Coach K taking leave of absence to have back surgery

Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski may be out up to four weeks after he undergoes lower-back surgery to remove a fragment of a herniated disc on Friday, the school announced Tuesday.

Krzyzewski, 69, had hernia repair surgery in May of 2015. The Hall of Fame coach also had knee replacement surgery last year.

Assistant Jeff Capel will take over starting Saturday, when Duke hosts Boston College. The No. 5 Blue Devils are 12-2 after falling to Virginia Tech in its ACC opener on New Year’s Eve and will host Georgia Tech Wednesday.

Dr. Allan Friedman at Duke University Hospital will perform the procedure with the anticipated recovery time being up to four weeks. Krzyzewski’s multiple treatment options over the last month determined surgery was necessary to resolve the issue.

“As soon as the doctors clear me to do so, I look forward to returning and giving out team 100 percent of my energy and attention, which is certainly something that they deserve,” Krzyzewski said in a statement.

This story was originally published January 2, 2017 at 1:23 PM with the headline "Coach K taking leave of absence to have back surgery."