Opponents, Dates Set For Duke's Invitational

The Duke men’s basketball program announced details about the long-rumored invitational the Blue Devils will be hosting at Cameron Indoor Stadium.

The event was organized after the Blue Devils chose to withdraw from the Battle4Atlantis, which was being moved from the Bahamas to South Dakota.

The event will be called the Mako Medical Duke Classic Honoring Dr. Onye E. Akwari. Duke and Howard will co-host the multi-team event (MTE) with a total of four games taking place at the two schools between Dec. 4 and Dec. 8.

As co-hosts, Duke and Howard will not meet in the event.

Duke will play Bellarmine on Dec. 4 and Elon on Dec. 6. Howard plays Bellarmine at home on Dec. 6 and Elon on Dec. 8. Times and TV have not yet been announced.

The honoree of the tournament, Dr. Akwari, was the first-African-American surgeon on the faculty at Duke.

“Dr. Akwari not only did amazing things medically for Duke University, but he really helped our program, starting in the 1980s when I arrived,” said Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Dr. Akwari was a mentor to some of our young men like Tommy Amaker, Johnny Dawkins, Billy King and many others. He is one of the great human beings in the history of our University and although he has passed, his wife Anne remains a vibrant member of our Duke and Durham communities.”

Howard is coached by former Blue Devil Kenny Blakeney, and former Duke players Tyler Thornton and Thomas Hill are on the staff.

“Howard University, coached by one of our former players, Kenny Blakeney, is a co-host, and we felt it important at this time to have one of the great Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU),” said Krzyzewski. “It gives us and the other teams an opportunity for two additional games, and gives all an opportunity to honor such a great man in Dr. Akwari.”

“The connections for so many of us trace back to our time at Duke, and to those who invested in me not only as a player, but as a person and as a man,” said Blakeney. “Dr. Akwari was one of those people who showed incredible kindness and support while serving as an exemplary model, scholar, administrator, and African-American male. I welcome the opportunity to extend his legacy by expanding those roots from Nigeria to Duke and now to Howard, often referred to as ‘The Mecca.’ I believe Dr. Akwari would be proud to see myself, as well as fellow Duke alums Thomas Hill and Tyler Thornton together at Howard while training the next generation of student-athletes in a similar fashion.”

Elon is coached by Mike Schrage, who served for nine years as Duke’s recruiting coordinator and then director of basketball operations. He also worked on Coach K’s staff with Team USA and was a longtime assistant for Johnny Dawkins at Stanford.

Duke played Bellarmine in an exhibition game prior to the 2011-12 season, following the then Division II team’s national championship.