CHARLOTTESVILLE, VA — For the second straight game during postgame press conferences, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski found himself getting emotional as he discussed the impending end of his career.
Before the beginning of Wednesday’s contest, Virginia coach Tony Bennett stood at midcourt and shared some touching words about Coach K’s impact on college basketball before gifting him a jersey-sized plaque.
“Your success is remarkable,” Bennett said before Virginia fans gave Coach K a rousing round of applause. “And you stood the test of time.”
Bennett also mentioned Coach K’s wife, Mickie, in his speech.
“The patience that a coach’s wife needs is remarkable, and it’s a partnership,” Bennett said.
After the game, which No. 6 Duke won 65-61, Bennett said honoring Krzyzewski “was the right thing to do” and that he appreciated the crowd “being classy.”
Bennett said he had thought a little about what he planned to say but that most of it came to him in the moment.
“I don’t have a speechwriter or anything like that,” he quipped.
The 75-year-old Krzyzewski called it a celebration of the brotherhood of the game and showed the respect that ACC programs have for each other.
“It meant a great deal to me, even though what they gave me weighed about 800 pounds,” he said with a smile.
Duke and Coach K have two more road games before an emotional farewell at Cameron on March 5 against North Carolina. The Blue Devils will travel to Syracuse on Saturday where Krzyzewski could face longtime friend Jim Boeheim for the last time before heading to Pitt to play against former assistant Jeff Capel on March 1.
David Thompson is an award-winning reporter for the USA Today Network covering NC State and Duke athletics. He can be reached at dthompson1@gannett.com, at 828-231-1747, or on Twitter at @daveth89.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY NETWORK: Coach K: Tribute before Duke-Virginia game ‘meant a great deal to me’