Coach K is nearing the end of his COVID-19 quarantine. When will he coach Duke again?
A predawn COVID-19 test Saturday will determine if Mike Krzyzewski can return to his head coaching duties for Duke basketball later that day.
The Hall of Fame coach, in quarantine along with his wife, Mickie, due to contact with a family member who has tested positive, would be allowed to coach the Blue Devils against Wake Forest in Saturday’s noon game at Cameron Indoor Stadium provided he is negative for COVID-19.
Speaking on his SiriusXM show “Basketball and Beyond with Coach K”, which was taped Thursday, Krzyzewski said his contact with the COVID-19 positive family member occurred on Dec. 30 and his 10-day quarantine is set to end on Saturday.
“The plan is for me to go in at 6 a.m. (Saturday) and be tested,” Krzyzewski said. “I will be isolated until they get the result. If they get a negative, then I’ll be able to coach the noon game. My wife and I, my family, get tested every day. Everything has been negative.”
The quarantine caused the 73-year-old Krzyzewski to miss Duke’s 83-82 win over Boston College on Wednesday night at Cameron Indoor Stadium. Krzyzewski spoke to the team virtually before and after the game, but was not allowed to communicate with them during the game or at halftime.
He has been able to watch the team practice via Zoom as well as hold meetings with the players and coaches remotely during his quarantine.
While associate head coach Jon Scheyer served as interim head coach for the Boston College game, Krzyzewski said the entire coach staff, including Nate James, Chris Carrawell and Nolan Smith, contributed in his absence.
“My staff did a great job and we won a close game,” Krzyzewski said. “Hopefully I can test out of this.”
Quarantine and a postponed Florida State game
Krzyzewski learned of his need to quarantine on Jan. 1 as the team was preparing to travel to Tallahassee, Florida, for a scheduled game with Florida State on Saturday night. He received word of the family member’s positive test. Duke’s medical staff advised him to not travel with the team even though Krzyzewski said they told him his chances of spreading the virus were “minimal.”
Though the players were already on a bus about to leave to catch their chartered flight from RDU Airport, Krzyzewski convened an impromptu team meeting to share that he wouldn’t be joining them.
“It was kind of an emotional meeting,” Krzyzewski said. “Literally my team was on the bus. We had to get them off the bus and have a meeting. I said, `They aren’t going to let me go.’ I’m good with you guys going but I don’t want to force you to go. They said, `No want to go.’ It was emotional. They got on the bus and they went down there.”
Later that night, after the Blue Devils had traveled to Tallahassee, Florida State informed Duke of three positive COVID-19 cases in the Seminoles program, causing Saturday’s game to be postponed. That came on the heels of Duke’s previous game with Pitt being postponed due to positive cases in the Panthers’ athletic department.
“These kids have been through a ringer,” Krzyzewski said. “And we’re not the only ones. Don’t get me wrong. Each team has its own journey this year and they are all somewhat different.”
Krzyzewski says coronavirus pandemic is ‘a crazy time’
Having been through a brush with COVID-19 and endured a quarantine which disrupted his family’s life, Krzyzewski expressed an even deeper appreciation for the seriousness of the pandemic.
“I’m speaking for millions of people out there who have gone through this,” Krzyzewski said, “or have family members going through it, friends. Well over 350,000 people have died. Over 7,800 have died in the last couple of days. So this is a crazy time. We all have to be vigilant and try to get through it.”
Wake Forest at Duke
When: Noon, Saturday
Where: Cameron Indoor Stadium, Durham
Watch: ACC Network
This story was originally published January 8, 2021 at 10:31 AM with the headline "Coach K is nearing the end of his COVID-19 quarantine. When will he coach Duke again?."