, which means he gets closer to the start of basketball season.

"It's funny, man. You used to dread the first couple of days to now you're like, circling [it] on the calendar," Duhon said. "Like, you can't wait."

Gaston Christian is set to start its basketball season on Nov. 14 against Greensboro Day School.