Jay Williams Says Coach K Could Return To Duke After Key Assistant's Exit

Don't say goodbye to your coach just yet, Duke fans -- former Blue Devils legend Jay Williams says there's a real possibility Mike Krzyzewski could return to Durham next season ... after one of his top assistants left the program this week.

Williams started the speculation on ESPN Radio's "Keyshawn, JWill, & Max" ... after news came out that assistant/former player Nolan Smith was going to become associate head coach at Louisville under Kenny Payne.

Williams started by saying how happy he was to see Smith get the opportunity at Louisville ... but brought his attention back to Duke and the massive hole that needs to be filled from a recruiting standpoint.

"And it leads me to think, which I’ve been thinking a lot about since I heard this news (Monday), does Coach K come back for another season?" Williams asked. One more final season?"

Of course, the North Carolina Tar Heels defeated Duke, 81-77, on Saturday ... in what was billed as Coach K's final game of his coaching career.

Williams believes Coach K might reconsider handing the keys over to Jon Scheyer now that Smith is gone ... and explains his theory.

"Here’s why I give it a legit chance," Williams said. "If you’re Nolan Smith, and you have a great relationship with all these players, you’re in the (same) conference. You’re at Louisville."

"You’re picking up the phone and [recruiting players from Duke]. It weakens the hold of Duke. If you’re Coach K, how do you strengthen that hold? -- You’re coming back."

The NBA analyst stated that he wasn't speaking on information he heard or knew -- instead, he was speculating on what Coach K MIGHT do.