Team USA Reportedly Wants Coach Mike Krzyzewski to Return

Mike Krzyzewski made it clear that last summer’s Olympics would be his last, but Team USA doesn’t want him to walk away just yet. They’re reportedly waiting on Coach K to reconsider and return to the program. Per ESPN: “USA Basketball will not name its next men’s national team coach until after the college season is over at the earliest, according to sources familiar with the process. One key motivation for adopting that revamped timetable, sources said, is to give Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as much time as possible to consider carrying on as Team USA coach. Krzyzewski initially announced last summer that the London Olympics would be his swan song with Team USA. USA Basketball officials, sources said, continue to hold out hope that Krzyzewski can be talked into one more tour in charge of the NBA stars who represent the United States at the highest levels of international competition. Krzyzewski, 65, was hired by USA Basketball chairman Jerry Colangelo in 2005 and has served as Team USA’s coach in its last four major tournaments during his Duke offseasons. USA Basketball’s original plan called for the coaching situation to be clarified by late 2012 or early in 2013, with Colangelo expected to turn to San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich or Boston’s Doc Rivers if Krzyzewski held firm. But sources said that optimism within the program was rising that Krzyzewski might ultimately prove willing to reconsider his stance that London was ‘the last time.’ … ‘(USAB) is not going to make a decision until the summer,’ Krzyzewski said. ‘Nothing has changed with me. Usually in these situations, they don’t do it while basketball season is going on. Nothing has changed. Right now, obviously — I love USA Basketball — but I’m trying to keep my head above water with my own team.'”