Mike Krzyzewski was already a Hall of Fame coach by the time he saw Greg Paulus play at Syracuse’s Christian Brothers Academy. Krzyzewski had already taken Duke to a Final Four when Paulus was born.

Now every time the Blue Devils play, there’s a chance it could be the final game in the career of the winningest coach in men’s basketball history. Paulus was not one of 96 former players to attend Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium on March 5 — Niagara played its regular season finale earlier that day —  but he has carved time recently to visit his former mentor.

Paulus flew to Durham to see Duke play in February and then went to the ACC Championship in Brooklyn after his Niagara squad saw its season come to an end in the MAAC quarterfinals two days earlier.

The idea that Krzyzewski won’t coach beyond this season has yet to truly sink in for Paulus. The idea of seeing anyone else be the head coach at Duke is strange, even if it is former teammate and friend Jon Scheyer.

“We all wanted this year to be a special year for him,” Paulus said. “I’m so glad that everybody has had a chance to honor him in different ways, appreciate all he’s done for the game. There’s been an unbelievable amount of appreciation and it’s well deserved for what he’s done for the game.”

“What he’s done for the game of basketball is truly remarkable,” Paulus added. “... When you start to think about the amount of wins and records and what he’s done, I just consider myself lucky to be able to play for him for four years and be a part of his journey.”

Paulus’s introduction to Krzyzewski came at the Nike All-American Camp in Indianapolis prior to his sophomore year of high school. They developed a relationship over time and Krzyzewski even came to watch Paulus — who was a high school All-American quarterback and point guard — at football practice.

Coming out of high school, Paulus picked Duke over Syracuse, Notre Dame, North Carolina and Xavier, while also having multiple offers to play football. At one point, he considered playing quarterback for the Blue Devils in addition to basketball.

Upon arriving at Duke, Paulus was thrust into the starting lineup immediately. He was the starting point guard in all but eight games his first three seasons, playing more than 30 minutes per game. But his playing time was sliced in half as a senior and only started five of the team’s 31 games.

Although Paulus’ assists and steals plummeted, his scoring production did not decrease, shifting from a floor general to Duke’s top 3-point threat. Pro basketball dreams disappeared and he took a shot at making the jump to football, playing one season with Syracuse as a graduate student.

Paulus began mentioning his desire to be a basketball coach toward the end of his time at Duke, but he says the idea came much sooner. During his recruitment, Krzyzewski asked what Paulus wanted to study. He was undecided, but knew he wanted to coach.

“I knew early on that I was passionate about coaching,” Paulus said. “I just tried to follow my heart and follow my passion.”

After a decade of jobs as an assistant, Paulus landed at Niagara, originally thinking he was going to be an assistant. But when Patrick Beilein took a leave of absence shortly after starting, he finally got a job as a head coach in 2019.

He is currently one of nine former Duke players serving as a head coach in Division I or the NBA. One bit of advice Krzyzewski offered was to make sure Paulus found his own identity as a coach rather than trying to copy someone else.

Paulus has not only developed his own style, but he incorporates philosophies from each of his stops, including Duke and from Ohio State, where he was an assistant under Thad Matta.

“We try to invest in people (at Niagara) and that’s something I learned (from Krzyzewski),” Paulus said. “... You take those different experiences and apply them within yourself and also at moments where you may need them to relate and connect to your team.”

While Paulus does not exhibit the rage Krzyzewski has been known for at times, there is no question he shares the same energetic nature and desire to create relationships with players. But the biggest stamp Krzyzewski has that Paulus attempts to duplicate at Niagara is setting standards to attain daily.

“When you see the preparation he puts in every day, you would have no idea he’s won five national championships,” Paulus said. “He works like he has something to prove every day. The standards he has for himself and others — that’s what we try to do (at Niagara).”

Duke opens NCAA Tournament play against No. 15 Cal State Fullerton at 7:10 p.m. tonight.

Nick Sabato can be reached via email at nick.sabato@gnnewspaper.com or on Twitter @NickSabatoGNN.

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