Kenny Blakeney Gives New Opportunity to Fellow Duke Basketball Champ

Kenny Blakeney was a member of the 1992 Duke basketball national championship squad. Nine years later, Nate James was a leader for the 2001 Blue Devils on their path to cutting down the nets in April. Now, decades later, the 48-year-old James is set to join forces with the 53-year-old Blakeney in coaching a Howard program that has reached the NCAA Tournament in two of the past three years.

Apr 5, 2025; San Antonio, TX, USA; Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer reacts against the Houston Cougars during the first half in the semifinals of the men's Final Four of the 2025 NCAA Tournament at Alamodome. Mandatory Credit: Scott Wachter-Imagn Images | Scott Wachter-Imagn Images

The Bisons, now undeniably at least a respectable March threat under Blakeney's command, announced the addition of James as an assistant coach on Wednesday night. And via the following post, Howard's social media team recognized the former five-year Blue Devil forward as a three-time national champ, as he was also an assistant under Mike Krzyzewski for the 2010 and 2015 title runs.

#TheBrotherhood 🤝🏿 #thedreamfactory🦬🔵🔴

Excited to welcome 3-time national champion and Duke alum Nate James to the staff for the 25/26 season!#howarduniversity pic.twitter.com/ggc9lWlZzD
— Howard Men’s Basketball (@HUMensBB) October 16, 2025

About Nate James

Nate James arrives on the Howard bench in his and Blakeney's hometown of Washington, D.C., just a little over two years after being fired by Austin Peay following his two seasons as the Governors' head coach. The former McDonald's All-American out of Saint John's Catholic Prep in Buckeystown, Md., finished with a 21-39 overall record at the helm in Clarksville, Tenn.

He was on Kryzewski's staff in Durham from 2009 to 2021 after playing professionally for a handful of years overseas.

And James made several trips back to Cameron Indoor Stadium over the past two seasons, checking in on the Blue Devils from time to time as the program has thrived under the leadership of 2010 Duke basketball national championship point guard Jon Scheyer.

In 2023, with the help of then-Howard assistant coach Tyler Thornton, who is now entering his first season as an assistant on Scheyer's bench, Blakeney guided the Bisons to the program's first NCAA Tournament appearance in over 30 years, the school's first such nod since Blakeney was a freshman at Duke. That was just his fourth season as head coach.

Former Duke basketball guard Kenny Blakeney — Mar 15, 2023; Des Moines, IA, USA; Howard Bison head coach Kenny Blakeney speaks during the press conference before their opening round game of the NCAA tournament in Des Moines at Wells Fargo Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Howard returned to March Madness the following year by repeating as MEAC Tournament champs. But last season, Blakeney's Bisons fell short of a Big Dance bid after posting a subpar 12-20 overall record.

Blakeney, who was a reserve guard for the Blue Devils but saw his playing time grow to 17.9 minutes per game as a senior during the program's lackluster 1994-95 campaign, now has a 73-96 overall record across his six seasons as the Howard basketball head coach.

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