Syracuse basketball honors Coach K with military-related scholarship in his name
Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim made sure his longtime friendship with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will be honored long after both of them are gone.
Prior to Duke’s 97-72 win on Saturday night at Syracuse, in a ceremony emceed by Syracuse athletics director John Wildhack, Boeheim presented a framed photo of Boeheim and Krzyzewski together prior to a previous Syracuse-Duke game at the Carrier Dome.
Wildhack also announced a new scholarship award, in Krzyzewski’s name, that will annually be awarded to a Syracuse student who has military involvement. It’s named the Capt. Michael Krzyzewski Award since Krzyzewski retired from his military service in 1974 at that rank following his graduation from West Point in 1969.
The inscription on the award’s plaque said the recipient will be someone “who through their actions and aspirations embodies Coach Krzyzewski’s public and demonstrated commitment to the virtues of honor, empathy and servant-leadership.”
“The honor that they bestowed on me today was absolutely amazing,” Krzyzewski said. “Wow. So thank you, thank you. Very, very much appreciated.“
Boeheim said the scholarship award is only fitting given Syracuse’s enhanced commitment to the military and Krzyzewski’s West Point ties.
“We have a tremendous military presence on campus,” Boeheim said. “The veterans’ building and what the chancellor has done with the Board of Trustees, dedicating that building for what it’s being used for. I think it was a great tribute to Mike because he’s a West Point guy; an Army guy. I thought it was really brilliant to do. It even got the fans to cheer for him, too, so that was good.’’
The 75-year-old Krzyzewski, a Hall of Fame coach just like Boeheim, is retiring at the conclusion of this season.
“Jim and I are as close as you can be,” Krzyzewski said. “Our families love one another.”
The two legendary coaches showed how close they were earlier in the week. On Thursday night, at the urging of their respective wives, Krzyzewski called into Boeheim’s radio show on a Syracuse station. After identifying himself simply as “Mike from Durham,” Krzyzewski said he’d been a fan of Boeheim’s for 50 years.
Over the past decade, while helping with USA Basketball when Krzyzewski was the team’s head coach and Boeheim was an assistant leading up to and during the 2016 Rio Olympics, Duke associate head coach Jon Scheyer saw firsthand how close the two Hall of Famers have grown.
Many times, either then or on recruiting trips, Scheyer found himself at dinner with the two of them.
“Talk about feeling like a third wheel,” Scheyer joked during an interview on Thursday.
“They have a genuine relationship that goes back. I mean, a long time,” he continued. “And so I think it starts there and, obviously, their connection throughout USA Basketball, which I also was lucky to see many times in Vegas throughout the years. But they care for one another.”
While Krzyzewski is college basketball’s all-time wins leader with 1,195, Boeheim is second at 987.
“He’s been the best coach for 50 years,” Boeheim said, citing not only Krzyzewski’s Duke accomplishments but the three Olympic gold medals he won with the U.S. national team. “He’s an unbelievable organizer, coach of people, handler of people, who they are and how to handle them and how to work with people. Among coaches, he’s the best that’s ever done that in the modern basketball world.
“John Wooden won 10 championships. You can never say anything about that. But it’s a different world today. There have been a lot of great coaches, but there’s nobody even close to what Mike has done. He’s given everything to the game and made the game what it is today.”
Syracuse joined a number of other ACC schools that honored Krzyzewski upon his final trip to their venues.
On Wednesday night, prior to Dukes 65-61 win at Virginia, Cavaliers coach Tony Bennett gave a short speech praising Krzyzewski’s career and present him a plaque.
Florida State, Clemson and Boston College all made announcements along with donations to Durham’s Emily Krzyzewski Center in honor of Krzyzewski’s career.
Louisville had a pregame ceremony with retired coach Denny Crum where Krzyzewski was presented a custom-made Louisville Slugger bat and a personalized bottle of Maker’s Mark bourbon.
Notre Dame played a video during halftime of Irish coach Mike Brey, a former Duke assistant, praising Krzyzewski for his career and the impact on his career.
This story was originally published February 26, 2022 at 6:34 PM.