Mike Krzyzewski Interview

[gotham devil]

http://www.wfan.com/topic/play_window.php?audioType=Episode&audioId=3092185

Took place in the last hour on the 50,000 watt, original 24 hr sports radio station...touched on a variety of topics from Bob Knight coming in next week to the relationship between LeBron and Kobe.

[Billy Dat]

You can also grab the podcast via iTunes, just search "Mike Francesca".

In addition to Gotham Devil's comments, here's a quick outline of topics covered:

-Several minutes on the Olympic experience to open
-This year's Duke team is healthy and deeper in the middle
-Bringing Paulus off the bench
-Relationship with Bobby Knight - going to spend some time with K and the team next week
-Best decision of his career was going to West Point, thanks his parents for that
-K pushing Chicago for Olympics in 2016 (this was his response to being asked about Obama's election - nice evasion for the known Conservative)
-Gold medal ranks above Duke Championships for him
-Pressure to win the Olympics was tremendous
-USA vs Spain was Georgetown v Villanova 85 but Georgetown won
-Chris Bosh was the biggest surprise on the team
-Lebron made sure to bond with Kobe knowing that the relationship between them was vital to the bonding of the team. K characterized Lebron as a tremendous leader
-Kobe seeks out the big moment
-"A Gold Standard", building a world class team, is the name of the Olympics book he wrote with Jaime

The interview took place because Duke will be in NYC next week for the CvC, but the Olympics dominated the talk. Of the 20 minute interview, he spends only about 3 talking about this year's team - a real dissapointment to me. But, I think it underscores, if we didn't know it already, what a transformative experience the National Team has been for K. I think we all knew it, but I am not sure I knew the extent of it. For a guy who says he doesn't look back, he takes every opportunity possible to gush about it. He qualified that fact during the interview by saying, "My team isn't playing until Sunday so I can allow myself to digress from my Duke team for a minute."

I wonder if USA Basketball, not "losing that spark" will be what eventually draws K away from Duke? For a guy who believes strongly in the teacher/student dynamic, how many people could possibly still serve in that teacher/mentor role for him? I can think of one...Jerry Colangelo. He was just named Chairman of USA Basketball....I have felt since the summer that one day K would potentially serve in the Managing Director role of the Senior Men's National team - the role that Colangelo played from 2006 - 2008. I just hope that day is WAY down the road.

[killerleft]

Mike Francesca did an excellent interview with Coach K. Well worth the listen.

[Bluedog]

-K pushing Chicago for Olympics in 2016 (this was his response to being asked about Obama's election - nice evasion for the known Conservative)

Well, to be fair, it wasn't a direct question about Obama's election. He said, "And Mike is a guy, folks, out of Chicago as a matter of fact...where, you know...You can take credit that a President now comes from Chicago...an interesting thing right now." [yes it is quite "interesting" ;)]

Coach K: "And hopefully a site of the 2016 Olympics....We're hoping that with Obama being elected...Chicago might be the site of the 2016 Olympics."

Good interview overall, but yeah, not really focused on the Duke team.

[Billy Dat]

I did notice that Francesca chose not to call K's job coaching the Olympic team to gold, "a lay-up" to K's face as he had characterized it to Jim Calhoun in an interview the week before.