After feeling poorly and missing the second half of Duke’s 76-74 win over Wake Forest on Tuesday night, Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski spent Wednesday recuperating and was feeling well enough to return to work on Thursday.
“I’m better,” Krzyzewski said Thursday during a radio show. “We went through a very taxing part of our season with four games in eight days, late travel and I still prepare the same way. That day for Wake, I wasn’t feeling that good. During the game, during the first half, I got lightheaded on the bench and I called (assistant coaches) Jon Scheyer and Chris Carrawell over and said, ‘Look, I’m not feeling great. You guys do more. Just don’t hold back.’
“Then I started feeling a little bit better during the half. Then, as I’m walking off the court at halftime, it’s the first time I had stood up — I really thought I could pass out. I got to the locker room and my medical people just gave me IVs and whatever. I’m better.”
Scheyer, who will take over as head coach when Krzyzewski retires after this season, led the team during the second half against Wake Forest.
The Blue Devils had a scheduled day off from practice on Wednesday. Krzyzewski, who celebrated his 75th birthday last Sunday, would normally go to his office to prepare for the next game. But he rested at home instead.
“Look, you get exhausted,” Krzyzewski said. “I don’t know if it was my way of celebrating my 75th birthday and saying, ‘Knucklehead, you are 75. You better do something a little bit different.
“I’m better. I’m glad that it was that and not something else, and my guys did a really good job and we were able to beat a really good team.”
Krzyzewski was at work Thursday as the Blue Devils returned to practice in preparation for Saturday’s home game against Florida State.
“Clearly, coach wasn’t himself,” Scheyer said Tuesday night. “He wasn’t right.”
After the game, Krzyzewski already felt better and spoke to the team about its narrow win.
“He’s one of the toughest guys I know,” Duke freshman forward Paolo Banchero said. “He came and gave us a talk, just like he would have had he been coaching.”
Krzyzewski’s wife, Mickie, left her usual seat where she watched the game during the first half and did not return for the second half.
“First and foremost we were concerned about coach and his health,” Scheyer said Tuesday. “Coach is doing better. He’s in a much better place.”
This is the second time Krzyzewski has been unavailable to coach the Blue Devils this season. Both times have been against Wake Forest.
Due to a non-COVID illness, Krzyzewski did not travel with the team to Winston-Salem when Duke beat Wake Forest, 76-64, on Jan. 12 at Joel Coliseum. Scheyer also coached the team that night.
