Kobe on Coach K

[Mike Corey]

SilkyJ makes the key point. But to be fair, I doubt many recruits will say at the time of their commitment, "Lebron's praise of Coach K made me want to be a Dukie."

Comments like these:

You are obviously having another tremendous season and hoping to take the Cavs to another NBA Finals appearance. How has Coach K influenced your game since you started working with him in 2006?
Coach K emphasizes team basketball and that is something I have grown up doing -- Playing the game the right way and having everyone on the team involved. If you get individuals playing for the team, everyone is going to have fun and be successful. It is not how much I have learned but how much input I have taken on making the guys around you better. I have been able to do that.

On a professional level with USA Basketball stocked 1-12 with NBA stars, what is the biggest difference Coach K makes?
We all know how good of a coach he is no matter what level he’s on – the collegiate level, it doesn’t matter. He gets the attention of us guys on the USA Basketball team. It starts with him and it goes to the players. We all listen to what he wants to have accomplished and we go out on the court and make sure it’s done.

Representing the United States has to be a tremendous opportunity and a huge honor. Talk about that…
It is exciting for me as an individual and I know for the rest of the guys on the USA team. You get an opportunity to represent the United States of America playing a game we love to play. Every time we step out on the court, we want to show that dominance, that USA dominance that has always been ours. I think we regained that type of confidence and that type of dominance this past summer.

What makes Coach K the right choice among all of the coaches out there to lead USA Basketball?
That is a great question. I am not sure what makes Coach K the right guy but he is, and I have played for a couple different coaches on the USA team. He just fits perfect for us. Like I said before, it doesn’t matter if he a collegiate coach or not, he fits perfect for what we need in a coach. He allows us to have freedom. He allows us to play the game of basketball and just go out there and have fun, but at the same time he wants us to be perfect. And you know, we should expect that out of each other. We should expect perfection and that is what he is about. We like that, we like that kind of challenge.

You have said before you have loved playing for Coach K. What makes you say that?
I love the way Coach K approaches the game. I love the way he treats his players on and off the court. It is a family-oriented atmosphere. It is not like I have done it a lot – I have never played for a collegiate coach but I didn’t come in to it saying, “We have a collegiate coach, how do we adjust to him?” I was just saying he is one of the greatest coaches no matter what level it is on and I think we are going to have a good time. He has proven me right.

You talked about Coach K and how he treats his players on and off the court. What have you gotten to know about the Coach K off the court, out of the spotlight, off the camera?
As aggressive as he looks on TV and how determined he is to win, he is very laid back off the court. He gives you the opportunity to go talk to him if you have any concerns and things like that. He knows how to calm down off the court. You see how fiery he is during the course of a game, but that is just his personality and the way he approaches the game.

You went right to the NBA out of high school but Duke was a school you considered. Why would you think about choosing Duke as a high schooler?
I think any high school athlete playing the game of basketball should automatically make Duke one of their choices because of the history they have and Coach K speaks for himself. You want to become a better player coming out of high school and I think Duke is one of those colleges that will help you become a better player and a better person at the end of the day.

Start and finish this sentence: Coach K is…
Coach K is a winner. I believe that with him at the helm and being the head coach, we are going to bring home the Gold.

[moonpie23]

dang tootie!