Mike Krzyzewski changed his mind about stepping down as coach of the USA Basketball team and recommitted in May to coaching the team for the 2016 Olympics. He explained his change of heart to SI.com.
After the winning gold at the 2012 Olympics, Coach K initially indicated he would no longer coach the USA Basketball team. His choice last summer was partly motivated by him mulling over the possibility of retiring.
He changed his mind about the 2016 Olympics, however, after deciding not to retire from college basketball at Duke.
"At some time you're going to stop coaching and a year or so ago I was thinking a little bit about that," Coach K told SI on Monday during Team USA's minicamp. "I'm not thinking about that at all anymore and I haven't been for a while. Maybe during the second half of the Louisville game in the Elite Eight, but other than that I've been thinking about going forward."
Duke suffered an 85-63 rout by Louisville in the NCAA tournament.
As for coaching Duke and Team USA, Krzyzewski sees the two jobs as inseparable - it's either both or none.
"I'm 66. I wasn't sure how long I was going to coach," he said. "[Now] I'm sure I'm going to coach for a while, through the [2016] Olympics. You shouldn't be a retired coach coaching the national team. You should be an active coach. It's too cutting-edge. You have to be on the firing line."
Coach K is 62-1 as Team USA Coach, and he has gold medals from the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics.
San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich and Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers had been favorites to replace Krzyzewski, but USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo was confident something would work out with Coach K.
"I always have plan Bs," Colangelo told SI. "I knew when we finished in London [that] he was tired. And he had stated that he was done. I also know that two and a half weeks later in Springfield when we were there for the Hall of Fame inductions, I sensed that he was having withdrawal about not being involved.
"That said to me, Stay away, give him time. Let him do his thing this year at Duke. ... When it was time, as it has been the case in the past, we usually work things out."
As for Krzyzewski's decision to return for the 2016 Olympics, don't expect another change of heart.
"That's not a decision I ever revisit," he said. "I'm honored, excited and happy."
