On Wednesday morning, Duke head coach Mike Krzyzewski appeared on CBS This Morning in its "Note to Self" segment.
The Emmy-nominated segment has previously featured Kesha and former Vice President Joe Biden. Segment guests write and read letters to their younger selves. Krzyzewski appeared at the end of the broadcast to deliver his letter, which focused the "schoolyard games" he played in as a child in Chicago.
"When you grow up, when you become a head coach, first at Army and then at Duke, when you find yourself coaching a team at championship moments, you will feel as if you've been there before," the Blue Devil men's basketball coach said. "Because of what you are doing right now in that schoolyard in inner city Chicago, you will know what to do. Never underestimate the immense power of your imagination."
In the segment, Krzyzewski also talked about his mother, who he said was his "first hero." Krzyzewski's mother, a child of Polish immigrants, cleaned office floors at night and only got an eighth grade education, he said. In an emotional moment, the coach asked his younger self to take it easy on his mother.
"Your passion for creating opportunities for the next generation begins with her, as does your sense of your humor," he said. "Watch her, listen to her. She is selfless and courageous."
Krzyzewski also reflected on his health as he aged. He talked about how hard it was to step back from the game he loved, but that it was important to find balance in his life.
The segment also featured some of the coach's best moments, including his 2015 national championship. He recognized that life was good to him.
"You're not going to believe how lucky you are," Krzyzewski ended.
Coach K's full letter is below.
Dear Mick,
Keep playing those schoolyard games. I know they are the best part of your day and you might not yet know they are also important to your future. Those games you play with Mo and the rest of the boys are laying a foundation for your future as a member and leader of teams. And the games you play when they all go home and you are alone with the ball and the hoop, those are equal in their fundamental value. When you envision yourself in championship moments, counting down the seconds in your head, driving past invisible defenders, you are giving yourself a destination.
There will be stops along the way that you could not possibly imagine. Did you know Mick that you will be the first in your family to go to college? Did you know that your father, the elevator operator, and your mother, with the eighth grade education who cleans office floors at night—those children of Polish immigrants—did you know that they were doing those things to ensure opportunities for you and your brother? You will become a cadet and a basketball player at one of the greatest institutions for leadership in the world. Their encouragement will send you to West Point.
And when you grow up, when you become a head coach, first at Army and then at Duke, when you find yourself coaching a team at championship moments, you will feel as if you've been there before. Because of what you are doing right now in that schoolyard in inner city Chicago, you will know what to do. Never underestimate the immense power of your imagination. You will use it all your life.
There will be a time in your future when you are approaching 50 years old, when you will become disconnected with those things you learned in the schoolyard, where it wasn't always about winning and when the experience and the feeling are what mattered most. The pressure will become heavy and you will feel that burden in your body, as well as in your mind.
Your family will ask you to take a step away from the team and the game you love. It'll be hard, but please listen to them and let them help you reclaim the part of yourself that finds joy and meaning in the process and that understands the importance of balance.
And Mick, take it easy on your mom, ok? It won't be long before you realize that she is your first hero. Your passion for creating opportunities for the next generation begins with her, as does your sense of your humor. Watch her, listen to her. She is selfless and courageous.
For whatever reason, life will be good to you. It will offer you many opportunities and you will do your best to make the most of them. Your ability to seize those opportunities lies in what you're doing right now and the people you have around you. Please pay attention. You will be talking about that schoolyard a half-century from now. You will still be able to feel the pavement beneath your feet and experience the joy of the countless celebrations of imagined victories. You will tell stories of your mother's courage to locker rooms full of athletes and gymnasiums full of hopeful high school graduates. You're not going to believe how lucky you are.
—Coach K
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Class of 2019
Editor-in-chief 2017-18,
Local and national news department head 2016-17
Born in Hyderabad, India, Likhitha Butchireddygari moved to Baltimore at a young age. She is pursuing a Program II major entitled "Digital Democracy and Data" about the future of the American democracy.