Shower the great Coach Krzyzewski with praise in here... 1,000! (1 Viewer)

[Tau837]

I was very impressed by him tonight. Seemed calm, didn't whine like Ryan did, adjusted strategy with the foul trouble, let his playmakers play, etc. Also loved the interaction with his players after the game. He's a legend.

Did you miss the halftime interview?

There's a good chance I'm just being naive and they were carefully worded answers, but it didn't sound like whining to me. He said that his guys were driving but couldn't get Wisconsin to foul, not that his guys weren't getting calls. I thought that was a pretty accurate statement, since it seemed that Wisconsin had some pretty clean defense in the first half on those drives to the basket.

 

[NutterButter]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net. If you look not too long ago probably in the mid-aughts, Duke was getting killed in the recruiting game and NC was killing it. That was when Roy was winning championships. That has changed dramatically. Some attribute that to K coaching the olympic team although I'm not sure of the connection.

 

[Apple Jack]

In downtown New Orleans there is a massive digital billboard which usually shows the typical rotating brand ads which today has a huge bright ad with Coach K's picture and a huge "1,000th" overlaid, with no other info like who paid for it.

There's one of those on route 158 on the way to the outer banks.

 

[The Commish]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net. If you look not too long ago probably in the mid-aughts, Duke was getting killed in the recruiting game and NC was killing it. That was when Roy was winning championships. That has changed dramatically. Some attribute that to K coaching the olympic team although I'm not sure of the connection.

You don't understand how being the coach of the Olympic team could be an advantage?

 

[randall146]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net.

Got it - Those guys = guaranteed championship, just like Wiggins, Selden, and Emblid the year before

 

[Bruce Dickinson]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net.

Got it - Those guys = guaranteed championship, just like Wiggins, Selden, and Emblid the year before

I'm going to guess you're either in an extreme minority of folks who think Duke still would have won the national title if Okafor suffered a season-ending injury in February and missed the postseason, or you didn't quite think that analogy through.

 

[chauncey]

I just started watching the TV show Archer recently. Picturing all of the poster Archer's comments as coming from the TV character make them pretty entertaining.

Growing up in NC and going to school at UNC bred lots of hate for Coach K over the years. What he has accomplished over the past 25 years is truly outstanding though and it is impossible not to respect that. His demeanor and success make him an easy target to dislike but the dude is in a class of his own. I hope he retires before another championship.

 

[Judge Smails]

Is coach K a good coach? Of course. Best of all time? Not sure about that. I believe that its easy when you're on top. Its no coaching miracle that certain teams are always good. Coach K was almost fired before Laettner came upon the scene. Now, 20 years later, he turns guys away from his program that others would love to have. He has to put in limited effort in one huge area of the college game, recruiting. Guys flock to him, he doesnt have to go begging for them. Now this is where its dicey...do they flock because he's great, or is he great because they flock? I certainly dont look at him negatively, Im just not sure the crown fits quite right.

To display my craziness further, I feel the same way about Bilichick. He sucked with the Browns (save one season). He gets Brady, and the rest is history.

I guess my overall point is, all of these coaches know what they are doing, some just have better players.

Horrible argument. Let's take a look at the first 20 years of that other guy that got whatever recruit he wanted, like Alcindor, Goodrich, Walton, etc.

Season Team Overall Conference Standing Postseason Indiana State Sycamores (Indiana Intercollegiate Conference) (1946–1948) 1946–47 Indiana State 17–8 5–2 1st NAIB invitation declined 1947–48 Indiana State 27–7 7–0 1st NAIB Runner-up Indiana State: 44–15 (.746) 12–2 (.857) UCLA Bruins[30] (Pacific Coast Conference) (1948–1959) 1948–49 UCLA 22–7 10–2 1st (South) 1949–50 UCLA 24–7 10–2 1st (South) NCAA Regional Fourth Place 1950–51 UCLA 19–10 9–4 T–1st (South) 1951–52 UCLA 19–12 8–4 1st (South) NCAA Regional Fourth Place 1952–53 UCLA 16–8 6–6 3rd (South) 1953–54 UCLA 18–7 7–5 2nd (South) 1954–55 UCLA 21–5 11–1 1st (South) 1955–56 UCLA 22–6 16–0 1st NCAA Regional Third Place 1956–57 UCLA 22–4 13–3 T–2nd 1957–58 UCLA 16–10 10–6 3rd 1958–59 UCLA 16–9 10–6 T–3rd UCLA Bruins[30] (Pacific-8 Conference) (1959–1975) 1959–60 UCLA 14–12 7–5 2nd 1960–61 UCLA 18–8 7–5 2nd 1961–62 UCLA 18–11 10–2 1st NCAA Fourth Place 1962–63 UCLA 20–9 8–5 T–1st NCAA Regional Fourth Place

 

[NutterButter]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net.

Got it - Those guys = guaranteed championship, just like Wiggins, Selden, and Emblid the year before

Lock of the century

 

[NutterButter]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net. If you look not too long ago probably in the mid-aughts, Duke was getting killed in the recruiting game and NC was killing it. That was when Roy was winning championships. That has changed dramatically. Some attribute that to K coaching the olympic team although I'm not sure of the connection.

You don't understand how being the coach of the Olympic team could be an advantage?

This is why I come here to learn stuff from the big brains like yourself

 

[The Commish]

I think you underestimate how competitive recruiting is. There were plenty of teams offering the world to Grayson Allen, Winslow, and especially the okafor/jones package. Duke and K had to fight for those guys, and that's one of the keys to being a great coach nowadays

Okafor and Jones could have just as easily gone to Kansas and it would be the Jayhawks cutting down the net. If you look not too long ago probably in the mid-aughts, Duke was getting killed in the recruiting game and NC was killing it. That was when Roy was winning championships. That has changed dramatically. Some attribute that to K coaching the olympic team although I'm not sure of the connection.

You don't understand how being the coach of the Olympic team could be an advantage?

This is why I come here to learn stuff from the big brains like yourself

Dang....I thought you were joking. Hope everything works out ok for you