A lesson from Coach Mike Krzyzewski

I know many people have a love-hate relationship with Duke basketball. Please put that aside for a second (smile - if you can)

Working with SportsLeader for the past 7 years one of the most common things I hear from coaches when I am trying to maybe suggest an idea to help them with their character programs is: "We do that already ... We do a lot of that already ..."

Then we look at Coach K ... 64 years old, head coach for 36 years, 900 wins, 4 National Championships ...

And he is trying to learn from everyone all the time ... taking notes, asking questions ...

If anyone could be saying "we do that already" it is him. But he is the one taking the notes and trying to learn more.

Let's encourage one another to emulate this humble attitude that Coach K is living. Yes, you probably do this already ... but do it better, do it with more passion, improve ... maybe reach out and help another coach and his program.

If a guy with 900 wins can take notes with a thirst to grow and learn ... so should we!

...

By Mark Dolejs, US Presswire
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is just two wins away from tying Bob Knight for the most wins among Division I coaches.

In 36 years as a head coach, Krzyzewski has amassed 900 college victories. By Saturday night he could tie his mentor, Bob Knight, who left the game in 2008 with 902 wins, first in Division I men's basketball.

At 64, Krzyzewski says he's still learning. During the satellite radio show he hosts, he takes copious notes whether interviewing football Hall of Famer John Madden or a fellow college coach. "I love those conversations," he says. "Sometimes you pick up the way somebody says something. I find that with my staff. They might be more current. They'll use a word or an expression, and it's better than what I had.

All-America guard Nolan Smith says the coach rarely puts down his notepad. "He's not too great yet to get better, and that's crazy that he still wants to be better," Smith says.

Team building is strength

Mike Dunleavy, who played at Duke from 2000 to 2002, thinks Krzyzewski could thrive coaching any sport. "It's the team-building stuff," he says. "That was probably his greatest strength. The way he communicated with every single player on the team. … It didn't matter if you were the leading scorer or a walk-on. … Nobody was left out. That's how you build a team, bringing together the collective parts."