Mike Krzyzewski calls Bob Knight's death a tremendous loss for college basketball

College basketball lost a heavyweight from its coaching ranks with the passing of Bob Knight. Since then, many people have taken the time to acknowledge, honor, and mourn the loss of the coach with the fourth-most wins in the sport of all time.

One of those included the man in the top spot of that list in Mike Krzyzewski – a former protégé of Knight’s. In a statement that was then shared by Brendan Marks at The Athletic, Coach K shared his touching words in the wake of losing his former coach at Army as well as a colleague in the end.

Mike Krzyzewski on the passing of Bob Knight, his former coach and mentor: pic.twitter.com/oLKGSyL9MX

— Brendan Marks (@BrendanRMarks) November 2, 2023

“We lost one of the greatest coaches in the history of basketball today. Clearly, he was one of a kind,” Krzyzewski said. “Coach Knight recruited me, mentored me, and had a profound impact on my career and in my life.”

“This is a tremendous loss for our sport and our family is deeply saddened by his passing,” said Krzyzewski. “We offer our condolences to Karen, Tim, Pat, and their families during this difficult time.”

Krzyzewski played for Knight during his career at Army from 1965 to 1969. That means he was there in Knight’s first season with the Black Knights. In total, Krzyzewski would be part of four of his six seasons at West Point.

Knight then brought Krzyzewski with him on his next stop at Indiana during his fourth year in Bloomington. He only stayed the one season before returning to Army and taking over their program as head coach just five years after Knight’s departure.

Both Krzyzewski and Knight would continue to cross paths during the history of college basketball. For one, that includes meetings on the court with the most famous being a matchup between No. 5 Indiana and No. 1 Duke in the 1992 Final Four, a game in which the Blue Devils won 81-78 before winning the national championship in Minneapolis. It was their second title under Krzyzewski as they went back to back in ’91 and ’92.

For two, they’re both also atop the mountain when it comes to winning in collegiate ‘hoops. Krzyzewski ranks first with 1,202 wins while Knight sits in fourth at just one shy of 900. Coach K also went on to win two more titles than Knight with five national championships compared to three.

In one way or another, Knight touched several people over his 83 years of life, including his three coaching stops. That included Krzyzewski who he helped to inspire and coach into becoming an all-timer in college basketball just like himself.