I wrote the following note to the author of this article:
Thanks so much for the great article on Coach K. I must, however, correct an error in it.
You say:
If you like offense-first basketball, you have to like Duke. Krzyzewski truly has embraced the 3-pointer, and the Blue Devils like to get out and run. If you watch Duke, you see a team that wants to play at a fast pace and a team that likes to play offense. Think of the number of good teams these days whose coach wants them to grind out wins behind their defense. It's not that Krzyzewski disdains defense; it's that he wants his team to score - and score a lot. In that respect, he gives his players more freedom.
You have described exactly the opposite of what Coach K has been preaching at Duke for 28 years (and 800 wins). He is absolutely, without question, a defense-first coach. You can ask anyone who has ever heard the man speak or watched him coach. His mantra is “our best offense comes from our defense”, and he has always coached his teams that way.
True, he has a lot of athletic guys AND we have had a high scoring team. But the scoring doesn’t come from the half-court game or set plays. It comes from turnovers, steals, blocks, taking charges… all of which are defense, defense, defense.
Thanks from a true (that is, Duke) blue Dukie!