Cool stories about Coach K, players, etc.

[bullettoothtony]

Please tell cool stories you've heard about our guys over the years. Coaches, players... in particular I'm thinking about behind-the-scenes kind of stuff but really anything you think that's worth sharing, retelling, etc.

I'll start with a classic.

Summer of '99, after several players declared, and Coach K knows Shane is going to have to become more than a role player.

So he calls Shane one day that summer.

""Hello?"

"Shane, this morning did you look in the mirror and imagine you were looking at next year's conference player of the year?"

Shane chuckles. "Coach, I..."

Coach K hangs up.

Next day, Coach K calls again.

"Hello?"

"Shane, it's coach. When you were on your way to work this morning, did you imagine scoring 30 points in a game this season?"

Shane laughs cautiously and begins to respond.

Coach K hangs up again.

A few seconds later, Coach K's phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Coach, don't hang up on me."

"I won't hang up on you if you won't hang up on you."

 

[dukiejay]

The speech after the loss to Virginia in the ACCT always stands out. One person at dinner said, "here's to forgetting about tonight." K responded and said, "no, here's to never forgetting." I think this is probably the most 'famous' one we hear about all the time.

One of my favorites and one I always circle back to, and did in another thread just a few weeks ago, involves Jon Scheyer the night of the dinner at K's house for the seniors prior to Senior Night against the Heels. K asks each of his seniors what their favorite moment at Duke has been as a player. Jon answered, "it hasn't happened yet." Of course, that moment would happen about a month later. I don't know what it is about that story, but it always gets me.

 

[bullettoothtony]

^ Love that story about Scheyer dj, and I'd never heard it before.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[dukiejay]

I had to look this one up and make sure I wasn't quoting K wrong, but it was after he 'flirted' with the Lakers offer years ago. I always felt like it told me a lot about where his head was at with Duke.

“Your heart has to be in whatever you lead. It became apparent that this decision was somewhat easier to make because you have to follow your heart and lead with it and Duke has always taken up my whole heart… The allure of coaching in college has no price. It’s one of those priceless things. I’ve never made a decision based on what will get me the most money. It was what was going to give me the most happiness and I’ve been really happy and fulfilled at Duke.”

“When my relationship with Duke was put up against my relationship with a storied franchise, I found myself even more committed to what Duke has.”

“Turning down the Lakers was tough, but it is always good to renew your vows to the loves of your life.”

“We’re a part of this university in many respects. You can’t put a price tag on that. This has been the perfect place to coach and teach and learn… No matter how appealing another option was, to lead my Duke team with all my heart could only happen at this place.”

 

[dukiejay]

"The life expectancy of a team is only eight months." - Coach K

 

[skysdad]

I had to look this one up and make sure I wasn't quoting K wrong, but it was after he 'flirted' with the Lakers offer years ago. I always felt like it told me a lot about where his head was at with Duke.

“Your heart has to be in whatever you lead. It became apparent that this decision was somewhat easier to make because you have to follow your heart and lead with it and Duke has always taken up my whole heart… The allure of coaching in college has no price. It’s one of those priceless things. I’ve never made a decision based on what will get me the most money. It was what was going to give me the most happiness and I’ve been really happy and fulfilled at Duke.”

“When my relationship with Duke was put up against my relationship with a storied franchise, I found myself even more committed to what Duke has.”

“Turning down the Lakers was tough, but it is always good to renew your vows to the loves of your life.”

“We’re a part of this university in many respects. You can’t put a price tag on that. This has been the perfect place to coach and teach and learn… No matter how appealing another option was, to lead my Duke team with all my heart could only happen at this place.”

I hate to think about what wold have happened if he had went to the Lakers. More than likely only 3 titles instead of 5. No Parker, Kyrie, Okafor, Ingram, the Jones brothers among others too many to mention and no Zion. It would have changed the curse of NCAA basketball forever. Coach K like all NBA coaches would have been fired but would have found another job. Thank goodness for the love he has for Duke. OFC

 

[jwill133]

No direct story. But I do know that all of the NBA Superstars love and respect Coach K like you wouldn't believe.

Kevin Durant had his professional "breakout" in the 2010 Fiba World Games that Coach K coached. Basically he was struggling for weeks because he was trying to get everyone on the team involved. Coach K pulled KD to the side one day and said something along the lines of "Kevin, you are the best scorer on the floor and the best scorer I have ever coached, I will take you out next time you don't look to score first."

