Q: Why does Mike Krzyzewski, the men’s basketball coach at Duke, refuse to talk to the media at halftime of games? Most coaches are available to add to the totality of the broadcast.
—Carel Thompson, Hoschton
A: Krzyzewski has said his team should have his full attention during games. "You shouldn't be distracted," he said in 2011. "You don't owe anything to anyone else. That's wrong. That's why I never do halftime interviews. I want my team to know the only people I'm talking to from start to finish is them, and sometimes the referees."
He didn’t like the rule that allowed the media to interview Southeastern Conference coaches during timeouts. “That stinks. That shouldn’t be. Are you kidding me? That’s horrible. Horrible,” he said. Krzyzewski appoints an assistant coach to be interviewed at halftime while he returns to the locker room. He is the first Division I coach with 1,000 career victories, reaching that milestone on Sunday. Krzyzewski has a career mark of 1,000-308 in 40 seasons as a head coach.
Q: Parade Magazine stated that Papa John’s was the third-largest pizza company in the U.S. Which companies are No. 1 and No. 2?
—Sydney Laird, Duluth
A: Pizza Hut is the largest pizza chain with $12.9 billion in annual sales and 14,967 locations in 90 countries. Domino's Pizza is No. 2, with $10.9 billion in sales and 10,886 locations around the world, Pizza Today, an industry magazine, reported in November. Papa John's has 4,464 stores and $2.6 billion in sales, followed by Little Caesars with 3,940 locations and yearly revenue of $2.9 billion.
Andy Johnston wrote this column. Do you have a question about the news? We’ll try to get the answer. Call 404-222-2002 or email q&a@ajc.com (include name, phone and city).
About the Author
