Leadership concepts and applications

Leadership That Extends Beyond the Basketball Court: Duke University's Mike Krzyzewski

In college basketball, some coaches move from team to team, chasing high salaries rather than remaining loyal to a particular academic institution -- or they leave for the higher profile and better-paid stratosphere of the coaching pantheon of the NBA. At Duke University, the legendary Coach Mike Krzyzewski has remained so long at his school, he has become an institution himself, beloved by students, athletes, and alumni alike, regardless of whether his team wins or loses. Over the course of his 29 years at Duke, Coach 'K,' as he is affectionately known, has secured 71 NCAA Tournament wins and 3 National Championships, and just as impressively his team boasts a 98% graduation rate (Coach K, 2010, Official website). When Coach K. came to Duke in 1980, the Duke squad in 1980-81 had "a thin talent base" yet by 1984 Duke had won its first NCAA bid under Krzyzewski's leadership (Duke Basketball, 2010, Official website). The 1987-88 season began the school's streak of five straight NCAA Final Four appearances. The 1990-1991 season boasted the bestowing of the National Player of the Year to Duke star Christian Laettner and "under Krzyzewski's guidance, not one, but two of his student-athletes earned National Player of the Year awards in 2001" (Duke Basketball, 2010, Official website).

In a sport in which players often use their college experience as a springboard for the NBA and a professional career, rather than a place to get an education, Coach Krzyzewski's record shines. Despite his obvious determination to win, Krzyzewski has been something of an oddity, even amongst other top coaches. During his first years as a coach, he "avoided guys with the NBA in their eyes... Because they didn't want to go to college…Duke never recruited LeBron James or Dwight Howard, who were chosen first in 2003 and 2004" (Chavez 2008). Krzyzewski has tried to stay true to his principles, despite the many recruiting scandals that have plagued other schools.

Krzyzewski has always believed in the value of education. Krzyzewski comes from a background similar to many aspiring basketball stars: his mother cleaned floors at the Chicago Athletic Club from 11 PM until 6 AM and his father was an elevator operator. "When Mike was starting high school, his mom said, 'Life is going to change for you tomorrow. Make sure you get on the right bus,'" stressing the fact that education could make a difference in his life (Get on the right bus, 2010, Enterprise media). Coach K. shows his players that he cares for them as people as well as athletes, as he demands that they keep their grades high as well as show up and try their hardest on the court. Because of his history, he understands the challenging transition some of his players experience in a college environment, but he also does not make excuses for them. "That's why I'm against the rule (that prevents [players] going straight to the NBA)" he says, because he is only interested in players who want to be there -- in college, at Duke, learning as well as playing (Chavez 2008). "I look at myself as a leader who just happens to coach basketball" Krzyzewski (Gregory 2006). Basketball is the medium through which he motivates players to better themselves.