If you’re looking for a perfect definition of Great College Basketball Coach, you could do worse than Jay Bilas’ description of Mike Krzyzewski:
There is not a day that goes by that I don't think of or use something he taught me or impressed upon me. Except for my family, he has been the most meaningful and critical relationship in my life.
The NBA belongs to the players. College basketball is a coaches’ game. (At least it has been. The COVID-19 Factor and The Portal that resulted, might be changing that.) K, who will retire after next season, was the coach’s coach. Don’t hate him because he’s the best. (Some do.)
Five national titles, 12 Final Fours, three Olympic golds, 15 ACC tournament titles, 35 Madness bids, 28 lottery picks. One thousand, one hundred and seventy wins, and counting. Will anyone catch him? Not likely.
His closest competition is Jim Boeheim, who’s 188 Ws behind and will be 77 in November. Next among active coaches is – you guessed it, or maybe you didn’t – Bob Huggins. With an even 900 wins, Huggs is only 270 behind K. Huggins somehow endures, but he’ll be 68 in September and doesn’t seem to have much regard for his health
The biggest reason Krzyzewski’s record will stand like Pete Rose’s is, the faith showed him by the Duke AD at the time, Tom Butters. Butters hired K from coaching at West Point, where his record was non-descript – one NIT appearance in 5 years – and hardly afforded him the benefit of the doubt. In two of his first three seasons at Duke, K went 10-17 and 11-18 while the Blue Devils two fiercest rivals, UNC and NC State, were winning national titles.
That track record would have gotten him fired today.
He was as adept at coaching LeBron James as he was Jay Bilas. True to his West Point roots, he was never unprepared and never laid blame on anyone but himself. Yes sir, no sir, no excuse sir.
Players can smell phonies a mile away. No one ever said that about Krzyzewski. Well, OK, maybe a few of his peers resented his goody two-shoes image. That was jealousy talking.
Lots of folks disliked Mike and Duke because. . . why?
Because the Blue Devils won so much? Because they seemed to do so honorably? Because in Duke, the cynics saw college basketball’s teacher’s pet?
Duke’s smallness, its private-ness and yes, its not subtle smugness, could be off-putting. More than once in the past 24 hours, I’ve seen K called “the conscience of college basketball.’’ Ugh. But the good outweighed the jealousy.
I’d say we’ll never see Krzyzewski’s like again, but an earlier generation said the same about John Wooden and before him, Adolph Rupp. The game waits for no one. But K is Rushmore, for sure. The game will be lesser for his absence.
Now, then. . .
BASEBALL OFFERS MORE REDEMPTION CHANCES than any sport, if only because there are so many games to be played. While the first two months don’t exactly suggest the Reds can change hearts and minds in St. Louis this weekend, it’s not outside the realm of possibility. They’re only seven games out of 1st place.
But as noted frequently in This Space, if they don’t have Gray and Castillo doing Gray and Castillo, they have no chance. The 2021 Reds were “built’’ – we use the term loosely – on the false hope that success would come if everything worked out perfectly. That doesn’t happen.
The ultimate 2021 If Move has bombed already. Eugenio Suarez is no longer playing SS. The cheapness with the bullpen has been disastrous. Not paying to retain Anthony DeSclafani was pennywise. Believing that 37-year-old Joey Votto could stay healthy was magical thinking. And here we are.
Four games in St. Louis, followed by three at home v. Milwaukee, offers the Reds a chance to play their way back into hopefulness. Seven games isn’t a mountain in this division. But the way this club has played since Week 1, and the roster it owns, makes magical thinking seem a very good bet.
Ideally, disappointment paves the way for change and improvement. Ideally
MEANTIME, if you were a fly on the wall in Nick Krall’s conference room, which Red would you tell us will be most sought after if current trends continue through the end of the month?
Castellanos has an opt-out after this year, is obviously beastly at the plate and has an attitude perfectly suited to a team that’s trying to win now.
Gray has a team-friendly contract and a track record of some success. How much young blood are you willing to part with, to get him? The Cardinals have lost Cy candidate Jack Flaherty with a torn oblique. Might the Reds ever consider dealing a good pitcher to a team within the division?
Moustakas has been hurt as often as not, but when he’s healthy he can hit and is a valuable clubhouse presence.
Naquin has been this year’s Derek Dietrich for the Reds. Who knows how long his current ride lasts, but he’s not expensive. If the Reds ever have any interest in getting some of their money’s worth from Akiyama, moving Naquin would seem logical.
If I’m a contender, I’d find Lucas Sims useful. Wade Miley, too. Tucker Barnhart would help somebody’s pitching staff.
AND NOW. . . FunMaster Brien heads to Milford.
Imbiber Dave eats, too!
TUNE O’ THE DAY. . . A Mobster this AM wrote me an e-mail wondering, “what was the best year for rock-n-roll?’’ He said 1971. I’d have to think long and hard about that. The Stones released “Exile’’ in ’72. When Zep I come out? Sgt. Pepper was ’67, an awesome year. What was Dylan’s best year? What’s Going On was ’71. So was the Allmans at Fillmore East.
If I had to pick, I’d say ’67. Rock was moving decidedly away from pop and becoming more interesting. Motown was booming, Elvis was still alive. Cream, the Doors, Hendrix, all on the cusp.
As were these guys. My favorite tune by them.
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