Frank Martin yahoo article on Coach K

[ajgoodfella7]

To all the rival fans out there who talk about Coach K being a fake and a phony this one article shows you what kind of a guy he really is. Most of the article is about K-State's program but one paragraph sticks out. Martin talks about how in 1998 he was an out-of-work HS coach and wrote hundreds of letters to programs all over America and only one person took the time to actually respond to him.

Congratulations to Coach Mike Krzyzewski on #800 at Duke! You couldn't be more deserving.

http://rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=jn-dukeksu1124310

[freedevil]

Very cool article. Frank Martin seems like a likeable version of Gary Williams... if that makes any sense...

[Bluedevil114]

Very cool article. Frank Martin seems like a likeable version of Gary Williams... if that makes any sense...

Gary Williams has the same if not more respect for Duke and is really good friends with Coach K. Gary puts on an act for his fans of his hatred of Duke. He and Coach K are very good friends and both have the highest mutual respect for each other.

[freedevil]

^ K can like Gary all he wants, but it doesn't mean I have to! :p

[callmecrazy]

^ K can like Gary all he wants, but it doesn't mean I have to! :p

Well said my friend!

[CEF1959]

Martin makes a point of saying that the note he got from K was handwritten and that he'll never forget it every time he tells the story.

“It was a hand-written note,” Martin said. “He was the only one I heard from. I’ll never forget that. It’s going to be a privilege to be able to tell my grandkids one day that I was fortunate to sit on the bench opposite Coach K.”

[Lord Ash]

Very cool article. Frank Martin seems like a likely-to-shoot-you-to-death-and-leave-the-gun-but-take-the-cannoli version of Gary Williams... if that makes any sense...

I went ahead and fixed that for you.

Anyone else notice that moment on the bench when Martin slammed that personalized K-State whiteboard on the ground... and in the next time out he had a plain white one?:)

[Rudy]

I went ahead and fixed that for you.

Anyone else notice that moment on the bench when Martin slammed that personalized K-State whiteboard on the ground... and in the next time out he had a plain white one?:)
Hmm, he had the intensity of a couple of 800 plus win coaches in the building, one coaching and the other watching. (I assume BK was there last night, too, having been there the night before.)

[rogermortimer]

I heard a clip from Coach K on the radio this morning on his 800 victories at Duke. He, as usual, got it right. He thanked Duke for being the kind of school which can attract great kids of character with whom he could continually mold a team.

But let's get past Coach K's modesty and get real. He is the best coach the college game has ever had. I think occasionally of Tom Butters. It is possible that careers can be defined by a single stroke of genius. Butters knew whom he was hiring when others didn't, and stuck with him in some rough early years. Basketball is the public face of Duke University. And what a great public face it is. We can't thank Coach K enough.

[Namtilal]

But let's get past Coach K's modesty and get real. He is the best coach the college game has ever had.

2009 Duke Basketball was an unrivaled coaching job. With only an extremely raw Mason as lottery material (although Kyle certainly has a chance), he created defined roles and a team concept better than any college team I can remember, in my 30 years of watching.

I really think we are entering the third golden age of Coach K's tenure. The next decade will be fun to watch. (I would propose 1986-1994 as first golden age, then 1998-2002 as the second. The gaps in between are pretty impressive, too.)

[alteran]

He is the best coach the college game has ever had. I think occasionally of Tom Butters. It is possible that careers can be defined by a single stroke of genius. Butters knew whom he was hiring when others didn't, and stuck with him in some rough early years. Basketball is the public face of Duke University. And what a great public face it is. We can't thank Coach K enough.

Butters deserves mucho credit, no doubt.

One story I've heard several times is that Butters called Bobby Knight and asked him for advice during Duke's coaching search and Knight said to hire Coach K. Butters hemmed and hawed and talked about wanting a more established coach, so who with THOSE qualities should he go after? Apparently Knight said something about Coach K being the right guy and Butters needing to man up and just do it.

Knight can be a real horse's tarheel but he stands up for his guys and really did Duke a solid here. Coach K would have been a success wherever he went, but Knight's recommendation got him to us.

