When you’re honored by the best, it is the best," the winningest basketball coach in NCAA history said in concluding his acceptance address during the George Catlett Marshall Memorial Dinner at the Association of the United States Army’s Annual Meeting and Exposition Wednesday, Oct. 15.After being presented AUSA’s highest award, Mike Krzyzewski, the longtime coach at Duke University and a 1969 graduate of the United States Military Academy at West Point, said, "I can’t believe this is happening. No one ... could be more honored than I am."He compared himself to a "walk-on" player who is trying out for a team without a scholarship. Past recipients of the Marshall Medal include President George H.W. Bush and Colin Powell, former chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and secretary of State.Having also coached the United States National Basketball Team over his 40-year career, "Coach K," as he is popularly known, told the audience, "You are the ‘Dream Team,’" a reference to teams that have represented the nation in the Olympics and international competitions since 1992.Krzyzewski said there were three vital lessons he took away from his years at the Military Academy: "Failure was never a destination; To be really good, you’re not going to do it alone; Put in the effort you believe in for success."He added, "I’ve copied this from you" in setting an ideal of selfless service. The nation recognizes this."You are the most respected part of our society. There’s power in that."Krzyzewski said the idea that the United States would not use "boots on the ground" in crises would be like him saying, "Hey Spain, I’m not going to play Lebron (James) and Kobe (Bryant) tonight."He added, "We are going to use our best players."During the address, he showed two videos he used to motivate the United States National Team, the first on Sept. 11, 2001, in a semi-final game, shortly after the terrorist attacks in New York, on the Pentagon and the hijacked jetliner that crashed in Pennsylvania.He said the message that night was: "The United States is not going to lose" and "play with courage."He said with the national teams, he uses every opportunity he can to have the players meet soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines where they are stationed, to go to historic places such as West Point and to visit those who are recovering from their wounds.This is to remind the players whom they are really representing on the court.Krzyzewski noted, "I have never been in harm’s way."He then introduced the second video showing players meeting with service members in a variety of situations, and their performances on court before that kind of audience.