Coach k announces retirement

After 41 years at Duke University Mike Kryzyewski announced his retirement after 2021-2022 season. He is the winningest coach in Division 1 men’s basketball. Over the years, he has racked up a stellar resume, here are some of his accomplishments.

• 5 National championships (1991,1992,2001,2010 & 2015)

• 6 Gold Medals as the head coach of the US National Team

• 9 National Players of the Year (11 honors)

• 10 consecutive top 10 AP poll finishes (1997-2006)

• 12 National Coach of the Year (8 seasons)

• 12 Final Four appearances (tied for most in NCAA history)

• 12 ACC regular-season championships

• 15 ACC Tournament championships (most in league history)

• 28 NBA lottery picks (most in Draft history)

• 35 NCAA tournament bids (most by one coach)

• 37 All American selections (51 honors)

• 67 NBA draft selections including 41 first-round picks

• 67 ACC tournament wins (most in league history)

• 97 NCAA Tournament wins (most in NCAA history)

• 126 weeks ranked NO.1 in the AP poll (most by a coach in poll history)

• 517 ACC wins (most in league history)

• 556 weeks ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll (most by a coach in poll history)

• 649 weeks ranked in the AP poll (most by a coach in poll history)

• 1,097 victories at Duke (most in NCAA history at one school)

• 1,170 career wins (most in NCAA history)

• Naismith Hall of Fame Class of 2001.

Coach K was a point guard at the United States Military Academy (Army) under legendary coach Bob Knight. He coached service teams after graduation and the US Military Academy Prep School for five years and was Knight’s assistant coach at Indiana University. In 1975, West Point hired Krzyzewski to be their head coach. He won his first game as a head coach on November 28, 1975. From 1969-1974, served as an officer in the US Army and in 2005, he was presented with West Point’s Distinguished Graduate Award.

Surprisingly, Coach K was not Duke’s first choice when they hired him in 1980 but with Bob Knight’s advice, they hired the young coach. His career started off rough, Duke had a combined record of 21-34 wins in two seasons and the program had no recruits in 1981. In his fourth year, the Blue Devils went 24-10 and began a streak of 11 consecutive seasons with at least 20 wins.

To put things in perspective, when Coach K was hired at Duke, Kobe Bryant was 2 years old; LeBron James, Kevin Durant and Stephen Curry weren't even born yet.

The Chicago native became the D1 men’s career wins leader on November 15, 2011 in Madison Square Garden moving past his mentor and former head coach Bob Knight 903rd victory. His 1,000th win came against St. John’s at MSG on January 25, 2015. 49% of the men’s basketball program at Duke victories have been under Coach K averaging 27 wins per season.

Coach K and former Connecticut coach Jim Calhoun are the only coaches in NCAA history to win National Championships in three different decades.

During a press conference announcing his retirement, he reflected over his family and the men he encountered as a head coach. “My family and I view today as a celebration. Our time at both West Point and Duke has been beyond amazing and we are thankful and honored to have led two college programs at world-class institutions for more than four decades. That, coupled with unforgettable years as the United States National Team as a coach, has resulted in a remarkable journey. Certainly, I have been blessed to coach some of the finest young men and greatest players in basketball history as a direct result of these unique opportunities. For us, there is no greater joy than being part of our players respective endeavors though basketball, and more importantly, their lives off the court.”

Duke assistant coach Jon Scheyer, who played for Coach K from 2006-2010, has been selected as his successor. Scheyer will spend the 2021-2022 season as a coach in waiting and will take over that. During the press conference, he gave his former coach his flowers, “Coach, one of the best gifts you’ve given all of us is each other. The Brotherhood...one of the most important things to me moving forward is to make sure that every former player knows they always have a place here and are a part of what we’re doing.” Scheyer served as Interim coach last year for Duke when Coach K was sidelined for a Janurary win against Boston College due to COVID-19 protocols. Outside of sitting in Coach K, he has no head coaching experience.