After first loss, Coach K wants Duke fans to calm down the hype and criticism
The Duke Blue Devils won against the Indiana Hoosiers on Tuesday, but that didn’t erase last week’s two-point loss to Gonzaga, Duke’s first loss of the season. The loss was still on everyone’s minds, even after Tuesday’s blowout win. And Coach Mike “Coach K” Krzyzewski had some harsh words for Duke fans, who have created an incredible amount of hype around the team, but have also criticized some of its youngest stars.
Krzyzewski calls out Duke fans for being “spoiled.” Not pleased with the reaction to RJ Barrett/Gonzaga. pic.twitter.com/oUkbdRrLkm
— Brant Wilkerson-New (@BrantGNR) November 28, 2018
Coach K covered a lot in just one minute and 18 seconds, but he made it clear he’s not happy with how Duke fans have been criticizing freshman R.J. Barrett. Barrett missed five straight shots in the final 57 seconds of Duke’s loss to Gonzaga, and with Duke losing by just two, any one of those could have changed the game completely. But Coach K was done hearing about Barrett’s shortcomings nearly a week after the loss went in the books.
“Duke fans, just cut it out, man. These kids aren’t perfect. My kid [Barrett] wasn’t playing hero ball. He was playing winner’s ball. If you don’t like following him, then don’t follow us. I’ll go to war with my guys.”
Coach K wants fans to look through the hype that’s surrounding the team and see the actual people — young college kids — who are working hard to win every single game. They’re his players, and he’ll go to the mat for them.
“We lose. I’ll lose with them. Let’s get real about this whole thing. Let’s not get spoiled. We’ve got four 19-year-old kids trying to bust their a– to learn how to play and have a lot of pressure on them. Let them grow.”
In other words? Calm down, Duke fans. R.J. Barrett had a less-than-ideal final minute in a close game, but he’s not a bad player, and he’s got a lot more learning to do. And that’s also true about phenom Zion Williamson, who is amazing but has played in just seven total NCAA games. The team has a high ceiling, but it’s not going to be realized this second.
And anyone worried about Duke losing one game shouldn’t be. All five of Duke’s national championships have come from seasons with at least two losses. Their last championship came in 2015, and the team was 35-4 overall and 15-3 in conference. There’s a lot more season left to play, so until the number in the loss column gets a little higher, Coach K is politely requesting that Duke fans “cut it out” as soon as possible.
– – – – – –
Liz Roscher is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at lizroscher@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter at @lizroscher.
More from Yahoo Sports:
• Redskins owner reaches peak hypocrisy with Foster
• University distributes pucks to defend against shooters
• Celtics’ ‘insane’ search for an identity
• LeBron reiterates desire to play with son in NBA
