Best 148 quotes of Mike Krzyzewski on MyQuotes

A basketball team is like the five fingers on your hand. If you can get them all together, you have a fist. That's how I want you to play.

A common mistake among those who work in sport is spending a disproportional amount of time on "x's and o's" as compared to time spent learning about people.

Actually, the Kentucky moment was better than winning the two National Championships, because it was the epitome of what I try to get from a team in a crisis situation.

A leader has to be positive about all things that happen to his team. Look at nothing in the past as failure.

A leader has to show the face his team needs to see.

A leader may be the most knowledgeable person in the world, but if the players on his team cannot translate that knowledge into action, it means nothing.

A leader's responsibility to his team is paramount. It overshadows even his own personal feelings at any given time.

Always get back to your core principles.

As a leader you can get sidetracked but you have to complete your mission

As teachers and coaches, we must remember that when mere winning is our only goal, we are doomed to disappointment and failure. But when our goal is to try to win, when our focus is on preparation and sacrifice and effort instead of on numbers on a scoreboard then we will never lose.

A team is a fist-not five fingers.

Basketball was not my main sport in grade school, or even the first year of high school.

Believe that the loose ball that you are chasing has your name wirtten on it.

Communication does not always occur naturally, even among a tight-knit group of individuals. Communication must be taught and practiced in order to bring everyone together as one

Confidence shared is better than confidence only in yourself.

Confrontation simply means meeting the truth head-on.

Courage and confidence are what decision making is all about.

Courage gives a leader the ability to stand straight and not sway, no matter which way the wind blows.

Defense is one man guarding the ball and four others helping him

Don't do anything as an individual that will make you stand out from your teammates.

Don't let a single game break your heart.

Don't worry about losing. Think about winning.

During the season, your team should be led with exuberance and excitement. You should live the journey. You should live it right. You should live it together. You should live it shared. You should try to make one another better. You should get on one another if somebody's not doing their part. You should hug one another when they are. You should be disappointed in a loss and exhilarated in a win. It's all about the journey.

Each group and each youngster is different. As a leader or coach, you get to know what they need.

Effective teamwork begins and ends with communication

Effort is fully replenishable. There is no need to save any of it. Leave every bit you have on the playing field

Embrace the hell out of personal responsibility.

Encourage members of your team to take the initiative and act on their own.

Even though we want huge individual egos, our collective ego is unbelievable.

Everybody wants to take responsibility when you win, but when you fail, all these fingers are pointing.

Every leader needs to remember that a healthy respect for authority takes time to develop. It’s like building trust. You don’t instantly have trust, it has to be earned.

Every season is a journey. Every journey is a lifetime.

First of all, what happens is, when you're good at something, you spend a lot of time with it. People identify you with that sport, so it becomes part of your identity.

Footwork is one of the primary prerequisites to becoming a great player

For a college basketball player or coach, to reach the Final Four is la-la land. You’ve achieved, you’ve got your stamp of approval. My first team to do that was in 1986. Then we did it in ’88, ’89 and ’90.

Goals should be realistic, attainable, and shared among all members of the team

Great rivalries don't have to be built on hatred. They're built on respect, on a respect for excellence.

Good sound habits are more important than rules - use concepts.

Growth creates complexity, which requires simplicity.

I always wanted to teach.

I always won in my imagination. I always hit the game-winning shot, or I hit the free throw. Or if I missed, there was a lane violation, and I was given another one.

I believe a big part of leadership is about winning the moment.

I believe work is good. There is dignity in work. I also believe that a hard-work ethic forges strong leaders.

I didn't miss any games, but Coach Knight came out and spent three days with my family in Chicago when my dad passed away. I came back and played and it was good therapy for me. Having a basketball family and a coach who understood and actually became like a father figure for that time was comforting to me, and I'm sure that will be comforting to Coleman.

I don't look at myself as a basketball coach. I look at myself as a leader who happens to coach basketball.

I don't think we surprise people. We try to out-execute them.

I don't think you play for other people's expectations, you know. You don't go and become a lawyer because your mother or father want you to, you don't become a coach because somebody wants you to.

If a team cannot perform with excellence at a moment's notice, they probably will fail in the long run.

If the only reason I coached was to win basketball games, my life would be pretty shallow

If you have talent with teamwork, you've got a chance to be a championship team.