Indeed, Krzyzewski in his June 3 news conference, said he and his wife had mulled the decision for years, but that conversations had never reached 'this level of seriousness.' He also said he wanted the opportunity to coach one more year following the 2020-21 college basketball season, which saw the Blue Devils go 13-11 and miss the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1994-95. MORE: Mike Krzyzewski set to retire: How long Coach K has been at Duke and more by the numbers

But Mickie and I have talked about it for a couple years.' And again, my daughters and my family would be all for me, whatever I would do. We have 10 grandchildren they’re all here. The other thing is, Mickie, we’ve been married 52 years. 'As much as I love going to Peach Jam and all the recruiting, the amount of recruiting and the intensity that you do to get the level of player that we get is enormous. “For me, the time - how much time do you have? There’s got to be something more that I’d like to do with my time,' Krzyzewski told TSN. Why then, did Coach K choose to retire? Speaking with The Sporting News' Mike DeCourcy, Krzyzewski cited his family as a big reason for the decision to step away: Those would be bad reasons, especially the health one.' 'We’ve always had to adapt to the changes in culture, the changes in rules, the changes in the world. It’s certainly not about what’s going (on) with college basketball. It’s not about COVID or saying why that year was so bad,' Krzyzewski said at the time. Krzyzewski, 75, said in his June 3 news conference that his decision to step away from coaching had nothing to do with his health or the COVID-19 pandemic. Why is Coach K retiring from coaching at Duke? With that, The Sporting News breaks down Coach K's decision to retire as coach at Duke how long he has led the Blue Devils and who is set to replace him next. It finally became concrete when he announced his decision in a June 3 news conference.Ĭhapter 3: Getting recruited by the legend Why has Krzyzewski decided to step away from coaching? And why now? It's a decision, he said, he has mulled for a few years with his wife, Mickie. He has secured 15 ACC Tournament championships, 12 Final Four appearances, five NCAA Tournament titles and more than 1,100 victories as part of one of the greatest dynasties in college basketball history. After all, he has been a mainstay on the college basketball landscape for the better part of four decades. It's a fact of life, though that doesn't make it seem any less real as Krzyzewski's final game - whenever that may be - draws nearer. That date, or at any point during March Madness, will mark the final time Krzyzewski takes the court as Duke's coach. Mike Krzyzewski is less than a month away from retirement as Duke's men's basketball coach.Įven if Coach K leads the Blue Devils to win a sixth national championship at the 2022 NCAA Tournament - not outside the realm of possibility for the nation's fourth-ranked team - the final day he could possibly coach is April 4.

Dukes head basketball coach