Coach K Names His Favorite TV Show and Movie
With everyone in America under the advisory to stay at home to help battle the COVID-19 pandemic, allowing us all to catch up on our favorite shows and rewatch classic movies.
Even college basketball coaches.
Stadium’s Jeff Goodman contacted all 342 college coaches to see what their choices were for TV and movie binging. Underscoring just how much we’re all looking to fill our free time—337 of the coaches responded.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski chose CBS police drama Blue Bloods, featuring a multi-generational Irish police family in New York. The show stars Tom Selleck and Donnie Wahlberg.
Coach K wasn’t alone in watching Blue Bloods. That was also the television choice for Canisius coach Reggie Witherspoon, St. Francis, Brooklyn’s Glenn Braica, Tennessee’s Rick Barnes, Houston Baptist’s Ron Cottrell, Texas State’s Danny Kaspar and Albany’s Will Brown.
Krzyzewski was the only coach with his choice of favorite movie: Legends of the Fall. The historical epic starting Anthony Hopkins and Brad Pitt came out in 1994, shortly before the last time Coach K had an extended break from basketball and time to watch movies—his back surgery during the 1994-95 season.
Former Duke player and Krzyzewski assistant Jeff Capel, now head coach at Pitt, chose Curb Your Enthusiasm as his favorite show, one of 10 coaches to pick the Larry David HBO comedy, tied for fourth-most popular in the survey. Mike Schrage, current Elon coach, also selected Curb Your Enthusiasm. Schrage spent several years in Duke administration, including serving as director of Coach K’s summer camp, academic support staff for the team and director of basketball operations.
Capel also chose the second most popular movie—The Godfather, which was the choice of 22 coaches, including Harvard coach and former Duke point guard Tommy Amaker.
Amaker’s favorite TV show is ESPN afternoon hot take debate show Pardon the Interruption. He was the only coach to choose it.
Schrage was one of 41 coaches to choose Shawshank Redemption as his favorite movie, making it the most popular movie among college coaches. Notre Dame’s Mike Brey, the only former Krzyzewski assistant to beat Coach K, also chose that movie, as did former Duke player and assistant Chris Collins, now head coach at Northwestern
Collins was one of four coaches to choose HBO’s Entourage as his favorite show. Brey was one of 10 coaches to pick Game of Thrones, tying it for fourth popular.
The point guard for Duke’s first two national championship teams—Bobby Hurley, now head coach at Arizona State—also picked Game of Thrones. His favorite movie was Cinderella Man. Three other coaches voted for that movie, including Hurley’s brother Dan, now head coach at UConn.
Former Duke point guard and assistant coach Steve Wojciechowski, now head coach at Marquette, chose The Wire as his favorite show. Twelve other coaches voted for that, making it the third most popular choice. His favorite movie was Braveheart, joining seven other coaches, which tied it for eighth most popular.
Howard coach Kenny Blakeney, a former Blue Devil, picked Sanford & Son as his favorite show. Nine other coaches agreed, putting the Redd Foxx comedy from the 1970s in a tie for fourth. He was the only coach to vote for sports docudrama Without Limits as his favorite movie.
Greg Paulus of Niagara, another former Duke point guard, was one of 31 coaches to vote for Seinfeld as his favorite show, making it the most popular choice. Paulus picked Gladiator as his favorite movie, along with 15 other colleagues, making it the No. 3 movie among coaches.
Former Duke standout Johnny Dawkins, now coaching at UCF said “none” to both questions.
