Mike Krzyzewski has been absent from Duke’s sidelines since he underwent back surgery on January 6. On Saturday — just about a month after he went under the knife– Krzyzewski will be back on the bench when his Blue Devils host Pittsburgh at Cameron Indoor Stadium.
Duke first “announced” Coach K’s return through this cryptic tweet:
Saturday. 🔵😈🐐#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/Dxll7aqlPN
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 2, 2017
They made it clearer with this Tweet (which includes a link to the press release) two hours later:
The GOAT, in his own words, on the path back to the sideline.https://t.co/y1wDTq0vop#HereComesDuke pic.twitter.com/0CODpLjVal
— Duke Men’s Basketball (@DukeMBB) February 3, 2017
Coach K’s return will also be five days before Duke hosts North Carolina for the first time this season, the school announced today.
Assistant coach Jeff Capel stood in Krzyzewski’s stead for seven games in which the Blue Devils went 4-3 and fell to 21st in the AP poll. While Coach K was recovering at home, he certainly wasn’t out of the ears of his team, such as when he called them to his home and banned them from the locker room, and forbade them from wearing Duke gear after their two-point home loss to NC State.
Of course Krzyzewski also missed 19 games during the 1994-95 season citing back issues and exhaustion then, which not coincidentally was the last time Duke missed the NCAA Tournament. They’re not in real danger to miss the Dance this year, however it looks as if they won’t be meeting the lofty expectations set for them prior to the start of the season.
But another big winning streak, including a win over UNC just might be a cure for what ails Duke, although it won’t stop Grayson Allen from tripping opponents.
[ESPN]
