Former Indiana men’s basketball assistant coach loses in Final Four, retires

Former Indiana men’s basketball assistant coach Mike Krzyzewski lost to North Carolina 81-77 in the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament on Saturday night.

Krzyzewski, currently the head coach at Duke, stated his intention to retire following the conclusion of the Blue Devils’ 2021-22 season back in June. Krzyzewski will end his career as the NCAA Division-I all-time leader in career wins with 1,202.

Krzyzewski was born in Chicago and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point, where he played for the men’s basketball team under then-head coach Bob Knight. He was named a team captain during his senior season in 1969.

After being discharged from active duty in 1974, Krzyzewski joined Knight’s staff in Bloomington as an assistant coach for the Hoosiers. He was only the staff for a single season, but helped coach Indiana to a perfect regular season before the Hoosiers fell to Kentucky in the Elite Eight.

From there, Krzyzewski was hired as the head coach at West Point, where he’d remain for five season. He amassed a 73-59 overall record with the Black Knights, with a single berth in the National Invitation Tournament in 1978.

Krzyzewski was named the head coach at Duke on March 18, 1980. There’s much to be said about his accomplishments there but, frankly, you definitely already know.