Mike Krzyzewski

About Mike Krzyzewski

Michael William "Coach K" Krzyzewski (Polish: Krzyżewski; ʃəˈʃɛfˌski; in American English pronounced "Sha-chef-skee"; born February 13, 1947 in Chicago, Illinois) is the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils men's basketball. He has also been the coach of the national team of the United States since 2005. He has led his team to three NCAA Championships, 10 Final Fours (third most in history), and 10 ACC Championships over 28 seasons at Duke. Currently the winningest active men's coach in the nation, Krzyzewski has amassed an NCAA-record 69 NCAA tournament victories, while averaging more than 25 wins per season. He has also coached an NCAA record nine 30-win seasons in his tenure. Sixty-one of the 65 four-year players under his tutelage since 1986 have competed in at least one Final Four. On March 1, 2008, Mike Krzyzewski became the 6th men's basketball coach in NCAA history to reach the 800 win plateau. He was elected to the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame following the 2001 season. He is currently coaching the 2008 USA mens Olympic basketball team.

Krzyzewski, the son of Polish immigrants, attended Weber High School in Chicago, Illinois before it became a middle school. He then attended The United States Military Academy at West Point, New York, and played basketball while training to become an officer in the Army. He was captain of the Army basketball team in his senior season, 1968-69, leading his team to the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. From 1969-74, Krzyzewski served in the Army and directed service teams for three years and then followed that up with two years as head coach of the U.S. Military Academy Prep School at Fort Belvoir, Virginia.

In 1974, he resigned from the Army having attained the rank of captain. Bob Knight, his former coach at Army, offered Krzyzewski, then 26 years old, a graduate assistant position at Indiana University. That 1975 squad posted an 18-0 Big Ten mark and a 31-1 overall record.