Mike Krzyzewski reacts to gift, presentation from Virginia’s Tony Bennett

As Mike Krzyzewski continues coaching his way through his final season at Duke, he received a farewell gift from long-time rival Tony Bennett and Virginia’s basketball program for all he has done for the ACC. As teams continue honoring the Hall of Fame coach, he is soaking in the moment with a sense of humor.

During his postgame press conference, Mike Krzyzewski thanked Tony Bennett and Virginia for their sign of support. The legendary head coach also made a current events reference, alluding to the incident between Juwan Howard and Greg Gard last week.

“It was really very good of Tony to do that,” said Krzyzewski. “Look, I’m not looking for a farewell tour or anything like that, but it is my last year and if there’s some ways that we can celebrate the brotherhood that’s in the game, that’s a good thing. We’ve got all this stuff going on with handshake lines and all that.

“Tonight was beautiful, and it showed the brotherhood in our league and the respect that programs have for one another and that coaches have for one another. It meant a great deal to me. What they gave me weighs about 800 pounds. I thought he gave it to me and had me carry it so I would get a hernia right before the game. It’s beautiful. I had a chance to touch [base with] Terry [Holland] before the game.”

Duke was able to escape with a 65-61 win on the road after being upset by Virginia earlier this season. Krzyzewski now has three regular season games remaining in charge of the Blue Devils, including a road trip to face old foe Jim Boeheim.

His final regular season game comes at home against North Carolina, the only fitting end to his tenure.

More on Tony Bennett’s gift

Before tip-off of Wednesday’s game between Duke and Virginia, Tony Bennett brought Mike Krzyzewski out to midcourt and spent a few minutes talking about his impact on college basketball. With rivals fans cheering for the storied career and many moments brought to them over the years, he again soaked in the moment.

Virginia also presented Krzyzewski with a plaque in the shape of a jersey, which according to the coach weighed 800 pounds. On the front of the plaque, the words read “Coach K” with a small description below.

Many other teams have also provided Krzyzewski gifts throughout the 2021-22 season so far.