Coach K

Mike Krzyzewski achieved a 1000th victory in the NCAA career a couple of days ago, the absolute record of this competition. In his biography, the US national team coach has only two Olympic golds, two world championships and one NCAA title in the last six years. The story of a man who, beyond all expectations, has become a living legend ...

"In coaching, the most important thing is that you have someone who keeps your backside. Knowledge, motivation, preparation, everything is important, but if you do not have someone above you who trusts you and who is ready to put your back when things do not go well, everything else not worth it..."

Bobby Knight made this statement a few decades ago, and his student Mike Krzyzewski felt it best on his skin. Probably all his career at Duke, Coach K owes Tom Butters, the then sports director of this university.

After a long discussion and consultation, Butters offered the job of trainer Duke to a person whose last name nobody could say, someone who had been leading the Army for five years at the recommendation of Bobby Knight and achieved 73 victories there (Mike was literally returned from the airport to sign the contract, Butters he sent his colleague to stop the trainer before he boarded a plane to return home to Chicago). Most Duke sponsors were in shock, the biggest rivals North Carolina and North Carolina State were headed by Dean Smith and Jimmy Valvano, while Butters opted for an anonymous with Armya.

The first three years were dancing on the verge of failure. All of the biggest competitors regularly slapped Duke. After the third year and defeat by Virginie with 43 points difference (to date, this is Mike's biggest defeat in career), all of the biggest donors were knocked down on Tom Butters and literally demanded that the coach be expelled. A petition was signed by the majority of the most trusted fans in the campus. Butters replied by offering a new five-year contract to the coach.

Years later Tom Butters said: "It was the most logical decision in the world to me. It was already clear then that he was a fantastic trainer."

It was clear, but only Butters. A few years later, everyone else became aware of how much Tom was right.

Mike Krzyzewski was born and raised in Chicago, the hub for numerous emigrants from Poland. The first one in his family received an offer to study. The father did not finish high school, his mother never even enrolled her. When the opportunity to receive a sports scholarship from then, though less crazy Bobby Knight, Mike changed his mind, but his parents made such a pressure to become an academic citizen that he simply could not say no.

Mike's father, Bill for 25 years, operated an elevator under a false surname because the Polish surname at that time was mainly a dismissal for a job. The legend says that watching Daddy worried about Mike is saying he will never change his surname ...

Mickey met her when she worked as a stewardess and fascinated her with total sincerity. Krzyzewski invited her future wife to the American football match with the words: "You were my third option ...."

Most girls would have dropped the phone to such a thing, but Mickie was intrigued by such an appearance: "He was not arrogant, nor bahat. He was completely honest, the only man I met, who is always completely honest."

This firmness and firmness came from the mother. "She is the reason I never fared badly. When I see how much she has done for us, and how little I had always understood that I would never be able to do it."

For the first three years at Duke, the journalists pitched him at every step, but Mike believed in his way. Duke is that the base of the bases was at that time in a thick minority in relation to North Carolina and NC State. Mali (for American notions) a private university even before Krzyzewski wore a halo of snobby college, where the children of the rich jumped and came expensive cars to lectures. Sport played there out of obesity and boredom, at least it was the perception of all the others ...

His eldest daughter, who was "honored" by her friends in the high school, and who often came crying, suffered the most. Krzyzewski repeated only one thing: "Be proud of your family name and family."

Much before the well-known nickname Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski was known for the poignant nickname "Pacov". Even today, among the fans of all other universities, he is primarily "Pacov".

After the aforementioned defeat of 43 differences, the coaches went to dinner, although there was no one to eat. At one point they were toasted, some alcohol, Krzyzewski water ... Someone said, "Let's forget this game as soon as possible," and Mike drew through his teeth: "Let's never forget this game ..."

He definitely did not forget. Krzyzewski wore all his victories and defeats on his face, the one that was gloomy when things did not go as he imagined. He carried his philosophy of play to exhaustion, at all costs. If it does not, the corrections are either minimal or non-existent (although it has softened lately, and even uses zonal defense, which used to be nezamislivo). Simply, you need to train harder, invest more effort, or ultimately boost those better players.

Chronicles of Duke say that the culture of winning at that university, which continues to this day, was initiated by Johnny Dawkins. A fin, decent, always puffed up boy, who was the first real, great talent brought by Mike Krzyzewski. Dawkins was lightning with a ball, a decent shooter, which was the most important thing - his team was in the first place. The generation of Dawkins brought Krzyzewski to his first F4 in 1986. They made 37 victories, and in the finals they were stopped by Louisville ...

