MEN'S BASKETBALL Krzyzewski's departure would be blow to ACC

Football coaches say expansion has helped recruiting.
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- When Dean Smith retired in 1997 with 879 wins, 11 Final Four appearances and two national titles, the ACC still had a coach with seven Final Four trips and two titles.
Should that coach, Duke's Mike Krzyzewski, leave to coach the Los Angeles Lakers, where does that leave ACC men's basketball?
"When you think about ACC basketball, it's usually Dean Smith and Mike Krzyzewski," former Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins said. " It would be a tremendous blow to the ACC."
The ACC had one of its finest seasons in 2003-04. Georgia Tech and Duke reached the Final Four and the conference ranked first in the ratings percentage index. Many top players return this fall, and the immediate forecast is strong. Yet the conference faces hazards in basketball -- even if Krzyzewski stays at Duke.
Musical-chair coaches
Smith served as the conference standard-bearer until he retired at North Carolina in 1997. Since then the Tar Heels have had more coaches (three) than Final Four appearances (two) and just now appear to be regaining their previous stature heading into their second season under Roy Williams.
This season the ACC will add two schools -- Miami and Virginia Tech -- not known as national basketball powers, with a third, Boston College, joining next year.
Now Duke, which has won another national title and played in three Final Fours since 1997, might lose Krzyzewski after 24 years. If he left, Maryland's Gary Williams would be the longest-tenured ACC coach at 15 years and the only one with a national championship.
Krzyzewski has said the culture of the conference won't be the same now that each school won't play each of the others twice each season.
ACC football coaches say expansion has helped recruiting, but Krzyzewski said basketball recruiting was just fine before expansion, which he opposed.