Coach K pays tribute to North Carolina legend in final trip to Chapel Hill

Ahead of his final game coaching at Chapel Hill, Duke’s Coach K shared his emotional praise for a North Carolina basketball legend. Legendary coach Dean Smith led the Tar Heels for 36 years, 17 of which he coached opposite Mike Krzyzewski in the school rivalry.

Coach K on North Carolina’s Dean Smith

As Coach K begins to coach his final game at Chapel Hill, he took a moment to reflect on the emotions of the moment with ESPN’s Holly Rowe. Krzyzewski took the chance to remember the late Dean Smith, the legendary coach that North Carolina’s home stadium bears the name of.

“Try to focus on the moment,” said Krzyzewski. “But whenever I come here, especially this last time — I have to think of Dean Smith. And what an amazing man he was and what he taught me in competition, and the culture he built here. I learned a lot from him and we’ve had some amazing contests. And it’s so appropriate that this building is named after him. So I was thinking a lot about him.”

The rivalry game between Duke and North Carolina is scheduled for tip-off at the Dean Smith Center at 6 p.m. ET/5 p.m. CT.

Krzyzewski on Hubert Davis and Jon Scheyer

“I think with any coach, you have to be yourself,” said Krzyzewski on the job Davis has done with North Carolina. “You can take good things from a lot of different people who’ve coached you or you’ve worked with, but at the end of the day you have to be you.

“Jon Scheyer will find that out next year, Hubert’s finding it out now. They’re both unbelievably gifted basketball minds and they were great players so I think they’re both gonna be pretty good coaches.”

Hubert Davis is the fifth head coach of the Tar Heels that has faced off with Krzyzewski and Duke. After legendary coach Dean Smith, Krzyzewski’s career has spanned the coaching tenure of Bill Guthridge, Matt Doherty and Roy Williams.