Thanks to RMK for the recommendation, and yes, thanks to Butters for listening AND for sticking to his guns when the criticism got serious.

[tylervinyard]

I really think we are entering the third golden age of Coach K's tenure. The next decade will be fun to watch. (I would propose 1986-1994 as first golden age, then 1998-2002 as the second. The gaps in between are pretty impressive, too.)

So would the first be silver, the second gold, and the third platinum? Ha. I hope you're right! I am thrilled with our recruiting as of late, and K does seem to have gotten even better as a coach over the last several years. Thank you so much Colangelo (& even Dean Smith). Dean's choice when asked was K after all. Plus, when Dean was coaching it kept K at the top of his game. Going to be sweet to watch K pass him in victories.

[lumberbaron]

2009 Duke Basketball was an unrivaled coaching job. With only an extremely raw Mason as lottery material (although Kyle certainly has a chance), he created defined roles and a team concept better than any college team I can remember, in my 30 years of watching.

I really think we are entering the third golden age of Coach K's tenure. The next decade will be fun to watch. (I would propose 1986-1994 as first golden age, then 1998-2002 as the second. The gaps in between are pretty impressive, too.)

Actually, as a number of my friends have pointed out, his greatest coaching job may have been acheiving top 10 rankings, NCAA tournaments and high expectations with the McBob/Paulus teams. Look at how ol' Roy has completely fallen apart when his team is not more talented than the opposition. Do you think coach K would have had an NIT team if he were coach Cryolina last year? No way.

[PADukeMom]

Very cool article. Frank Martin seems like a likeable version of Gary Williams... if that makes any sense...

I can never put likeable & Gary Williams in the same sentence and keep a straight face.

[Kedsy]

I really think we are entering the third golden age of Coach K's tenure. The next decade will be fun to watch. (I would propose 1986-1994 as first golden age, then 1998-2002 as the second. The gaps in between are pretty impressive, too.)

I would suggest the dates of the "second golden age" should be 1998 to 2006. The years you omitted included rankings in the final Coaches' poll of #7, #4, #2, and #1 (#7, #6, #3, and #1 in the final AP poll), and three #1 seeds in the NCAAT, including a trip to the Final Four. Those years shouldn't be excluded just because we faltered in the Sweet 16 a couple of times. Plus, it makes both of the first two "golden ages" have a duration of exactly nine years. Hopefully Coach K will stick around long enough for this third one (which I actually predicted at the beginning of last season) to also last nine years.

[MChambers]

So would the first be silver, the second gold, and the third platinum? Ha. I hope you're right! I am thrilled with our recruiting as of late, and K does seem to have gotten even better as a coach over the last several years. Thank you so much Colangelo (& even Dean Smith). Dean's choice when asked was K after all. Plus, when Dean was coaching it kept K at the top of his game. Going to be sweet to watch K pass him in victories.
As I read it, Dean Smith said that Coach K was the only college coach who could successfully coach the Olympic team, not that Coach K was his choice. Still a very decent thing for Dean to do, but it doesn't quite amount to saying Coach K was Dean's choice.

[77devil]

As I read it, Dean Smith said that Coach K was the only college coach who could successfully coach the Olympic team, not that Coach K was his choice. Still a very decent thing for Dean to do, but it doesn't quite amount to saying Coach K was Dean's choice.

You are correct. Here is the quote.

“There’s only one college coach up there who can get the job done — and that’s Coach K.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/sports/ncaabasketball/19araton.html

[CEF1959]

Butters deserves mucho credit, no doubt.

One story I've heard several times is that Butters called Bobby Knight and asked him for advice during Duke's coaching search and Knight said to hire Coach K. Butters hemmed and hawed and talked about wanting a more established coach, so who with THOSE qualities should he go after? Apparently Knight said something about Coach K being the right guy and Butters needing to man up and just do it.

Knight can be a real horse's tarheel but he stands up for his guys and really did Duke a solid here. Coach K would have been a success wherever he went, but Knight's recommendation got him to us.

Thanks to RMK for the recommendation, and yes, thanks to Butters for listening AND for sticking to his guns when the criticism got serious.

