Mike Krzyzewski may have come up short in his bid for a sixth national title this season, but, as far as consolation prizes go, an adorable new puppy is a pretty good one. Meet Coach, Krzyzewski’s eight-week-old silver lab, gifted to him at Duke’s annual awards banquet Thursday night.
Coach K had been in the market for a new dog after losing his 12-year-old yellow lab Blue to cancer last summer. “He was not doing well. We took him to the vet, lung cancer. A week later, he died in my arms at my house,” said Krzyzewski at the time. “He was my buddy. For any of you who have pets, you know how that is. We haven’t recruited anyone to replace him yet.”
The 75-year-old will have plenty of time to train his new pup after retiring from his longtime position at Duke, leaving the program to his assistant coach Jon Scheyer, who played four seasons under Krzyzewski from 2006-10. Coach K’s final season in Durham was one for the ages, with Duke reaching the Final Four (where the Blue Devils would ultimately fall to ACC rival North Carolina) for the first time since 2015. A five-time Olympic gold medalist for Team USA (three times as a head coach, twice as an assistant), Krzyzewski retires as the winningest coach in Division I history, logging 1,202 victories over a legendary career spanning 47 seasons, with the first five of those spent at his alma mater, West Point.
Duke will always be hated among college basketball fans, but even if he wasn’t your favorite, the image of Coach K snuggling up to a lovable new fur baby has to make your heart melt just a little.
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