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Everyone came for Mike Krzyzewski’s final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, former players and celebrities and basketball greats. They all wanted to catch one last glimpse of the Hall of Fame coach in the place he has called home for 42 years.
North Carolina, however, wasn’t there for the spectacle. The on-the-bubble Tar Heels were there to win a basketball game, and they spoiled Coach K’s swan song in one of the season’s most stunning results.
North Carolina gave its bitter rival’s coach a parting gift, a 94-81 defeat that should assure them of an NCAA Tournament bid in coach Hubert Davis’ first season. With the loss, Krzyzewski fell to 50-48 against the Tar Heels, who had lost to Duke by 20 in Chapel Hill a month ago.
Krzyzewski’s career isn’t over just yet. Duke will be the top seed in next week’s ACC Tournament in Brooklyn at Barclays Center and could wind up getting a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament as well. This, however, was the end for him in Durham, N.C., where he built Duke into a national powerhouse. The three-time Naismith Coach of the Year, he has won five national championships and reached 12 Final Fours after arriving at Duke from Army in 1980.
“It’s unbelievable: he’s 75, he’s yelling, screaming, smacking the floor,” freshman Trevor Keels said in the lead-up to the game. “It’s just you see somebody doing all that, it’s crazy. He easily could have been retired. He’s got tons of money. … He really wants what’s best for us and he really wants us to get that national championship. So you’ve got to respect that and you’ve got to fight for him.”
“It’s my Senior day,” Krzyzewski’ joked.
Shortly before tipoff, Krzyzewski made his way onto the floor through a tunnel of 96 of his former players that extended from the corner of the baseline to midcourt. He posed for photos with the large group, an impressive assortment of Duke legends, after bumping fists and hugging most of them.
There was Jay Williams and JJ Reddick, Grant Hill and Shane Battier, Christian Laettner and Elton Brand. Celebrities like comedian Jerry Seinfeld, NBA commissioner Adam Silver, Raptors coach Nick Nurse, former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk Nowitzki and Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens were there to see the end of the legendary coaching career in Cameron Indoor Stadium. It was such a popular ticket that Duke students began camping out on Jan. 23, according to ESPN. The best seats were going for as much as $50,000.
Once the game began, Krzyzewski was all business. When Duke got off to a slow start, trailing 11-4 in the opening minutes, Coach K jumped up onto the court, stomping his feet and barking out encouragement.
The Blue Devils would go ahead, but not for good. North Carolina came to win a game, and it left Cameron Indoor Stadium victorious in Krzyzewski’s final game.
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