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BEIJING Mike Krzyzewski hasn't always slept soundly during the Beijing Olympics.
Often, as wife Mickie sleeps, Krzyzewski gets out of bed and sits at the desk in his room.
Looking out on the Beijing financial district, he thinks about basketball and jots down strategies or practice plans.
He says he wonders if he has everything covered.
Krzyzewski wonders because, even with 803 college basketball victories in 33 years, he's on new ground.
Krzyzewski was picked to coach a team of NBA stars over three years to revamp the USA Basketball program, which had failed in Athens in 2004. Success was defined as winning gold in the Beijing Games.
So Krzyzewski is a tad keyed up.
“This is very unique,” Krzyzewski said. “When you're coaching these guys … you need to be on top of your game all the time. Because they deserve that.”
The Americans (7-0), who beat Argentina 101-81 Friday, face Spain (6-1) at the Beijing Olympic Basketball Gymnasium at 2:30 a.m. EDT Sunday, trying to finish the mission.
Mickie trekked to China with five grandchildren, three daughters, and three sons-in-law. She says her husband has been a different person during this trip.
Coaching under rules he's not used to coaching, with players who are, technically, not his, he never feels like he's completely prepared, she said.
“I feel like we've been through the wars together for years, and whatever we're facing, whether it's a tough year with the team or the NCAA tournament or whatever, I recognize him and I know where he's at,” Mickie said. “He is different for this. I think he feels so much responsibility that it goes beyond a tournament, or winning a game or even a gold medal.”
Before U.S. senior men's national director Jerry Colangelo, on the advice of U.S. Olympians and Olympic coaches of years past, picked Krzyzewski to coach this team in 2005, Krzyzewski thought he'd never get a chance to lead an Olympic team. He served as an assistant to Chuck Daly with the Dream Team in 1992, thinking it would be his lone Olympic experience.
The former U.S. Army captain longed for the chance but said it wouldn't be a hole in either his resume or his heart should he not.
Then Colangelo offered it to him, and Krzyzewski jumped.
“There is a similarity to when he was a young coach,” Mickie said of Krzyzewski's tunnel vision, urgency and nervousness here in Beijing. “But I don't think he has ever felt this sense of responsibility even then. He feels he's carrying an amazing load.”
Krzyzewski's journey began with practices in Las Vegas, preparing for the 2006 World Championships.
In one early practice, with the media looking in, Krzyzewski called Cleveland Cavaliers star LeBron James over, spoke in his ear about some point on defense, then said, “Tuck in your shirt.”
A smiling James did as he was instructed.
The question until that moment was whether Krzyzewski's act, forceful and intense at Duke, would fly with NBA players. But national team members said Krzyzewski didn't force his method on the team. He observed a lot that first summer, they said.
Guard Deron Williams knew Krzyzewski could be hard on his players but said, “He doesn't have to be that way with a group like this.”
He's had to motivate with a lighter touch.
Carlos Boozer, the lone former Duke player on the Olympic team, was told to be a sounding board for fellow big man Dwight Howard and teach him how to handle being a dominant big man.
Guard Kobe Bryant has said a couple of times during his career that he would have loved to play at Duke for Krzyzewski. He said he has enjoyed Krzyzewski's blunt style that reveals his military background.
With Bryant, Krzyzewski appealed to his pride in late-game situations.
“He said, don't be out there sitting on the three-point line, spot-up shooting,” Bryant said. “No. Too passive. … Coach K had to tell me to get going. If I don't have to, I won't. I'd rather sit back and let the young guys do what they have to do. But it's been fantastic.”
Krzyzewski got off the best line to starting point guard Jason Kidd, someone he knew could handle it. Less than a week ago, Krzyzewski told the veteran, who lacks an NBA ring, “They're writing you off at 35.”
“That's all he had to say,” said Kidd, who calmed an anxious U.S. team in the middle quarters against Argentina. “I said, ‘Coach, I got a little left. Don't buy into that.'”
Kidd said Krzyzewski's verve is a great fit for this team.
“There's a time to coach this team and a time to let them play,” Kidd said. “He knows. That's a big part of the success we've had so far.”
Mickie Krzyzewski said her husband has needed to keep Duke within reach while he figures out the international game and calls the work that former assistant Johnny Dawkins, now the head coach at Stanford, and current assistants Steve Wojciechowski and Chris Collins have done with the U.S. team “invaluable.”
All three are working with the team in Beijing along with former Duke managers Nick Arison and Kevin Cullen.
Wojciechowski said they've provided a cocoon by doing things, as much as possible, the way they do them at Duke – the way they prepare for practice, put together scouting reports, etc. “So for him to be in comfortable surroundings, he can be as instinctive as possible,” Wojciechowski said.
Krzyzewski is having a blast.
Guard Dwyane Wade gets a chuckle out of seeing Krzyzewski so excited … during morning meetings.
“We'll be falling asleep and he's jumping around,” Wade said.
“Sometimes we have to calm him down before the games; he wants it just as bad as we do,” added Paul.
Said Williams, “He'll be happy, then all of sudden he'll blurt out, ‘Let's go kill these guys!' He just gets emotional about winning the gold medal.”
But he isn't perfect.
Some questioned his preparation after the U.S. lost to Greece in the semifinals of the 2006 World Championships.
Krzyzewski said he has made mistakes, but that some of them had to be made for USA Basketball to find its way.
Krzyzewski also disagreed with the word “fun” when asked how much he has enjoyed this run at an Olympic gold medal.
“I don't know if fun is the word,” he said. “Fun is at the beach or hitting a royal flush in Vegas on video poker. This, it's a lot of fulfillment.”
Wojciechowski said Krzyzewski loves nothing better than a challenge, whether he's smiling, puzzling over a strategy, watching tape or arguing with officials.
“And this is the ultimate challenge,” Wojciechowski said. “He feels like he's representing all the things he loves – the United States of America, Duke, his family name, his family, our program.”
Colangelo and Krzyzewski have tag-teamed their way through the task of fixing USA Basketball the past three years.
“There's no question he's more intense, more focused. If this is full throttle,” Colangelo said, holding his hand above his shoulder, “he's above full throttle.”
Flying in to Beijing on Aug. 6, Krzyzewski sat with Colangelo and the two reminisced about the past three years. All the work came down to this – eight games, down to one after Friday night.
Krzyzewski may never come down from the high of these Olympics. Should the U.S. beat Spain on Sunday, he won't have to.
“It almost takes you to another level,” Krzyzewski said. “I'll never get another opportunity to coach a group like this. So you want to seize the moment, and not just while winning but in the moment that's happening all the time.”
