Article on Coach K's retirement plans

[kako]

Great article on Coach K by Dave Glenn. He writes about K's retirement plans, other coaches who coached beyond 70, his relationships, thoughts for the future, etc.

https://theathletic.com/815699/2019/02/13/hes-not-into-pilates-like-boeheim-but-coach-k-at-72-feels-great-and-has-no-plans-to-retire/


This is the Athletic, it's a paid site. But here are some interesting tidbits:

1. He has no plans for a retirement date. It sounds like he's here at least two more years when he discusses recruiting.
2. He thinks his successor should be someone who played and coached at Duke. So Brey doesn't fit.
3. Michael Savarino, his grandson, will play at Duke next year as a preferred walk-on.
4. He thinks the Duke basketball program is bigger than him, but I think many of us would disagree. Duke basketball is Coach K now. It may not be forever, but it is right now.

9F

[uh_no]

4. He thinks the Duke basketball program is bigger than him, but I think many of us would disagree.

Don't forget that duke was a very strong program before K got here as well...maybe not immediately preceding, but overall.

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Don't forget that duke was a very strong program before K got here as well...maybe not immediately preceding, but overall.

Yes, immediately preceding. Spanarkel, Banks, Dennard and Bender think so too!

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Don't forget that duke was a very strong program before K got here as well...maybe not immediately preceding, but overall.

Yes, Duke was a team with significant heritage pre K...nothing compared to what K has built...going back to Bubas in the 60s and Foster for a while in the late 70s.

In the movie made about the 1966 Texas Western National Championship run, Duke and Kentucky - both in that same Final Four - were referred to I believe as "basketball royalty" even then.

But now, of course, a whole new level.

[AustinDevil]

Yes, immediately preceding. Spanarkel, Banks, Dennard and Bender think so too!

You're not wrong, of course, but Coach K has now coached Duke for nearly 60% of the time that Duke has been a member of the ACC. Add in today's shortened attention spans, and yes, he most definitely is the be-all and end-all of the program right now. Here's hoping for a smooth and successful transition (in 2030?).

[BandAlum83]

Yes, immediately preceding. Spanarkel, Banks, Dennard and Bender think so too!

Mike Gminski has an opinion on that as well.

[Truth&Justise]

3. Michael Savarino, his grandson, will play at Duke next year as a preferred walk-on.

Below are photos of Savarino from the AAU circuit last year, and also from the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

DhSGEFfUYAAxAzl.jpg

DhSGEFfU8AAgrCs.jpg

[uh_no]

Below are photos of Savarino from the AAU circuit last year, and also from the 2004 NCAA Tournament.

DhSGEFfUYAAxAzl.jpg

DhSGEFfU8AAgrCs.jpg

important questions: do you think he'll continue to help coach decipher emojis?

https://vimeo.com/157049013

[dudog84]

Yes, immediately preceding. Spanarkel, Banks, Dennard and Bender think so too!

Oh great and powerful Oz, how could you forget Gminski?!?!? The curtain has been pulled back!

Edit: BandAlum83 beat me to it.

[-jk]

Don't forget that duke was a very strong program before K got here as well...maybe not immediately preceding, but overall.

I've said it before: K's been awesome! He's taken us all the way from 5th NCAA all time wins to 4th! Well, that and a few banners...

We were very good before, but better with him. Hoping he really loves coaching his grandkid, and has several more queued up!

-jk

[wsb3]

Bob Verga, Jeff Mullins, Jack Marin, Steve Vacendak.. I don't recall watching Art Heyman play..(Slightly before my childhood memories)

[Ian]

Don't forget that duke was a very strong program before K got here as well...maybe not immediately preceding, but overall.

Saying Duke was a very strong program before K got here is like saying New England was a very strong football franchise before Bill Belichick became their head coach. Sure there were some great moments and seasons before K. But the comparison of before and since is night and day.

[hallcity]

My recollection is that when Coach K arrived at Duke that Duke was already number 5 on the list of schools with most basketball wins. We've since passed St. John's. So, yes, even though we've done phenomenally well since he arrived, Duke was already a successful program before Coach K arrived.

