Duke basketball: Optimism regarding Coach K retirement date

Is another half a decade too much to expect from the Duke basketball legend who has already clocked four full decades?

According to a Twitter poll from The Chronicle, 75 percent of 752 voters see Mike Krzyzewski remaining at the helm of the Duke basketball program through at least the 2023-24 season.

The announced commitment on Friday from Trinity Episcopal School (Va.) power forward Henry Coleman triggered the Duke student newspaper to phrase the question as such: “Will Mike Krzyzewski still be manning the sidelines for Coleman’s senior season (2023-24)?”

Coleman’s ranking supports the question’s relevance. At this time last year, the four-star barely cracked the top 100 on the 247Sports 2020 Composite. He now sits at No. 40, still lower than all Blue Devils who have ever left early for the NBA (the lowest of the composite era was Luke Kennard, who ranked No. 21 in 2015 and stayed two seasons; Shavlik Randolph, who left after his junior year, was No. 30 on ESPN’s final 2002 rankings).

Back to Krzyzewski’s coaching expectancy, though, and why a total of five more seasons seems a few too many. First, it’s important to understand the following: though the 72-year-old has denied any plans to hang it up, he wouldn’t have much luck landing guys like Coleman if he was to admit to only a year or two left in his tank.

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In terms of the 40th-year Duke coach’s contract, he earned the “lifetime” tag in 2001. However, 2021 will mark the end of his current payment arrangement: approximately $9 million per year. Therefore, seeing that relatively few folks in his age bracket negotiate new terms of employment in any profession, the 2020-21 season carries a significant chance to be Coach K’s last.

But even if the college game’s all-time leader in wins (1,132) makes it past 2021, the end of the 2022-23 season is now set to bring into play another potential reason for retirement: the graduation of his grandson, current Duke walk-on freshman guard Michael Savarino.

So only three explanations seem reasonable for the extreme optimism visible from the poll results:

1. A typical Duke basketball fan — not the persistent pessimist — is intentionally naive when having to deal with thoughts about any type of hurdle awaiting the Blue Devils.
2. A large chunk of the votes probably came from Duke students, all of whom have yet to experience any of the aches and pains that accompany gray hairs — granted, Coach K appears to be one of the rare septuagenarians still immune to such a sign of aging.
3. A great number of voters may expect Savarino to redshirt, which would extend his career to what would be Coleman’s senior year.

ALSO READ: 40 tough questions facing Mike Krzyzewski’s 40th season

Finally, anyone who believes the Hall of Fame coach will remain on the throne of the Duke bench for several years beyond his 77th birthday — in February of the 2023-24 season — must have inside knowledge of Poppy’s plans to make Savarino one of his assistants upon his graduation.

Whatever it takes.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates, analyses, opinions, and predictions concerning Coach K and all things Duke basketball.