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cspan37421
04-23-2010, 10:50 AM
Looking back on a somewhat unexpectedly successful season (recent past history has a way of being extrapolated - I would not have been surprised at 25-30 wins and a sweet 16 exit from the NCAA), I wondered what was different about this year - not in results, but in composition. Obviously our inside game was strengthened, enabling us to overcome games in which our outside shot wasn't falling.

But it was more than that. More than Zoubek getting healthy, more than the Plumlees playing great together when Zoubek needed a breather, more than Andre coming in to shore up a bench-thin backcourt. (etc.)

It was Coach K's fire. For all the bellyaching from haters about how he works the refs (as if other coaches don't), I had noticed that he had been positively stoic in recent years. Almost too composed. When I was at Duke, I remember him being so firey, he ripped the back seam of a sportcoat when he did a Hulk-like double-arm-pump grimace. He brought so much fire he wore himself out a few years later and needed surgery. Since that surgery, he had toned his demeanor down a lot. That didn't prevent success (think of '99, '01, '04 etc) but in the last few years, he was quite placid, making confirmation bias a hard game for the haters.

That seemed to change this year. I don't recall when it all really started, but I first noticed with his reaction to Gottlieb's "alarmingly unathletic" comment. He really threw it back at him, publicly. I loved that, but it was out of recent character for him, as he had long let things slide off his back. Then I noticed how he was far more demonstrative in games, firing up his team and showing emotion on his sleeve to the degree not seen in many years. Even at the final four, or thereabouts, he took on the Duke haters, saying it was "their problem, not ours."

Obviously many factors came into play that enabled this wonderful year - but for me, the one that seems to be overlooked is that Coach K's competitive fire is on display again. Perhaps some our squads don't need to see it, perhaps others do. Whatever the case, it worked.

As a tangent, did anyone see Blythe's silly writeup on meeting K?

http://www.esquire.com/features/ESQ0306COACHK_226

It's hard to believe how juvenile this guy is, but I guess he's found an audience that way.

cspan37421
04-23-2010, 11:15 AM
another example - remember how he took on the media when someone characterized Duke's last few tournament performances as "meltdowns" ? I loved how he responded to that.

dukeimac
04-23-2010, 11:50 AM
In all honesty, it is always the coach that makes the biggest difference.

You can under estimate the timing of a sub or who the sub is or not subbing. Everyone wants to be the Monday morning quarterback, coach, GM, etc. It is so easy to sit here a be critical of someone but you never really know until you have walked in their shoes.

There were a lot of critics about Coach K's player management. I think they all saw an early exit coming because they didn't think Coach was managing the players time right. But until you see what he sees every day during every minute of practice or conversation with the players and coaches one really has no clue in what they are talking about.

I coach. I had a player that many in the state said he was the best player. They were making the call off of the 5 minute spurts I played the guy. He was lights out, but for 5 minutes. The guy had no attention span. They were critical because I didn't start the "best player" in state. He was a sophomore and many were calling for him to move up to varsity (I had the JV). The varsity coach began to question me too. One game we had foul trouble and I had to go to him. In a little over 4 minutes he brought us back from a 15 point deficit to 4 point deficit. Wow the crowd was excited.

But after that his shoes fell off. Three straight turnovers, by him. Real bad passes and one bad shot selection and we were down by 14 in a little over a minute, with a little over a minute to go. It was over. The varsity coach wanted me to play him more to get him use to the game. I did and we had similar results. The varsity coach questioned me on what was happening. I told him to come to my practice once and see for himself.

About 5 minutes into every practice this kid was gone, spent. He could shot and play defense like no one on the team, for the first 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, he was useless. Funny, the varsity coach left practice and never said a word to me again about this kid.

I played the kid for about 5 minutes in each quarter and we / he got good results. People just couldn't get past those stats and what they saw in those 5 minutes. The next season he made varsity and the coach did the same thing with him, 5 minute spurts. His senior year everyone rated him the top player going into the year. People put the pressure on the coach to play the "best player" in state. He did, they started 1-6. The one game they won was because the kid fouled out early in the 4th quarter. After that everyone gave up on the kid. Games the coach played the kid in longer spurts he got boo'ed for playing him.

