Now, Popovich will take over the USA National program in 2017 and players will love the idea of performing for him. Krzyzewski will finish his third tour as the national coach in 2016, and stay on as a "special adviser," which loosely translated means this: Krzyzewski will still have the access and influence to use USA Basketball's junior national teams to leverage his Duke recruiting. High school players committing to Duke understand they have a preferred path to making those under-18 and -19 rosters competing in international tournaments.
Krzyzewski will no longer be able to get a Mason Plumlee on the World Cup team with Popovich as coach, but rest assured that Krzyzewski was fully behind the appointment of an NBA coach as his successor. Out of loyalty to Krzyzewski, Colangelo would've never afforded another college coach that influence as long as Krzyzewski stayed at Duke.
