Coach K

Mike Krzyzewski scored a 1000th NCAA career a few days ago, the absolute record of this competition. The US national team selector has only two Olympic gold, two World Champions titles, and one NCAA title in his last six years in his biography. The story of a man who has become a living legend beyond expectations

"In coaching business, the most important thing is that you have someone who keeps your back. Knowledge, motivation, preparation, everything is important, but if you do not have someone above you who trusts you and who is willing to put your back when things go wrong, everything else does not apply..."

Bobby Knight gave this statement a few decades ago, and his disciple Mike Krzyzewski felt it best on his skin. Probably his whole career in Duke, Coach K owes Tom Butters, then sports director of this university.

Butters, after a long time of reflection and consultation, offered the job of Duke's trainer to a person whose surname nobody was able to pronounce, to whom Bobby Knight led the Army for five years and had 73 victories there (Micah literally returned from the airport to sign a contract, Butters sent a colleague to stop the coach before embarking on a plane to return home to Chicago). Most of Duke's sponsors were in shock, North Carolina's biggest rival, and North Carolina was led by Dean Smith and Jimmy Valvano, while Butters opted for anonymity from Army.

The first three years were dance on the verge of dismissal. All the biggest competitors crawled Duke regularly. After the third year and the defeat of Virginie with 43 points difference (to date is the biggest Mike's defeat in the career), Tom Butters came down with all the biggest donors and literally demanded to leave the coach. The campus was circulated by a petition signed by most of the most trusted fans. Butters responded by offering the coach a new five-year contract.

Years later, Tom Butters said: "It was the most logical decision in the world. It was clear then that he was a fantastic coach."

It was clear, but only Butters. A few years later everyone else became aware of how Tom was right.

Mike Krzyzewski was born and raised in Chicago, a refuge for many immigrants from Poland. The first one in his family got an offer to study. Father did not finish high school, mother never enrolled. When he opened up the opportunity to get a scholarship from then, though less crazy Bobby Knight, Mike was overwhelming, but his parents made such a pressure to become an academic citizen that he simply could not say no.

Mike's father, Bill for 25 years has been handling a phony name because the surname in Poland at that time was mostly a rejection for the job. Legend says that watching Dad worries Mike did not make his last name change ...

Spouse Mickie met him as he worked as a stewardess and fascinated her with total sincerity. Krzyzewski invited his future wife to the match of the American fable with the words: "You were my third option ...."

Most of the girls would hang up on the phone, but Mickie was intrigued by such a performance: "He was not arrogant, no bahat, he was completely honest, the only man I ever met, and who is always honest."

That firmness and unshakeableness came from the mother. "That's why I never feared failure, when I see how much she did for us, and how little I always realized that I could never do it."

For the first three years at Duke's journalists he was stabbed at every step, but Mike believed in his way. Since the support base was at that time in a large minority compared to North Carolina and NC State. The small (for American terms) private university had even before Krzyzewski the oreol of the snobbo college, where the rich children jump and come to expensive cars to lectures. Sport was playing there from objection and boredom, at least it was the perception of all the others ...

His oldest daughter, who was "honored" by a college student and who was often overwhelmed, was most troubled. Krzyzewski repeated only one thing: "Be proud of your family name and your family."

Much before the commonly known nickname of Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski was known for the notorious nickname "Pacov". Even today, among fans of all other universities, he is primarily "Pacov".

After the already mentioned defeat of 43 differences, the coaches went to dinner even though no one had any food. At one point they ate, some alcohol, Krzyzewski water ... Someone said, "Let's just forget this as soon as possible" and Mike through his teeth said, "Let's never forget this stuff ..."

He definitely did not forget. All of his victories and defeats Krzyzewski was worn on his face, the one that was slightly bloated when things did not go as he imagined