Mike Krzyzewski to head U.S. again
Updated: May 22, 2013, 8:20 PM ET
ESPN.com news services
Mike Krzyzewski has decided to remain coach of the U.S. men's Olympic basketball team.
Krzyzewski, expected to step down, will try to lead the Americans to a
third consecutive gold medal, Duke University confirmed to ESPN.com on
Wednesday. USA Basketball has scheduled a news conference at 10:40 a.m.
ET Thursday at Duke to announce a coaching selection.
The Hall of Fame coach has led the Americans since 2005, winning gold
at the 2008 and 2012 Olympics, and the 2010 world basketball
championship. His return was first reported by Sports Illustrated.
"I think it's great," said two-time gold medalist LeBron James, when told of the news Wednesday night before the Miami Heat
faced Indiana. "What he means to USA Basketball is beyond just what we
do on the court. It's what we stand for as Americans and being proud of
the red, white and blue every time we step off the bus or practice or
talk to the media or whatever the case may be. I think it's great."
Krzyzewski repeatedly said he planned to end his international
coaching career following the Americans' victory last summer in London.
Yet USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo preferred to hold off any
discussion until after Coach K finished his season with the Blue Devils,
and he got the answer he wanted.
The 66-year-old Krzyzewski will lead the Americans next summer at the
renamed World Cup of Basketball in Spain, where a victory would qualify
them for the 2016 Summer Games in Brazil. They are 62-1 over the last
seven years.
Krzyzewski's return could help land commitments from some of the top
NBA stars who have enjoyed playing in the program he and Colangelo
revamped in 2005. James, Kobe Bryant, Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony are among the All-Stars who have won multiple gold medals under Krzyzewski.
"I've got the utmost respect and trust in Coach K," James said. "And
whatever his decision was going to be, I think we all would support
that."
James has said he would like to be there in 2016 as well.
"It would be great," James said. "First, I've got to make sure I stay
healthy. If I'm fortunate enough to be healthy I would love to
represent my country again, but that's a long time from now. So we'll
see."
The U.S. team had been led by an NBA coach from the time NBA players
were first used in the 1992 Olympics through the 2004 Games, when the
Americans lost three times and finished third.
They managed only another bronze in their first tournament under
Krzyzewski, the 2006 world championship, but haven't lost a game since
while restoring the U.S. as the top team in the world.
Krzyzewski said he expected the Americans to name a successor this
summer, but Colangelo believed Coach K wanted to stay if his family and
Duke were comfortable with it. Krzyzewski, a graduate of the U.S.
Military Academy, has been on the staff of 13 U.S. teams since 1979 and
joined Henry Iba as the only coaches in Olympic history to win
back-to-back men's basketball gold medals.
Heat forward Shane Battier,
who played for Krzyzewski at Duke, said he wasn't surprised that his
former coach decided to head back to the USA Basketball sideline.
"He's one of the most competitive people I've ever been around," Battier said. "That's what makes him great."
Colangelo never even talked to another candidate, insisting
Krzyzewski had earned the right to take as much time as needed. The
Americans wanted to have a coach in place before holding a minicamp in
July in Las Vegas.
A person with knowledge of the decision told The Associated Press on
said there were expected changes to Krzyzewski's staff, which had
included NBA coaches Mike D'Antoni and Nate McMillan, and Syracuse coach
Jim Boeheim.
Boeheim told ESPN.com Wednesday by phone that he is committed to
coaching with Krzyzewski for a third-straight World Championships and
Olympics in 2014 and 2016, respectively.