I gained a lot of respect for him as he recruited me, and I would?have attended Duke had I gone to college. Getting to play for him?over a decade later with Team USA was fulfilling.

A few things about him stood out. For one, he was really intense,?which I could appreciate. Outside of that, he really cares about and?loves his players. Most of all, his competitive spirit resonated with?me. He and I approach winning and losing the same way, in that?winning is the goal, and losing is, well, losing isn’t even on the?table.

Our nation means so much to Coach Mike Krzyzewski. He really?hammered home the significance of getting to represent our?country. Everything he did—from having generals come to speak?with us, having soldiers be a part of our preparation process, having?us take tours of national monuments—was aimed at increasing our?admiration and love for America. You could sense that in the way?he had us playing, in the intensity we showed.