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It's all a little much for Julian Smith to comprehend--the all-time winningest coach in Division I college basketball history writing him a letter.
"I'm going to be real. I didn't think it was real at first," said the Tulsa- area middle school basketball player.
He got the letter from Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski last week. An AmeriCorps worker and a teacher at the school reached out to Coach K, and Coach K responded.
"When it came into the office, and everyone was like 'Duke wrote back,'" said AmeriCorps worker Jerico Phillips.
"Means a lot," said Julian. "Now I know what I got to do. It changed everything."
The letter places importance on hard work and doing well in school, and it came at the perfect time.
"Well, you know, I didn't have any momentum," Julian said.
Until Coach K's letter arrived.
"Julian has been on time, which is amazing," said Phillips. "He's been talking to his teachers and asking questions and looked at the SAT book, and I really think this has made a huge difference."
Duke has a shot at another national championship in the next week. The Blue Devils play Michigan State in the Final Four Saturday, and Julian has his own message for Coach K and his team.
"Thank you. I hope y'all win."
