Duke basketball to face unrivaled pressure as Coach K set to hang it up

Duke basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski is set to retire after next season. 

A normal Wednesday surrounding the Duke basketball program turned historic as Jeff Goodman of Stadium has reported that Mike Krzyzewski will be retiring at the end of next season.

Multiple other outlets have also confirmed the report.

Krzyzewski, 74, has been the head coach of the Blue Devils since 1980 and has won five National Championships, appeared in 12 Final Fours, and won 15 ACC Tournament Championships.

Reports have also confirmed that Associate Head Coach Jon Scheyer will be the head-coach-in-waiting as Krzyzewski finishes out his season in Durham.

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Scheyer has won a National Championship as a player and a coach as his basketball career is solely associated with the Blue Devils. He joined Krzyzewski’s staff in 2014 after a brief professional career.

Rumors have swirled for weeks regarding the potential departure of the Hall of Famer from the sidelines, and now there is a timeline and answer for the question that lurked over the heads of the basketball program and administration at Duke.

Duke missed the NCAA Tournament this season for the first time since 1994-95 and for the first time in which Krzyzewski was the head coach for the entire season since 1982-83.

Duke basketball to face unrivaled pressure entering next season

After Roy Williams announced his retirement on April 1, effective immediately, it felt weird that he had no fanfare as attendance was limited this season.

The only hint fans had was his kiss of the court after beating the Blue Devils in the team’s home finale.

However, Williams’ impromptu announcement might have saved his team from an immense amount of pressure if he made his decision known a year early.

No Duke team has ever faced the amount of pressure as the 2021-22 squad will entering next season.

The last team Mike Krzyzewski will coach. Wanting to send him out on top with a National Championship. Missing the NCAA Tournament last season.

No problem, Go get ’em, boys!

Certainly not the easiest thing for a group of teenagers to deal with, along with the other pressures that come with being on the Duke basketball team.

The offseason certainly just got spicier in Durham, and good thing I published the Brad Stevens to Duke rumors earlier this morning because, boy, is that old news just two hours later.