NORMAL – With three national titles, 833 total victories, 11 Atlantic Coast Conference titles, and 10 ACC regular season titles, and the honor of coaching Team USA Basketball on his resume, you would think Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski should be able to pass along his wisdom to anyone – whether he is speaking to his players, recruits, or an audience of student athletes he has never met.
At a news conference in Redbird Arena on the Illinois State University campus Thursday, Krzyzewski passed along a little of the wisdom he has picked up in a 35-year coaching career, the last 29 of them spend guiding young men while on and off of a hardwood dedicated “Coach K’s Court†on the Duke campus. Roughly 300 student athletes came to hear “Coach K†speak.
“If you give each other your best,†Krzyzewski said, addressing the ISU student athletes in the audience, “Giving them your best is (what is) best.†He said that philosophy applies for relationships unrelated to sports as well, regardless of who you know.
“Champions do extraordinary things in an ordinary manner, because they do it on a daily basis,†the veteran of 29 Blue Devils seasons said.
On Olympic Basketball: As head coach of Team USA Basketball at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China last year, Krzyzewski had a second “dream team,†headlined by NBA stars Kobe Bryant, LaBron James, Dwayne Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Jason Kidd.
Having been an assistant to Team USA in 1979, 1984, and 1992, and then having the experience of being the team’s head coach in Beijing, Krzyzewski said he has noticed that the world is catching up to the U. S. in its collective basketball acumen.
“At the turn of the century, it was becoming obvious that (basketball) wasn’t our game,†Krzyzewski said. “It was the world’s game.
“But we were arrogant and said it was our game, and so, we didn’t prepare,†Krzyzewski added. “When you are arrogant, you don’t prepare (because) you think you’re just going to do (what needs to be done).â€
To meet the international challenge, Krzyzewski said, Team USA developed a system that would develop a culture which included giving time and respect to their players and to the game. Krzyzewski said doing this allowed players to learn about the nuances of the international version of the game.
He said the international version of the game is different from either the collegiate or NBA game. Differences which he said included a change in the size of the court and the size of the basketball.
Krzyzewski said that, over a three-year period leading up to Beijing, Team USA practiced repeatedly, using foreign officials, and bringing in other NBA players to scrimmage playing the international style of the game to get Team USA ready for what they would face during the Olympics.
In the end, the preparation paid off with Team USA defeating Spain, 118-107 on Aug. 24, to win the gold medal. Dwayne Wade of the NBA’s Miami Heat led Team USA’s charge in toward the gold medal with 27 points.
Coach K On Bobby Knight: Bobby Knight, former Indiana head coach, who retired from coaching after a brief stint at Texas Tech, was head coach at West Point in 1966 when Bobby Knight recruited Krzyzewski to play for West Point.
“I had him as a coach when (Knight) was young…really young,†Krzyzewski said. “What I learned from him was, first of all, the game. You cannot do this alone. You student athletes who think you can do this alone, then, you’re not going to be as good as you can be.
“If you partner with your coach (and) your coaching staff, or in class with your teachers, (that will be better),†Krzyzewski said.
Krzyzewski said he learned about preparation from Knight. He suggested to the student-athletes in attendance that preparation – whether what you are prepping for is on the court or off – is vital to succeeding.
Headliner For Red Cross Benefit: Krzyzewski was in town to be the featured speaker at the 16th annual “Evening With The Stars†fundraiser benefitting Bloomington-based Heartland Red Cross.
Krzyzewski is the fifth sports figure of this annual event’s previous keynote speakers. Basketball commentator Dick Vitale was the first sports figure to speak at the event, in 2003. Others have (and the years they spoke) included: NBC Sports host Bob Costas (2005), Indianapolis Colts quarterback Payton Manning (2006), and former Chicago Bears head coach Mike Ditka (2008).
Other speakers in the event’s 16-year history have included: Actors Tony Randall (1996) and Mike Farrell (M*A*S*H) (1998); former Kansas Sen. Robert Dole (1999); astronaut James Lovell (2000), and Scott O’Grady (2001).
A total of 760 people were expected to attend the dinner at which Krzyzewski would be speaking, held at Bloomington’s DoubleTree Hotel and Conference Center, with the event expecting to net $160,000 to benefit the Bloomington-based Heartland Red Cross.
Rim Shots: Among the roster of former Duke players Krzyzewski has coached over the years include former Illinois State head coach Bob Bender, Chris Collins, son of former ISU and NBA standout Doug Collins; former ISU head coach Bob Bender, and former Chicago Bulls player Grant Hill.