Mike Krzyzewski

Illustration by Matthew Shipley

Coach K has gone emeritus on us and we miss him! We chatted and here’s what Coach had to say:

So now what Coach? What’s left on your bucket list?

You know I’m not a bucket list person, I just try to live life to its fullest. I’ve loved what I’ve done my entire life. I’ve been a coach and teacher my entire life. That’s what I wanted to do when I was 16, that was my dream. So right now I’m still teaching, and I speak all over the country for the Washington Speakers Bureau. I’m a professor at our Fuqua School of Business. I still have my SiriusXM radio show for another 30 weeks; we’ve been on the air for 18 years. And I’m an ambassador for Duke. So I’m busy. I’ve got 10 grandkids. Our whole family’s grown up here in Durham. Actually this afternoon I’ll be at two middle school games to see my grandkids John David and Rem play. We’re a very big family. We’ve grown up here in Durham so I just want to stay, to be a part of Durham, and a part of Duke University. Durham is the best city in North Carolina!

Do you support paying college athletes?

I do not support paying college athletes, but that doesn’t mean I’m not in favor of NIL. I think we’d be in really sad shape if a university were put in a position to pay. The combination of NIL, the scholarship, and different opportunities presented by the university, is producing the best atmosphere for student athletes.

There’s been a lot of talk about Artificial Intelligence lately and how machines will replace human jobs. Do you think one day AI will replace human coaches?

I hate to pull this trick on you, but you’re speaking to a robot right now. This is Mike 2.0 talking to you. Can you turn this recording off so I can bring the Real Mike in?

Seriously, I don’t see that happening. I don’t think a robot can lead.

What do you regard as the lowest depth of misery?

Misery would be a medical condition with no cure. I think about my great friend Jim Valvano. He and I were like brothers. And in the last six months of his life I visited him three times a week at Duke Hospital and there was no cure for his form of cancer. That’s how The V Foundation started. I’m sure that he had many moments of misery, but by Divine Intervention, or whatever happened, he was able to turn those moments around and become a visionary, and that’s what started the foundation. That’s a situation where no matter how hard you fight, you’re not gonna win. To me, that would be a miserable situation to be in.

What words or phrases do you overuse?

I don’t believe I overuse any. If I use them, they have to be used. If they’re overused with someone it means that person hasn’t changed. “Stop fouling!” “Don’t turn the ball over!” Now if someone said, “Coach you’re overusing those words” my reply would be, “No, no, you’re overusing the turnover.” I think a teacher has to say some things in a repetitive manner to make sure the habit changes.

What TV Show are you binging on right now? Any movies you plan on seeing?

I'm not a big binger. My wife likes the Law and Order shows and Blue Bloods. But it's tough to binge because I travel a lot. I'm a big sports fan, not just basketball, but every sport. So I tend to watch a lot of live sports. It’s the best reality TV out there. And in terms of movies, well you might be shocked, but it's probably been about 40 years since I've been to a movie theater. Also, I've never been to the mall! So, I'm going to get out a bit more now to experience what our great city has to offer.  

Any advice for Coach Jon Scheyer? 

To follow his heart, to be true to himself. To take the good things he sees that we’ve done, or that our competitors have done, and form his own way of thinking and coaching, where he can evolve. You know you can never be good enough to be somebody else, but you can be good enough to be you. So be you. Follow your heart. Jon’s ready. Jon’s terrific. I want him to know that we have his back all the time.

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