But none of the critics ever recanted their criticism, none that I know of.

The problem is no one ever saw what the coaches saw. The coaches played the kid to his strength and what benefited the team. None of the critics ever came to a practice, they only saw the 5 minute spurts.

Another reason why I don't care for the YouTube videos of any players, they are only the highlights and none of the low lights.

I'm still waiting to hear of the big critic who started a blog about Coach K's bench playing time. I don't think he has the guts to admit that Coach K is the best college coach in the game and should never be questioned for what he does. He sees and knows more than any of us and he should be given the benefit of the doubt that what he is doing is right.

But I guess this guy believes Coach is guilty before they have proof. You would think that someone who follows Duke would know to presume someone innocent until they can "prove" he is guilty. And no one here has any proof the Coach is wrong, NONE!

moonpie23
04-23-2010, 11:53 AM
he said that he "loved this team"............


obvious...

Billy Dat
04-23-2010, 12:08 PM
K is as fired up as ever but I think a few things have toned down how often he shows that fire during games:
-His replaced hips keep him more rooted to his seat
-He ceeds more control of the game to his players than he used to. He works with them in practice and creates the gameplan, and manages the substitutions, but he is a true believer that a team can only reach its potential if the players are free to follow their instincts and make reads. As such, he exorts them to play hard, but isn't always bouncing up and down making play calls (he still does that, but not as often).

K also noted that the Duke Hatred Tsunami was having a real impact on his team. So, because he is secure enough to not really care about outside criticism, he played the role of lightening rod and lashed out at the press when they would criticize the team's recent NCAA track record. He wanted the attention focused on him so the team wouldn't feel as much pressure. I think that's why you saw some extra fire. Had it been a guy like Laettner, who was basically made of kevlar and had a closet of hardware by the time he was a senior, I don't think you'd have seen K doing that as much.

As for Will Blythe, that column ran in Esquire in 2006 and was lifted directly out of his book. I own the book and think it is pretty hilarious and a good view of the rivalry. Blythe hates Duke because it is Duke and he's a Tar Heel fan. He makes no attempts to try and be rational. In all, I think he portrayed K pretty fairly and sympathetically in that piece, as much as a true Tar Heel fan could.

miramar
04-23-2010, 12:21 PM
Dukeimac's post reminds me of a story about Dave Odom when he was at Wake. At a party someone asked Odom if he minded if the guy made an observation about the basketball team, and Odom answered that he did mind and told the guy that he was a basketball coach and knew what he was doing and that the other guy (a doctor IIRC) didn't have a clue. So imagine what Coach K sees and all the input he gets from a very competent staff, and compare that to how little someone like (for example) Doug Gottlieb knows, and that is a guy who played college basketball and watches it for a living.

Spret42
04-23-2010, 12:58 PM
I think one of the things people are not taking into hand is how much the Olympic experience may have actually energized Coach Krzyzewski. He talked afterward about how he learned from them as much as they learned from him. He talked about how hard those guys worked and how he was surprised by it. I think he learned a ton and went forward to Duke the last two years energized and with a plan.

Now if he was just saying those things to be nice that is one thing, but I don't think he says things just to say them.

jdj4duke
04-23-2010, 01:07 PM
As for Will Blythe, that column ran in Esquire in 2006 and was lifted directly out of his book. I own the book and think it is pretty hilarious and a good view of the rivalry. Blythe hates Duke because it is Duke and he's a Tar Heel fan. He makes no attempts to try and be rational. In all, I think he portrayed K pretty fairly and sympathetically in that piece, as much as a true Tar Heel fan could.


I will provide some counterpoint to your comments about Blythe. I recall very well reading the original article, which came complete with a nasty picture of K (think similar in tone to the one from Indy). I will agree that there are some good depictions of K in the article, but I found Blythe smarmy then and he hasn't gotten over it now.
I think Blythe is mistaken that his smugness is ameliorated by what he clearly considers his humorous embrace of his "hatred". I tried but couldn't get through the book. There were, as in the article, some funny bits but overall, he is a one-trick pony whose circus left town a long time ago.

