Coach K tries to 'not be in the way' as basketball season begins without him
Posted November 10, 2022 1:44 p.m. EST
Updated November 10, 2022 5:06 p.m. EST
How hands-off should the winningest college basketball coach be in his first season away from the controls?
Mike Krzyzewski said watching Duke's 71-44 win against Jacksonville on Monday "worked out great." Krzyzewski saw the game from home with his wife, Mickie, as his successor Jon Scheyer held his own in a position that's new for both of them.
Much was made of Coach K getting a dog and fighting off brief 'unretirement' rumors in the spring, but since then, he's settled into a productive routine separate from coaching. Some of the speaking and lectures were part of life while he was still at the helm, but as the season goes on, he'll find a balance between lending an ear and keeping distance with Scheyer. Krzyzewski has said he doesn't plan to go to games at Cameron Indoor Stadium this season, but he'll definitely follow basketball at the college and pro levels.
As far as his agenda in his first few months away from the post he carried for 42 years, Krzyzewski said he's focused on speaking engagements with the Washington Speakers Bureau and lectures for Duke's Fuqua School of Business.
"I just want to be there, but not be in the way," Krzyzewski said of his approach toward not being head coach at Duke for the first time since Jimmy Carter was president.
Krzyzewski spoke with 99.9 The Fan's Adam Gold in a prerecorded interview that aired Thursday. Here are some highlights of their talk.
On how things are going: “I'm great, very happy, busy, good, doing a lot with my grandkids, very happy."
On what he's been up to: “Since August, I bet I've had 15 engagements throughout the country…so I've been on the road a lot, but I like that … I enjoyed the study of leadership and teamwork. I'm also a professor of Duke Fuqua School of Business. I don’t have a class, but I’ll do some lectures. We just started our SirusXM show ("Basketball and Beyond with Coach K") our 18th year, so I've actually been pretty busy, but doing everything that I like and continuing to learn.”
On Monday night's game: "I watched the game at home with my wife. I texted Jon after game. We talked a little bit the next day. What I try to do is be there when he wants to talk ... I'll pop in a practice once a week ... I might ask him a question ... we have a great, great relationship ... I just want to be there, but not be in the way."
On removing himself from coaching: "It hasn't been [hard] ... When Jon coached his first game this week, he's been a head coach in waiting or a head coach for 17 months, so there was a great runway for recruiting a couple classes, but also a runway for me to move on. I think if you stay with it, it's because a lot of the kids are the same. Only two guys from last year's team on our squad there are 11 new guys, I think that's helped. I think you have a harder time moving on if, say, you return eight guys."
On the most important part of coaching: "The individual relationship that you have with each player is paramount because it builds to the relationship you have with the entire team. If you only have developed a relationship with a team, I don't think it gets as deep as it does when you're trying to do both."
On Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind'Amour: "I really like him a lot. He may say [players] get to his level. They don't. His level is really darn good. If they get close to that, they're gonna be better people and better players. He's right there as far as competitiveness and passion and commitment at the highest level. That's why he's had the success that he's had."
On his favorite type of person to interview on SirusXM show: "I think people open up on our show. They're not doing an interview. We're having a conversation. I like the fact that they let me in and they're comfortable. I take notes all the time. There's not one."
On self-scouting: "In order to get better, you have to be honest with yourself just like you're honest with a player or with a team or a unit that you're leading ... you can always get better, you can always learn more."
On following former Duke players in the NBA: "I look at all the box scores and see all the guys ... I keep track with some guys ... some of the guys want you to keep track more than the other guys ... same thing with the guys on the U.S. teams ... you want to maintain relationships if they can be maintained."
On texting NBA players: - "LeBron [James] gets back quicker than anybody. No, he does. I love him. He was so critical for us winning two of the three gold medals."
On LeBron James: "He has shown how to develop other things as a result of being a basketball player. He is amazingly successful. With his friends that he grew up with, they're all doing great things ... really, his story is a heck of a story."
