Duke basketball: Six reasons Coach K may never retire

6. K may never settle for five titles or six or…

Maybe Mike Krzyzewski would feel silly not retiring if he was to someday surpass the 10 national titles of John Wooden. Of course, staying at the same pace that put him in second place alone at the moment on that all-time list with five, he’d need at least 40 more years to accomplish that feat. Now, who knows what medical advances hold for the future, but you don’t see too many 113-year-olds above ground these days.

Coach K seems to enjoy silencing his critics. On the flip side, he also seems to enjoy the lunacy of the same old criticism replacing the silence each new season no matter how many 20-win seasons he strings together (24 in a row at the moment), no matter how many Final Four appearances he makes (12 altogether), no matter how many ACC Tournament nets he snips (15 total, including 12 of the past 22 conference crowns), and no matter how many NBA players he produces (credit only his recruiting if you want, but realize you are still crediting him for a job well done).

ALSO READ: Ranking all 25 Blue Devils in the NBA this season

Understandably, some worry a sixth natty could spell the end by presenting Coach K a fitting time to go out on top. Not so fast, for his words and actions have always served as proof of his otherworldly level of appreciation for the overall banner quest. This helps to explain his lofty totals and his long Duke basketball reign. It also helps to explain how difficult it might be for him to give up his banner-hunting addiction.

So just as goats have looked perfectly happy serving humans for more than 10,000 years, the Duke basketball GOAT may never find anything better to do with the bulk of his time than to just be there for Blue Devils.

Or Coach K could retire at any time. But here’s a closing fact: the world needs a little nutty optimism from time to time.

Stay tuned to Ball Durham for more updates, analyses, and opinions regarding all things Duke basketball.