clock menu more-arrow no yes mobile

Filed under:

YouTube Gold: Coach K Motivation

This little gem from the start of the 2017-18 season explains a lot.

Duke Countdown To Craziness
DURHAM, NC - OCTOBER 15: Head coach Mike Krzyzewski (R) of the Duke Blue Devils shares a laugh with assistant coach Nolan Smith during Countdown To Craziness at Cameron Indoor Stadium on October 15, 2021 in Durham, North Carolina.
Photo by Lance King/Getty Images

As Mike Krzyzewski starts his final latest season at Duke, it’s worth asking what made his longevity possible.

You could probably put it down to a few things but near the top of the list you almost have to put his intensely competitive nature and his ability to communicate to people.

This is something the man does at an unusually high level. We’ve heard him speak and the things he says resonate for days.

It’s easy to imagine that what he says resonates with his teams, too.

Take these comments from 2017 where he starts to lay out what Duke’s standards are to his young team.

He talks about how lucky they all are to be where they are and what a special place Duke is. By the time he finishes, you understand, partly anyway, what it feels like to have someone like this behind you.

That said, you’re getting a warm and fuzzy here, not the guy who brings the fire. But when that guy comes out, you’ve already heard the warm and fuzzy stuff and odds are you’ll hear it again.