Should college basketball season continue? Mike Krzyzewski’s salient point rings loud
Let’s start with the criticism before we get to the common sense: It is true that Duke isn’t having the kind of success it’s accustomed to thus far this season — just 2-2 after a 83-68 loss to Illinois on Tuesday.
So plenty of people will dismiss coach Mike Krzyzewski’s recent comments that maybe attempting to play this season right now makes no sense. Even Coach K knows the blowback is coming — he’s well aware that the Blue Devils have as many haters as fans.
“Look,” Krzyzewski said Tuesday, “I know somebody will take what I’m saying … and make it like I’m making excuses. I don’t make excuses. We need to get a lot better.
“But …”
And here is where Krzyzewski is worth listening to and not just because he is a 73-year-old Hall of Famer who has coached teams to five NCAA titles and three Olympic gold medals. It’s because what he has to say about this halt-and-stop season is exactly what coaches with less gravitas and less stature are saying privately.
Namely, that the sport shouldn’t have attempted this under the current calendar and should consider pausing and pushing everything back — make March Madness into May Madness, or even June Madness, for example. By then, vaccines and other treatments should make life far smoother.
