Coach K's Legacy, He Comments On Duke's 4th NCAA Title (Videos)

Coach K Cements Place Among The Greats


After a coaching career that has spanned more than three decades, and includes multiple national championships and an Olympic gold medal, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski had nothing left to prove in Monday night's national championship game at Lucas Oil Stadium.

But Coach K once again showed what we learned a long time ago: There aren't many coaches better than him, regardless of the sport.

Krzyzewski won his fourth national championship after the Blue Devils defeated Butler 61-59 in one of the more epic finals of all-time.

The first three titles came much easier than this one, as the upstart Bulldogs had two chances to win the game in the final seconds. When Butler star Gordon Hayward's final half-court heave bounced off the rim, Coach K cemented his place among college basketball's greatest coaches.

If there was an expanded Mount Rushmore for college basketball, Krzyzewski's face would be next to those of UCLA's John Wooden, North Carolina's Dean Smith, Kentucky's Adolph Rupp and Indiana's Bob Knight.

"I've been fortunate enough to be in eight national championship games, and this was a classic," Krzyzewski said afterward. "This was the toughest and the best one."

This championship season might have been Krzyzewski's best coaching job. Two years after he led the U.S. Olympics team to a gold medal in Beijing, he guided a Blue Devils team short on depth and frontcourt stardom to a 35-5 record and a share of the ACC regular-season championship. Duke won 18 of its final 19 games and took home the league tournament title.

Then there was the biggest title of them all. After guiding Duke to its first national championship since 2001, Krzyzewski joined a very select few in college basketball history:

* His four national championships tie him for second with Rupp. Only Wooden won more national titles, winning 10 at UCLA from 1964-75.

* His 11 Final Four appearances are tied with Smith for second-most among coaches. Wooden guided UCLA teams to 12 Final Fours.

* He has coached in 19 Final Four games, tied with Smith for second-most, and his 12 Final Four wins are second only to Wooden's 21 victories.

* He holds the NCAA tournament record for winning percentage (.778, 77-22) and is first in tourney history with 77 victories and 99 games coached.

* He is the first coach to win national championships in three consecutive decades (1991, '92, '01 and '10).

* Under his guidance, Duke has played more games ranked as the No. 1 team (190) than it has as an unranked team (144).

* At some point in the next two seasons, Krzyzewski will probably surpass Knight as major college basketball's winningest coach. His 868 career victories are 34 behind Knight, his coach at the United States Military Academy from 1966 to '69.


But after guiding Duke to another national championship, Krzyzewski wasn't ready to reflect on his accomplishments.

"Tonight is not about that," he said. "That's like 10 years from now or whatever. Tonight is all about these guys."

Krzyzewski's team probably wasn't the most talented in the NCAA tournament. No. 1 seeds like Kansas and Kentucky had more NBA-ready players.

But the Blue Devils were the team cutting down the nets at season's end.

"It's hard, you know?" Krzyzewski said. "I've said throughout the year they were good, then they were really good, then they were really good with great character. Before coming to the press conference, I told our team that. It's because we always wanted to keep them chasing something. But I told them before we came here and before we said a prayer, 'You are a great team. You are a great team.'"

As told by a great coach.


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Sources: ESPN, Google Maps

Tiger Keeps Low Profile At Augusta Masters, PGA Safe Haven

Date: Apr. 8-11, 2010
2009 Champion: Angel Cabrera
Course: Augusta National Golf Club
Where: Augusta, Ga.
Yardage, par: 7,435 yards, par-72
TV coverage: ESPN, CBS

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Tiger Woods Joins Practice Round At Augusta


With little fanfare and even less attention, Tiger Woods arrived at Augusta National on Sunday afternoon to continue preparations for the Masters.

In what would likely be categorized as his first semi-public appearance on a golf course since a highly publicized sex scandal caused him to take a leave from the game, Woods walked onto Augusta National's new state-of-the-art driving range at 1:39 p.m. to begin warming up.

Woods leisurely hit balls between pros Paul Casey and Brian Gay, with his long-time caddie, Steve Williams, at his side. Swing coach Hank Haney watched from behind.

Augusta National was not open to spectators on Sunday, but there was a good bit of activity nonetheless as last-minute preparations were on-going. Media members, as is customary, were allowed on the property, but not the course, as the club was still open to member play.

And a good number of members took advantage of warm temperatures and perfect conditions, as did several players who are in this week's field. The tournament begins Thursday.

Woods, who has played several practice rounds at Augusta National since announcing on March 16 that he would make his return to golf here, headed to the course after his warm-up session where he saw friend and 1998 Masters champion Mark O'Meara coming off the ninth green.

The two briefly embraced, then Woods joined O'Meara for a practice round on the 10th tee -- with at least a half-dozen security personnel tagging along.

"That's the first time I've seen Tiger since the British Open, July last year," O'Meara said after the 9-hole practice round. "It was nice to see my friend. I care deeply about Tiger and his family."

