The best moments from Coach K's interview with Ken Jeong

Among non-athletes, actor Ken Jeong is arguably the most recognizable Duke alumnus in popular culture today. Blue Devil head coach Mike Krzyzewski is the most recognizable Duke figure ever.

So what happens when the two of them get together? A little bit of basketball, a little bit of acting and some hilarious moments along the way.

Krzyzewski had the chance to interview Jeong for his weekly SiriusXM radio show, "Basketball and Beyond with Coach K," which is set to air its next installment Thursday at 6 p.m.

Before Jeong starred in The Hangover trilogy and NBC's hit series Community, he was just a normal pre-med Duke student majoring in chemistry. Like most Duke students, Jeong received an unofficial minor in basketball, and was a regular among the Cameron Crazies during his collegiate career. In the interview, Jeong recounts some of his proudest moments at Cameron Indoor Stadium:

"I definitely went to all the Carolina games. I always brag to my friends, I started a cheer in ’88 against King Rice. That’s how I always remember the UNC-Duke games. Rice came into play, he was a substitute at that time and I’m very proud to say that I started a “Oh. No. Not. Rice.” chant. And I was really proud of that until my junior year he came back and I think he scored like 28 points and beat us. So I will accept the glory and take the blame for King Rice in sophomore and junior year."
Jeong graduated from Duke in 1990 before heading to the other end of Tobacco Road to get a medical degree from North Carolina. He did jokingly blame Krzyzewski for putting his potential medical career in jeopardy, as there were times where basketball games interfered with studying for organic chemistry.

"I think I went from an A to a C+ and then I had to kind of bear down. I had to slap my two hands on the floor, kind of play defense, and re-prioritize my academic career and buckle down on pre-med."
Later in the interview Jeong discussed the fifth season of Community, which is set to debut on NBC Jan. 2, and tried to explain his character from the show—Ben Chang—to Krzyzewski. Jeong also noted that Chang is in for yet another role change in season five, as he will become what Jeong called "the world's most moronic math teacher."

Jeong even tried his best to invoke one of Krzyzewski's oldest basketball adages, comparing the five players on the court to a fist.

"I always think basketball terms. Like in The Hangover we have a principle cast of five people, and it's like five fingers to a hand. I really believe it's more gratifying to me to be a supporting player in an ensemble to be all up there by my lonesome."
You can catch other excerpts of Jeong's interview with Krzyzewski below.

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