Old K has been at the helm of Duke University for 42 years, and it's finally time to say goodbye.
On April 3, the Duke men's basketball team lost to the North Carolina men's basketball team by 4 points, which was also the last game for the old K to coach the Duke men's basketball team.
Although he was unable to bid farewell to his coaching career with a championship, old K is legendary enough. During his 42 years as coach of the Duke men's basketball team, the elder K not only led the team to 5 NCAA Championship championships, but also won 3 Olympic gold medals and 2 world championships as the head coach of the U.S. men's basketball team in the offseason.
For this "Ten Champions", let's choose ten short stories to see how Old K was refined. Legends don't die, stories live on.
Only victory is worth celebrating
On March 6, the Duke men's basketball team lost to the North Carolina men's basketball team, and old K's home farewell battle did not end in victory. Despite the team's defeat, everyone understood that the highlight of the match was the coach's salute ceremony after the game. Just as everyone was about to cheer for Old K and celebrate his last home, he signaled everyone to be quiet:
"I'm sorry for what happened this afternoon. Today's result is hard to accept, but throughout the season we did a decent job. And this season is far from over, we're going to fight for Duke, fight for brotherhood, and give it our all in the rest of the game. ”
For Old K, nothing is more important than victory, and his home farewell ceremony is no exception.
Coaching is all about paying attention to details
Old K's attention to the details of the game is almost paranoid, as can be seen from the experience of those around him.
Former U.S. men's basketball assistant coach Nate McMillan: "Regardless of whether the game is won or lost, we have to go back at night to watch the video, and we have to watch every round, and after watching it, we have to study the opponent in the next game." Normally, we don't get back to our room until 7 a.m. and then start the day at 12 a.m. ”
Mike Cragg, former senior director of the Duke men's basketball team: "No matter where he goes, Old K will always take a notebook and take notes. Then the next day at work, he would give the notes he had taken the night before to the teaching assistant, every day. ”
Competitiveness lasted a lifetime
This season, during the game between Duke University and Wake Forest University, Old K felt dizzy and had to undergo infusion therapy. The situation improved slightly, and Old K began to watch the game again and yelled at the referee, causing his blood pressure to soar again. This made her daughter, Jamie Krzyzewski, very helpless: "Daddy, are you serious?" Do you have to wind up because of a basketball game? ”
Such a "warning" seems to have little effect, and old K began to look through the game video after the game, and under the persuasion of his wife, he was willing to obediently lie on the bed and watch.
Speaking of his father, Debbie Krzyzewski believes that he carries a lot of invisible pressure, "The hardest thing he can do in this life is to reconcile with himself." ”
Face the superstars head-on to earn respect
On August 5, 2008, in the second half of a warm-up game between the U.S. men's basketball team and the Australian men's basketball team, Kobe Bryant had several random shots, which was contrary to the standards set by the U.S. men's basketball team. After the game, LeBron James wanted Old K to take care of it.
The next day, Old K went straight to Bryant and showed him some shots on his computer: "These shots sucked, we had to move the ball more." "After saying these words, Old K held his breath and waited for a response." I see, coach. Don't worry about that, I'm sorry about it. Kobe Replied.
Subsequently, Old K also let James know the results of the processing. "Bryant, James and Sr. K all did what they needed to do, which made the trip to Beijing easier." An unnamed U.S. men's basketball staff member told Sports Illustrated.
After decentralization, it is more effective with half the effort
The U.S. men's basketball team in 2008 was the redemption team, and before that, they had already missed an Olympic gold medal and two world championships in a row.
After the establishment of the U.S. men's basketball team, old K went to the locker room for the first time and said: "You are not a college player, I don't have any rules to say, you set the rules." Jason Kidd said to "start with defense", old K wrote "start from defense" on the whiteboard, James said "don't fucking excuse", old K wrote "don't fucking excuse" on the whiteboard...
Old K knew in his heart that the Dream Team was full of superstars, and he could not treat them like college players, but had to take the initiative to adapt. In the end, this dream team swept away the haze of the past and successfully won the gold medal of the men's basketball team at the Beijing Olympic Games. Behind the mercury-pouring offensive frenzy of the Dream Team, it is the full-court pressing at all costs, the oppressive momentum that must be fought for every ball, and the incomparably sharp defensive counterattack.
Mother is with Old K
Old K's mother, Emily Krzyzewski, died in 1996 at the age of 84. While sorting through his mother's belongings, he found a small notebook that recorded the wins and losses of each of his coaching games. Even though his parents were puzzled by K's decision to abandon West Point and teach at Duke University, his mother still silently recorded the results of his coaching career.
In an interview with ESPN, Duke's assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski also revealed that when important games reach critical moments, Old K always whispers a prayer to his mother, feeling that her mother is still watching him.
Team management starts with the "heart"
Ryan Caldbeck, who played for the Duke men's basketball team, told The Athletic about his story with Old K: "He (Old K) remembers the names of every player, the staff. Once my father came to the gym and old K praised me by name, it was one of the most wonderful moments of my basketball career. ”
"Another time, the night before the 2001 NCAA Finals, Old K gathered the players into the room and asked us to imagine the scene after the championship, and the staff also played a short video of the championship, and we got goosebumps."
All for Duke
In 1999, K and Klagg co-founded the Duke Basketball Legends Foundation, which has donated millions of dollars in infrastructure, coach salaries, and scholarships.
Old K did this so that even after his retirement, Duke basketball could remain competitive enough. As early as 23 years ago, the elder K was already preparing to leave Duke.
Nothing to do with basketball, everything is easy to say
Grant Hill, a former Duke men's basketball player, told The Athletic a little story about how he and his wife got along with Old K:
"In 2006 or 2007, my wife and I went to Napa Valley for the first time, and that was the first time she spent time with Old K in her life. My wife is a singer, and she found Old K to be very interesting and engaged when it came to music. A few months later, my wife and I went to Duke University to watch the game, a game in which the team led by 20 points. After being chased to 18 points, Old K called a timeout to scold the players, which was also the first time my wife watched Old K coach.
Duke eventually won the game. After the game, my wife said to Old K: 'Coach, I still prefer Old K of Napa Valley.' Old K replied: 'Me too.' ’”
There is no other way but to coach
Former Duke men's basketball assistant coach Chris Carrawell said, "At one point, we drove to Charlotte. I asked Old K in the car, what would you do if you weren't a coach? His answer was 'No if, I'm just a coach.' ’”
From the day he began to coach, Old K did not leave himself a way back, and now he is honored because of a persistent idea.
Disclaimer: This article is original by Lazy Bear Sports and may not be reproduced without authorization.