Rio 2016 Coach Krzyzewski's Last Shot at Olympic Gold

(ATR) USA Basketball head coach Mike Krzyzewski could win his third Olympic gold in his last Olympic coaching opportunity. The five-time collegiate champion coach of Dukeis stepping down at the conclusion of the Rio 2016 Olympics.

"I think it's time to move ahead," Krzyzewski tells ESPN. "During the next season there will be a number of decisions made about the future of USA Basketball with Rio [the roster] and coaching."

ESPN reports USA Basketball has yet to name a successor to Krzyzewski but will likely begin looking for candidates before the Olympics begin in August.

"They will pick the best person, from whatever — the NBA or collegiate environment. They will pick the best person and complement that person with a great staff and infrastructure so we can have a chance to keep winning," says Krzyzewski.

Krzyzewski got his first taste of the USA Basketball team as an assistant coach for the 1992 Dream Team that featured the likes of NBA hall-of-famers Michael Jordan, Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

He would go on to take over the program in 2005 following the disappointing bronze medal finish at the Athens 2004 Games under head coach Larry Brown.

Since taking the reins, Krzyzewski has lead the team to an impressive 75-1 record, winning two gold medals and two world championships in the process. The team hasn’t lost since 2006.

Possibly the greatest factor for the team’s success during that time period is the pool of players that have stuck with the program, including some of the best players in the world such as LeBron James and Chris Paul.

"As much as they’ve played well, they’ve really represented our country well. They’ve been unbelievable ambassadors for the game. The whole culture of USA basketball has changed I think as a result of those guys," Krzyzewski told reporters at the USOC Olympic and Paralympic Assembly in September.

He says the continuity these returning players have brought to the program is something chairman of USA Basketball Jerry Colangelo pitched to him when he was first offered the job. At the time, head coaches rarely stayed in the program for more than one Olympic run.

"When Jerry talked to me about continuity, I understood it and I think it’s helped with retention of players. If you win, that’s a good experience but they also know you and know that you will handle everything the right way. We’ve had a lot of guys re-up because of that," Krzyzewski told reporters at the USOC Olympic and Paralympic Assembly in September.

At the time of the assembly, Krzyzewski couldn’t say for certain that Rio would be his last Olympic competition, although he did admit his run was nearing its end.

The coach is confident his team will help him go out on top and they will see their flag rise high above the rest at the end of the Olympic tournament.

"[The national anthem] is going to be played on August 21 in Rio because we’re going to win that damn thing again," he proclaimed during his keynote at the USOC Olympic Assembly.

If he’s right, Krzyzewski would be the first coach for USA Basketball to win three gold medals at the Olympics. Henry Iba won two in a row in 1964 and 1968 before losing in the final to the Soviet Union in 1972.

Group play for the Olympic tournament begins August 6 with the gold medal match taking place on August 21. Krzyzewski says he would like to stay on with USA Basketball in some capacity after his run as a coach is over.

"Hopefully we can finish things up well with Rio and I would move onto something else with USA Basketball.''

Written by KevinNutley

20 Years at #1: Your best source of news about the Olympics is AroundTheRings.com, for subscribersonly.