Mike Krzyzewski Interview (page: 2 / 6) Collegiate Basketball Champion	Print Interview

Were there books that were important to you as a young kid?

Mike Krzyzewski: I probably shouldn't say this, but I was not much of a book person. I loved to learn, but I learn by doing. I learn from my experiences. There's an expression, "ants in your pants." I couldn't sit down long enough to get involved. I'm still not a great reader, but my wife is and my daughters are, and I envy them. I think I got into a bad habit of trying to do something all the time, instead of trying to sit down and take my time a little bit.

Was there any other person who particularly inspired you as a kid?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Mike Krzyzewski: The person who has inspired me my whole life is my Mom, because she taught me commitment. She sacrificed. We weren't dirt poor, but we weren't real rich or anything. I would always have what I needed, and when I looked in her closet, she would have two dresses. She taught me to be outside of yourself, to get outside of yourself, and to be committed to somebody. That's the same thing that I try to teach.

[ Key to Success ] The American Dream

Throughout my life, my mom has been the person that I've always looked up to. She never went to high school. I remember, in an old Polish way, she said, "Mike, I went to the eighth grade twice because the teacher liked me." She had great, self-effacing humor, and loved life. I really admire her.

Is she still alive?

Mike Krzyzewski: She passed away this last year. She was 83, and she died of breast cancer. She was a remarkable, remarkable lady.

When you were a kid, did you sense that you had a particular gift?

Mike Krzyzewski: I knew I was a leader, because I always organized things. When I was growing up, there weren't any Little Leagues in the city. Parents worked all the time. They didn't have time to take their kids out to play baseball and football. We understood that as kids, so when we congregated at a school yard, if you had six people, or ten or 20, somebody had to organize it, and it was always me. So I knew that I had that.

The other thing I knew I had was a high level of competitiveness. I hated to lose. At times, I probably did ugly things, throwing stuff. It was my temper. I learned later to use my anger, or my competitiveness, in more of a positive sense. I knew that I had those two things: the leadership, and a high level of competitiveness. Some of my friends would tell me that. They'd say, "Let's wait 'til Mick comes..." (at that time I was called Mickey) or, "Mickey will show us what to do." I enjoyed that, I've always loved leadership.

I think that's one of the reasons that West Point was so good for me. When people say, "What did you major in?" I think I majored in leadership. That's what I do now: I lead and I teach. If we win basketball games from doing that, then that's great, but I lead and teach. Those are the two things I concentrate on.

Did you feel you were different from the other kids in any way?

Mike Krzyzewski: I did. It may sound so arrogant -- not that I thought I was better -- but I felt that the game couldn't start unless I organized it, or that it wasn't going to be run as well. It sounds arrogant, but I really believed that. I would try to impose my will in those settings, because I found that if you didn't, people would just stand around and do nothing.

So you think you've always liked motivating people?

Mike Krzyzewski: Yes, to get them moving. I didn't like just standing and not doing anything. I needed to be doing something. That's why sport was so good. That's why basketball was so good, because I didn't really need you or anyone else to play it. It would be better if we played four-on-four or five-on-five, but I could go out there alone. I wouldn't just practice my shooting, I would play a whole game in my mind. I didn't need anyone else, and at least I'd be doing something.

Maybe that's one reason I didn't read that much, because I was making up games. That's another thing, we made up games. We didn't have equipment. When it snowed, we would play slow motion tackle football. We would play hockey, but we wouldn't skate. We just made things up. I loved doing that.

Some people who have attained great things or a sense of personal excellence in sport, or in other physical realms, talk about having a vision. Without that vision, they can't see the finish line, they can't see themselves at the finish line. Do you believe your imagination has something to do with winning too?

Mike Krzyzewski: Absolutely.

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Imagination has a great deal to do with winning. In my case, and I try to tell kids -- I teach at summer camp -- to imagine yourself. But it's your imagination. Why would you lose in your imagination? Why would you not achieve really neat things in your imagination? Why would you let someone else do your imagination for you? So in all these games that I would fantasize, I always won, and I always played well. Therefore, as a player, as a coach, even though we might have lost in a season or not won a championship, it was like a self-fulfilling prophecy that I'm going to win some time. I've never felt myself a loser. I never let a defeat determine what I think of myself. I think that I win. I don't all the time, but if I play long enough, I'm going to be a winner. I believe wholeheartedly that that came about because of imagination when I was younger.

[ Key to Success ] Preparation

Have you ever had doubts your abilities and been a little confused?

Get the Flash Player to see this video. Mike Krzyzewski: I think you're not a human being unless you have doubts and fears. Being in a team sport, having good coaches, having support systems are so important. I've been so fortunate in my life that my family has never been jealous of my success. They have shown true love and commitment to me by being supportive. They shared in it. So at times, when I might have been doubting, or fearful, or having those negative feelings, those inhibitors, there was reassurance. And the fact that, ultimately, the fear of losing did not stop me, because I knew even if I lost, I still had these people. I wasn't losing everything. The fear of failure, I was able to get over that because of the support systems.

[ Key to Success ] Courage

I've tried to use that in teaching my own players over the years. I'm fortunate now that I coach at Duke University and we've won a lot. I have some kids who haven't failed that much. But when they get to college, they're going to fail some time. That's a thing that I can help them the most with. But in order to do that, you have to connect with that person. That's why I like the support of parents or guardians. Let the kids fall down, and let me pick them up, so we can develop that relationship where we can do it quicker.

So they're not destroyed by their failing.

Mike Krzyzewski: They're not destroyed by it. I think some parents now look at a youngster failing as the final thing. It's a process, and failure is part of the process. I would like it if the teacher and the parents would connect more. I think that used to be, but we're losing a little bit of that right now.

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