A Score of Great Games: Heavenly No. 1

Before he was universally known as Coach K, Mike Krzyzewski was nothing more than an unknown coach with a hard-to-pronounce last name.

Athletic Director Tom Butters had taken a big gamble earlier in the spring, hiring a no-name who in 1980 led Army to a disappointing 9-17 record. Krzyzewski came to Butters' attention via Bobby Knight, and while Krzyzewski had his doubters, Butters was never one of them.

"We brought Mike in, talked with him, and sent him back home," Butters said. "I just couldn't get him out of my mind."

Now in his first year at Duke, Krzyzewski stood at 16-13 (5-8 in the ACC) and there were a lot of questions about the new coach. But he would win some credibility, and some time, following a 66-65 thriller over a Tar Heel team that would finish the season as the national runner-ups.

Before his last regular-season game, All-American senior Gene Banks dressed in a tuxedo and threw roses to the Cameron crowd. But Banks looked even better playing, and with one second left on the clock, he hit a 22-foot turnaround jumper to win the game and give his coach his first victory over the hated Tar Heels.

"It was the closest I've ever felt to being next to God," Banks said later. "And I don't mean that to be blasphemous."