Duke University’s Men’s Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski has decided that the 2021-22 season will be his last season coaching. There will be many questions asked about the reasons why Coach K made this decision now and what his plans are for the future.
Coach K held a press conference Thursday morning to officially announce his retirement. The assembled media was present as he talked about the reasons he decided to retire and Duke basketball going forward. Krzyzewski said his decision was not based on health issues, but it was just the right time for him and his family. He stated, “Mickie and I have decided the journey is gonna be over in a year. And we’re going to go after it as hard as we possibly can.”
Even though the Blue Devils missed out on the NCAA Tournament last year, Coach K stated that they will go after it harder than ever for his last campaign.
Duke has already decided on Coach K’s replacement, 33 year old associate head coach Jon Scheyer, who has been on the coaching staff since 2013. Scheyer also had the privilege to play for Duke and Kryzewski for 4 years, 2006-2010, which makes it a smooth transition for all parties involved.
One of coach Scheyer’s biggest strengths is the recruiting aspect of the process. In the past, he has taken the lead in getting some major recruits for the Blue Devils. In the seasons ahead, his ability to keep up his strong recruiting will be vital to their success.
Krzyzewski feel that he wants to go out with a bang, but that might be harder than anyone realizes. Because of media obligations and all of the fanfare that going to come along with this retirement, Duke players and staff will have to figure out a way to adjust to the circumstances and not let it interrupt their goals.
Be that as it may, Krzyzewski definitely deserves all the attention and accolades he will receive later this year and continuing into early 2022. It will be a wait and see situation to see how the team responds to Coach K’s departure. Even though the succession plan has been put in place at Duke, Krzyzewski reiterated that he’s not done yet. “A message to our students: Come back in August,” he said. “We’re going to be ready, you be ready, and we’ll see what happens. We’ll see what the hell happens.”
