Enjoy a legendary career like Mike Krzyzewski, and you’re bound to have made more than a few friends along the way. Most will probably remember Krzyzewski for turning Duke into a national powerhouse practically synonymous with men’s college basketball. But coach 42 years, and you’re going to have a lot more of an impact than wins on the court. You’re going to touch many lives of gifted young men and give them a mentor and friend for life.
With Krzyzewski’s Duke home finale this Saturday, many will undoubtedly take to social media to share their love for the coach, and the man. One of his first players from one of his first recruiting classes in 1982 — ESPN’s Jay Bilas — had a touching sentiment he couldn’t help but relay to the masses:
The personalized recruiting letter a 33-year-old Coach K sent to Bilas’ mother.
Back in the day, before emojis, electricity and indoor plumbing, Coach K recruited the moms, too. pic.twitter.com/qvpohorPZD
— Jay Bilas (@JayBilas) March 4, 2022
That version of Coach K isn’t something we see as often now that Duke is regularly on a national stage. There’s only so much you can say about a story and person everyone already understands inside and out. But if there’s any landmark item that demonstrates why Krzyzewski became a legend, it’s this cursive, handwritten missive sent to a player’s mom.
To some, it’s just basketball. To Coach K, it was always basketball and people.