[HereBeforeCoachK]

Saying Duke was a very strong program before K got here is like saying New England was a very strong football franchise before Bill Belichick became their head coach. Sure there were some great moments and seasons before K. But the comparison of before and since is night and day.

A case can be made that K is bigger than the Duke program...but WADR...the New England analogy doesn't quite fly. Duke was already part of a burgeoning hotbed area of hoops...Frank McGuire, Everett Case...The Dixie Classic...Norm Sloan, Dean, the 8 team ACC....Duke had won more games than almost any other school... Even when Bill Foster's first great Duke team - 78 - reached the Final Four, Sports Illustrated talked about a program who's four letter name meant almost as much as the four letters U C L A. (in 78 those meant a lot).

Yes, it's night and day now...but so is college hoops in general. What I think K realizes is that if he is regarded as bigger than the program, then Duke is doomed to second fiddle to the Cheats (in that regard) the second he retires.

[kako]

Saying Duke was a very strong program before K got here is like saying New England was a very strong football franchise before Bill Belichick became their head coach. Sure there were some great moments and seasons before K. But the comparison of before and since is night and day.

My point exactly. I grew up watching Tate Armstrong, then the '78 team. Duke became my school of choice, in no small part due to those teams. Of course, I know about Bubas and his very successful years, including the FFs. I don't take anything away from those teams. In fact, my all-time Duke team would have to include (at least) Heyman. But K is Duke basketball now, I don't believe there's a real question about this. He may not be forever, but he is now what makes Duke basketball what it is. And case in point, does anyone think that Duke would have come back last night if K wasn't on the bench? The players executed, but the belief was K's. As the man said, he doesn't coach losers. He coaches Duke winners.

9F

[uh_no]

Saying Duke was a very strong program before K got here is like saying New England was a very strong football franchise before Bill Belichick became their head coach. Sure there were some great moments and seasons before K. But the comparison of before and since is night and day.

My recollection is that when Coach K arrived at Duke that Duke was already number 5 on the list of schools with most basketball wins. We've since passed St. John's. So, yes, even though we've done phenomenally well since he arrived, Duke was already a successful program before Coach K arrived.

duke was one of the top programs in the country before K showed up. they had 4 final fours in the prior what, 15 years? and as hallcity points out, were near the top of all time wins. The patriots weren't top 5 of anything before brady and belichek showed up.

[Ian]

Patriots joined the NFL in 1971, in the 29 years they had until Belichick became the coach, they made the playoffs 9 times and had 2 Superbowl appearances and no titles
Duke joined the ACC in 1953, in the 27 seasons before K arrived Duke had 8 NCAA appearances and 2 championship game appearances and no titles.

Looks pretty comparable to me.

[kako]

What I think K realizes is that if he is regarded as bigger than the program, then Duke is doomed to second fiddle to the Cheats (in that regard) the second he retires.

It's going to be extremely hard to follow a legend. Lots of programs are now failing (Arizona, UNLV, Oklahoma State, IU, etc.). UCLA has been chasing Wooden for 40 years. UK has had the good and bad since Rupp. UNC failed at first with Doh. But cheating aside, getting Ol' Roy was able to continue the program. So it will be all about K (and it really must be K) deciding who will take the reigns once he does retire (do you really want Vincent Price making basketball decisions???). Again, he *is* Duke basketball, whether he wants to admit it or not.


9F

[Bluedog]

Shockingly, I don't think I've seen it mentioned anywhere on this site, but Coach K is 72 years old today. Happy birthday coach! I'm sure that victory last night was a sweet gift.

[uh_no]

Patriots joined the NFL in 1971, in the 29 years they had until Belichick became the coach, they made the playoffs 9 times and had 2 Superbowl appearances and no titles
Duke joined the ACC in 1953, in the 27 seasons before K arrived Duke had 8 NCAA appearances and 2 championship game appearances and no titles.

Looks pretty comparable to me.

there are what 30 teams in the NFL and 350 teams in D1? I don't know how many there were in the 60's and 70's...but i venture it was more than 30.