Go Lithuania
Call me un-America if you wish, but I will not be rooting for Team USA in the FIBA World Championships that begin next month in Japan. Same goes for the 2008 Olympics.
Maybe I’ll root for New Zealand or Panama. Maybe Angola or Italy. Hey, Qatar has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? But the USA? No thank you.
See, my love of the country isn’t as great as my dislike for Mike Krzyzewski. And Coach K is leading Team USA, which holds its training camp starting July 19.
As co-host of ACC Nation, I try to be objective, but growing up a Carolina fan taught me at least one thing – how to hate Duke. I have a healthy respect for what Krzyzewski has done in his time in Durham, but nothing says I have to like it.
Don’t for a minute think Duke fans will be offended by my statements. Let’s face it – the dislike I, and many others, have for Krzyzewski is reserved for winners only. Do you think anyone out there hates Ted Roof? I doubt if many could pick him out of a lineup (perhaps a bad choice of words considering everything that has transpired over the past few months in Durham), much less work up a good hatred for the guy. He’s the kind of guy you just want to pat on the head and say, “Oh, how cute, he thinks he can win football games at Duke.”
Coach K, on the other hand, is the kind of guy you just want to punch in the mouth (and I really wish someone would).
So, no, I won’t root for Team USA. Here’s hoping Coach K goes winless and gets fired after the Olympics. Go Nigeria. Go Turkey. Go Japan. Go anyone but Krzyzewski.
- Patrick Hite