Coach K is retiring at the end of the season, he does not want any of the smoke that Mike Young is bringing! All kidding aside this should be an interesting power void in a basketball conference, be interesting to see who takes over?
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/31553654/duke-bl...
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Omg, are they really gonna have Jon Scheyer be the next HC? Yes please.Mike Young bout to own the ACC.
I mean, if he has K's blessing, that's game.
I mean.... I'm sure Scheyer could turn out to be a good coach, and maybe he'll still land top recruits because of the "Duke" name, but I feel like they could have done WAYYYYY much better, coach-in-waiting or not.
Good news for VT as there won't be rumors about Mike Young being contacted for the job! My blood pressure can't handle another fiasco like Fuente and Baylor.
. . . unless it was exactly that . . . a Fuente to Baylor fiasco. Just saying. /s
Coack K wasn't leaving without a farewell tour.
He still has some lessons to teach to a kid from a mid major that pulled a once in a lifetime upset.
As much as I love that loluva is the only 1 to lose to a 16, Bennett handled it with grace. Coach K would've yelled at the players celebrating, complained about them taking shots when up double digits, complained about his ref buddies not giving him the calls.
I've had the chance to play golf with a few retired ACC basketball refs. Their stories about K are epic. (So are the ones about Gary Williams!)
Bennett being a class act makes me hate UVA even more.
TBH is anyone has earned it it's him
Not really a basketball fan. Only look at things on TKP if they are posted. But the VT fan in me is just thinking: 'Watch them hire Mike Young' regardless of any coach-in-waiting thing they may claim now.
I figured he would coach until he died in Cameron.... Then coach from the Great Beyond..
Hopefully this will be very beneficial to Hokie Hoops.
Jesus, I'm trying to keep up with the news today, good gawd.
I know he's HOF first-ballot, but I still hope the door hits him on the way out.
Replacing one whiny b with another one. Seems about right.
I don't hate Coach K. I don't love, but I don't have the vitriol for him that others do. He had a long, successful career, made positive impacts in his player's lives, coached some incredible Team USA teams. Now, he's on the way out the door.
Am I sad to see him exit coaching? Absolutely not.
Do I hope Duke starts suffering? Of course.
But the man had a career that would be the envy of almost any college BBall coaches (and probably some NBA ones). I have no issues letting him have his swan song and hopefully never hearing about him again (until he inevitably joins a broadcasting crew for March Madness).
I used to be this way too. I had no passionate hate for Duke or Coach K but instead a begrudging respect.
Then Duke came into Cassell for a game I went to. Seeing Coach K, Jason Tatum, and everyone else in full Duke fashion was really infuriating to watch in person. It made the VT win that day was that much more enjoyable. And that's how the hate for Duke Basketball found me.
Same for me and then the Grayson Allen thing happened. At that point I lost all respect.
But he learned his lesson (he didn't) and they lost a game (to us)!!
For me it was when he pulled Zabian Dowdell aside and scolded him for his celebration after we beat Duke in Cameron in 2007. Like, who the hell does that? Who goes out of their way to tell another player on another team how to act. Its like another parent coming and trying to discipline my kids in front of me. It takes a special blend of narcissism, elitism, and just generally being an asshole to even try to do something like that, and Coach K did it again in 2016 after Oregon beat them in the Tournament.
Oh man the resale market for K's last home game against Carolina is going to be bonkers.
I have an idea for those in the job market.
Buy as many tickets as you can, as soon as they go on sale. When you get an interview, bribe the interviewer with the tickets.
Duke will now shoot all the free throws each game for his swan song. No fouls will ever be called on a duke player, and coach K can decide who fouls out for the opposing team. Awesome coach, just never liked his bitching. Fester- Greenberg once stated at the half of a game at Cameron indoor that" you get off the bus with 5 fouls when playing duke". Was my all time best interview from Fester.
Never offered the Curry brothers, poor uncle fester could have been a legend for things other than his appearance...
I have to say, I've got a lot of memories of Coach K over the many years he's coached Duke....by far, my favorite one was the time he lost his final game in Cameron to arch-rival UNC
EDIT: I HAVE A NEW FAVORITE COACH K MEMORY
Must be a tarheel thing since they also gave Beamer a loss in his last game at Lane.
The Duke tears memes have been delicious
Best part was it wasnt even a close game UNC was comfortable all second half and when they had to start fouling the beauty in all the surrender and teary eyed cobras from the puke fans was tantalizing. I'd imagine most UNC fans will treasure that game more than most of their national title wins.
I am gonna guess that this statement needs a revision
Weasel Out
Don't care for either team but last night was fun to watch
Not a huge Coach K fan, but I will always give him due credit for being a huge part of the turnaround of Team USA men's basketball. This guy managed to coach Lebron, Kobe, and Carmelo Anthony (plus many others) on the same team multiple times and everybody listened to him because they respected the crap outta him and he had the experience to back it up.
