THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 2, 1995 TAG: 9502020467
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK VEHORN, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DURHAM, N.C. LENGTH: Medium: 100 lines
A man walked into a restaurant last week and had to look twice to make sure that the person eating breakfast in a corner booth was his friend Mike Krzyzewski, the Duke University basketball coach on medical leave from his team.
Krzyzewski, the most successful Division I college coach in the last decade, turned his program over to assistants in early January after trying to come back too soon from back surgery in October.
In addition to the back pain, he suffers from stress and exhaustion brought on by trying to maintain his busy schedule despite surgery.
Krzyzewski was sitting rigidly straight in the restaurant booth, but most noticeable was his pale, washed-out appearance.
``You all right?'' the friend asked.
Krzyzewski nodded and said he just felt fatigued.
The friend asked if Krzyzewski had experienced ``burnout.''
Krzyzewski said it was more like ``rustout,'' explaining he was mentally aggressive but the body no longer was willing.
Krzyzewski, 47, announced two weeks ago he would not return to coaching this season but indicated he would be back next year.
However, speculation already has begun that Krzyzewski may never coach at Duke again.
Some think he will take an administrative position at the university, and others say he may coach in the NBA, where he wouldn't have to deal with the pressures of recruiting and academic problems.
Krzyzewski has considered moving to the pros before, and listened to offers last spring after taking Duke to the NCAA tournament for the seventh time.
But, if Krzyzewski does return as Duke coach, friends and colleagues agree he must relax his driving personality, which led him to the point of exhaustion.
``All of us (coaches) run a rat race, and you have to learn to get away from it, to let go at times,'' says Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins, one of Krzyzewski's closest friends. ``You have to try to keep things in perspective.''
Krzyzewski has admitted to having difficulty ``keeping things in perspective.''
Last year he said he experienced burnout during the 1992-93 season, and being worn out had much to do with it.
``You can get so tired from being on a racetrack at such a fast pace,'' he said.
If Krzyzewski stays at Duke, he could be walking back into a pressure-packed, rebuilding situation.
The Blue Devils go into tonight's game against North Carolina (9, WGNT) with a 10-9 record, 0-7 in the ACC, and facing a strong possibility they will not be included in postseason play for the first time since 1983.
North Carolina coach Dean Smith contends Duke's situation is not as bleak as its record indicates, and the Blue Devils may still make the NCAA tournament by winning the ACC tournament.
``It seems they have found themselves and are playing again like they did in December when they were a very dangerous team,'' Smith said.
``They came within two points of beating the No. 5-ranked team in the country (Maryland) last Saturday, so you have to consider them national contenders.''
The Blue Devils have played better since Krzyzewski's announcement that top assistant Pete Gaudet would remain in charge of the program for the rest of the season.
They lost by three points at Florida State, then ended a six-game losing streak with an 87-74 victory at Notre Dame, followed by the close defeat at Maryland.
Smith admits it will be strange going to Cameron Indoor Stadium to play Duke without seeing Krzyzewski on the sidelines.
``I am sorry he won't be there,'' Smith said. ``He's certainly an outstanding coach, and I look forward to when he is back.''
The relationship between Smith and Krzyzewski was often icy during the years that Krzyzewski was building Duke into a perennial national contender, as Smith had done at North Carolina.
Krzyzewski has told friends his respect for Smith increased after the Blue Devils began their runs to the Final Four and he experienced the demands and pressures put on coaches of successful programs.
Smith, whose program has been in the spotlight for three decades, has handled those demands and pressures as well as anyone.
``You have to set your priorities and go on from there,'' Smith said.
``I am sitting here at my desk, and I can't see anyone who comes through the door because I haven't gotten to even the Christmas mail on my desk yet. Fortunately, I put my priorities on basketball. When I am home I might watch a game tape, but it is not my whole life.''
Smith said he learned to deal with the pressure 30 years ago after North Carolina returned from a loss at Wake Forest and a group of disgruntled students met the team bus.
``There were about 30 students out there hanging a dummy of me,'' Smith said. ``I didn't really care. We had just lost to Wake. But at that point I said maybe I am not supposed to be doing this, and maybe I am. I am just going on from here.
``Surprisingly, we went over to play a nationally ranked Duke team in our next game and won. But it probably wasn't worth being hung for..
``Since that time I think I have it in perspective, as far as life in general. At least I hope so.'' by CNB