Mr Krzyzewski came to visit my father about a month ago on the 9th floor of the Duke Univ. Medical Center.  My dad was undergoing a stem-cell transplant.  Due to complications, my dad passed away two nights ago.
 
The impact that Duke Basketball had on my family was tremendous growing up.  We looked at Coach K as an unbeatable hero, or when the team would lose, as a person who knew how to bounce back from any situation. 
 
One of the greatest memories I have of my father was the 1991 Championship in Indianapolis, IN.  No one figured that Duke would sweep UNLV, and my uncle and father’s friends (who had attended UNC) had sold their tickets during Duke’s first round game.  They never thought Duke would win.  When Grant Hill made that dunk, and the tides turned for Duke, a memory was set in my mind that will never leave.  I’d never experienced such joy with my father. 
 
As I was thinking of what to say at my father’s memorial service, Duke Basketball and Coach K keep entering my mind.  The popcorn, the Sundrops, the Duke games during the winter are memories with my dad at home that are some of the best that I can think of. 
 
My father spent his life raising people’s spirits and encouraging those who needed it.  Coach K was probably the biggest inspiration to my father when it comes to being a leader. 
 
Thank you Mr K for visiting with my father while he was alive- you can’t imagine what it meant to him and our family as we talked about it.