DURHAM, N.C. -- Andrew Humphries was distraught when he

heard Mike Krzyzewski might leave Duke to coach the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Duke student, a Blue Devils fan since he was a kid, felt

helpless. But he knew he had to try something to help persuade the

Hall of Fame coach to stay.

So he did what any die-hard basketball fan with a connection to

the Internet would do -- he sent Krzyzewski an e-mail, asking him,

"Please still be my coach."

It was impressive enough that Krzyzewski singled out Humphries

when the coach held a news conference Monday to announce he was

staying with the Blue Devils.

For Humphries, 19, an act of desperation turned into the thrill

of his life.

"In the tiniest way, I was able to become a part of that

history and lore that is Duke basketball," Humphries said Tuesday.

"I'm not going into the record books or anything, but somewhere in

there, my name is in the mix of things that happened in Duke

basketball. So it's really special in that way.

"It's as good as it's ever gotten, outside of Duke winning

national championships."

In the e-mail sent last Thursday night, Humphries, a junior

biology major who grew up in Waynesboro, Va., recounted playing

basketball in his driveway as a kid, pretending he was hitting

shots to win the national championship for Krzyzewski and the Blue

Devils.

Eventually, he realized that he would not play for the Blue

Devils. But once he came to Duke, Humphries began camping out at

"Krzyzewskiville" to attend games at Cameron Indoor Stadium as

one of the "Cameron Crazies."

Even though he doesn't score points or grab rebounds, Humphries

wrote, he feels he is part of the Blue Devils basketball family.

"I got to Duke. And discovered that, yes, I am going to play

for Coach K," Humphries wrote. "I am going to be his sixth man.

"We get to Duke and we realize you are our coach. Not just the

coach of our team, but you are also our coach, because you believe

that we give you something no one else can and we know that you

give us something that no one ever could."

Humphries closed the e-mail with his plea, "Please still be my

coach."

Krzyzewski said the e-mail -- one of many he received while

considering the Lakers' offer -- brought him to tears and reinforced

the bond he feels with the school he had led to three national

championships in his 24-year tenure.

"That's the type of relationship that has made this place just

different, where it's not just been our team. It's been OUR team,

with everybody involved," he said Monday. "And hopefully we can

keep that going.

"If Andrew's listening, thanks a lot. You never know what's

read."

Krzyzewski was reportedly offered a five-year deal worth $40

million by the Lakers to become their coach. He declined after

spending the weekend thinking it over.

Humphries said Krzyzewski's wife, Mickie, left a message on his

cell phone thanking him for the e-mail Monday morning. She invited

him to the news conference, but he was unable to attend; he was

taking summer classes at the university's marine laboratory in

coastal Beaufort.

"She said the e-mail really meant a lot to her and her

husband," Humphries said. "When Mrs. Krzyzewski called, I got

goose bumps. I was tearing up a bit. It was unbelievable. When I

heard I was mentioned at the press conference, it was the same

thing."

The comment made Humphries an instant local celebrity. He drove

back to Durham late Monday for an interview with ESPN's

"SportsCenter" at Cameron. He also was mentioned in local

newspapers and TV reports.

"When someone's afraid, they do something to make themselves

feel a little empowered," Humphries said. "And it ended up being

so much more than that."