YELM, Wash. — Mike Krzyzewski is best known for being college basketball’s winningest coach.
But in Yelm, Coach ‘K’ may be remembered for helping save a part of high school sports.
The coach’s endorsement of a fundraiser helped organizers surpass their goal with hopes of offsetting a budget cut in Yelm.
The school district is making approximately $10 million in budget cuts following the failure of two levies that failed to pass earlier this year.
Superintendent Chris Woods said cuts are being made across the board, with more than 100 employee positions eliminated, reduced support for electives, no transportation for student-athletes, and the end of C-teams for several sports.
C-teams allow freshmen and sophomores a chance to get introduced to a sport before competing at the junior varsity or varsity level.
Yelm football coach Jason Ronquillo set up an online fundraiser to raise money to keep C-teams for football, volleyball, and boys and girls basketball and soccer.
John Curley, of KIRO Newsradio’s “John Curley and Jake Skorheim Show” got word of cuts and began talking about it during his show.
“It bothered me,” said Curley, who contacted Krzyzewski about appearing on the show Tuesday.
The two have worked on past fundraisers.
Curley said he did not ask the coach for a donation, he just wanted Krzyzewski to talk to listeners about the importance of sports for youth.
"Sports is really part of a young man or a young woman getting an education,” Krzyzewski said during the interview.
Curley said within 20 minutes, more than $20,000 in donations flowed into the online account.
“We’re thrilled this is going on,” said Ronquillo, who said the media attention helped push donations past the $50,000 goal, raising almost $65,000.
Ronquillo said he was relieved and thrilled to let players know the C-teams will likely stick around.
”The most important thing for me and the people that I’m involved with,” Ronquillo said. “Don’t take away the opportunity.”
The plan has not quite crossed the goal line.
Woods said the donation needs to be officially accepted and allotted by the school board, something he said could happen by next week.