It’s a famous story now and in retrospect seems foolish, but in the early 1980’s, Mike Krzyzewski was not popular with some Duke fans and some wanted him gone.
That didn’t happen - then-AD Tom Butters had faith in Krzyzewski and, instead of firing him, gave him an extension and things soon turned around.
But it was not an easy time for anyone around Duke Basketball. The class of 1986 was the foundational class for the Krzyzewski era and Johnny Dawkins was the most important player in that class and, arguably, the most important player in Duke history.