GOING TO BE TALKING LIVE TO
COACH K. IN A SECOND. I MEN'S
COLLEGE BASKETBALL HISTORY. >> DUKE HAS WON ITS FIRST
NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP. RE THE >> Reporter: AND THE FACE OF
DUKE BASKETBALL, MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, OR COACH K. TO FANS,
DIDN'T HOVER ON THE WINS, FIVE NATIONAL TITLES, OR 12 FINAL
FOUR APPEARANCES, WHILE REFLECTING ON HIS UPCOMING
RETIREMENT. INSTEAD, HE ZEROED IN ON THE
PEOPLE WHO BACKED HIM ALONG THE WAY.
LIKE HIS FIRST ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AT DUKE FOLLOWING A MEDIOCRE
START. >> AFTER THREE YEARS, MOST
PEOPLE WANTED THAT OPPORTUNITY TO GO TO SOMEONE ELSE.
GUESS THAT'S A NICE WAY OF SAYING THEY WANTED TO GET RID OF
ME. BUT NOT THE GUY WHO BELIEVED INO
PUTS IT UP, YES! >> Reporter: POSTING MEGA-TEAMS
WITH FUTURE NBA TALENT, AND SCRAPPY SQUADS WINNING WITH GUTS
AND HEART. THE ONE CONSTANT, THE MAN AT THE
HELM. HIS PLAYERS SAY COACH K. TOUCHED
MORE LIVES THAN ANY STAT WILL EVER REVEAL.
NOW, THE MAN WHO COACHED THE U.S. MEN'S OLYMPIC TEAM TO
MULTIPLE MEDALS AND HAS A COURT NAMED AFTER HIM IS HANGING UP
HIS CLIPBOARD AT THE END OF NEXT SEASON.
BUT HE SAYS NOT BECAUSE OF COVID, HEALTH, OR A RAPIDLY
EVOLVING SPORT. >> THE REASON WE'RE DOING THIS
IS BECAUSE WE HAVE DECIDED THE JOURNEY IS GOING TO BE OVER IN A
YEAR, AND WE'RE GOING TO GO AFTER IT AS HARD AS WE POSSIBLY
CAN. >> Reporter: A RIDE THROUGH THE
RECORD BOOKS ALREADY WITH ONE MORE CHANCE TO HOIST ANOTHER
CHAMPIONSHIP BANNER. FOR "TODAY," SAM BROCK, NBC
NEWS. >> HOW HONORED ARE WE?
WE HAVE COACH K. WITH US NOW. COACH, IT IS GREAT TO SEE YOU
THIS MORNING. JUST THINKING ABOUT YOU, IT'S
LIKE A 41-YEAR LOVE AFFAIR. AT THE END OF IT, YOU'RE SAYING
GOOD-BYE. I WAS THINKING, YOU KNOW, HOW
DOES IT FEEL AT THE END OF ALL OF THOSE YEARS?
>> WELL, THE END IS GOING TO COME NEXT APRIL, HOPEFULLY,
BECAUSE THAT'S WHEN THE FINAL FOUR IS ON.
I WANTED TO MAKE SURE THAT WE GET A RUNWAY FOR THE NEW COACH.
TODAY, MY TOP ASSISTANT, JOHN SHIRE, WILL BE NAMED THE NEW
COACH ONCE I STEP DOWN AT THE END OF THIS SEASON.
SO THIS IS AN EXCITING DAY, TOO. SO I'M NOT THINKING YET OF
RETIREMENT. I'M THINKING OF NEXT YEAR, THEN
I'LL LET MY WIFE PLAN THE RETIREMENT DURING THE NEXT EIGHT
OR NINE MONTHS. >> COACH, OF ALL THE
ACHIEVEMENTS, ALL THE ACCOLADES ON THE COURT, NO ONE HAS WON
MORE GAMES, YOU'VE TAKEN THAT SQUAD OF YOURS TO FIVE NATIONAL
CHAMPIONSHIPS, YOU'VE SENT MORE PLAYERS TO THE NBA THAN ANY
OTHER ACTIVE COLLEGE COACH. WHAT MATTERS MOST TO YOU, OF ALL
OF THOSE ACCOMPLISHMENTS? >> WELL, THE REASON I GOT IN IT
WAS RELATIONSHIPS, HAVING AN IMPACT ON THE YOUNG MEN THAT YOU
HAVE THE HONOR TO COACH. THAT'S WHY I GOT INTO COACHING
WHEN I WAS 16. MY COACH HAD THAT IMPACT ON ME,
AND ONE OF MY TEACHERS IN HIGH SCHOOL.
