Radio Free Coach K revealing

Show gives Krzyzewski freedom of speech

DURHAM -- Meet Radio Mike Krzyzewski, casually dressed and armed with a microphone that reaches 7.6 million paid listeners on XM Satellite Radio every week.

Krzyzewski's platform is his two-year old sports talk show on XM called "Basketball and Beyond with Mike Krzyzewski."

You've rarely heard the 60-year-old Duke coach like this -- opinionated, personal.

This isn't ESPN's "Pardon the Interruption." It is Krzyzewski's chance to discuss issues and philosophy, basketball-related or not.

"It helps me talk about issues without having been perceived of having an agenda," he said.

He also gives listeners something more than his opinions on the NBA's 19-year-old age limit (bad), Don Imus (being held accountable, good), and the NCAA's academic measuring tools (bad).

Listeners learn about the man himself.

Jeremiah Tittle, a producer of specialty programming for XM, said one of the most compelling shows they've done this year was when Krzyzewski spoke about his late father William and how he grew up modestly in Chicago.

"We got so many great responses to that show," Tittle said. "It was cool to see inside his life."

Krzyzewski sees himself continuing in radio after he retires. Co-host Dave Sims, a former newspaper reporter who covered Krzyzewski's Army teams in the late 1970s, thinks there's plenty of fodder for the public to feast on.

"In this country, we have so many books by people at the top of the food chain, like how-to books," Sims said. "Here's a chance to get that on the radio."

The last time Krzyzewski did a radio show was when he had a call-in show early in his 27-year career at Duke. He hated it.

"You just get tired of talking to Joe from Fuquay-Varina or Sam from Apex," he said. "They'd call every day, and all of a sudden it's Sam's show as much as it's your show. It's not a matter of not wanting to take questions, it was just a waste of time. I didn't do radio for a long time until they came up with this idea."

You've seen other versions of the Duke coach.

Game-day Krzyzewski stalks the sidelines wearing a power suit and a snarl for officials. Travel Krzyzewski wears Duke sweat suits and a smile for fans.

Those versions are served to the public in measured doses. Radio Krzyzewski is more raw and thoughtful.

"You can tell I have a lot of fun with it," Krzyzewski says, smiling. "Every week [it flies by]."

On the air

Krzyzewski sits at conference table in the Schwartz-Butters Athletic Center at Duke on April 9 to tape the final show of his second season on XM.

He, Tittle, phoning in from Washington, and Sims, calling from Boston where he's doing radio for the Seattle Mariners, are all on the line when talk turns to NBA MVP Steve Nash and his cutting-edge workouts.

Sims asks if the coach would ever use the workout at Duke. "Nah," Krzyzewski says. "Our guys wouldn't do it. First, they wouldn't have the time."

The show's first segment starts hot after the warmup. Krzyzewski talks about seeing Duke's three incoming freshman at the 2007 McDonald's All American game and how surprised he was to see the teams work together.

"I think a lot of that is because no one is trying out for the NBA in those games," he says. "It was kind of beautiful to watch."

That was Krzyzewski jabbing at the NBA.

After 15 minutes and a short break, ESPN analyst Jay Bilas calls in from Charlotte. The former Duke player and coach seems an obvious choice as a guest -- almost too obvious.

The show boasts an eclectic guest list. Krzyzewski has talked politics with MSNBC's Tim Russert and grapes with winemaker Mark Beringer. He's talked basketball with NBA commissioner David Stern and President George W. Bush, and chatted with former First Lady Barbara Bush.