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You would think the fan boy would have been shaken out of Larry Krystkowiak by now.
Playing in the NBA and coaching in a power conference, the 6-foot-9 Krystkowiak has seen enough and experienced enough to compose himself in the presence of celebrity.
But then, he saw Mike Krzyzewski in a 7-Eleven last summer, as both were scouting a tournament at Bishop Gorman High in Las Vegas. Any pretense of decorum was cast aside.
"I said, 'Hey there's the real Coach K," Krystkowiak recounted Monday afternoon. "Kinda gave him a high-five. I thought it was funny, but I'm not even sure he knows who I was."
Krzyzewski, the Duke coach with the consonant-heavy name and the most wins of any Division I coach, has long been an icon in the basketball world. When Krystkowiak was playing at Montana, he remembered seeing Coach K and Duke on early incarnations of ESPN, back when there were rarely other games on TV.
On Friday, Krystkowiak and Krzyzewski are unlikely to high-five again, but they'll shake hands. And though they meet as opponents when No. 1 seed Duke takes on No. 5 seed Utah — the old power against the upstart — they'll meet as friends.
They've only crossed paths occasionally, but there are a multitude of connections that have fostered mutual respect between the two coaches: blue-collar backgrounds, Polish heritage and tough beginnings at their current schools.
Both go by Coach K, which Krzyzewski happily shares and Krystkowiak happily surrenders.
"He's the man. 1,000 wins," Krystkowiak said. "I've got 100."
The evidence of their professional respect exists on a 20-minute recording from February, when Krystkowiak called in to Krzyzewski's weekly radio show, "Basketball and Beyond with Coach K." The discussion carried the breeze of a dinner-table conversation: coach to coach, friend to friend. Any thoughts that they might be future opponents, even later that year, were distant, to say the least.
Krzyzewski quipped that Krystkowiak carried a sign of Polish royalty: The first vowel in his name comes after six consonants, which outdoes even Krzyzewski. The two spent a few minutes commiserating over Polish surnames, as Krystkowiak said he admired Krzyzewski for keeping his spelling bee-worthy name intact.
But Polish roots have deep meaning to both men, aside from Krystkowiak being on the ballot for the National Polish-American Sports Hall of Fame and Krzyzewski as its most famous basketball inductee. Krzyzewski grew up in a working class Polish neighborhood in Chicago, the son of an elevator operator and a cleaning woman. His father adopted the name "Kross," according to an ESPN profile, to avoid ethnic discrimination back when European immigrants were not so welcome.
Krystkowiak's Polish heritage is slightly more abstract, but powerful nonetheless: His father, one of nine children, was sent to a German work camp during World War II for two years before emigrating to the United States. Krystkowiak went to visit Poland with his uncle, seeing the farmhouse where his father grew up and visiting family grave sites.
It's not something he shares with the Utes often — Dallin Bachynski said the most Krystkowiak has mentioned their common heritage is by calling him a "fellow Pole-ski" — but it strikes a chord.
"I've always kept that in perspective compared to where I grew up. Man it wasn't all that long ago that there was some crazy stuff happening," Krystkowiak said. "It's always been a high priority for me. I've been very proud of that situation."
The two also talked about their humble beginnings. While Krystkowiak's rugged first year at Utah is well remembered in his first tournament run at Utah, Krzyzewski's early struggles — he was a combined 21-34 in his second and third seasons — are largely forgotten today, plowed under by the success that followed.
"I love what you've done at Utah," Krzyzewski said on the show. "The way you started your career at Utah reminds me so much of my career."
Krystkowiak's response: "Wow."
A former NBA head coach and longtime NBA vet, it has been speculated that Krystkowiak could one day be a candidate for an NBA coaching job. But Krystkowiak opened up to Krzyzewski, who has elected to stay in college over the years despite overtures from the pros himself, on how he's enjoyed college.
"There's not a better chance to make an impact or change a kid's life than college," the Ute coach said. "It's so cool for me, with Senior Nights and have a chance to sit in an office and help a kid out with a problem. You truly can be a mentor. And I know I'm preaching to the choir because that's what you're about, too."
It's a fascinating artifact — a snapshot of two men, one a legend and one trying to build a legacy — finding common ground. And while they are opponents this week, the mutual respect hasn't changed.
Before letting Krystkowiak signed off, Krzyzewski left him with some parting thoughts: He enjoyed watching Krystkowiak's playing career, and was eager to see where his coaching career leads.
"My mom always said: "Michael, there's a dignity to work. Show up every day.'" Krzyzewski said. "That's what you've done, and that's what your teams are doing. I just want to wish you the best of luck."
Twitter: @kylegoon —
Coach K's and Coach K's first four seasons
Duke's Mike Krzyzewski
1980-81 • 17-13, NIT
1981-82 • 10-17
1982-83 • 11-17
1983-84 • 24-10, NCAA
Utah's Larry Krystkowiak
2011-12 • 6-25
2012-13 • 15-18
2013-14 • 21-12, NIT berth
2014-15 • 26-8, Sweet 16 —
Sweet 16
Utah vs. Duke
Friday, 7:45 p.m.
TV • Ch. 2
Inside
Monson: Of course, Utah can beat Duke. Here's why. • D4