KD went on to win Tournament MVP and had like 36 points in the championship game.

 

[HuffyJB]

Please tell cool stories you've heard about our guys over the years. Coaches, players... in particular I'm thinking about behind-the-scenes kind of stuff but really anything you think that's worth sharing, retelling, etc.

I'll start with a classic.

Summer of '99, after several players declared, and Coach K knows Shane is going to have to become more than a role player.

So he calls Shane one day that summer.

""Hello?"

"Shane, this morning did you look in the mirror and imagine you were looking at next year's conference player of the year?"

Shane chuckles. "Coach, I..."

Coach K hangs up.

Next day, Coach K calls again.

"Hello?"

"Shane, it's coach. When you were on your way to work this morning, did you imagine scoring 30 points in a game this season?"

Shane laughs cautiously and begins to respond.

Coach K hangs up again.

A few seconds later, Coach K's phone rings.

"Hello?"

"Coach, don't hang up on me."

"I won't hang up on you if you won't hang up on you."

Wasn't Battier the one who Dean Smith hung up on when he called to say he wasn't coming? He had a heck of a time with coaches on phones!

 

[timo0402]

No direct story. But I do know that all of the NBA Superstars love and respect Coach K like you wouldn't believe.

Kevin Durant had his professional "breakout" in the 2010 Fiba World Games that Coach K coached. Basically he was struggling for weeks because he was trying to get everyone on the team involved. Coach K pulled KD to the side one day and said something along the lines of "Kevin, you are the best scorer on the floor and the best scorer I have ever coached, I will take you out next time you don't look to score first."

KD went on to win Tournament MVP and had like 36 points in the championship game.

He also said, and i am paraphrasing bc I’m too lazy to look it up- someone fact check me please- that after playing for him, he had a much different respect for K than he had when he was being recruited out of high school. He said he would have looked a hell of a lot harder at Duke if he had known then what he knew now.

 

[bullettoothtony]

Wasn't Battier the one who Dean Smith hung up on when he called to say he wasn't coming? He had a heck of a time with coaches on phones!

I have heard that before... can anyone confirm it?

 

[skysdad]

I have heard that before... can anyone confirm it?

Battier did. OFC

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

I can’t remember the specifics of the story but it was during the final timeout of the game against Kentucky in the 92 NCAAT. Maybe someone that remembers it better than me can give the details. I know Coach K said something to Laettner and Hill during the timeout but I can’t remember his exact words.

 

[dukiejay]

I can’t remember the specifics of the story but it was during the final timeout of the game against Kentucky in the 92 NCAAT. Maybe someone that remembers it better than me can give the details. I know Coach K said something to Laettner and Hill during the timeout but I can’t remember his exact words.

K told the team right away when they got in the huddle that they were going to win.

After setting up the play, he asked Grant, “can you make the pass?” Grant told him he could. Then K looked at Christian and asked if he could catch it. Christian responded, “if Grant can make the pass, I’ll catch it.”

The rest is history.

 

[DukeDenver]

My exact recollection of this is questionable but it’s at least close. Coach K came out to address K-ville the night before the UNC game on January 31st, 2001. He was clearly tipsy and Mickey was trying to get him to stop talking. At some point he slipped and asked, “Are you guys ready to beat the shit out of them tomorrow?” The tenters erupted, then Mickey grabbed the mic and said they were going home. Then K grabbed the mic back and said, “I hope we’re lucky tomorrow and I’m lucky tonight.” I couldn’t believe it. The crowd went nuts. We lost the next day, but we were full of energy.

 

[Mac9192]

Think Grant Hill told the one where they were getting ready to play, and someone turned off the lights, and all the sudden Coach K come walking through carrying a lit candle saying “just a Polish guy looking for a little heart.”

 

[Hurley22]

K told the team right away when they got in the huddle that they were going to win.

After setting up the play, he asked Grant, “can you make the pass?” Grant told him he could. Then K looked at Christian and asked if he could catch it. Christian responded, “if Grant can make the pass, I’ll catch it.”

The rest is history.

Gives me goosebumps every single time

 

[DiehardDukeFan4Life]

K told the team right away when they got in the huddle that they were going to win.

After setting up the play, he asked Grant, “can you make the pass?” Grant told him he could. Then K looked at Christian and asked if he could catch it. Christian responded, “if Grant can make the pass, I’ll catch it.”