There's some history here regarding Coach K's hiring that others may recall (or recall differently)

I was an undergraduate when K was hired, and most of us thought, "Who?" Bill Foster had brought the program back to prominence with a final four appearance in 1978. And we weren't too sure about this Krzequviskyrigiyi guy. We thought we'd get some superstar from another program of note. But K was so strongly recommended by Bob Knight... And Butters had a lot of respect, even among undergrads. So we though: Ok, worth a go.

When things didn't go well the first couple years, I don't remember ANY "K needs to go" sentiment. It was all about, "We like this guy's message; we like this guy; let's give him a chance; it's not his fault."

Coach K: I'm sorry we ever questioned the choice and glad we had faith in you during the lean times early on. Thanks for justifying that faith much more than we deserved.

Bob Knight: Thank you. You were spot on.

Tom Butters: You were right and had the stones to make a great call when it seemed questionable. Thanks.

[tylervinyard]

You are correct. Here is the quote.

“There’s only one college coach up there who can get the job done — and that’s Coach K.”

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/sports/ncaabasketball/19araton.html

Really, I don't think it diminishes what Dean said. No NBA coach was getting it done. The National Team needed a coach that had proven experience developing a "program". Outside of Phil Jackson and Popovich and maybe Pat Riley, who else are you going to turn to? And who is more passionate than K? Definitely not any of those guys, especially when it comes to being passionate about the US of A.

[Kedsy]

There's some history here regarding Coach K's hiring that others may recall (or recall differently)

I was an undergraduate when K was hired, and most of us thought, "Who?" Bill Foster had brought the program back to prominence with a final four appearance in 1978. And we weren't too sure about this Krzequviskyrigiyi guy. We thought we'd get some superstar from another program of note. But K was so strongly recommended by Bob Knight... And Butters had a lot of respect, even among undergrads. So we though: Ok, worth a go.

When things didn't go well the first couple years, I don't remember ANY "K needs to go" sentiment. It was all about, "We like this guy's message; we like this guy; let's give him a chance; it's not his fault."

Coach K: I'm sorry we ever questioned the choice and glad we had faith in you during the lean times early on. Thanks for justifying that faith much more than we deserved.

Bob Knight: Thank you. You were spot on.

Tom Butters: You were right and had the stones to make a great call when it seemed questionable. Thanks.

I was an undergrad then, too, and my recollection is the same. When he was hired we thought, well if Bobby Knight says this guy is all that then let's see what he can do. His first year we liked the way the team was playing and the second year it wasn't his fault because Bill Foster left the cupboard pretty much bare. And then the third year he had a great recruiting class but in those days the ACC was tough enough that a team starting four freshmen wasn't going to compete all that well. At least he was coaching for the future. And the rest, as they say, is history.

On the other hand, just because the students were on K's side doesn't mean the boosters were. I have no idea if they were on the same page with us or not.

[-jk]

There's some history here regarding Coach K's hiring that others may recall (or recall differently)

I was an undergraduate when K was hired, and most of us thought, "Who?" Bill Foster had brought the program back to prominence with a final four appearance in 1978. And we weren't too sure about this Krzequviskyrigiyi guy. We thought we'd get some superstar from another program of note. But K was so strongly recommended by Bob Knight... And Butters had a lot of respect, even among undergrads. So we though: Ok, worth a go.

When things didn't go well the first couple years, I don't remember ANY "K needs to go" sentiment. It was all about, "We like this guy's message; we like this guy; let's give him a chance; it's not his fault."

Coach K: I'm sorry we ever questioned the choice and glad we had faith in you during the lean times early on. Thanks for justifying that faith much more than we deserved.

Bob Knight: Thank you. You were spot on.

Tom Butters: You were right and had the stones to make a great call when it seemed questionable. Thanks.

There were very vocal people who wanted him gone, both among undergrads and the iron dukes. Remember, Deano had won it all in '82 and Valvano in '83. Meanwhile, K managed just 10 and 11 wins, respectively, those two seasons. But Butters saw the Dawkins/Alarie/et al class K brought in and saw their development, and stood by K (and under duress, too).

There most definitely was a "K needs to go" undercurrent. (I'm happy to say I was a K supporter through it all; hell, I'd been a supporter in the early '70s, too. I'd have been disowned if not. A good friend of mine was in the ditch K camp, but came to games anyway.)

