Why I Was Cheering for Duke

 Well, the final run for Coach Mike Krzyzewski is over. Yesterday, Duke University lost to the University of North Carolina in an epic Final Four basketball semifinal.

I was cheering for Duke to win one last championship for their coach. I was cheering for Jarand, an avid Duke basketball fan since I'm-not-sure-when. I can only speculate about when he became a diehard Duke basketball fan. The year was 1994 and Jarand was a sophomore in high school. Duke was coming to play in the Rainbow Classic at the Stan Sheriff Center on the University of Hawaii campus. I don't know how Jarand got there because he didn't have his license yet, but somehow, he was there when the team bus drove up. I'm not sure how Jarand got up the nerve but he went up to Coach K and asked him to sign his cap. Coach K obliged, and that made Jarand a fan for life. Earlier this year when Coach K announced his retirement, I looked for that cap in Jarand's room. I couldn't find it so I asked Justin to check at his home since some of Jarand's things were still there. He did find the cap but he said the signature was no longer readable. 

There are a lot of Duke haters out there, but I am not one of them. I think it has more to do with the respect I have for Coach K. I remember reading an article a few years ago about their big rivalry with UNC. It was a home game and the Duke fans were loud and rowdy. Coach K got on the microphone and quieted the crowd, telling them that this was their home and UNC were the visitors and we treat visitors to our home with respect. That speech stayed with me all these years. I also read a heartwarming story about a boy with Down Syndrome  who sat behind the Duke bench for 37 years because of an invitation from Coach K. 

The college basketball game has changed. It is unlikely that Duke will have players like Bobby Hurley or Grant Hill or Christian Laettner who played there for four years. No longer can Coach K refuse to raise an NCAA Championship banner at Cameron Gym if any player on that team does not earn a college degree. Now, it's one-and-done as star teenage basketball players bolt for the NBA. Coach K has had to adapt to the changing times. That is what leaders do. 

Mike Krzyzewski coached at Duke for 41 years. What a commitment to the school and to all the players he coached! He also coached the US Olympic Team three times, and as this article explains, he needed to adapt to coaching the best professional players in the NBA and turn individual stars into a unified team.  He knew that what worked with his college kids wouldn't work with superstars like LeBron and Kobe. Critics questioned the decision to name Coach K as the Olympics coach, but three gold medals proved he was the right person, the kind of leader the team needed.

I would have loved to see Mike Krzyzewski go out with another NCAA basketball championship, but I know his legacy will continue. Hopefully, those he impacted will remember the lessons they learned from him. 

There are lots of quotes attributed to Coach K. These are some of my favorites..