"I think I'm too old to feel itches," Krzyzewski said Tuesday. "When you get over 60, you're just happy to feel anything."
Coach K, who will turn 65 in February, said he never had an itch to coach in the NBA, but he added that people "I value and know in the sport, when they've expressed an interest in me from the pros, I've listened."
Krzyzewski does believe that coaching the national team at the World Championships and the Olympics has made him a better Duke coach, that picking up aspects of the game from top international basketball minds has certainly helped him.
Brian Zoubek, one of the mainstays of Duke's 2010 NCAA title team, also believes that coaching the Olympics allowed Krzyzewski to see "what it was like at that level" and succeeding at it, while staying at Duke.
"He kind of gets the best of both worlds," said Zoubek, who suggested Coach K may have also become a more "flexible" coach.
Zoubek said Krzyzewski didn't ever give Duke short shrift. What's more, Krzyzewski gave the senior leadership a little additional trust in 2009-10 after the Beijing experience.
I covered almost all the Beijing men's basketball games, and it was interesting to see Krzyzewski in action. He was in charge but didn't necessarily feel the need to constantly assert that fact.
During the gold-medal game, Dwight Howard was called for an intentional foul for grabbing a Spanish player from behind by the shoulders. Howard came over to the bench, but it was teammate Tayshaun Prince who talked to him. Krzyzewski walked over and tapped Howard on the butt as Howard continued to listen to Prince. The coach, apparently seeing he wasn't needed, turned around and sat down.
None of this is meant to suggest that Krzyzewski has grown soft over time or that there is some new halo over his head. Referees would scoff at the idea, as would Duke players.
