Most college basketball fans look at Coach K as someone who is passionate on the court, but not a lot of people know that he is also a music buff. On his XM Radio show “Basketball and Beyond”, Coach K shared some tracks that are on heavy rotation in his iPod and why these songs mean so much to him.
1. “Barcelona”, Freddie Mercury and Montserrat Caballe. Coach K says winning the 1992 Olympic gold medal as an assistant with the USA Dream Team is one of the highlights of his career. It was the first time the NBA players were permitted to play in the Olympics, and the Dream Team, composed of some of the greatest players of all time, swept the tournament in Barcelona on the way to the gold medal.
2. “Stayin’ Alive”, Bee Gees. According to Coach K, this song was played a lot of times by the Duke basketball team’s bus driver, Jimmy, and every time the song played, the players would always try to get him to dance. Finally, he gave in and said he would dance only if they won the 2001 NCAA championship. The team won it all, and Coach K kept his promise by dancing to the music!
3. “That’s What Friends Are For”, Dionne Warwick. One of the team’s traditions is putting together a video of season highlights and a tribute to the graduating seniors. Coach K’s wife and daughters are in charge of choosing the music for the video. This track, chosen for the class of 1994 that made the NCAA Tournament championship game, would always be one of his favorites.
4. “Music Of The Night”, Phantom of the Opera. One of Coach K’s secret passions is theater, and “The Phantom of the Opera” is one of his favorite musicals. He says he admires the talent and passion of theater actors, and their ability to call upon their passion and emotion to deliver flawless performances every night.