The End of the Coach K Era

Mike Krzyzewski, the Hall of Fame coach of Duke University’s men’s college basketball team, is retiring at the end of this season after 42 years leading the Blue Devils. “Coach K” will finish his career as quite possibly the greatest coach in the history of the sport. He’s won more games than anyone else, has led Duke to 12 Final Fours and five national titles, and been named Naismith Coach of the Year three times (to top it all off, he’s also guided the USA Basketball Men’s National Team to three consecutive Olympic gold medals). But even though Krzyzewski may be the best ever at his job, he is also quite possibly the most disliked. Coach K is well-known for berating players on both sides of the ball, reporters at the student newspaper, and even Duke fans. He’s also been criticized for Duke’s preponderance of white players, lack of diversity, and unwillingness to recruit in inner cities. Coach K’s retirement party is just about over, so LZ and Will ask each other: is it safe to dislike him again?