All that said, this thread, emphasizing K's fire and intensity, is just right on the dot. Yeah, I love the wins, but watching his construction and development of his teams, and the way even his press conference and off-the cuff comments so often reveal a more strategic or more broadly-based philosophy is fascinating. There are not many times when he reads off the coaching interview script. His interjection after the Butler game, when the reporter asked Zoub about his "up and down career" is a great example. Casual observers think they are getting basketball. They couldn't be more short-sighted.

91_92_01_10_15
04-23-2010, 02:17 PM
I will provide some counterpoint to your comments about Blythe. I recall very well reading the original article, which came complete with a nasty picture of K (think similar in tone to the one from Indy). I will agree that there are some good depictions of K in the article, but I found Blythe smarmy then and he hasn't gotten over it now.
I think Blythe is mistaken that his smugness is ameliorated by what he clearly considers his humorous embrace of his "hatred". I tried but couldn't get through the book. There were, as in the article, some funny bits but overall, he is a one-trick pony whose circus left town a long time ago.


I enjoyed reading the Blythe piece. It somehow eluded my attention back in '06, and I haven't found any reason to read his book.

I thought the last two paragraphs were particularly telling about Duke hatred and perhaps hatred in general. Feeling conflicted for a time after interviewing Krzyzewski, Blythe's hatred eventually returned and he says, "[s]uddenly, I was renewed. All the hatred in me broke through the dam created by our meeting and flooded through me like intravenous glucose. My spirit raised itself off the gurney of its virtue..."

I think Blythe, most Duke haters, and probably most Carolina haters for that matter, hate because it makes them feel better about themselves. The "reasons" they cite for their hatred always sound to me more like rationalizations.

By the way, I'm no exception. GTHC!

cspan37421
04-23-2010, 05:28 PM
Thanks for the replies, all. A couple of follow ups:

- what did K interject when Zoubs was asked about an up and down career? I was out of town and away from cable TV on the fateful night - I missed much (but did record the game to DVD!)

- I agree that K often lets his players figure things out (cedes control). That is a balancing act, though - there's a reason teams have coaches, and knowing when to step in and correct, and when to lay off, is really quite an art. Looking at results, I can't question his judgment, though there have been times that I probably naively wished he was more bossy. [in those times, he probably knew they would become too dependent if he was too controlling]. It all depends on the team.

David
04-23-2010, 05:57 PM
Thanks for the replies, all. A couple of follow ups:

- what did K interject when Zoubs was asked about an up and down career? I was out of town and away from cable TV on the fateful night - I missed much (but did record the game to DVD!)



cspan37421 - Coach K said this in response to a question for Zoubs during the postgame Butler press conference. You could watch it here: http://www.ncaa.com/sports/m-mmc/ncaa-m-mmc-body.html

From the transcript:

Q. Brian, could you talk about the defense, rebounding today, also your contributions to it. A satisfying end to what has had to been an up-and-down career.

COACH KRZYZEWSKI: He hasn't had an up-and-down career. He's had a great career, where he's had a foot broken twice. So he's had an injury-marred career. It hasn't been up-and-down. First of all, he can't go up-and-down. He can't jump.

BRIAN ZOUBEK: Thanks coach (laughter).

COACH KRZYZEWSKI: So it couldn't be up-and-down. You're never going to play for me again, so...

BRIAN ZOUBEK: That means I can say something (laughter)?

COACH KRZYZEWSKI: No. I still get back at you.

BRIAN ZOUBEK: I know that (smiling). To answer your question, there were two plays before I got that defensive rebound at the end where I could have got an offensive rebound and a defensive rebound, and I think Howard got both of them. Those could have been two plays that I saw that could have really affected the game. I knew that me getting the rebound would be a huge play. I think we out-rebounded them by about two total, so we really stepped it up in the second half.

Zeb
04-23-2010, 06:18 PM
COACH KRZYZEWSKI: He hasn't had an up-and-down career. He's had a great career, where he's had a foot broken twice. So he's had an injury-marred career. It hasn't been up-and-down. First of all, he can't go up-and-down. He can't jump.


