Many people look forward to retiring at a certain stage in life. Coach K isn’t one of those people.
CBS Sports is reporting that Duke basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is moving forward with plans to remain the coach at Duke for a while longer. Steve Wojciechowski, new coach at Marquette University, was Coach K’s assistant at Duke up until last year. It had been assumed for a few years now that Wojciechowski was the heir apparent to Krzyzewski. Coach K, however, is nowhere near done.
When asked about Krzyzewski (pronounced ‘she-shev-ski’ or Coach K) retiring, Wojciechowski said, “I realize [the idea of replacing Krzyzewski] is out there; I’m not going to deny that I’ve heard that,” Wojciechowski said. “But, for me, that’s not in the equation. The equation for me is Marquette… and making this place the best it can be. Whoever replaces [Krzyzewski],” he added, “is going to have a tall task.”
Wojciechowski (pronounced ‘whoa-je-how-ski’) knows he is still considered the next in line for Krzyzewski’s seat, even since accepting the Marquette position. It doesn’t mean Wojciechowski can’t come back when Krzyzewski does indeed retire. Wojciechowski’s decision mirrors what many people are thinking right now; Krzyzewski, at 67 years young, is going to continue to coach Duke for many years to come.
NBC Sports is reporting that Coach K is also expected to continue coaching Team USA until the 2016 Olympics. Coach K is currently in Spain with the 2014 Team USA contingent, undefeated in the tournament, as usual. The original plan, thought by many to be the case, was that Coach K would coach Team USA through the 2016 Olympics, then coach Duke until age 69. Wojciechowski’s intention was to stay at Duke and step in when Coach K decided to leave.
When it became clear to Wojciechowski that Coach K was staying for an extended period of time, Wojciechowski decided to bolt for the head coaching job at Marquette. “Coach is young and vibrant and current, so I can’t see him retiring any time soon,” Wojciechowski said. “I think he loves it, and his family is entrenched in the program, and they’re going to be good year after year. … So I just don’t see him retiring any time soon.”
“He might go down as the best to ever do it,” Wojciechowski said
Other Duke alumni echoed those sentiments. “He’s gonna be around,” Chris Carrawell, former Duke basketball player and current Marquette assistant coach, said. “And I don’t mean just another five years or something. I mean, he’s gonna be around .”
So, the Master has a ready replacement. It’s just the Master is not ready to be replaced.
[Image Via xnsports.com]
