Ian O'Connor

Coach K Ian O'Connor

The definitive biography of college basketball's all-time winningest coach, Mike Krzyzewski Mike Krzyzewski built a staggering basketball empire at Duke University that has endured for more than four decades, placing him among the all-time titans of American sport, and yet there has never been a defining portrait of the man and his program. Until now. Three-time New York Times bestselling author Ian O'Connor takes you behind the Blue Devil curtain with a penetrating examination of the great, but flawed leader who won a record 1,170 games and made 12 Final Four trips, with five ending in national titles, before announcing he would retire following the 2021-2022 season. O'Connor uses scores of interviews with Krzyzewski's best friends, closest advisers, fiercest adversaries, and generations of Duke players and coaches to deliver previously untold stories about the relationships that define the venerable Coach K, and the one with his volcanic mentor, Bob Knight, that died a premature death. Krzyzewski was always driven by an inner rage fueled by his tough Chicago upbringing, and by the cleaning lady and elevator operator who raised him to fight for a better life. As Coach K makes his final stand, vying for one more ring before saying goodbye at age 75, O'Connor shows you sides of the man and his methods that will surprise even the most dedicated Duke fan.