Coach K calls it quits after reviving US NBA lineup

Mike Krzyzewski, on the verge of coaching the United States to a third consecutive Olympic men's basketball crown, steps down Sunday having guided NBA players to glory from their darkest hour.

The Americans will face Serbia in the gold medal game seeking their 25th consecutive Olympic victory and 76th overall win in the past decade, but the game will mark the end of the 69-year-old coach directing the US squad through three Olympic cycles.

"It has been the ultimate honour of my life in coaching and I've coached for 41 years," said Krzyzewski.

"There's no greater honour than to coach your country's team, and to coach the US team with not just their level of talent but commitment that these guys have shown."

Krzyzewski, who was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001, will be replaced for the 2017-2020 Tokyo Olympics cycle by Gregg Popovich of the NBA's San Antonio Spurs.

Krzyzewski, also an assistant coach on unbeaten gold runs by the 1984 and 1992 US Olympic squads, could become the first coach to guide three Olympic teams to titles.

In the aftermath of losing three games at the Athens Olympics and settling for a bronze medal, USA Basketball sought a coach who could mold NBA talent into a national team program ready to face a stronger global challenge sparked by the 1992 US "Dream Team."

Duke University coach Krzyzewski, better known as "Coach K," was chosen and the results have been spectacular -- an 87-1 record entering Sunday's gold medal game against Serbia, the only loss coming to Greece in a 2006 World Championships semi-final.

"I've learned so much," Krzyzewski said. "I've learned from my players. I've learned from the international community. I've learned about the beauty of international play. Over the last 11 years I've gotten better as a result of being given the honour of coaching, so it has been a beautiful thing for me."

Krzyzewski's ability to create an environment where NBA stars can enjoy one another as teammates and learn from each other, plus face a unique challenge and represent the USA's historic hoops tradition, which could see its record number of Olympic golds grow to 15 in all.

"He's the reason guys want to come here and get better," US guard Paul George said of Krzyzewski. "It's bigger than just coming here and playing basketball. We're actually learning from one another. We're creating a chemistry with one another."

Krzyzewski demands players devote themselves to a team-first atmosphere.

"We ask the guys for a commitment and selfless service and even though they are committed, we try to show them at even a deeper level and they have to learn about selfless service," he said.

A prime example is Carmelo Anthony, who can become the first man to win hoops gold in three Olympics.

"To devote that amount of time is remarkable," Krzyzewski said. "He has been such a good guy to coach and he has accepted different roles. In this Olympics he has not only been a really good player, he has been an outstanding leader."

- World closing gap on USA -

Krzyzewski says rivals are closer than ever to matching the US level because more global players are in the NBA and they are more familiar with the style from facing NBA talent in the Olympics and World Cup.

"There are more really outstanding teams in this Olympics than in '08 and 2012," he said. "There is a familiarity of playing against NBA players. That has made it much more competitive also."

Krzyzewski has guided Duke to five US college crowns, two of them after taking on the extra duties as US coach, and won more games than any coach in US college history.