Mike Krzyzewski is wrapping up a spectacular, historic career. He has a shot of finishing with 1,200 wins. Keep in mind he sets a new record with every win and has for years.
But he wasn’t always the iconic Coach K. When he got the Duke job, it was a controversial selection, coming off a losing season at Army and replacing the highly respected Bill Foster, who had taken Duke to the championship game in 1978 and the Elite Eight in 1980.
In the early days, he couldn’t sell Duke Basketball as we know it now. He had to recruit guys by convincing them of what could be, not what was already iconic.