Coach K honored before Duke basketball plays in Champions Classic (Video)
Legendary Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski, commonly referred to “Coach K”, was honored on court before his final Champions Classic.
College basketball kicks off another year with the 2021 edition of the Champions Classic.
Four of the top NCAA Divison I programs — Kansas, Michigan State, Kentucky and Duke — head to Madison Square Garden to open the season with some of America’s best collegiate teams.
This year will be the final season for legendary Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski, more well-known as Coach K. Coach K announced his impending retirement following the 2021-22 season on June 2.
To honor his historic contributions to the game, Coach K was awarded a Champions Classic poster detailing his Duke history.
https://twitter.com/SportsCenter/status/1458241146136801283
Duke legend Coach K honored at Champions Classic before final NCAA season
Coach K begins his 42nd year as Duke’s head coach as one of college basketball’s greatest coaches of all time.
Over four decades in Durham, Krzyzewski has won five NCAA Division I titles, 12 Final Fours, 15 ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament championships, and 12 ACC regular season titles. The only coach to have won more NCAA championship titles was John Wooden for UCLA.
Beyond that, Krzyzewski has also coached the U.S. men’s basketball team for the Olympics in 2008, 2012 and 2016, winning gold medals in every Games. Krzyzewski was also an assistant coach for the famous 1992 Olympic “Dream Team” squad.
Since 1980, Krzyzewski’s record is 1,170–361, with a similar win percentage in NCAA Division I and ACC tournaments.
The list of accolades goes on, as Krzyzewski leaves the game with one of the most storied careers in NCAA history. But he still has one year left to make a championship run, and it all starts on Tuesday night in Madison Square Garden.
Once Krzyzewski retires, the program will be left in the capable hands of Jon Scheyer. But until then, Coach K is here to lead the Blue Devils “one more time.”
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