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SAN FRANCISCO — Duke’s season was hanging in the balance.
Mike Krzyzewski’s career was facing its final act after 42 legendary years.
Duke was embroiled in a touch-and-go Sweet 16 tussle, Thursday night in the Chase Center, against a Texas Tech team that refused to go away.
Texas Tech’s Adonis Arms had just buried a desperate, off-balance 3-pointer from the corner to cut the Duke lead to 75-73 with 13.1 seconds remaining. Then, after a timeout, the Red Raiders quickly fouled Duke’s 18-year-old freshman forward, AJ Griffin, sending him to the free-throw line for a one-and-one.
Pat Massaroni, Griffin’s high school coach at Archbishop Stepinac in White Plains, watched the television nervously while at his home in New Jersey.
“I was excited and nervous for him at the same time; it felt like when he was with us,’’ Massaroni told The Post over the phone on Friday.
In Toronto, AJ’s father, Adrian Griffin, a former Seton Hall player who logged nine NBA seasons after going undrafted and who’s now a Raptors assistant coach, watched the television with confidence.
“AJ has ice in his veins,’’ Adrian told The Post by phone on Friday. “He relishes the big moments. The stage is never too big for him.’’
AJ calmly sank both free throws, icing a 78-73 victory for Duke and sending the Blue Devils to an 8:49 p.m. Elite Eight game Saturday against Arkansas for a berth into the Final Four.
“His team believes in him,’’ Adrian Griffin said. “They look for him in the big moments and he delivers. Man, he’s just calm, cool and collected.’’
Like father, like son.
Those Seton Hall teams on which Adrian Griffin played, from 1992-96, were driven to blood, sweat and tears via the task-master defensive intensity instilled by coach P.J. Carlesimo. Adrian Griffin lasted nine years in the NBA because he was such a relentless defensive player.
AJ Griffin, 6-foot-6, 222 pounds, has been gifted with more talent than his father. Combine the father’s work ethic and humble attitude with the son’s athletic gifts and what you have is a player who may well help send Duke and Krzyzewski to the Final Four.
What you also have is a potential one-and-done NBA lottery pick in June’s draft.
Whenever this magical Blue Devils ride in Coach K’s emotional farewell tour is over, Griffin will almost certainly follow his father’s path to the NBA. And what better basketball resource can a young man have than a father who’s both played and coached in the league to give you advice?
“I just follow after him,’’ AJ told The Post on Friday. “I know I have to earn everything. My dad always said it feels better when you work for it and when you earn it.’’
Adrian Griffin earned every minute Carlesimo gave him on the court when he was at Seton Hall and he earned every morsel he got in the NBA.
AJ comes from athletic genes beyond his father. His mother, Audrey, ran track at Seton Hall. His brother, Alan, played basketball at Illinois and Syracuse and later played in the NBA D-League. And his sister, Aubrey, is a junior on the Connecticut basketball team.
As talented as he is, AJ’s basketball path has not been a smooth one. It was halted repeatedly by injuries in high school and then by a knee injury, suffered in a Duke practice last October, that could have derailed his freshman season.
“With the injuries, it was just motivation to keep going,’’ AJ said. “It’s made me stronger and made me work even harder.’’
Everyone around him would concur.
“He has been through more than any of us just in terms of injuries and obstacles to get to where he is at, but he is as hard of a worker as you’ll find,’’ fellow Duke freshman Paolo Banchero said Friday. “It actually seemed like he was working too hard early in the season, but that’s who he is.’’
It’s who AJ Griffin is that makes his dad and high school coach beam with pride.
“If you didn’t know the background, you would never know his dad played in the NBA, because nobody in the family acted that way, especially AJ’’ Massaroni said.
“I always told him, ‘Don’t give up, and if you’re down don’t stay down,’ ’’ Adrian said. “This kid listens. He has a big heart. He’s a winner. I’m so happy for him, because I know that all the road blocks and adversity he’s had to overcome.
“I’ve always said, ‘You have to earn it, you have to work for it, no one’s going to hand it to you because you’re Adrian Griffin’s son. You’ve got to build your own name, you’ve got to work and you’ve got to produce and good things will happen.’
“That is the formula.’’
A formula that shouldn’t be messed with.
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