Duke's Coach K May Return to USA Basketball After All

Mike Krzyzewski said he was done. He'd had enough of taking time away from Duke to get a bunch of over-paid superstars to forgo their egos for the greater glory of the nation (you know, that place where millions of people live that make their careers and salaries possible). No more; after guiding them to the gold in last summer's Olympic games in London he was done coaching Team USA.

But hey--there's nothing like a little time to help change someone's mind, right?

We could have done this at Duke too...

Word is now that Mike Krzyzewski might not be stepping down from Team USA, but may actually return to coach the team for the 2014 World Championship and '16 Olympic games. This isn't just one of those crazy internet rumors either. Coach K himself has confirmed that he is indeed in talks to return.

"There's a chance," Krzyzewski said. "That's correct."

This is good not to mention a dramatic reversal from his position last summer after the Games when he stated he was done. For months whenever he was asked he reiterated his position, and never really seemed even remotely willing to reconsider.

Should he do so it will definitely put the road to the gold at the World Championship in Madrid in '14 and a the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in '16 through Team USA. Since Coach K has been in charge of the team it has only lost once, an impressive record of 62-1.

Conventional wisdom might say that it doesn't matter who coaches Team USA. With the best players in the world playing in the NBA it doesn't matter who is in charge. Even if the team doesn't get the latest and greatest superstars from the NBA it shouldn't matter.

Loyal followers of Team USA would then respond by pointing out the 2002 World Championships where Team USA finished sixth and the 2004 Olympic Games where they lost three games (more then Team USA had in all previous Games) and finished with the bronze.

Those finishes can't be blamed on a lack of talent either. The '04 team that was coached by Larry Brown had Dwayne Wade, LeBron James, Carmelo Anthony, Allen Iverson, and Tim Duncan.

So does Team USA need Coach K? Should it do everything it can to get him to stay with the team?

Absolutely.

[SI]