Famous Quotes & Sayings

Mike Krzyzewski

Defense is one man guarding the ball and four others helping him

Mike Krzyzewski

I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw. Or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one.

Mike Krzyzewski

I've tried to handle winning well, so that maybe we'll win again, but I've also tried to handle failure well. If those serve as good examples for teachers and kids, then I hope that would be a contribution I have made to sport. Not just basketball, but to sport.

Mike Krzyzewski

I love practice. It is when a coach exercises the most control over the improvement of his or her team.

Mike Krzyzewski

We lost, and that's the main thing that went wrong,

Mike Krzyzewski

Good sound habits are more important than rules - use concepts.

Mike Krzyzewski

When you are speaking to your team after a game, never talk about the kid who was the star of the game. Talk about what your other players did to help the team win. Be sure to spread the wealth... Then have individual meetings with one to three players to praise and reinforce. Make sure you touch them.

Mike Krzyzewski

Why do you play a game? I play a game to see how good we can be.

Mike Krzyzewski

We travel in Duke stuff... They can have a hat, but it must be a Duke hat.

Mike Krzyzewski

...you can't play any defense if the other team is on the foul line.

Mike Krzyzewski

The best teams are team in any sport that lose themselves in the team. The individuals lose their identity. And their identities come about as a result of being in the team first.

Mike Krzyzewski

I believe a big part of leadership is about winning the moment.

Mike Krzyzewski

I'm fortunate now that I coach at Duke University and we've won a lot. I have some kids who haven't failed that much. But when they get to college, they're going to fail some time. That's a thing that I can help them the most with.

Mike Krzyzewski

Leaders have to search for the heart on a team, because the person who has it can bring out the best in everybody else.

Mike Krzyzewski

With me and basketball, it became part of me.

Mike Krzyzewski

When I had troubles, I'd go out with basketball - you can do it by yourself, too. So you'd go out and shoot, and you'd fantasize.

Mike Krzyzewski

I have a plan of action, but the game is a game of adjustments.

Mike Krzyzewski

Even though we want huge individual egos, our collective ego is unbelievable.

Mike Krzyzewski

That's why basketball was so good, because I didn't really need you or anyone else to play it. It would be better if we played four-on-four or five-on-five, but I could go out there alone.

Mike Krzyzewski

People want to be on a team. They want to be part of something bigger than themselves. They want to be in a situation where they feel that they are doing something for the greater good.

Mike Krzyzewski

Confidence shared is better than confidence only in yourself.

Mike Krzyzewski

A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on "x's and o's" as compared to time spent learning about people.

Mike Krzyzewski

A leader's responsibility to his team is paramount. It overshadows even his own personal feelings at any given time.

Mike Krzyzewski

First of all, what happens is, when you're good at something, you spend a lot of time with it. People identify you with that sport, so it becomes part of your identity.

Mike Krzyzewski

When you win, sometimes it overshadows a poor performance.

Mike Krzyzewski

For a college basketball player or coach, to reach the Final Four is la-la land. You've achieved, you've got your stamp of approval. My first team to do that was in 1986. Then we did it in '88, '89 and '90.

Mike Krzyzewski

If the only reason I coached was to win basketball games, my life would be pretty shallow

Mike Krzyzewski

Footwork is one of the primary prerequisites to becoming a great player

Mike Krzyzewski

A team is a fist-not five fingers.

Mike Krzyzewski

I didn't miss any games, but Coach Knight came out and spent three days with my family in Chicago when my dad passed away. I came back and played and it was good therapy for me. Having a basketball family and a coach who understood and actually became like a father figure for that time was comforting to me, and I'm sure that will be comforting to Coleman.

Mike Krzyzewski

I was very pleased with the entire selection process. The manner in which it was conducted included all parts of United States' basketball, from the professional level to the colleges and high schools. Everyone was considered.

Mike Krzyzewski

The worst thing we can do is put the (other) team in a one-and-one.

Mike Krzyzewski

Leadership is an ever-evolving position.