Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski shares his thoughts about the 'great game' of college basketball

Sporting News, The, April 22, 2005 by James (American musician) Brown

On players leaving college early for the NBA

J.B.: Does the trend of guys making the leap from high school to the pros concern you, and do you see it continuing?

COACH K: It looks like the NBA is going to do something with an age limit. You don't know how that's going to be interpreted and when it will go into effect, but that will obviously have an impact. Will they allow a few exceptions or no exceptions? We'll wait and see. If there's no age limit, it will continue to be the trend and you have to adjust accordingly. The thing is, it's not just if you're ready basketballwise, but where you are as a young man. Are you emotionally ready to make that leap? You might have a good jump shot or be able to handle the ball well, but if you're not ready to take on the NBA, it might be good to he educated and to mature, not just as a player but as a person. I hope people look at that before they make the jump to the NBA.

J.B.: Your guy, J.J. Redick, is coming back to get his degree. Talk about what went into his decision.

COACH K: J.J. wanted to have his college experience for four years. He feels that in his senior year he's going to be the leader of our team. You don't really become the leader until you become a senior. You're never going to have that opportunity again. He also realizes that it's an opportunity for him to play with a real good freshman class and to have an influence on them. He's going to be a professional basketball player, but he's also going to do some other really good things. Getting that experience is something that Grant Hill told him about. Grant's told our guys along the way, "My best year was my senior year. I learned the most. A lot of it was because I was the most ready to learn at that time." And I think J.J. has always remembered that. He's never wavered.

On reform in the NCAA

J.B.: You've been very vocal about the reform-minded NCAA and getting input from coaches with respect to any anticipated changes. Are you liking the direction that you're seeing the NCAA take?

COACH K: Well, I'm not just liking it; I'm loving it. Instead of one entity trying to influence the game, we have everyone who touches the game meet and then try to put our arms around this great game and figure out where we're going to go from here. Change can be slow, but before this there was no change that had coaches' input. We're excited about it.

On academics

J.B.: Do you believe that coaches can have a strong influence on student-athletes, setting the bar high for accomplishment in the classroom?

COACH K: That's one of the things they're supposed to do. Coaches should work as a team with the school's academic counselors and officials to map out a plan on how kids in their program can succeed and give them the resources to succeed. I coach kids every day that love to play. You're armed with something that can make them do the right thing academically: You have the power to play them or not play them. It's not just if you flunk. It can be along the way, like if you're missing class, things like that. That's where the school has to be on the same team. Because coaches would do that more, but when they're trying to make a decision--and I'm not saying this is right--coaches will say, "I need to win this game, or I'm going to lose my job." You see what I mean? It's, "OK, I like academic standards, but we also want to win."

On his American Express commercial

J.B.: We're continuing to hear conversation about the "unfair recruiting advantage" associated with your American Express commercial, which your players love.

COACH K: Well, we're honored. One, it's part of this initiative to get college out there. We don't need a commercial to recruit. We have what we've done for 25 years. I'm not going to apologize for (the commercial). It's done in great taste. If someone thinks that's a recruiting advantage or that's why it's done, I feel bad for them. I'm proud of it.