Agreed, his time with Team USA was truly incredible. His record as Team USA's head coach was 88-1, including a perfect 24-0 at the Olympics. He led his teams to five straight gold medals in major international competitions (2008 Olympics, 2010 World Championship, 2012 Olympics, 2014 World Championship, 2016 Olympics); that has never been done in the history of international basketball. I always enjoyed watching him coach for the red, white and blue.
His time being the US coach also overlapped with the over the top "I am a leader of men" commercial that ran all the time during basketball season that did little more than serve as a recruiting video for Duke. Probably the most self serving bullshit I've seen, and that's saying a lot.
Remember, this is also the man that multiple times scolded opposing players for celebrating a win over Duke in the handshake line. Completely not surprised that Duke assistants didn't shake hands with Hubert Davis after the game over the weekend, and even less surprised to find out the reason they didn't is because UNC didn't do enough to honor K in their game at Chapel Hill earlier in the year.
K, Dean, Knight, Beoheim- they are all the same. Bullies, control freaks- enabled by being one of the 68 best teams out of 320 every year. Because of that they walk over people, treat people like shit, control every aspect of their programs, think they are more powerful than the governor. All of them. Bullies- assholes because they win basketball games. K is not much different than knight. He will shout down a student reporter for "not knowing basketball" when the kid points out that duke has 4 offensive rebounds all game. Bully.
Yeah I didn't want to say it, but his reputation down here is that of an asshole, being far more like Bobby Knight than people want to admit. Last week I was hearing the guys on our local sports radio (which covers the Duke campus) openly joking about how former players have a little PTSD over their time playing for him. There's also an assumption that, by losing that game, none of the players on the current roster will be invited back to campus for a very long time.
He controls every aspect of that program. It's why he and Knight never coached in the pro's and its why Beoheim wont quit. Who would? Nobody questions you because you get the 12 seed every 3rd year. They are bullies. K told a guy I know that worked in the SID office at GT "that's your job" when he asked K where the media room was in Cameron. Asshole.
Watching the last 10 minutes of the game, I couldn't help but think the amount of pressure put on the Duke players given the situation was unfair. It seemed like more pressure than a championship game with their only being one team to focus on. I felt sorry for them and I've never felt sorry for a Duke basketball player before.
Well coaches and players can always control going out on top. K could have retired after the 2015 championship game - boom out on top. Brady could have retired last year after the SB win- done. When you announce you are retiring a year before it happens, you no longer control that narrative. If you get bounced in the first round by the 15 seed- which has happened to K before, that's how you go out. He could have gone out on the podium 7 years ago.
Not doubting this comment, but any linkable source(s) to the handshake line / didn't honor him enough part?
Sporting News: Why did Duke coaches snub North Carolina's Hubert Davis in postgame handshake line?
Thanks, wanted to make sure to share with some folks
None of that is surprising, and it's all shitty. 1) for UNC do the bare minimum and bring out the AD to say he's had a great career and some good natured line about they're going to miss him....but not too much. 2) for Dook....ugghhh, the whole athletic dept has been infected by his shitty holier than thou attitude. What a bunch of thin skinned insufferable asshats.
I mean with all due respect, why should any school feel obligated to honor Coach K in his self aggrandizing farewell tour? The fact that Duke coaches were so bent out of shape at UNC over not sufficiently kissing his ass they refused to even shake hands at the end of the game is just the cherry on top of the K era.
I do not know if there is a program whose administration and fanbase has more deserved to see a once proud team fall into the shitter for a sustained period of time than Duke basketball. Maybe the Yankees or Cowboys coming out of the 1990s, but that's about it.
Having grown up just outside of NYC, I kind of feel that there were maybe about 15,000-20,000 real Yankees fans. The rest of the people were just massive, ultra-spoiled bandwagon hoppers. On the occasion that the Yankees did not make the playoffs, you would have maybe 15,000 or so people attending those games a day or two after they were eliminated. Want to say I was just a poor jaded Mets fan? Well, maybe. But I did find the Yankees "fans" horrid. Yes, some were real fans, but not many.
I don't necessarily agree with it per se but it seems to be the norm of these days, see Jeter, Big Papi, Kobe etc.
They are ALL very self serving no doubt but to honor the "larger than any player or coach" rivalry between the two schools, I think it would have been fine for the AD to come out and have a couple of fun one liners at Coach Ks expense, and UNC can still say "look we did something, don't be mad at us that it wasn't the BJ you were expecting"
Exactly. Duke and UNC is the best rivalry in CBB because they hate each other. Should UNC give K a banner? a plaque? They have hated his guts for 42 years. Did duke do a ceremony for Dean Smith. LOL
I remember Wake Forest giving Bill Foster a rocking chair during his last season. It was a nice gesture. And I've remembered it since 1997.
That said, the two schools aren't the rivals that duke and unc are. And Foster isn't the jerk that K is. So... let 'em hate eat other. What do I care?
