Inside the mindset of Coach K: Duke legend.
When I was a teenager growing up.
Small Town STATE CHAMPIONS | Cancer Quick Facts (solitarius.org)
I always picked a winning mentor that stuck with me my entire life. Through Irv Besecker at Marion Local, Sparky Anderson’s 1975 & 1976 Big Red Machine, also Paul Brown with the Bengals, Chuck Noll & the Steel Curtain and John Madden & the Raiders, and Woody Hayes until he put the stranglehold on Charlie Bauman on the sideline against Clemson, at the Gator Bowl in 1978 and Sweet Lou Pinella with the 1990 Wire to Wire Cincinnati Reds The Cincinnati Reds World Series games and the Tim Goodwin years at Marion Local !!!!
Winning was always all around me!
So, it would only be natural that I would follow Coach K when he arrived at Duke
on March 8, 1980, and watched Coach Krzyzewski take Duke to the NCAA Tournament
in those 24 consecutive years from 1996 to 2019 — the longest streak in NCAA history,
surpassing only Dean Smith’s 23 consecutive appearances from 1975 to 1997.
Legacy: Coach K – The 1990’s – YouTube
Coach K and Christian Laettner transformed Duke
from underdog to dynasty | Four Decades In Durham
Legacy: Coach K – The 2000’s– YouTube – Bing video
Duke’s 2001 title was redemption for Shane Battier after
a shocking upset | Four Decades In Durham – YouTube
After 1200 + wins in his 42-year Legendary career… 100+ in March’s Madness.
North Carolina will leave an unerasable powder blue stain on the floor of Cameron
during a night where the sports world celebrated Mike Krzyzewski’s final home game.
What was supposed to be a sentimental sendoff for Coach K turned into an unthinkable upset as the Tar Heels used a late second-half spurt to defeat No. 4 Duke 94-81. North Carolina celebrated on the court after the final buzzer before Krzyzewski returned to postgame to address Duke fans that had spent thousands to see him one last time.
Coach apologized for the loss, calling it “unacceptable.” Krzyzewski became the man known as Coach K because of who he recruited, the players who turned Duke into the biggest program in college basketball. Krzyzewski has coached 68 NBA Draft picks
(42 in the first round) picks, 37 All-Americans, nine national players of the year and,
in total, 208 players. Not including the fabulous 4 of Paolo Banchero, AJ Griffin,
Mark Williams, Trevor Keels, who has the potential to be drafted first round in
this year’s NBA draft.
With the Top Five who have passed through the halls of Duke University Being
1. Christian Laettner (1988-1992) Stats: 16.6 ppg, 7.8 rpg, 57.4 FG%, 48.5 3-pt% 2.1 bpg 2. Grant Hill (1990-1994) Stats: 14.9 ppg, 6.0 rpg, 3.6 apg, 1.7 spg, 53.2 FG%,
37.6 3-pt% 3. Jay Williams (1999-02) Stats: 19.3 ppg, 6.0 apg, 2.2 spg, 39.3 3-pt%
4. Zion Williamson (2018-19) Stats: 22.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg, 2.1 apg, 2.1 spg, 1.8 bpg,
40.8 PER 5. J.J. Redick (2002-06) Stats: 19.9 ppg, 2.7 rpg, 2.2 apg, 40.6 3-pt%.
Honorable Mention: Bobby Hurley who perfected the small stuff that wins ball games.
Of these five: Coach K picked Jay Williams as his Top Dog.
According to ESPN.com, Coach K “started to spiral” over a report from Post
columnist Ian O’Connor’s new book on the legendary Blue Devils coach that
was exclusively published on this website.
Jon Scheyer: Basketball Legend – YouTube
Jon Scheyer: College basketball stats, best moments, records | NCAA.com
Jon Scheyer – Associate Head Coach – Men’s Basketball Coaches – Duke University.
In “Coach K: The Rise and Reign of Mike Krzyzewski,” O’Connor details how Krzyzewski manipulated Duke’s succession plan in order to ensure that assistant Jon Scheyer took over for him who played for North Spartan high school in Glenbrook Illinois.
Scheyer is famous for scoring 21 Points in 75 Seconds
in a game when he was a senior.
He finished that game with a total of 52 points.
When Mike Krzyzewski’s feel-good retirement tour hit a rough patch.
Harvard coach and former Duke player Tommy Amaker was the University’s first
choice to take the reins of the program. However, according to O’Connor, Krzyzewski reached out to Amaker and asked him not to take the job.
That Zoom call – left Amaker “heartbroken,” a source close to him told O’Connor.
The book says that Krzyzewski believed he would have more control of the program with Scheyer at the helm. The report was published on Feb. 15 and Krzyzewski’s daughter, Debbie Savarino, told ESPN that “he didn’t feel good all day because he was really upset.” Krzyzewski did not come out for the second half of Duke’s win over Wake Forest that evening because “he was not feeling well.”
“‘Did I do something that caused any harm that would bother Tommy? “
I love Tommy. He’s one of my boys. I don’t ever want anything to hurt my guys.’”
ESPN reporter Wright Thompson, however, backed up O’Connor’s reporting. “
A source close to both Coach K and Amaker described O’Connor’s reporting as accurate. What’s clear from this private dispute being made public is that the succession plan left some damaged feelings,” Thompson wrote.
During his long tenure at Duke, Krzyzewski has been given the opportunity to coach
in the NBA at least five times. The first time came after the 1990 season when he led
the Blue Devils to their third straight Final Four appearance.
