When former Duke basketball coach Mike Kryzyzewski retired a few years ago, many believed that NIL and the changing landscape of college sports went into it, but he shut that notion down in wake of former Alabama football coach Nick Saban’s criticism of the changes in recent years.
“I didn’t retire because of the new environment in college sports,” Mike Kryzyzewski said, via The Dan Patrick Show. “It would’ve been exciting to try to adapt to that. You have to keep adapting. This is the biggest adaptation, I think, in the history of college athletics. It’s not been coordinated. You don’t even know who to call into a meeting to discuss what needs to be discussed. This has been three years now, Dan.”
The legendary Duke basketball coach went on to say that current coaches should be more accepting of the changes that have come to the college sports landscape with NIL, the transfer portal and other aspects.
“Instead of complaining about what it is, just accept the fact that this is a new time,” Kryzyzewski said, via The Dan Patrick Show. “This is what it is, and we should figure out how to do what it is in the best interest of everyone.”
Nick Saban made critical comments regarding what student-athletes are seeking these days. It appears that Kryzyzewski believes that the changes are not necessarily bad, and that it is still possible to build and win in the current structure.
Programs like Georgia football and UConn men’s basketball have demonstrated the ability to build cultures and win in the NIL and transfer portal era. Those are undoubtedly two of the programs that many coaches look to emulate with the jobs that they currently have.
For Duke, it will be on Jon Scheyer to carry the torch from Kryzyzewski and build winning teams. The recruiting has been great, and Cooper Flagg headlines next year’s freshman class. Scheyer will need to reach great heights to live up to the expectations.
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