I don't necessarily agree with it per se but it seems to be the norm of these days, see Jeter, Big Papi, Kobe etc.
They are ALL very self serving no doubt but to honor the "larger than any player or coach" rivalry between the two schools, I think it would have been fine for the AD to come out and have a couple of fun one liners at Coach Ks expense, and UNC can still say "look we did something, don't be mad at us that it wasn't the BJ you were expecting"
I mean I would be shaking everyone's hands these days, in some conferences you get punched.
Not that it matters but did that commercial run at the same time Grayson Allen was playing for him? That's all anyone needs to see to know the whole leader of men thing was bullshit.
I don't hate Coach K. I just don't. He's the GOAT of CBB coaches, good ambassador as the USA BBall coach for a number of years, and coached during a time period of lots of changes throughout the sport.I don't love the guy, but I gotta give him credit where its due. I didn't grow up in NC, I never felt the vitrol except when VT was playing him. Any other time...meh
Edit, I apparently said this already
Same with Tom Brady. I never understood the hate. Don't love him or hate him.
The other thing is.... I feel like most GOATs in sports have personality traits that aren't desireable.
Tom Brady
Coach K
Michael Jordan/LeBron (whichever side you're on)
Novak Djokovic
Tiger Woods
I mean, other than Serena Williams, I can't think of too many GOATs that weren't/aren't considered jerks
Cough, cough, Naomi Osaka, cough, cough, U.S. Open, cough, cough, 2018, cough ...
Right, I can't see how a raiders fan would hate Tom Brady. Nah. I mean how? Hes not the only QB to benefit from a phantom bullshit tuck rule in a divisional playoff game. nah. I mean how could Jets and Bills fans hate Brady? Most NE QBs go 200-8 against the Jets and Bills over a career. I don't get it either.
I think the difference is are they an ultra competitive, win at at all costs jerk? or are they a think they're god's gift to sports type of jerk?
For example, I understand Belichick and Saban are both kind of pricks but I don't hate them. Coach K, I despise. Throw Dabo in the latter category as well.
I suppose I see your point, but I think on the whole, when you're talking "greatest of all time" status, you're probably not going to find them to be the type you like in general...
I'm sure there are exceptions, but feels pretty typical to me
Nick Saban is the greatest college football coach of all time, but he doesn't feel the need to lecture other team's players after a loss the way coach K does. Coach K can't stand the idea that it isn't all about him.
Another factor here is the onset of 24/7 sports coverage shoving personalities down people's throats. If ESPN won't stfu about an athlete or coach, there's only so long before people are over it.
I'm also not arguing that all GOATs are equally.... abrasive.
I also promise that individuals will be more aware of a particular person's actions of someone they despise than someone they don't particularly care about.
Coach K's personality, whether or not you like it, probably contributed to his success in a way. I also doubt anyone has thoroughly researched any particular non-bball related good he's done (I know I haven't).
The guy is leaving the sport (I wouldn't count on him not being in the booth). Good for us, bad for them.
It's hard to excel in a team sport without demanding the absolute most from everyone around you as seen in The Last Dance and the few blurbs about Brady in the locker room specifically things like this.
Coach K as much as he's an insufferable douchebag likely demanded the most from all his players, however being a dick to student reporters, admin, equipment staff, and whoever else had the displeasure of crossing paths with is inexcusable
in 1990 Coach K set up a Meet and Greet between student reporters of Duke's version of the Collegiate Times and the players on the team. What it ended up being was an ambush, with the staff basically locking them in a room so the players could berate and intimidate the reporters for their coverage of the team.
Link
What a great leader of men that man was
Oh, and before you even try to say that this was 30 years ago and Coach K would never do that now....
That was January 23, 2021
I heard that at the time and didn't think- and still don't think it was that bad. And I am no K fanboi. I thought he was a little stern, but it was a good analogy. He would have told the reporter to fuck himself if he wasn't a duke guy though, true.
Oh yeah I'm not shocked. If you just look at him as a basketball coach he's phenomenal, everything else considered he's a dick
I think the incident in the video from this year gets blown out of proportion. ACC Radio found the student reporter and talked to him on at least 2 shows. K called him and apologized, the reporter got his 15 minutes of fame. We see head coaches harumph through press conferences and berate reporters all the time. It's never a good look.
This statement aged beautifully. Like a fine wine from the Sonoma Valley
To his credit, I understand his players and coaches (K included) were nothing but complimentary after the game.
Say what you want, but the guy won a bunch of basketball games.
And he must have said something nice to Murphy when he put his arm around him after the game. Coach K's last ACC tournament, and he took a few seconds to talk to one of VT's players. The guy cares about the sport.
He actually talked to several of the players after the game.
With all due respect, that's all on Storm for running over and shaking hands with the Duke starters as they were walking into the tunnel because he missed the chance in the immediate craziness after the game. Just a genuine great moment from him. And of course, K took some time to talk to him on his way back as well, which is pretty good on him as well.
It was a great moment, however it evolved.