Coach K named 2023 Dean Smith Award winner

Longtime Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski was named the recipient of the 2022-2023 Dean Smith Award.

The recognition from the U.S. Basketball Writers Association honors people who embody the spirit and values of legendary University of Chapel Hill Coach Dean Smith.

The award will be presented to Coach K on May 6 at the Emily Krzyzewski Center's annual Mother's Day Ball at the Washington Duke Inn and Golf Club. The Emily K. Center, which Coach K founded and named for his late mother, is a nonprofit that supports students in Durham from elementary school through college.

"It's a tremendous honor to receive his award," Krzyzewski said. "I think I knew Dean, outside of the North Carolina family, as well as anyone, as a competitor and as a friend. There's just been nobody like him. And the program he built has stood the test of time."

Coach K is being honored not just for his work on the court but for his dedication to the community.

Krzyzewski is a founding member of the V Foundation's board of directors. He also supports the Duke Children's Hospital, the Children's Miracle Network, Coaches vs. Cancer and the Brain Tumor Center at Duke.