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Coach K goes, Pop set for US
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MIKE Krzyzewski is heading out, Gregg Popovich is coming in and maybe LeBron James would even come back.
It’s a time of transition for both the United States Olympic team and international basketball and it starts, as usual, with the Americans on top.
The US won its third straight gold medal on Sunday, beating Serbia 96-66 in Rio in the final game for Krzyzewski, who led the program for a decade and became the first coach to win three Olympic gold medals. He also guided the Americans to a pair of world championships, an 88-1 record and from the bottom back to the top.
“It’s been a joy,” Krzyzewski said. “I’ve been so lucky to have been given this opportunity.”
Now it goes to Popovich, the other coach Jerry Colangelo considered before choosing Krzyzewski after taking control of USA Basketball in 2005. Like Krzyzewski, a graduate of the US Military Academy, Popovich is a military man who attended the Air Force Academy and has built one of sports’ most successful organizations while winning five NBA titles with the San Antonio Spurs.
Krzyzewski has used the military as an inspiration for USA Basketball, referring to playing for the team as service and sacrifice, and Popovich should be an ideal choice to continue that relationship.
“You have the best guy in the world who’s going to coach the team now and that says a lot for the program that’s been developed,” Krzyzewski said.
It was in perhaps its worst shape ever when he took over, coming off a bronze-medal finish at the 2004 Athens Olympics and an even poorer finish two years earlier in the world basketball championship.
The Americans lost their first tournament under Krzyzewski, the 2006 worlds, but haven’t dropped even a game since.
James passed on a fourth Olympics after leading Cleveland to the NBA championship, but may not be done wearing the red, white and blue. The US career leader in scoring before Carmelo Anthony and Kevin Durant passed him during the Rio tournament, James said during an interview that he hasn’t retired from international play and was leaving the door open for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo.
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