Three reasons why Coach K may be all done at Duke.
Nothing lasts forever. Rivals of Dean Smith thought he would coach for eternity, and then he suddenly and swiftly retired at age 66. Mike Krzyzewski turned 73 during his 40th season at Duke.
Now, in the midst of the pandemic that has thrown the 2020-21 college athletic year into limbo, Coach K finds himself featured in three different stories, all that may make a fine exit ramp to retirement.
Krzyzewski was front and center of a national story (that also included 69-year-old Roy Williams) about senior college coaches who are in the high-risk category of contracting COVID 19. That, in itself, would never force the Duke Hall of Famer out, especially with a renown medical center at his disposal that has already replaced both his knees, both hips and chiseled down at least one of his discs.
But let’s say the coming season’s schedule is delayed and Coach K stays embroiled in the ongoing Zion Williamson controversy and lawsuits. The one-and-done wunderkind is being sued for $100 million by his first official agent out of college, a woman named Gina Ford.
Team Zion’s defense is that she was not registered in North Carolina as an agent. Her attorneys claim that Williamson was not a true amateur athlete due to the impermissible benefits he and his family took before and during their one year in Durham.
NEW: Zion Williamson’s former marketing agent has served requests for admission in their lawsuit asking him to admit that he received “money, benefits, favors or other things of value” to attend Duke University and to wear and/or use Nike and Adidas.
Literally, the biggest piece of that puzzle is where Zion’s mother, stepfather and brother lived in a swanky Southpoint subdivision. The address became well known right away, and many pictures were snapped of the large home, which had a sale price of $875,000.
The Ford camp wants to know who owned the house, who rented or sold it to Zion’s family and how much they paid to live there. After all is said and done, Zion’s lawyers may have wished they had settled out of court for 50 million.
Coach K, who could be deposed, doesn’t want to get caught up in all that especially since, number three, he is the most logical person to become the first commissioner of college basketball, which the sport (as well as football) sorely needs. So, is it three strikes and he’s out?
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Art – this is the big one that will ensnare Duke, Kentucky, and others. The question is – does the NCAA finally allow payment to players in Div 1 football and basketball ? They have tip-toed with allowing college athletes to get $$ for their image but, I believe, this Coack K thing is the accusation that will open the floodgates.
College sports has, mistakenly, placed a lot of their appeal on Top tier Athletes and therefore they get into this illegal payment mess.They should not try to outspend the G-League and the NBA and Overseas teams.
The totally unique appeal of college sports is the affiliation with a College – the rooting for your team (or the hatred of Duke !), the memories of College, many a pix of coeds (not just cheerleaders). Delany knew it at the Big10 Network (and all the other conferences followed).
Start every TV game and every web video with a drone flyover the campus – personally, I would like to see the Old Well and the Bell Tower and even Franklin Street more than seeing a Pelican or a Hornet.
So – market “college” and pay the kids more than pizza money. My favorite thought was to set up Trust Funds where the college would place XYZ dollars into it and players would get $$ when they leave school. One&Done gets 1 years worth of Trust Fund $$. So on until those who graduate get the largest share of the Trust Fund payment. I would even allow Portal Players to get $$ based on how long they spend at their original school and their portal school.
As you can tell, I have a lot of time on my hands nowadays 🙂
The Ford camp wants to know who owned the house, who rented or sold it to Zion’s family and how much they paid to live there. After all is said and done, Zion’s lawyers may have wished they had settled out of court for 50 million.
Art – this is the big one that will ensnare Duke, Kentucky, and others. The question is – does the NCAA finally allow payment to players in Div 1 football and basketball ? They have tip-toed with allowing college athletes to get $$ for their image but, I believe, this Coack K thing is the accusation that will open the floodgates.
College sports has, mistakenly, placed a lot of their appeal on Top tier Athletes and therefore they get into this illegal payment mess.They should not try to outspend the G-League and the NBA and Overseas teams.
The totally unique appeal of college sports is the affiliation with a College – the rooting for your team (or the hatred of Duke !), the memories of College, many a pix of coeds (not just cheerleaders). Delany knew it at the Big10 Network (and all the other conferences followed).
Start every TV game and every web video with a drone flyover the campus – personally, I would like to see the Old Well and the Bell Tower and even Franklin Street more than seeing a Pelican or a Hornet.
So – market “college” and pay the kids more than pizza money. My favorite thought was to set up Trust Funds where the college would place XYZ dollars into it and players would get $$ when they leave school. One&Done gets 1 years worth of Trust Fund $$. So on until those who graduate get the largest share of the Trust Fund payment. I would even allow Portal Players to get $$ based on how long they spend at their original school and their portal school.
As you can tell, I have a lot of time on my hands nowadays 🙂