Mike Krzyzewski doesn't like the NBA age limit, according to the Charlotte Observer.

"There are a lot of successful people in this country who didn't go to college," Krzyzewski said [to the paper after returning from the World Championships]. "They should be given the right to do that. We have one of the richest men in the world (Bill Gates) who didn't finish college, giving away hundreds of millions of dollars. To me, I'd rather have it the way it was (with no age limit)."

Coach K also cited Michelle Wie as proof of the unfairness of the policy, and added: "The college game is going to be OK no matter what. I think this puts the college game in more of harm's way than it needs to be."

Wow.

This has to be what the college shills feared most about his Team USA assignment. He's with the pros all of one month, and he goes off-message.

Dare I say that I'm seeing the old teacher-of-young-men-who-happen-to-play-basketball in a new light?

Dare I also say that it's amazing how little play this has gotten so far today? All the major sports sites have Kobe's comments on Team USA on their home pages, and Ralph Sampson going to jail isn't hard to find, either. But you have to dig in those sections for this startling revelation from the most prominent coach at his level, and one of the most prominent at any level - you know, the coach of the national team. I found it on True Hoop, which is exactly what the title says it is.

Does Coach K have an agenda with this? Is there some issue bubbling below the surface he's hinting at? Is it some sort of ploy for leverage, maybe to keep the NBA available as a viable option? Maybe you can't rule it out. But the basketball world has been marching in lockstep for a while about the benefits of giving those young naive lads a taste of education, a year of maturity, that would benefit the game at the college level and the pros. This, to me, seems like a significant break with the ranks.

Hmmmmmm.