I actually thought this was not a good move by K. I didn't think the question was all that out of bounds. And Brian is a capable senior who just won the tournament--why did K think he needed to be protected? And then to top it all off, when he is supposedly trying to defend the guy, he then makes a joke that he can't jump, which is much harsher than anything implied by the question.

It's not a big deal that K did this. He's fresh off a huge win, and we all say and do things that don't come out the right way in the the heat of the moment. This is just one of them. And hopefully K doesn't get too attached to interrupting reporters when they're questioning players going forward--I think it makes him and the player look smaller.

LSanders
04-23-2010, 10:25 PM
I actually thought this was not a good move by K. I didn't think the question was all that out of bounds. And Brian is a capable senior who just won the tournament--why did K think he needed to be protected?

My $0.02 ... I think the Z comment came straight from his heart. As mentioned previously, K loved this team. He was invigorated by its heart, and it brought out his paternal instincts. He hit back because Z was in his foxhole. He then made a joke to lighten the moment, but I really felt that comment was made out of a sense of protection. And, yes, Brian is certainly capable of taking care of himself, but that's not the point. K's family was attacked. He was just taking care of his family.

K's always been an incredible in-game coach, but I got the feeling all season he was coaching more from instinct this season than he had in a long time. This was a smart, seasoned group. They could change on the fly, which enabled him to be spontaneous. His adjustments against Butler were amazing. They saved the championship game.

My gut tells me that a combination of factors played into the "return of the fire" ... The Olympic experience (invigorated him and scratched his NBA itch) ... Reaching a point where he's really comfortable in his life and career ... The competitor in him getting sick and tired of hearing about hos the glory days of Duke are over ... etc.

However, I think this team touched him in a way that, perhaps, no other team has. (How many people on this board have said this their all-time favorite or, at least, very high on the list?) And, that's what lit that fire. I also don't think that fire will go out for a long, long time.

Newton_14
04-23-2010, 11:05 PM
Coach still has the fire and I agree the Olympics recharged the batteries while also serving as a learning experience for him which is great. He said it himself in one of the recent interviews, about how hard it is for a Coach his age and with his experience to learn new things. He gave the example that at this point in life if there is a basketball clinic, he is likely the instructor, not the student.

I have noticed too that Coach delegates more now than in the past. Even sometimes with substitutions in games. In the Baylor game when Zoubs fouled out, the camera caught K talking with Wojo. Coach asked who he should go with, Mason or Miles? Wojo said Miles and in the game Miles went. That is trusting your associate head coach to the nth degree. I have seen Collins often times during a game nudging K and telling him it's time to get a sub in and Coach does it immediately. There were times when you would not see that.

Good stuff. It is great Coach has a new fire and showing he is still the best at what he does, hands down.

Indoor66
04-24-2010, 09:19 AM
Coach still has the fire and I agree the Olympics recharged the batteries while also serving as a learning experience for him which is great. He said it himself in one of the recent interviews, about how hard it is for a Coach his age and with his experience to learn new things. He gave the example that at this point in life if there is a basketball clinic, he is likely the instructor, not the student.

I have noticed too that Coach delegates more now than in the past. Even sometimes with substitutions in games. In the Baylor game when Zoubs fouled out, the camera caught K talking with Wojo. Coach asked who he should go with, Mason or Miles? Wojo said Miles and in the game Miles went. That is trusting your associate head coach to the nth degree. I have seen Collins often times during a game nudging K and telling him it's time to get a sub in and Coach does it immediately. There were times when you would not see that.

Good stuff. It is great Coach has a new fire and showing he is still the best at what he does, hands down.

I highlighted part of your very good post because, IMO, it clearly states a prime example of K's greatness. A leader, a great leader, picks his men, trains them and then trusts their judgment and the fact that they will go a good job. K is a great leader.

NSDukeFan
04-24-2010, 09:49 AM
I highlighted part of your very good post because, IMO, it clearly states a prime example of K's greatness. A leader, a great leader, picks his men, trains them and then trusts their judgment and the fact that they will go a good job. K is a great leader.

I think that is also what he did with the team this year as well, in that he trusted his players a lot, to be themselves and use their instinct in games, after he had taught them what he could in practice.