The Boston Celtics offered a coaching position to Krzyzewski, but he soon declined
their offer. The next season, Krzyzewski proceeded to lead the Blue Devils to the first
of two straight national championships.
In 1994, he was pursued by the Portland Trail Blazers, but again he chose to stay with Duke. In 2004, Krzyzewski was also interviewed by the Los Angeles Lakers following the departure of high-profile coach Phil Jackson. He was given a formal offer from Lakers general manager Mitch Kupchak, reportedly for five years, $40 million and part ownership, but again turned down the NBA. Coach K spurned the Kobe/Shaq
Lakers to remake JJ Redick & chase a 4th ring | Four Decades in Durham.
How Coach K changed his approach to win it all in the one-and-done era
Four Decades in Durham.
Jon Scheyer led a surprise championship team before becoming Coach K’s heir |
Four Decades In Durham – YouTube
In 2010, the New Jersey Nets were reportedly willing to pay Krzyzewski between
$12 million and $15 million per season to coach the Nets. Krzyzewski again declined the offer and stayed at Duke. In 2011, Krzyzewski was offered the vacant coaching position for the Minnesota Timberwolves, but he again declined the offer and chose to stay at Duke.
We know what Krzyzewski did for USA Basketball, but what did USA Basketball do for Krzyzewski, who will begin his final NCAA tournament Friday when his second-seeded Blue Devils meet the 15th-seeded Cal State Fullerton Titans.
Above all, Krzyzewski, a West Point graduate, was honored to represent his country.
An Olympic assistant under Chuck Daly for the 1992 Dream Team, Krzyzewski took great pride in this U.S. basketball appointment just as Gregg Popovich, an Air Force graduate, did when he took over for Krzyzewski after the 2016 Olympics.
It also satisfied Krzyzewski’s NBA curiosity. He had an interest in coaching NBA players. In 2004, the Los Angeles Lakers made a serious run at Krzyzewski after Phil Jackson briefly stepped away from coaching. It was a substantial financial offer, and Krzyzewski told former Duke star J.J. Redick on “The Old Man and the Three” podcast that it was
the closest he ever came to leaving Duke because of his heart that bled Duke Blue.
Other NBA teams made a run at the Duke coach, some fading from memory or not that was publicized because Krzyzewski didn’t have interest. In 1990, longtime college coach and executive Dave Gavitt was hired by the Boston Celtics in 1990 and had significant interest in Krzyzewski, but team president and Celtics legend Red Auerbach preferred
a coach with NBA experience.
The Philadelphia 76ers, when former Duke player Billy King ran basketball operations, showed interest in 2003, as did Portland in 1994.
Krzyzewski could never leave Duke for the NBA full-time, but he reached for the next
best thing: coaching the best American professionals without the grind of the NBA’s long season, travel and back-to-backs. You don’t have to play New Orleans and then Oklahoma City the next day. Instead, you get to spend three weeks in some of the world’s best cities coaching some of the world’s best basketball players.
James, Wade, Anthony, Paul, Howard, Kobe Bryant, Chris Bosh, Jason Kidd, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Kevin Durant, Jimmy Butler, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George and Draymond Green are among the players who played for Krzyzewski on the Olympic team.
Also Krzyzewski didn’t feel the same paternal protection with pro players as he did
with his college players. He didn’t have to shield James or Bryant or Wade the same way he had to with Zion Williamson, Kyrie Irving, Jayson Tatum or Redick. At least away from the sideline, Krzyzewski appeared less intense with USA Basketball than he did with Duke. It allowed him to coach and banter with the media in a different way.
He developed lasting relationships with many U.S.A. Basketball stars, including Bryant, James, Anthony and Durant, who played in multiple Olympics for him.
Krzyzewski called Bryant a friend who doted on Krzyzewski’s grandchildren.
“Coach K is probably one of my favorite coaches, if not my favorite,” James said.
“His ability to connect with players from all different shapes and sizes and age groups
is unbelievable. You understand and know why he is the leader, the GOAT that he is –
the greatest of all-time.”
By the time Krzyzewski took over for USA Basketball, he had won three NCAA tournaments and reached 11 Final Fours. He was coaching royalty by 2006.
But that didn’t stop him from learning more about the game.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Krzyzewski told USA TODAY Sports, “I’ve learned more in the last 11 years doing this than I ever learned in the 30 years previous about the game, people and preparation by being in this environment.”
It was not hollow talk. He absorbed what James and Bryant said to him, and surrounded himself with great coaches: Jim Boeheim, Mike D’Antoni, Nate McMillan, Tom Thibodeau and Monty Williams.
“By his own admission, he became a better coach,” former USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo told USA TODAY Sports. “He was already a Hall of Fame coach. But he became a much better coach because of his experience with USA Basketball.
It was being around some of the NBA players and coaches who were part of the staff.
It had a great impact on him.”
What’s the Duke floor slap and why is everyone talking about it?
Coach K explains how to build and maintain a culture.
Updates:
After losing to UNC, Coach K changed how he was coaching
and it has Duke still alive in the NCAA Tournament – CBS.
Mike Krzyzewski vs. Tom Izzo record: Legendary Duke,
Michigan State coaches meet for 16th and final time.
Sweet 16: Coach K says ‘It’s not the coaching.’ But it is!
Coach K makes history with Duke win over Texas Tech.
Coach K Addresses Floor Slap in Duke’s Win
over Texas Tech ‘What The Hell, Why Not?”
Should Duke haters prefer it to be North Carolina or
Saint Peter’s ending Coach K’s career in the Final Four?