As we all know, Saturday night the UNC Tar Heels beat the No. 4 Duke Blue Devils in a shocking 94-81 win in Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Caleb Love for North Carolina during the win against the Blue Devils
That game was also coach Mike Krzyzewski's last home game, ever.
Let me say this before I continue: I am a Tar-Heel, born and raised. I graduated from UNC in May of 2021 and went right back to UNC Graduate School. I live and breathe everything Tar Heel.
But Coach K is arguably the best college basketball coach of all time, if not the best college basketball coach of all time. UCLA’s former coach John Wooden is obviously in the cards as well, with 10 National Championship titles. Let me reiterate- I am a Tar Heel and I can confidently say that Coach K, the man that all UNC fans almost despise, is a true gift to college basketball.
Coach K's speech at Cameron Indoor on Saturday
He holds the NCAA Tournament records for 127 games coached with 97 of those being wins. During his 42 seasons coaching the Blue Devils, he guided them to 26 Sweet 16 appearances, 16 Elite Eight appearances, and five National Championships.
Coach K holding the net after winning the National Championship in 2015
Link:https://thegruelingtruth.com/basketball/college-basketball/top-10-ncaa-basketball-coaches-end-2016-17-season/
That’s really not all either. That guy loves his players. He loves the program. He is an icon to all.
I’m going to be honest- as much as I was extremely excited for the Heels to have pulled out that win, I found myself also a little sad for Coach K. Clearly, their season is far from over. But, I do believe he deserved to have that special moment with the school, the fans, and the players. He has done so much for college basketball, completely transforming the way college basketball is coached and inspiring not only his players but aspiring young people with a yearning desire to coach College Basketball one day.
Coach K’s never going to read this, but I’m one of those select few that roots for him (NOT DUKE!) I hope one day that my kids grow up, hopefully loving College Basketball as much as me, and get to witness someone of his caliber. Thank you Coach K for paving the way!
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