Krzyzewski

	Lute Olson

DICK'S TIDBITS | Dec. 16, 2004

Congratulations are in order for Duke's Mike Krzyzewski and Arizona's Lute Olson.

Coach K got his 700th collegiate win when Duke knocked off Toledo on Sunday. In this day and age, it's amazing to see the success Krzyzewski has had when you consider how he struggled in his first three seasons.

In 1980-81, Krzyzewski's first season at Duke after five years at Army, the Dukies went 17-13. But in his next two seasons, Duke had a losing record (10-17 and 11-17). Today, if a coach has a losing record in two of his first three seasons, he's probably fired.

Give credit to athletic director Tom Butters for having the wisdom to understand that eventually Krzyzewski would be a winner. Coach K is the youngest coach to reach the 700 milestone since Bob Knight did it.

Meanwhile, Olson celebrated his 1,000th coaching victory. That figure includes wins in high school and junior college. Arizona just keeps on winning under Olson!

My Best To Barakat
Another person deserving of a salute is ACC associate commissioner Fred Barakat. He does such a great job of handling the officials, scheduling and many other aspects of the conference. Barakat does things in such a classy way.

He has been honored by being named to the New England Sports Hall of Fame. This is the fifth Hall of Fame he's entered, honoring him as a player, coach and administrator.

Diener Shows His Toughness
Marquette coach Tom Crean has one of the gutsiest players in America: point guard Travis Diener. He's having a super season so far.

Despite an ankle injury, Diener came through with 29 big points in a win over Wisconsin. The Golden Eagles are making a nice run early on, though they face a tough test Saturday at home against Arizona.

Michigan Suffering With Injury Woes
Coach Tommy Amaker's Wolverines have really suffered due to injuries to Daniel Horton, Lester Abram and Graham Brown. It really showed against a hard-nosed Boston University team.

For the second straight season, the Terriers won in Ann Arbor. Michigan needs Dion Harris to really step up. Courtney Sims also has to contribute more if the Wolverines are going to make a run at the NCAA Tournament.

Dick Vitale coached the Detroit Pistons and the University of Detroit in the 1970s before broadcasting ESPN's first college basketball game in 1979 (he's been an ESPN analyst ever since). Send a question to Vitale for possible use on ESPNEWS.