UNC Basketball: Coach K scolds adoring fans at final home game

Following a loss to the UNC basketball program in his final game at Cameron Indoor Stadium, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski scolded his own adoring fans.

It was clear that neither Mike Krzyzewski nor the 100 or so alumni in the stands nor any of the thousands of Duke fans at Cameron Indoor Stadium had any plans of not celebrating a Blue Devils victory on Saturday night.

There was a certain confidence in the air, a hubris, a sense of superiority that couldn’t have been mistaken with anything else. They knew Coach K was going to win his final home game at the house that he built, and there was no way that a fledgling, underachieving 11-point underdog like North Carolina was going to mess it up for them.

But they did. And it was an absolute masterclass in procuring crying Jordan-level memes of fans shook and heartbroken at the mere thought of their beloved coach falling to their most bitter rival in the midst of what was supposed to be one of the greatest and most memorable nights of their lives.

And then, when it didn’t seem like the air in that small, jam-packed arena could get any thicker, Coach K abruptly and rather unexpectedly stepped up to a microphone in the middle of the court that bears his name. He began to apologize for his team’s loss to North Carolina as if they’d been defeated by the likes of a community college team strung together with Division I flunkies and some guy from the local YMCA that people refer to as “the shooter.”

K’s fans, the adoring brood that hangs on his every word whether it’s about national titles or turkey burgers, immediately offered their support. But he quickly shut them down in a moment that took off like wildfire on social media outlets such as Twitter and Facebook.

I’m not shocked. It was totally on-brand with the Mike Krzyzewski that we’ve come to know over the past four decades, one that hates losing and has no problem taking his frustration out on those around him, even the ones that seemingly admire him most.

The blue-clad crowd was quick to quiet down following their scolding, not dissimilar from children that don’t want to further upset a parent they’re already disappointed with bad behavior or a dog that’s had its nose rubbed in the mess he just made on the living room carpet.

But in reality, those bad-behaving kiddos are probably just learning from the ones they admire most, like the Duke assistant coaches that either refused to shake Hubert Davis’ hand or even look his way following a loss to North Carolina that they never saw coming.

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