Duke grew unbearably in the coming years. Coach K brought excellent players, who mostly finished school, but also won. The final confirmation came with the arrival of Christian Laettner. A guy who is synonymous with the greatest victories and games of Duke, and at the same time a person who did not love anyone beyond the boundaries of this college. Leattner always had a puffy face and enjoyed competing in everything, and that after the victory, he was a chess player. The most talented player of this generation was Grant Hill, without any doubt, but the man for the most important moments was Laettner.

In 1991 and 1992, Duke tied two titles. In the competition that prevailed in those years in the NCAA and where the players did not catch the fog after one year, it was really a great feat. Krzyzewski's team gave hands to playmaker Bobby Hurley. The son of the most famous high school coach in America in the 1990 final against the then powerful UNLV was the worst player in the field. Duke is tied with 30 differences, and Coach K deliberately left his play in the game for the last second, never to forget that feeling. It was in vain to explain that Hurley was breaking the flu. Krzyzewski kept all of his probably favorite player in a special magnitude in every game. She returned in the next year when Bobby with Laettner was the best player of the Blue Devils in the semifinal win over that match unconquered by UNLV.

After these two titles, nothing was the same in Durham. The team became one of the most eminent in America. The "Paco" is definitely becoming a "Pacov", and most enjoyed every defeat of Duke, and the triumphs mainly attributed to the affections of the judges, and the alleged favors of this "richard" university from the NCAA organization.

All this was known to Krzyzewski. His whole life went ahead, even though his prediction was generally announced. He succeeded as a minority in America, so the system "I Against the Rest of the World" passed on to his players. In the family, she was in charge of her husband. There was no chance that a boy would cheer some of his daughters for any other university, at least not publicly, and all of them had to sit together behind Duke's bench at the parties. The oldest daughter and her boyfriend, the North Carolina fan, broke up because he complained about a dash of his team ...

Although hatred towards Duke grew, and especially to Pacov, all who came in direct contact with him were left apprehensive with the humanity and the custom of Krzyzewski, who, after many successes and millions, remained literally the same man.

After one of the best games ever played in 1992 between Duke and Kentucky, which was finished with Laettner's tail in the last second, Krzyzewski sees in the video that approaches all Kentucky players in their gungula and mourning ...
Coach K recovered from the stress of his coaching job by decorating his garden and thus every year round. When Jimmy Valvano, NC State's rival, seriously ill, Krzyzewski visited him every day, but every day. The same thing happened when the legendary Chuck Daly got sick.

In the meantime, the third, and also the fourth title of the NCAA champion, arrived. Krzyzewski won the titles of 1991, 92, 2001 and 2010, which is in the range of three decades. NBA bidding has been officially rejected and it offers the biggest ones. The first Boston Celtics, and then the financially almost incredible contract of LA Lakers, where the biggest star Kobe Bryant gleefully wanted to train him precisely.

However, he relieved Jerry Colangel of the conspiracy and accepted the task of raising the US team after the failure in Indianapolis and Athens. After playing in the semi-finals of the World Cup in Japan, he watched the Greeks roll the pick and roll clinic and separate him from the gold medal, Krzyzewski quickly learned the lesson there. He was never celebrated as a brilliant fighter, but as a motivator ...

It was enough to see with what kind of energy the US team played for the past four major competitions and how to bite the defense to understand how Mike Krzyzewski is able to win the respect of the biggest NBA stars and bring four gold medals. Anyway, one of the persons with whom Lebron James consulted before returning to Cleveland was exactly Coach K.
And today his doors are open to all former Duke players. When they need advice, recommendation, job, word of support, tireless "Paco" is there for everyone. That's how his parents taught him, so he was taught by Bobby Knight. My Krzyzewski will end his career at Duke. NBA is out of the question. After all where K would feel as comfortable as Duke. The fans are kissing his hands, chanting his name. They camp in front of the administrative building just to see it. He sends them pizzas and drinks while waiting in line for tickets, or blankets when it's cold. Tom Butters was loyal to Krzyzewski when it was most needed and he never forgot it ... Loyalty is a feature that is still valued in some parts of the world.

Mike Krzyzewski surpassed his mentor Bobby Knight as the coach with the highest number of wins in the NCAA history at Duke, and became the first NCAA history coach with 1,000 victories two days ago. To do this in a competition where 30-odd matches per season are played, it's enough to talk about his continuity, will and dedication. At 67, Krzyzewski still does not show signs of murder. He wants the fifth title of the champion this season ...