Earlier this week, Jay Williams brought up the idea of Mike Krzyzewski returning to Duke for one more season. The reason he brought that hypothetical up while on ESPN is because Duke recently lost long-time assistant coach Nolan Smith to Louisville.
“It leaves a huge gap at Duke,” Williams said, via 247Sports. “And the question is who fills that void from a recruiting perspective and it leads me to think — does Coach K come back for another season, one more final season? I’m not saying I know this, I’m just throwing it out there because these kids are expecting to win a championship and they were recruited and they have close relationships with Nolan Smith.”
Williams’ comments sparked a plethora of rumors about Coach K’s future with the Blue Devils. Thankfully, Krzyzewski put all this speculation to bed on Wednesday.
During the latest episode of SiriusXM’s Basketball and Beyond, Coach K said he’s done coaching college basketball.
“I’m done with the coaching part of it. I’ve been so lucky to be in it for 47 years. Almost five decades of coaching at either West Point or Duke, and then 11 years with the United States national team. How lucky can you be? To be in that arena with two of the best institutions in the world and then to represent your country in the global arena has been an unbelievable honor. I’ve loved doing what I dreamed I wanted to do when I was 16, and that was to be a coach.”
These comments from Coach K should give the college basketball world the clarity it needed regarding this situation.
“That’s pretty clear, I’d say,” Kevin Shockey said in response to Krzyzewski’s comments.
“I’m done with the coaching part of it.” – Mike Krzyzewski
That’s pretty clear, I’d say. https://t.co/oHpOflcZ9Q
— Kevin Shockey (@KevinShockey) April 6, 2022
“Coach K says he done with the coaching part,” Chris Williamson of SNY tweeted. “Y’all believe him?”
Coach K says he done with the coaching part. Y’all believe him? https://t.co/yzlW1EzTav
— Chris Williamson (@CWilliamson44) April 6, 2022
“Coach K puts to rest the silly rumors he might return to coach,” a Duke fan said.
Coach K puts to rest the silly rumors he might return to coach, “I’m done” https://t.co/8ojsVhpx59
— Duke Basketball In Depth (@DukeInDepth) April 6, 2022
With the Coach K era officially over for Duke, Jon Scheyer will be asked to lead the Blue Devils to success for years to come.
Only time will tell if Scheyer is a worthy successor to Krzyzewski.
The post Coach K Shoots Down Speculation: College Basketball World Reacts appeared first on The Spun.