ESPN analyst Jay Bilas shared a personal note Coach K sent his mother while Duke was recruiting Bilas for basketball back in 1981.
Coach K began coaching at Duke in 1980, meaning this letter was written during his second season. “Coach K recruited the moms, too,” Bilas wrote in his Twitter caption.
The letter reads as follows: “I really enjoyed our conversation on the phone Sunday morning. It certainly gave me an opportunity to get to know you better and, of course, learn more about Jay.
“Mrs. Bilas, I hope you understand how strongly we feel about Jay. We love him! He is a first-class young man in every sense of the word. In addition to this he is an outstanding player who is willing to work hard to develop his potential. I like that combination and would love to have the opportunity to work with him.
“I’ll be looking forward to having him visit. If any questions come up, just give me a call.”
Bilas also tweeted out a short note that Coach K sent him while Bilas was still in high school.
On Saturday, Coach K will be coaching in his last regular season home game of his 42-year career at Duke. Bilas will be working as the analyst for the game.
Bilas was a four-year starter for Coach K’s team from 1982–86. Duke played in the National Championship game in 1986, but lost to Louisville.
Bilas then worked under Coach K as a graduate assistant from 1990–92. So, needless to say, Bilas knows Coach K quite well.
