Krzyzewski begins the quest for third gold

LAS VEGAS – Mike Krzyzewski thought he was done with USA Basketball. He said he was done, too.

After helping Team USA win two straight Olympic gold medals, there appeared little left for him to accomplish.

It didn’t take long for Jerry Colangelo to know that Krzyzewski wasn’t as resolute in his stance as he made it seem. Just a couple weeks after their triumph in London, the two reconvened in Springfield, Mass., for the Hall of Fame induction ceremony. And that’s when Colangelo, managing director for USA Basketball, knew there was a chance.

“He was having withdrawal already,” Colangelo said. “He started talking about the future. No commitments, but it was there.

Three months after the coach made his return official, the two men are back to work at a four-day camp that began Monday.

With Colangelo, Krzyzewski has changed the culture of USA Basketball and restored some sense of pride, professionalism and prestige to a brand tarnished after a bronze-medal finish in Athens in 2004.