College Basketball
Mike Krzyzewski joins 'The Herd' to discuss his retirement and what's next for Duke
College Basketball

Mike Krzyzewski joins 'The Herd' to discuss his retirement and what's next for Duke

Updated Jun. 3, 2021 5:23 p.m. ET

The winningest coach in men's college basketball history is looking back on some of his most memorable moments in Durham, N.C. and revealing why it's time to retire.

Mike Krzyzewski announced Wednesday that he will retire as head coach of the Blue Devils after this coming season. On Thursday's "The Herd," he spoke to Colin Cowherd about his time spent at the helm of the Duke program. 

Among the topics touched on by Krzyzewski – better known as "Coach K" – was why he is choosing to retire now after an extraordinary soon-to-be 42-year tenure at Duke. 

"We're not retiring because of coming off of COVID or the state of college basketball, which is in somewhat of turmoil," Krzyzewski began. "We're retiring because both of us (he and his wife, Mickie) are gonna be 75 at the end of next season, and it's time. … And the reason we came out and did it now, is because it'd be impossible to recruit if you know you're not gonna coach next year. So, to have a coach-in-waiting, if there is one available, and there was one – the best, my associate head coach Jon Scheyer.

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"I call it a succession plan, being a former military guy. We believe in succession, and with the right succession, you have a greater chance for successful continuity, and that's the goal here."

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Krzyzewski, who served in the U.S. Army from 1969 to 1974, went on to discuss the importance of adaptation over the years and why he was always so willing to change to succeed. He revealed that what his time in the military taught him about leadership and teamwork "is that you can't keep fitting people into the same environment if that environment is not the one" that is conducive to success. 

"As a leader, I would adapt to how [I] communicate with [my] guys," Krzyzewski said. 

"You never adapt with the values of your organization. Your integrity, courage, respect, selfless service, duty, loyalty, trust – those, they do not know an age. They're ageless. But how you communicate and get them across is important. … So you adapt communication-wise."

There's no doubt Krzyzewski's team values and communication style have proven successful. 

Through 41 seasons, he has led Duke to 1,097 wins in 1,399 games (a winning percentage of 78.4), including five national championships, 15 ACC Tournament titles, 12 ACC regular-season titles, and 12 Final Four appearances. His 1,170 total victories (including his time at Army) are more than any other men's college basketball coach.

Few college basketball programs have sustained the level of success under – or built a brand around – one coach like Duke has done with Coach K, but Krzyzewski seemed confident the Blue Devils will continue to strive for excellence under their next head coach Scheyer.

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