Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski had a lack of professionalism when interacting with a student reporter after his team’s 70-65 defeat to Louisville on Saturday.
Krzyzewski faced a harmless question: What is the next step forward, as the Blue Devils move forward next week?
“Yes, why don’t we just evaluate this game,” Krzyzewski said post-game. “You know, I’m not interested in what our next step will be right now. We just finished a very disputed game. “
Then Coach K tried to bond with the student in a strange exchange.
“I don’t know if, like, when – what’s your specialization?” Asked Krzyzewski. “What is your expertise at Duke? What is your most difficult class? “
Piazza replied, saying, “Econ”.
“OK, let’s say you just took the toughest economic test in the world,” said Krzyzewski. “And when you left, someone asked, ‘What’s your next move?’ Do you understand what I mean? You just need to have some empathy – just give us time to rate this game and then we’ll find out, as we always try to do. “
It is not a good sign that Coach K, a 73-year-old man who receives millions to deal with the rigors of his job, is comparing himself to a student who is finishing an exam. The comparison is obviously flawed.
If we’re being truthful, Coach K must show some empathy for this student reporter, who asked a simple question that didn’t deserve such a sarcastic answer.