"I know it's been a tough 4 or 5 months. Like I told him out there, this is where he belongs, on the golf course. He's done a lot of good for the game. The personal side of it, obviously ... not so good. I think he realizes that. He's trying to turn himself around as a person and as a father."

"Hey listen, no one is perfect. We thought he was but no one is actually perfect."

Woods has not played a tournament round since winning the Australian Masters on Nov. 15. O'Meara said that Woods was "swinging well" and that he looked "great."

"He's doing what he needs to do, starting back at a pace that he wants to start back," O'Meara said. "He's going to be fine. Of all the people I've ever met, he's one of the toughest guys mentally I've ever met. I think he'll do well this week. He's been out of the game for awhile, but he left with a win. Certainly he knows how to win. He's won here four times. I just think he's ready to get back out playing and competing against the rest of the guys."


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Sources: ESPN, Fox Sports, MSNBC, Google Maps

Tiger Woods Withdraws From Golf Tournament...Unanswered Questions Remain

Citing injuries caused by his weekend car crash,Tiger Woods withdraws from his own charity golf tournamnet. Plus, his alleged mistress Rachel Uchitel denies she hooked up with Tiger.






Tiger to skip his own tourney in wake of crash


Tiger Woods still isn't talking. Now he's not playing, either.

Woods withdrew Monday from his own golf tournament, citing injuries from a car crash near his Florida home. His decision comes as questions continue to mount regarding what exactly happened in the wee hours of the morning last Friday — questions that most certainly would have been asked of him had he played.

The world's No. 1 golfer posted a statement on his Web site saying that unspecified injuries prevented him from playing in the Chevron World Challenge. He had been scheduled to hold a press conference Tuesday for the tournament, which he hosts annually for a small, invited, field.

"I am extremely disappointed that I will not be at my tournament this week," Woods said. "I am certain it will be an outstanding event and I'm very sorry that I can't be there."

Tournament officials said fans who bought advance tickets with the hope of seeing Woods could get refunds beginning next week. Those who keep their tickets will get a 20 percent discount when they buy them next year.

Woods sustained cuts and bruises when he crashed his SUV into a fire hydrant and a tree at 2:25 a.m., outside his home in an exclusive, gated community near Orlando. He was treated and released from a hospital, and has not been seen in public since.

The first tournament of the 2010 PGA Tour is the SBS Championship in Hawaii, an event for winners from the previous year, beginning Jan. 7, but Woods wasn't expected to be there. He's more likely to play at Torrey Pines in La Jolla, Calif., the week of Jan. 25.

Woods released a statement Sunday saying the accident was his fault and asked that it remain "a private matter." But with the Florida Highway Patrol still investigating and the media in full pursuit, Woods may not get his way.

Woods even faced questions from fans who left comments on his Web site. Most voiced support for him, but some said he should address the questions about his own actions and those of his wife, Elin Nordegren, before and after the accident.

Woods hasn't answered questions from Florida troopers, either, turning them down three days in a row when they came to his house.

Four cars were parked in Woods' driveway Monday, but no lights appeared to be on inside. A new fire hydrant had already replaced the one that Woods plowed into. A dirt hole and an orange barricade remained in the old hydrant's place.

Woods, who both hosts and plays in the Chevron World Challenge, was there last year even though he couldn't play because he was recovering from knee surgery. His absence this year will be the first since the tournament — which has only an 18-player field — began in 1999. He was replaced by Graeme McDowell.

Though he cited injuries from the accident in withdrawing, Woods didn't specifically say what those injuries included. The neighbor, who called 911 after Woods ran over the hydrant and hit a tree, said he was unconscious and laying outside his SUV. His wife told Windermere police she used a golf club to smash the back windows to help him out.

"This is a private matter and I want to keep it that way," Woods said in a statement Sunday, his first since the crash. "Although I understand there is curiosity, the many false, unfounded and malicious rumors that are currently circulating about my family and me are irresponsible. ...

"I appreciate all the concern and well wishes that we have received," he said. "But, I would also ask for some understanding that my family and I deserve some privacy no matter how intrusive some people can be."

The reference to "false, unfounded and malicious rumors" may have involved a story published last week in the National Enquirer alleging that Woods had been seeing a New York nightclub hostess, and that they recently were together in Melbourne, where Woods competed in the Australian Masters.

The woman, Rachel Uchitel, denied having an affair with Woods when contacted by The Associated Press. On Sunday, she flew to Los Angeles and was met by high-profile attorney Gloria Allred at the airport.

Still, even the release of the 911 tape and Woods' statement failed to answer several basic questions about the accident:

# Where he was going at that time of the night?

# How did he lose control of his SUV when it wasn't going fast enough to deploy airbags?

# Why were both rear windows of the Cadillac Escalade smashed?

# If it was a careless mistake, why not speak to state troopers trying to wrap the investigation?



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Sources: Tiger Woods.com, CelebTV, MSN, Fox Sports, E! News, Sports By Brooks, Yard Barker, Hulu, Youtube, Google Maps