Another Sign of Duke Basketball 'Brotherhood' Coaching Prowess

Former four-year Duke basketball guard and 2010 national champion Jon Scheyer boasts a 124-25 overall record through his first four seasons as head coach of the Blue Devils, marking the most wins of any Division I head coach across their first four years at the helm. But the 39-year-old is by no means the only member of "The Brotherhood" excelling in the college coaching ranks nowadays.

Two former Duke basketball players each guided an HBCU program to the NCAA Tournament last season. And those two head coaches, Howard's Kenny Blakeney and Tennessee State's Nolan Smith, are now set to have their 2026-27 squads square off against each other during NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix.

As The Field of 68's Jeff Goodman first reported on Tuesday morning, Howard and Tennessee State will head to Phoenix in February as this year's invites to the NBA HBCU Classic.

Howard will play Tennessee State in NBA HBCU Classic at NBA All-Star Weekend in Phoenix, source told @TheFieldOf68.

Both programs coming off NCAA tourney appearances and feature Duke national champions as coaches - Kenny Blakeney (Howard) and Nolan Smith (Tennessee State).
— Jeff Goodman (@GoodmanHoops) October 13, 2026

An official NBA Communications release confirmed the matchup:

"The NBA today announced that the 2027 NBA HBCU Classic presented by AT&T will feature the Howard University and Tennessee State University men’s basketball teams on Saturday, Feb. 20, at Hardwood Central within Jam Session (Phoenix Convention Center), as part of NBA All-Star 2027 in Phoenix.

"Tennessee State University will make their first appearance participating in the Classic, while Howard University will compete for the second time after capturing a win in the inaugural NBA HBCU Classic in 2022. The 2027 NBA HBCU Classic will air on ESPN and NBA TV at 12 p.m. MT."

THE STAGE IS SET. 🌵🏀

Tennessee State vs. Howard. NBA All-Star Weekend. Phoenix, Arizona. ⭐️

The Tigers are headed to the big stage. pic.twitter.com/72GCEsHViG
— Tennessee State University (@TSUedu) October 13, 2026

Duke Basketball Champ Kenny Blakeney in Eighth Year as Head Coach

Blakeney, who was a freshman reserve guard on the 1991-92 Duke basketball national championship squad and whose Bison staff includes 2000-01 Blue Devil national champion Nate James, has posted just a 97-107 overall record across seven seasons at Howard. However, he took over a program that hadn't reached the NCAA Tournament since 1992, and it has now played in March Madness in three of the past four years.

I asked Kenny Blakeney how much he misses having Tyler Thornton on his staff and how much he now enjoys having Nate James by his side.

It's safe to say the 1992 Duke basketball national champ sincerely appreciates The Brotherhood connection as much as anyone: pic.twitter.com/BBjtUe4pkz
— Matt Giles (@MattGilesBD) November 24, 2025

Last season, Blakeney's Bison traveled to Cameron Indoor Stadium to face the 2025-26 Blue Devils as part of the The Brotherhood Run. Duke prevailed, 93-56.

Duke Basketball Champ Nolan Smith in Second Season Leading Tigers

As a first-year head coach last season, 2010 Duke basketball national champion guard and former Blue Devil assistant Nolan Smith, who was Jon Scheyer's teammate in Durham for three years, posted a 23-10 overall record as Tennessee State punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 22 years.

Smith, the 2011 ACC Player of the Year, became the Ohio Valley Conference Co-Coach of the Year after guiding the Tigers to a 15-5 mark in conference play and the OVC Tournament title.

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