Duke Blue Devils: Coach K to take leave of absence
This past Saturday, the Duke Blue Devils suffered a painful 89-75 loss to the Virginia Tech Hokies. Duke’s Grayson Allen did not play against Virginia Tech, due to a indefinite suspension he endures for his tripping incidents.
Add Coach K to the list of losses that Duke will face. Duke announced earlier today that head coach Mike Krzyzewski will undergo lower back surgery on Friday, January 6. Krzyzewski’s surgery will take place to remove a fragment of a herniated disc.
It is reported that Coach K will miss up to four weeks for recovery time. During his absence, Duke Associate head coach Jeff Capel will serve as the head coach. Capel’s first game as head coach will come against the Boston College Eagles on January 7.
Currently, the Blue Devils hold a 12-2 record in addition to being ranked eighth in the nation.
This is not the first time that Duke head coach Krzyzewski had back surgery.
During the 1994-1995 season, Coach K underwent back surgery. The Blue Devils finished the season with an overall 13-18 record. They went 2-14 in conference games and ended the season ranked ninth in the ACC. Pete Gaudet took Krzyzewki’s place in 1995, during his leave of absence.
This season’s situation is different than what occurred back then. Coach K is expected to come back in a month. In addition, this year’s team has hopes of pursuing the national championship. Duke’s 1995 squad (which included Jeff Capel as a sophomore guard) was not as talented as this year’s squad.