From His Mother’s Work Ethic to His Father’s Fear of Ethnic Discrimination: What’re Coach K’s Memories of His Parents?

NCAA’s Hall of Famer coach–Mike Krzyzewski–has revolutionized the art of coaching in the basketball world. The 5-time NCAA winning coach has a status so iconic that he is recognized by a single letter. Coach K mentored the Blue Devils for 42 long seasons and accomplished wonders with them. Moreover, as their head coach, he took Duke to new heights and scripted many historic moments.

However, what was the reason behind his dedication and work ethic? Let’s hear it directly from him because whenever Coach K speaks, everybody listens.

Who was the inspiration behind the dedication of Coach K?

Coach K got nostalgic when he paid a visit to the Cameron Indoor Stadium. He was accompanied by CNN’s popular journalist Poppy Harlow. Apparently, he expressed his views about life, coaching wisdom and what’s more important than winning. During the interview, he talked about the work ethic and discipline of his parents. Mike said, “My parents were the basis of who I and my brother became. They taught us the dignity of work. I even tell my teams for years, that I want you to be as tough as your mothers. And just think about your mother, was there a day that she didn’t show up? Did you ever see her sick? Did you ever see her tired? I never saw my mom sick or tired.”

Mike later opened up about the time he realized how unappreciative he was of his mother’s dedication to work. He further added, “I saw her every day doing everything that she could possibly do to make it nice for me and my brother, Bill. I didn’t appreciate it until later in life.”

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Later, Coach K also made revelations about upsetting times when he and his family had to deal with ethnic discrimination.

How did Coach K’s family handle ethnic bias?

The legendary Coach K speaks about the time when his family had to hide their Polish ethnic identity. Mike shared about his father’s fears and talked they all gave up. Coach K said, “He didn’t go by the name Krzyzewski. He went by the name Cross. He was always afraid of losing his job because there was a lot of ethnic discrimination at that time. I didn’t realize all the things that my parents gave up. They didn’t want us to have an accent because they were afraid.”

The legacy that Mike Krzyzewski has left at Duke holds far more importance than his nationality or his origin. There is no doubt that his fans will remember him more for what he’s achieved with his talent rather than what race he belongs to. In addition to this, his dedication and commitment to basketball have set such high standards that will be difficult for anyone to match.

What are your thoughts on Coach K’s dedication? Let us know in the comments section

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