NEW ORLEANS — Glenn Farello saw the fire in Jeremy Roach’s eyes when he was 14 years old. 
The coach for St. Paul VI High School in Chantilly, Virginia, said the same fearlessness that’s been on display in Duke’s NCAA Tournament run to reach the Final Four against North Carolina is what differentiated Roach at a young age. Farello coached the 20-year-old to two state championships. 
“When the game is on the line, he wants the ball in his hands, that’s not something you can coach,” said Farello. “Whenever there’s a big moment, that’s when he wants the ball in his hands. There was this one (high school) playoff game I remember we were down 14 and he took over in the fourth quarter where we came back and won.”
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Duke has seen similar Roach-led rallies this March. Coach Mike Krzyzewski’s decision to start Roach at the beginning of the NCAA Tournament has helped the Blue Devils (32-6) hit their stride. Roach had 15 points apiece in Duke wins over Michigan State and Texas Tech – games that saw the 6-1 floor general make clutch plays down the stretch. 
“Jeremy’s had a terrific year and he’s a sophomore,” Krzyzewski said after the Michigan State win. “Along the way, you’re going to have ups and downs. He’s had many more ups than downs.”
Tyus Jones, the point guard for Duke’s last national title game in 2015, said he’s seen Roach evolve into being arguably the most important player on this team for Krzyzewski, who is set to retire at the end of the tournament. 
“The role (of point guard) is to be an extension of the coach on the court; to be able to control the game and get quality possessions for the full 40 minutes,” Jones said. “It can come down to one possession. Just knowing when to pick your spots and when to create for yourself and create for others. I think Jeremy has been doing a great job of that during the postseason.”
Jones said Krzyzewski allows players to develop by playing with freedom instead of pigeon holing them in a rigid system. 
“(Coach K) doesn’t want to have to tell you what to do or tell you what to look for,” Jones said. “He wants you to know and to play off instinct and confidence. I think we’ve seen Jeremy take that and go in the tournament and it’s taken this team to another level.”
That trust didn’t come overnight for Roach, though. In his freshman season, when Duke missed the NCAAs for the first time since 1995, Roach’s decision making was suspect on when to drive or shoot from the outside.
“Obviously, last year didn’t go as we planned it, but this year we came back hungry. I think just getting to this point, all the hard work has paid off since June,” Roach said.. 
Associate head coach Jon Scheyer, Krzyzewski’s replacement and a point guard himself on the Blue Devils’ 2010 title-winning team, has been instrumental in developing Roach’s close-game intuition. 
“It’s a lot of credit to the coaching staff, Coach K and Coach Scheyer for believing in him to get there,” said Farello, who has four total former players from St. Paul VI, including Duke teammate Trevor Keels, Villanova starter Brandon Slater and North Carolina’s Anthony Harris.
“It took a while for him to find his rhythm. There were times early on where he wasn’t as decisive, but now you can see he plays with a sense of purpose when he has the ball in his hands. It doesn’t surprise me at all to see him playing at the level he’s playing at.”
That chip on his shoulders, Farello said, could come from Roach’s journey tearing his ACL in his junior year of high school and having to fight back from it. 
“When I see him now, I’m like, ‘that’s the Jeremy I know.’ What attracted him to Duke was he wanted to play on the biggest stage,” Farello said. “He didn’t just want to be a piece of it, he wanted to be a significant contributor with the game on the line. That’s where he’s at now.” 
Contributing: David Thompson of the USA TODAY Network. 
Follow college basketball reporter Scott Gleeson on Twitter @ScottMGleeson. 

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