Duke and Army kicked off the men's college basketball season against each other inside Cameron Indoor on Monday, Nov. 2.
But before tip-off, ESPN and both programs paused to honor the late Chris Spatola, a former Army standout who later served in the U.S. Army, coached at Duke under his father-in-law, Mike Krzyzewski, and went on to become a respected college basketball analyst for ESPN.
"Some lives leave an impact far beyond the game," ESPN's Dave O'Brien said in a voice-over in the network's tribute package. "A ... Chris Spatola lived a life defined not only by the game he loved but by the people who shared it with him."
Beautifully said by @JayBilas and Dave O'Brien.
Rest in peace, Chris Spatola. Miss you buddy. pic.twitter.com/8tLzlte7BV
— Mike Monaco (@MikeMonaco_) November 3, 2026
Spatola died suddenly at age 47 on Monday, Sept. 21. No cause of death was provided by the family in their statement, only saying Spatola "passed away unexpectedly."
In his four seasons at West Point, he was a four-year starter for the Black Knights and led the team in scoring three years. He ranks No. 10 all-time on Army's career points list with 1,543 points. At Duke, Spatola was part of the Blue Devils' staff during their 2010 championship, which included now-Duke head coach Jon Scheyer as part of that team.
Bilas, a former Blue Devil and close friend of Spatola, remembered Spatola for being "a badass" and "an incredibly thoughtful human being."
"I just can't say enough positive things about him. He was selfless in every way," Bilas said. "We both worked with him and knew him. Chris never led with his accomplishments. He had an uncommon humility to him. For him, it was about the players and coaches and all that. He wasn't talking about himself, and he had a lot to talk about. Just an extraordinary human being, and miss him terribly."
On Monday, as Duke held a moment of silence, players and the coaching staff from both programs wore warm-up shirts with Spatola’s initials, CS, on their right sleeves.
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: ESPN pays emotional tribute to Army star, Duke assistant Chris Spatola