I WANTED TO BE A COACH SINCE I WAS 16 YEARS OLD, AND THAT WAS
THE REASON. THE WINS COME AS A RESULT OF
HAVING GREAT RELATIONSHIPS, NOT JUST WITH AN INDIVIDUAL PLAYER
BUT WITH A GROUP OF PLAYERS, AND HAVING DEVELOPED RELATIONSHIPS
AMONG THEM. THEN YOU PLAY AS ONE.
THAT'S BEEN MY GOAL EVERY YEAR. SOMETIMES IT'S ACHIEVED AT A
HIGH LEVEL. SOMETIMES IT'S NOT.
YOU NEVER ARE ALWAYS SUCCESSFUL, BUT I THINK IT'S ALWAYS BEEN THE
BASIS OF HOW I COACHED. THE Xs AND Os WILL WORK IF THEY
GET ALONG WITH EACH OTHER. >> I WAS THINKING ABOUT IT, 41
E
YEARS AS A HEAD COACH AT DUKE. YOU'RE NOT THE SAME MAN OR THE
SAME COACH YOU WERE WHEN YOU STARTED ALL THOSE YEARS AGO.
IT SEEMS THE HALLMARK OF YOUR TENURE THAT YOU DID CHANGE, YOU
HAVE REFLECTED. HOW DO YOU FEEL YOU'RE DIFFERENT
FROM WHEN YOU BEGAN? >> OH, I KNOW A LOT MORE.
I HAVE BETTER BALANCE. I HAVE TEN GRANDCHILDREN NOW.
THAT'S A BIG THING. NO, THE ONE CONSTANT I'M ALWAYS
TRYING TO LEARN, AND I THINK I'VE LISTENED BETTER.
I DON'T MICROMANAGE. I WANT PEOPLE TO FOLLOW THEIR
INSTINCTS AND HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO THAT.
KNOW THAT YOU SHOULD BE RESPONSIBLE ABOUT THE
ENVIRONMENT THAT YOU'RE IN, AND YOU SHOULDN'T NECESSARILY JUST
GIVE ORDERS. IF YOU PROVIDE A VERY PRODUCTIVE
ENVIRONMENT, TALENT AND RELATIONSHIPS AND TOGETHERNESS
WILL TAKE OVER. I'VE SEEN THAT HAPPEN WITH MY
DUKE TEAMS. OBVIOUSLY, I'VE SEEN IT HAPPEN
WITH MY U.S. TEAMS. THEY MAKE ME LOOK PRETTY SMART
SOMETIMES. >> COACH K., A LOT OF PEOPLE ARE
WONDERING, LIKE, WHAT IS NEXT? YOU CAN'T JUST HANG IT UP HANG
IT UP. SO WHAT'S NEXT?
>> AFTER THIS YEAR, I'LL STAY ON AT DUKE AS AN AMBASSADOR FOR THE
SCHOOL. DUKE IS ONE OF THE GREAT SCHOOLS
IN THE WORLD. ALSO, I DO A LOT OF SPEAKING.
I'M VERY INVOLVED WITH CANCER RESEARCH AND RAISING MONEY TO
BEAT THE DREADFUL DISEASE. I ALSO HAVE A NON-PROFIT, THE
EMILY KRZYZEWSKI CENTER, WHICH SERVICES THOUSANDS OF KIDS IN
OUR COMMUNITY, NAMED AFTER MY MOM.
WE'RE DOING GREAT. WE'RE 15 YEARS OLD.
THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO DO. THERE WILL BE PLENTY TO DO AND
VERY WORTHWHILE. TO USE THE PLATFORM THAT I'VE
BEEN GIVEN, YOU'VE GOT TO USE IT THE RIGHT WAY.
SO WE'LL DO THAT. >> COACH K., THANK YOU.
CONGRATULATIONS -- >> YOU'RE WELCOME.
>> -- ON A STELLAR CAREER. BEST OF LUCK TO YOU AND THE DUKE
BLUE DEVILS NEXT SEASON. COACH MIKE KRZYZEWSKI, THANKS
FOR BEING WITH US. >> THANKS FOR HAVING ME ON.
>> WE TALKED ABOUT HIS IMPACT AT DUKE.
IT IS FAR BEYOND BASKETBALL. IN 1980, THERE WAS NO FINAL
FOUR. YOU KNOW, HE PUT COLLEGE
BASKETBALL ON THE MAP. >> YEAH.