College basketball is no different. I bleed Tar Heel blue, but in general I'm a basketball fan first. It is my love for Chapel Hill, however, that makes this statement so hard for me to say:
Mike Krzyzewski is the BEST active college basketball coach. Hands down.
(Hold on while I compose myself... and prepare myself for the inevitable barrage of texts I'm going to receive from all of the Duke and/or Carolina fan friends I have.)
Right now many of you are wondering, how could you go there, Sick? First, let's take a look at some stats.
In 30+ seasons at Duke, he has: 3 National Championships; 11 Final Four appearances (second all-time behind legendary Coach John Wooden); 12 ACC regular season & 12 ACC tournament championships; a more than 25 win-per-season average; 75 NCAA tournament victories (the most all time); over 800 total victories (one of just 6 men to reach this mark, and he's 4th on that list); 26 NCAA tourney appearances in 27 years including an active 15-straight streak; and my favorite stat (THOUGH TRUST ME IT FUCKING PAINS ME)... his Duke team won more games (291) in the decade beginning in the year 2000 than any other team in any other decade in NCAA Basketball history INCLUDING Wooden's Bruins. Those numbers are fucking staggering.


Not convinced yet? Think back a few years. USA basketball was an embarrassment in international play. When a brain-trust of basketball aficionados decided we had to be #1 again, they convinced all the greats to play... Lebron, Kobe, D-Wade, etc. And who'd they pick to coach? Coach motherfucking K.
On yesterday's episode of Pardon the Interruption, Wilbon said that if he had to play 1 basketball game with his LIFE on the line, he'd want Coach K to coach him. It pains me to admit it, but I agree.
So, Coach K, I salute you... just this once.
You're the best.
....Even though you look like a fucking rat.