SAITAMA, Japan - As practice wound down, Mike Krzyzewski approached LeBron James, who was shooting baskets alone on a side court.

James listened intently as the coach spoke and motioned to a spot in the lane. The two talked for about 10 minutes before Krzyzewski rejoined his staff on another court and James went back to shooting.

Who said NBA stars would never listen to a college coach?

"You know the high-intensity coach that you see on TV," James said later. "You get a chance to see the warm side of him a little bit now on this trip. You get a chance to really know him."

When USA Basketball appointed Krzyzewski coach last October, skeptics wondered whether a college coach, even one as respected as Duke's Hall of Famer, would be able to connect with pampered pros. But those questions have subsided as Krzyzewski has led the U.S. to the semifinals of the world championships.

The Americans already have advanced farther than they did in the 2002 worlds, when they finished a demoralizing sixth in Indianapolis. While the U.S. hopes to win this tournament, the ultimate goal is to bring home the gold in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. If Krzyzewski does that, his considerable reputation will have grown exponentially.

"Let's put it this way: As high up the totem pole as he is, his position will only be enhanced in the basketball world with the success of this program and the new relationships he has developed," said USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo, who hand-picked his fellow Chicago native.

For Krzyzewski, success with the U.S. team may bring renewed interest from the NBA. But having spurned a reported $40 million offer from the

Los Angeles Lakers in 2004, Krzyzewski said he has no interest in coaching in the pros, even though he's enjoyed dealing with the NBA stars at the worlds.

"This is an incredible, unique experience, and I love that experience," Krzyzewski said after a recent practice. "But I'm not going to be going to the NBA. I love coaching in college. Whenever I get through coaching in college, that'll be it, whenever that is. I'm not saying that it's imminent."

The 59-year-old Krzyzewski, a West Point graduate, accepted this job because he wanted to restore the U.S. to prominence in world basketball. Krzyzewski has won 753 games and three national titles in 26 years at Duke and five at Army. But he hasn't led a team to an Olympic gold medal, although he was an assistant on the gold medal-winning Dream Team in 1992.

U.S. forward Shane Battier played for Krzyzewski at Duke and sees in his coach the same vigor at the worlds.

"He's enjoyed the journey because it is so different from what he's been doing the last 30 years," Battier said. "And he is an individual who really gets off on those sorts of experiences and those challenges."

At the outset, it was fair to wonder whether rich NBA players would be sufficiently motivated. But when Krzyzewski and Colangelo required players to commit through the Beijing Olympics, the likes of James, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Dwyane Wade bought in.

Once the U.S. had assembled its roster, Krzyzewski didn't worry about his wealth of NBA talent. He dealt with his players as people, not celebrities.

During training camp in Las Vegas this summer, Krzyzewski spent much of his time talking to players individually, just as he did with James at practice in Japan. He understands this is the NBA offseason and knows not to push too hard.

"Even when we're doing five-on-five, if a guy's sitting out, I might go up to him and be able to do that instead of saying, 'Will you come to my room and have this meeting?' " Krzyzewski said. "That's relationship-building. At least the first three days in Vegas, that's all I was doing.

"Somebody would say, 'Well, who's the head coach?' " Krzyzewski said with a grin. "I don't know. There's this guy walking around talking to everybody."

The players may have envisioned the sort of fiery speeches Krzyzewski uses when Duke faces North Carolina. But his approach has been more low-key.

"I really didn't know what to expect coming in," guard Kirk Hinrich said. "He's been real straightforward. He tells you how he feels. He's just a good guy. He lets us play. He knows we've got a ton of great players, and he just lets us go out there."

Krzyzewski has relied on his assistant coaches ¡ª Mike D'Antoni of the

Phoenix Suns, Jim Boeheim of Syracuse and Nate McMillan of the

Portland Trail Blazers ¡ª to handle some of the technicalities of game preparation while he has tried to develop a sense of his players' personalities.

Battier knew Krzyzewski would figure out how to relate to the NBA stars. They may be far richer, and far more famous, than his Duke players. But they still want to win, and Krzyzewski knows how to do that.

"He obviously knows the game," Battier said. "He knows X's and O's. But his biggest strength is understanding people, and getting people to play well together.

"I knew, giving him enough time to get to know some of the guys and understand their personalities, he would find a way to get people to get on the same page," Battier said. "And I think thus far he's done a really great job of that."