Coach K by Ian O'Connor

It is an exciting day for Duke basketball with the last home game for their legendary Coach, Mike Krzyzewski. Apparently, seats are selling like Superbowl tickets and many of those fans may want to pick up the new book called COACH K by Ian O’Connor. I think, however, they will be surprised because it is not a particularly flattering portrayal. The introduction includes a scene of Coach K screaming at a player, swearing and using foul language. Honestly, that was a surprise. Other sections of the book do stress the importance of his upbringing in a Polish neighborhood in Chicago and the influence of the priests, some of whom regularly dispensed corporal punishment. O’Connor, who has also written biographies of Derek Jeter and Bill Belichick, was not able to interview Coach K for this book, but he did have access to an inner circle. Hence, there is discussion of how Duke’s recruiting efforts sometimes shift close to impropriety and limited insight into the choice of Jon Scheyer (also from the Chicago area) as the new head coach. Of course, Krzyzewski has contributed to the sports world, as a five-time national champion coach at Duke, amassing over one thousand victories, and as coach for Team USA’s three Olympic Gold medals. O’Connor does point to those leadership strengths, noting “Krzyzewski’s ability to connect with people from all walks of life, his ability to motivate people to achieve things they did not believe they were capable of achieving, and, above all else, his ability to build lasting bonds with his players assistants, team managers, childhood friends, and former teammates and coaches.” Those bonds will be evident in the audience at today’s game. COACH K received a starred review from Kirkus.