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Things are not going well for the Duke men’s basketball team at the moment. They are 5-5 and lost their third straight game Saturday night with a 70-65 loss to Louisville.
You’d expect Coach Mike Krzyzewski, one of the game’s most respected coaches, to give well-trained answers to questions at his post-match press conference. He’s been doing this for over 40 years, so he obviously knows how to give diplomatic but respectful answers after a hard loss.
Not on Saturday night, however. A student named Jake Piazza, who writes for the Duke Chronicle, asked Coach K what the team’s next step is after three straight losses. Coach K didn’t like the question and immediately informed Piazza.
Coach K attacks student reporter
Instead of answering Piazza’s question, Coach K decided to put him down because he was a student. He pointedly asked Piazza what his most difficult course was, then used it as an excuse not to answer the question.
It was a disproportionate and surprising response. Piazza’s question was reasonable and necessary, and the one Coach K has probably been asked a thousand times – literally. Duke is a program with a history of success under Coach K, and this 5-5 start is uncharacteristic. Every fan wants to know what Coach K is going to do now and how he is going to solve the team’s problems.
But Coach K wasn’t in the mood to tolerate normal Saturday night questions, or at least a normal student reporter question. For some reason, he decided that Piazza didn’t deserve an answer to his question and didn’t deserve to be treated with the same respect as other journalists.
Criticism steals from trainer K for behavior towards student reporter
When video of Coach K’s angry response appeared on Twitter, people came to Piazza’s defense while pointing out how “classless” and unnecessary Coach K’s response was.
Coach K tackling student reporters for a very valid question concerns the most classless thing I can imagine a coach in his position to do. Well apart from deactivating a season for back surgery anyway https://t.co/pvIgGf298V
– Aaron Torres (@Aaron_Torres) January 24, 2021
I don’t know Coach K, but I can’t stand the way we have to pretend that many coaches of all time don’t often act like fools. Just answer the student’s question. It wasn’t that hard. https://t.co/NmQ7eJTiqs
– Andrew Marchand (@AndrewMarchand) January 24, 2021
It’s incredible. Any college coach I have ever interacted with in a professional capacity has treated me with the same respect as any other full-time professional media member (whom I greatly appreciate and appreciate). Coach K owes this student a heartfelt apology and more. https://t.co/UEjvtROa60
– William Galloway (@Wm_Galloway) January 24, 2021
Whenever people tell me Coach K is a ‘leader of the men’ I just think of nights like tonight when he gets an absolute asshole as the quickest sign of adversity. https://t.co/4g0gkseely
– UNC humor (@UNC_Humor) January 24, 2021
Coach K has probably been asked this question a million times and could answer it on autopilot if he wanted to, so it just wasn’t a good look. https://t.co/AGpRO8VF03
– Short DJ (@djshort) January 24, 2021
Covering Jim Boeheim for two years in college, I saw a grumpy trainer reluctantly answer a student reporter questions once or twice. But this Coach K guy stinks. What a terrible way to answer this question. https://t.co/LkMYNpt3Yb
– Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) January 24, 2021
Coach K has yet to respond to criticism. Thankfully, it doesn’t look like the ordeal delayed Piazza, although it was apparently the first question he ever asked Coach K in a post-match press conference.
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