Sometime in 2022—maybe March, maybe April—Mike Krzyzewski will sit down on the bench with rigid military posture and pursed lips, crossing himself before the opening tip of a basketball game for the final time. At the final horn the Catholic scion of Polish immigrants will go through an emotional handshake line, walk off the court—wherever it is—and leave a gaping chasm in college basketball.
The news that broke Wednesday was a simmering rumor for weeks, yet still arrived like an elbow to the gut of the sport: The upcoming season will be the last for the 74-year-old coach at Duke.