The end of an era. Two months after former UNC head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski has reportedly decided to retire after the 2021–22 season.
The former UNC coach, who is playing in Wednesday’s pro-am at the 2021 REX Hospital Open, spoke with reporters about his longtime rival while on the course.
“I’ve had 500 yards to think about it and there’s a rainstorm coming in,” Williams said. “But everybody knows it’s coming. Mike’s been fantastic for the game of basketball, he’s been fantastic for college basketball, he’s been fantastic for the ACC, the greatest rivalry in sports is Duke and North Carolina basketball.”
Williams added that Krzyzewski has been a good friend to him over the years and someone he’s respected “a great deal.”
“The only thing wrong with Mike Krzyzewski is that he doesn’t play golf,” the former UNC coach joked.
Between the two Hall of Famers, they accumulated more than 2,000 victories, including eight national championships. Triangle basketball will look different with Williams’s and Krzyzewski’s retiring. Williams took the helm at UNC during the 2003–04 season while Krzyzewski has been at Duke since 1980–81.
“Vic Bubas and Dean Smith left, and Duke and North Carolina were still pretty good. [With] Roy Williams and Mike Krzyzewski leaving, it’s still going to be pretty good in this area.”
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