The rest is history.

Thanks, I knew that it was something like like that but I didn’t want to butcher the story because the older I get the worse my memory gets.

 

[bullettoothtony]

My exact recollection of this is questionable but it’s at least close. Coach K came out to address K-ville the night before the UNC game on January 31st, 2001. He was clearly tipsy and Mickey was trying to get him to stop talking. At some point he slipped and asked, “Are you guys ready to beat the shit out of them tomorrow?” The tenters erupted, then Mickey grabbed the mic and said they were going home. Then K grabbed the mic back and said, “I hope we’re lucky tomorrow and I’m lucky tonight.” I couldn’t believe it. The crowd went nuts. We lost the next day, but we were full of energy.

Never heard that before... freaking hilarious.

 

[dbav]

I have 3 personal stories.

1. I was at Duke from 1998 - 2002. I went to every home game for the first 2 years. For those that don't know, the night before the home game against the cheaters, K invites all the tenters into Cameron, gives a thank you for the support, and does a question and answer session. As I recall, this was the second season we wore the black uniforms. During the Q&A he was asked when he was going to do away with those "awful" black uniforms. He paused, gave a big smile, and said "since I designed them, probably not anytime soon ". He got a good laugh.

2. Right after I was accepted, a family friend wrote to Coach K. Said he knew me and he was excited I had the opportunity to attend. He wrote that he always respected K and how he ran his program. 2 months later he got a letter back from K thanking him for his support. It included a number of autographed items.

3. In the spring of 2004, I was finishing my MPA in DC. The school I was attending had a program in DC and gave me the chance to go. I went to dinner with my parents after they helped me move in. As we are eating, my father keeps making strange faces. I asked him what was up, and he said "I'm pretty sure that's Luol Deng". I told him he was nuts and turned around in my seat. Behind me was Luol Deng. Duke was playing Georgetown the next day and was staying at the hotel attached to the restaurant. I walked to the other room, saw the team having a meal, and introduced myself as a member of the class of 2002. K asked that the team be able to finish their meal and he would come say hello. After they were done, he visited every table in the restaurant and made the players come along. He got to ours, my father explained that he was in the army in college, and that we live near West Point. We spoke for about 15 minutes. He also made the team sign my menu. I still have it, though it's fading. It hangs in my office with autographs from him, Wojo, Ewing, Redick, Deng and the Landlord. It was really cool.

 

[pisgah101]

I have 3 personal stories.

1. I was at Duke from 1998 - 2002. I went to every home game for the first 2 years. For those that don't know, the night before the home game against the cheaters, he invites all the renters into Cameron, gives a thank you for the support, and does a question and answer session. As I recall, this was the second season we wore the black uniforms. During the Q&A he was asked when he was going to do away with those "awful" black uniforms. He paused, gave a big smile, and said "since I designed them, probably not anytime soon ". He got a good laugh.

2. Right after I was accepted, a family friend wrote to Coach K. Said he new me and he was excited I had the opportunity to attend. He wrote that he always respected K and how he ran his program. 2 months later he got a letter back from K thankingnhim for his support. It included a number of autographed items.

3. In the spring of 2004, I was finishing my MPA in DC. The school I was attending had a program in DC and gave me the chance to go. I went to dinner with my parents after they helped me move in. As we are eating, my father keeps making strange faces. I asked him what was up, and he said "I'm pretty sure that's Luol Deng". I told him he was nuts and turned around in my seat. Behind me was Luol Deng. Duke was playing Georgetown the next day and was staying at the hotel attached to the restaurant. I walked to the other room, saw the team having a meal, and introduced myself as a member of the class of 2002. He asked that the team be able to finish their meal and he would come say hello. After they were done, he visited every table in the restaurant and made the players come along. He got to ours, my father explained that he was in the army in college, and that we live near West Point. We spoke for about 15 minutes. He also made the team sign my menu. I still have it, though it's fading. It hangs in my office with autographs from him, Wojo, Ewing, Redick, Deng and the Landlord. It was really cool.

I didn’t know @skysdad attended duke

 

[Dad2ze]

I’ve posted this before but to me this will always stick out to me. My friend was dying from cancer and Coach called him. He passed away just a few days later after this video. He was one of the biggest Blue Devil fans around. So glad to be apart of his life.

