Mike Krzyzewski Sends Strong Message After Duke Basketball Announcement originally appeared on Athlon Sports.
The Duke Blue Devils continue to be known as one of the top teams in college basketball, despite coaching changes.
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Mike Krzyzewski served as the head coach of the college basketball program before Jon Scheyer took over three years ago.
While Scheyer has since led Duke to the Elite Eight and Final Four, Krzyzewski created an unmatched legacy with the Blue Devils.
Krzyzewski was also surrounded by one of the best staffs in the country, featuring Executive Director of Sports Performance William Stephens.
Stephens played a large role in the strength and conditioning department for Duke, helping Krzyzewski prepare his team for multiple title runs.
After the most recent college basketball season, Stephens officially retired from Duke.
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Krzyzewski sent a message to Stephens after Duke posted the announcement, seemingly supporting his decision and thanking him for the success he helped bring to the Blue Devils.
“Will, congratulations on an amazing career,” Krzyzewski said. “Thank you for sharing that career with my career. You’ve made my career a [expletive] of a lot better and by the way you’ve made every young man that’s been in our program under your tutelage better. Not just in strength and athlete ability, they became better people.”
Aside from being an incredible asset as the Executive Director of Sports Performance, Krzyzewski also explained that Will Stephens was a great man outside of the white lines.
“As good as you do with all the strength and conditioning, to me, the most important thing about you is you’re a good man,” Krzyzewski said. “You’re a good man and the guys, when they’re in your presence, they become better… I love you and respect you and I’m so glad that God’s been good to me. We’ve been able to become such close friends.”
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Will Stephens spent 27 seasons at Duke. According to the Blue Devils’ most recent announcement on his retirement, Stephens helped bring three national titles and four Final Four appearances, working alongside Mike Krzyzewski and Jon Scheyer.
Duke Blue Devils head coach Mike KrzyzewskiRobert Deutsch-Imagn Images
Mike Krzyzewski served as the head coach of the Duke Blue Devils from 1980 to 2022.
During his time at Duke, Krzyzewski led the Blue Devils to five national titles, 13 Final Four appearances, 14 ACC regular season titles and 15 ACC Tournament titles.
Related: Mike Krzyzewski Names Best Player in Duke Basketball History Without Hesitation
Related: Duke Blue Devils Suffer Major Coaching Loss on Saturday
This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 9, 2025, where it first appeared.
