Duke Blue Devils head coach Jon Scheyer was snubbed in the ACC Coach of the Year voting. So much so that it hit the Blue Devils where it hurt, and they went on to put out a post stating eight reasons why Scheyer deserved to win.
As the hullabaloo unfolds, it is only right to look back at the greatness that once graced the Blue Devils’ sidelines. Especially the kind of greatness that won 12 National Coach of the Year honors. Is there anyone quite like Mike Krzyzewski, aka Coach K?
Mike Krzyzewski Is the Man Who Carried Duke for 42 Seasons
Duke’s legendary history is one that is written with the help of legendary coaches. And the name that tops that list is none other than Krzyzewski. Before Duke, Krzyzewski was an Army point guard under Bob Knight. He went on to lead the Army’s basketball program from 1975 to 1980.
Of course, Coach K’s record during this time was brilliant; however, what caught the world’s attention was his pedagogy.
Coach K’s disciplined, no-nonsense approach to the game caught the attention of Duke’s athletic department. This led them to take a chance on a relatively unknown coach. And boy, oh, boy, was that a great decision.
Krzyzewski joined Duke in 1980, and unfortunately, the first three seasons were simply painful.
The Blue Devils, however, stuck with Coach K, and by 1984, he had turned the program into a national contender. From then on, it was a masterclass in sustaining the top seed by Krzyzewski. It was under him that Duke became a name synonymous with March Madness winning.
The program made 13 Final Fours and won five NCAA championships. Their first title came in 1991, followed by a repeat in 1992. This undoubtedly made Duke the team of the early ‘90s. And let’s not forget the iconic moments that came along the way.
From Christian Laettner’s legendary last-minute dunk against Kentucky in ‘92 to the 2015 championship run. However, the iconicity of Coach K is not just about the wins.
Coach Mike Krzyzewski built a culture at Duke. One, that seems to still thrive to this day. He managed to turn Duke into a brand of sorts that was only associated with winning on the hard courts.
It was because of Coach K that names like Grant Hill, Kyrie Irving and Zion Williamson came to the NBA world. Additionally, his coaching has taken Team USA to unprecedented places. In 2004, Team USA won the Bronze at the Athens Olympics. A rather unfortunate ending for a team that is known to win on hard courts.
Soon enough, there was a change in coaching. In 2005, Mike Krzyzewski took over the team. Under the new coach, Team USA went on to win 88-1, winning consecutive Olympic gold medals in 2008, 2012, and 2016, as well as World Championship wins in 2010 and 2014.
When Coach K stepped down in 2016, he left Team USA with a 76-game win streak.
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When he finally hung up the clipboard in 2022, Krzyzewski left behind a legacy unlike any other. He has 1,202 career wins (101 of them in the NCAA Tournament) and remains unmatched. More than numbers, Coach K gave Duke an identity that cannot be erased.
So, while Duke’s latest win over North Carolina was brilliant, there’s no denying that a part of every Blue Devil fan still misses the Coach K era.
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