 

[DukefanKY]

I’ve posted this before but to me this will always stick out to me. My friend was dying from cancer and Coach called him. He passed away just a few days later after this video. He was one of the biggest Blue Devil fans around. So glad to be apart of his life.

View embedded media

This is one of the coolest things I have ever seen posted in this board

 

[Quavarius]

My exact recollection of this is questionable but it’s at least close. Coach K came out to address K-ville the night before the UNC game on January 31st, 2001. He was clearly tipsy and Mickey was trying to get him to stop talking. At some point he slipped and asked, “Are you guys ready to beat the shit out of them tomorrow?” The tenters erupted, then Mickey grabbed the mic and said they were going home. Then K grabbed the mic back and said, “I hope we’re lucky tomorrow and I’m lucky tonight.” I couldn’t believe it. The crowd went nuts. We lost the next day, but we were full of energy.

Nooooooooooooo

[LAUGHS OUT LOUD]

Bahahahahahahaahhaahhaahha

[STILL LAUGHING]

 

[Quavarius]

Didn’t Maggette reveal K came into the locker room with a flame thrower? Let me see if I can find that vid

 

[Quavarius]

Never heard that before... freaking hilarious.

If true, I won’t stop laughing at this for a while

 

[Quavarius]

I’ve heard —from Bomani Jones — who is not a Duke lover, say K is really laid back and chill. He loved covering K in the press conferences and wish he would be more of the funny guy that he knew instead of the serious, West Point soldier he comes across as. I thought that was interesting.

 

[jwill133]

Didn’t Maggette reveal K came into the locker room with a flame thrower? Let me see if I can find that vid

I have heard that exact story. But I heard it from Elton Brand in an interview about a year ago. I believe it was the 1999 UNC game in Cameron.

 

[Quavarius]

I have heard that exact story. But I heard it from Elton Brand in an interview about a year ago. I believe it was the 1999 UNC game in Cameron.

Ok. You’re right. Corey Maggette’s story is different my bad.

 

[Quavarius]

 

[bullettoothtony]

I heard one in the '91-'92 Back-to-Back documentary I'd never heard before. Grant Hill tells the following story with a group of former players sitting around a table.

1992 NCAA Tournament, 2nd round against Iowa. Double digit lead gets cut to single digits IIRC. We're coming down on a fast break, and Bobby passes the ball to Thomas Hill, and Hill gets fouled. When they're huddling, Hill yells at Hurley to get him the ball quicker. Hurley says, "**** you, I got you the ball early!" Then Laettner says to Hurley, "No, **** you, get him the ball earlier!"

Coach K calls timeout. Yells at team, "You guys are acting like a bunch of prima donnas! We're gonna ****ing lose this game... I'm not even gonna coach you anymore!" And he walks towards the locker room.

But then he comes back, tells them (again) they're prima donnas, and (again) that they're gonna lose.

Then Laettner says, "We're not gonna ****ing lose," and walks out of the huddle.

Then we push the lead out again and win by 13.

What's also hilarious about that part of the documentary is that it also shows Laettner responding in an interview to that sequence of events, and he says something like, "We weren't gonna lose. If I had to smack Bobby and Grant around... whatever, we weren't gonna lose."

Freaking hysterical.

 

[topps coach]

Took my son to the Beach Ball Classic when he was nine years old.Rick Barnes was there and refused to sign autographs for the kidsMy son had a Duke hat on and asked Quinn Synder for an autograph.Quinn talked to him for over ten minutes took him to the concession stand and bought him a Coke.I am a lifelong Duke fan but that would converted me to one then

 

[skysdad]

I’ve posted this before but to me this will always stick out to me. My friend was dying from cancer and Coach called him. He passed away just a few days later after this video. He was one of the biggest Blue Devil fans around. So glad to be apart of his life.

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Outstanding. OFC

 

[bullettoothtony]

Great stories so far and I'm hoping this thread doesn't die, so...

This one isn't long but supposedly during the Laettner, Hurley, Hill squared era, one of K's daughters rode on the bus when she was young. A few of the players nicknamed her "Mo minutes", since they hoped letting her sit on their laps would increase their respective playing time.

I always liked that one.

 

[Barry 24]

The story about Dean hanging up on Shane is true. Dean loved to stay up late. And sleep in. Like Winston Churchill. So Dean wasn't really awake when Shane called at 7am