Mike Krzyzewski reportedly to retire from Duke after upcoming season

The winningest coach in NCAA men’s basketball history plans to retire after the 2021-22 campaign, according to media reports.

On Wednesday, Stadium’s Jeff Goodman reported that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after the conclusion of the upcoming season. He is one of only five coaches with more than 1,000 wins. 

Goodman reported that associate head coach Jon Scheyer is the leading candidate to replace Krzyzewski.

DECOURCY: Duke lost big in 2020-21

Krzyzewski has been at the helm of Duke’s men’s basketball team since 1980 and has turned the program into a powerhouse. Under his leadership, the Blue Devils have captured five NCAA Tournament titles, reached 12 Final Fours, won the ACC regular season title 12 times and the ACC Tournament 15 times. 

His career record sits at 1,170-361. During the 2018 season, he passed Pat Summitt of Tennessee for the most wins for a Division I basketball coach and the next year passed Harry Statham of McKendree University for the most wins by any coach at any level of college basketball. 

Before the 2020-21 campaign, Duke had reached the NCAA Tournament every year since the 1994-95 season. However, this past season the Blue Devils struggled to a 13-11 finish. The three-time Naismith College Coach of the Year winner made sure that Duke finished the season with at least 25 wins in 22 of his past 24 years at the helm. 

Krzyzewski’s coaching career began as an assistant under Bob Knight in the 1974-75 season before he took over as the head coach at Army the following year. He led the Black Knights from 1975 to 1980 and owned a 73-59 record while at Army. 

In addition to coaching at Duke, Krzyzewski has also been a coach for five Olympic gold medal-winning USA Basketball teams. He was an assistant on the 1984 and 1992 teams before taking over as the head coach and leading the team to gold-medal finishes in 2008, 2012 and 2016.