Coach K greets men's basketball team in DVD

by Colin Whited on September 2, 2009

As U.S. Men’s Basketball Team Head Coach Keith Westhoelter gathered his team for an impromptu team meeting, he presented a surprise that just might be the boost he thought the team needed. Westhoelter had received a DVD with a personalized message of inspiration for his players from Mike Krzyzewski, head coach of the gold medal-winning U.S. Men’s Senior National Basketball Team at the 2008 Beijing Games. In the message, Krzyzewski said there are three all-important letters as the team embarks on a quest for a 14th consecutive gold medal: U-S-A. “It was awesome and, above all, inspirational, to have our players realize that they truly are representing the USA,” Westhoelter said after the meeting. In the video, Krzyzewski, also the head men’s basketball coach at Duke University, said he sent the DVD to “first of all, wish you the best of luck. Secondly, to thank you for spending the time, making the effort, putting the energy in to represent our great country in Taiwan.” Krzyzewski encouraged the men to play for the name on the front of their jersey — USA — and said, “There is no greater jersey that you can wear.” “His message showed us that we ought to play for the name stitched on the front of our jerseys, not the one on the back,” guard Jon Mowl said. “It showed that we are playing for the greatest country in the world.” Forward Anton Jackson said Coach Krzyzewski’s message was so powerful that tears filled his eyes. “His message was one that will encourage me, and the rest of us, to be better teammates, to push one another,” he said. “It’s an honor to have someone of that magnitude speak to us. “ The men continue training at National Cheng Chung University in Chia-Yi, Taiwan. They scrimmaged Tuesday evening against NCCU and will scrimmage again on Thursday afternoon.

The face of Duke University coach and USA Olympic basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski appears on a DVD delivered by Coach "K" himself to the USA Deaflympic basketball team. (Photo by )

Coach K greets men's basketball team in DVD

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