Let's see how much patience we have with his eventual replacement - and may it please be many, many years away!

-jk

[gep]

We ARE VERY fortunate to have Coach K... and for so many years too. I also liked this quote from Coach Martin from that yahoo sports article...

**************
“It’s hard to be good one year,” he said. “Duke has been good for 28 years. They’ve competed for national championships and conference championships for 28 years. That’s just ridiculous.”

**************

[sagegrouse]

There were very vocal people who wanted him gone, both among undergrads and the iron dukes. Remember, Deano had won it all in '82 and Valvano in '83. Meanwhile, K managed just 10 and 11 wins, respectively, those two seasons. But Butters saw the Dawkins/Alarie/et al class K brought in and saw their development, and stood by K (and under duress, too).

There most definitely was a "K needs to go" undercurrent. (I'm happy to say I was a K supporter through it all; hell, I'd been a supporter in the early '70s, too. I'd have been disowned if not. A good friend of mine was in the ditch K camp, but came to games anyway.)

Let's see how much patience we have with his eventual replacement - and may it please be many, many years away!

-jk

The other coloration of the debate at the time had to do not so much with firing K, but with Butters' decision to give him a long-term contract Butters. I believe it was in the fall of 1982, after the JD, Alarie, Bilas, Henderson class arrived on campus, but before they really emerged in the 1983-1984 season. I heard that influential alums were aghast at a long-term commitment for a coach who hadn't proven anything and who had a losing record as a head coach. Butters recognized that Duke had the nation's best recruiting class (Sumner will correct my assertion) and that he better lock K up before other programs came sniffing around.

sagegrouse

[77devil]

Really, I don't think it diminishes what Dean said. No NBA coach was getting it done. The National Team needed a coach that had proven experience developing a "program". Outside of Phil Jackson and Popovich and maybe Pat Riley, who else are you going to turn to? And who is more passionate than K? Definitely not any of those guys, especially when it comes to being passionate about the US of A.

Your comment above makes little sense to me. Regardless, if you read the article, you will learn that it came down to Popovich and Coach K and it was a difficult decision at the time.

[dukeimac]

That is why I say, just sit back and enjoy the ride.

No one, and I mean no one, can do better than he has, no one.

Wooden coached in a different era and I think if he coached today, Coach K would be better.

No one, and I mean no one, is better that Coach K. Sit back and enjoy the ride.

[tylervinyard]

Your comment above makes little sense to me. Regardless, if you read the article, you will learn that it came down to Popovich and Coach K and it was a difficult decision at the time.

My point was the passion and patriotism puts him over any other person that could legitimately be called an elite program builder/sustainer including Popovich. Plus, would Popovich have bought into two World Championships and two Olympics? Would he have stuck around for what will eventually be 7 years? I very seriously doubt it. The National Team needed long-term leadership that I don't see anyone but Coach K providing. Easy for me to say that, however, providing hindsight is 20/20.

[CEF1959]

The other coloration of the debate at the time had to do not so much with firing K, but with Butters' decision to give him a long-term contract Butters. I believe it was in the fall of 1982, after the JD, Alarie, Bilas, Henderson class arrived on campus, but before they really emerged in the 1983-1984 season. I heard that influential alums were aghast at a long-term commitment for a coach who hadn't proven anything and who had a losing record as a head coach. Butters recognized that Duke had the nation's best recruiting class (Sumner will correct my assertion) and that he better lock K up before other programs came sniffing around.

sagegrouse

Excellent observations. As time goes by, I come to respect Tom Butters more and more. It's easy in hindsight, I guess, given the way things have turned out, but he had some brass hiring K. And the dude knew what he was doing and did it.

[dukeimac]

Does anyone else wish they were a fly in Roy's office.

Not only is Duke good again and UNC is shaky but Dixon (Pitt) says his most memorable coaching moment was when he got to coach against Coach K. And know Martin (K St.) talks about telling his grand kids how he got to coach opposite Coach K. These are very public comments.

I can just see it, I believe Roy is sitting at his desk, gaging. Someone please get him a bucket. LMAO