We would love to know, in his heart of hearts, what Tom Butters thought when he met, interviewed and then hired Mike Krzyzewski in 1980.
We believe him when he said that he thought Coach K was the brightest young coaching talent in America. But what else did he think? Did he imagine it was a home run? Did he see it as inevitable? Was there any anxiety about the hire?
We’re guessing that he was pretty sure because Butters was a very self-assured man. And of course he turned out to be right. But did he imagine that it would turn out as brilliantly as it has?