Mike Krzyzewski retires after 47 years at the foot of the canyon. He does it as a living legend of the sport and as one of the best basketball coaches of all time. The Duke coach said goodbye to the bench with a bitter taste after losing 81-77 to North Carolina in the NCAA semifinal during the Final Four played in New Orleans.
The coach, a true example on and off the track, he focused on the harshness of defeat for his pupils more than putting words to a professional career that speaks for itself.
“First of all, I want to congratulate North Carolina,” the coach said. “It was a match where the winner would be elated and the loser dejected. It was the kind of match we expected. We would have liked to be on the other side of the story, but I’m proud of my boys.”
Krzyzewski has been key in the trajectory of hundreds of young university students who have passed through his locker room, and in his last game he also focused on the educational component of his work as a basketball coach.
“This is not about me, especially right now. I’m worried about these guys, some of them were already crying on the court and that’s all I can think about right now,” explained ‘Coach K’, a coach at Duke for 42 years.
“I’ll be fine, I’ve been blessed to be here in this pavilion,” assured the coach, who has traveled to 13 finals to four and stayed last night at the gates of his tenth grand final. In all, Krzyzewski has won five NCAA titles and accumulates 1,202 victories in his college career, with an incredible winning percentage of 76.6%.
“What I will miss the most is being here. When you are in the pavilion, you know that you will leave crying with joy or sadnessbut you’re always glad to be here,” he reflected. “And boy, have I been in the arena for a long time, and these guys made my last time great.”
Krzyzewski leaves behind a career that has earned him induction into the College and World Basketball Hall of Fame. In addition to his five titles with Duke, the legendary coach He lifted two World Cups and three Olympic golds as head coach of the United States team. At 75 years old, he hangs up the blackboard and says goodbye to basketball with a beautiful image hugging his wife in the locker room tunnel.
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‘Coach K’, a bitter end to a legendary career