Coach K bars Duke players from locker room, bans them from wearing team apparel

Mike Krzyzewski is still recovering from back surgery, but he’s seen enough to know his Duke team is failing to live up to lofty preseason expectations. A fed up Coach K has reportedly barred his players from the locker room and banned them from wearing Duke apparel, according to ESPN’s Jeff Goodman.

Coach K held a meeting with players at his house on Tuesday night when he delivered his punishments. When can Duke start using the locker room again? Glad you asked. From Goodman:

Asked how long the penalties would last, a source close to the program said: “Until they start living up to the standards of the Duke program.”

That is Peak Coach K in every way. Extremely chill guy, right there.

There’s a lot that goes into Duke’s struggles this season, as we detailed on Thursday. The Blue Devils are just 3-4 in the ACC and look like a far cry from the team that was the consensus preseason No. 1 entering the season.

Coach K should return sometime in February. Duke faces Wake Forest on Saturday, followed by a trip to No. 14 Notre Dame at Monday.

If you see Duke players putting on their uniforms outside before either of those games, now you know why.