Duke Honors Duke

Duke head basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski is being inducted into the Duke Athletics Hall of Fame on Friday night along with Bobby Hurley, the point guard of his first two national championship teams with the Blue Devils. Krzyzewski was selected after the school changed its rules to make active personnel eligible for induction.

“When I heard that I was in, I was wondering if (athletic director) Kevin White was trying to get me out of here,” Krzyzewski quipped. “It’s kind of neat to do it while you’re still coaching because you get to bring all the guys in, and it’s a little bit of a renewal or revival.”

Krzyzewski, a Naismith Basketball Hall of Famer, enters his 32nd season at Duke with 900 career wins, two shy of matching Bob Knight for the Division I men’s coaching record.

“I’ve been fortunate enough to be inducted into some halls of fame and this is the best to me,” Krzyzewski said. “Because this is where I live, this is where I (will) live for the rest of my life and it’s the place I love. When you’re in the hall of fame, you’re kind of immortal. It’s forever. And to have that honor given to you by a place that you love, Duke’s done a lot for me.”

Krzyzewski has led Duke to 13 Atlantic Coast Conference tournament titles, 11 Final Fours and four national titles. The point guard of those first two championship teams, Hurley, enters his alma mater’s hall of fame along with his coach. Hurley finished his career with an NCAA-record 1,076 assists and scored 1,731 points.

“Coach allowed me to be myself, to learn through mistakes sometimes early in my career because he had the vision of what I could do and maybe what I could bring to the table,” Hurley said. “He trusted me, and he was secure enough to allow our team to be good without micromanaging every possession.”

Joining Krzyzewski and Hurley in the hall of fame class were former quarterback Ben Bennett, golfer Jenny Chuasiriporn and tennis player Vanessa Webb.