No one can even dare try and tell the story of college basketball without Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski’s name being brought in over and over. For decades, he formed not only basketball players and future NBA stars, but also grown men.
Even though he’s no longer around the program, Coach K continues to be one of the most prominent figures in all of college hoops. As such, it only made sense that one of his former pupils, Shane Battier, shared his thoughts on him.
In the latest edition of the Glue Guys podcast, the former NBA champion talked to ex-Duke assistant coach Jay Bilas, chatting about what made Coach K so different from the rest.
Shane Battier discusses Coach K’s work ethic
“The time and the energy he spent on his team. Thinking about his team, thinking about every person on that team. He knew everybody intimately in the team because that’s all he thought about,” Battier said.
December 22, 2021: Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike Krzyzewski points during the NCAA, College League, USA Basketball game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium in Durham, North Carolina. CSM Durham USA – ZUMAc04_ 20211223_zaf_c04_066
“He didn’t have any hobbies. He had his little garden. But, aside from that, all he thought about was Duke basketball, his singular focus. That was a superpower and it was hard,” added Battier.
Jay Bilas gushed about Coach K
Of course, his impact on everybody he worked with went far beyond the basketball court. As Bilas pointed out, it was his human touch that made him such a great coach:
“I don’t know how he made it to practice with all of the handwritten notes he was writing to people. He’s still writing handwritten notes and every year, we all get a handwritten birthday card from him,” Bilas said.
“He drove us to be our best selves every time. And, he was relentless in that and never let you get away with anything of coasting or all that. He would call it out right away, and I have always appreciated that. I think our chief one in life is someone who will make us do what we can, and that was Coach K,” Bilas added. “He made us do what we could do every day, and he never took a day off that way.”
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Coach K won championships with both Battier (2001) and Bilas (1991, 1992), but that’s not what they remember the most about him. And after 42 years at the helm, he definitely earned the right to get some well-deserved rest.
