It’s been a week of highs and lows for me.

While I had a pretty great day last Saturday, I later found out that B.J. Thomas had died.

B.J. Drye

He performed here in the 2000s for the Stanly County Concert Association. I had the opportunity to interview him before the show and met up with him before the concert. I treasure my photo with him and our meeting. That’s back when I was young, skinny and had a nice head of hair.

He seemed a little pumped up for the show and a little distracted, but big stars have a lot to deal with. You never know what someone is going through. I know he had a history of demons and he died while battling lung cancer.

He sang his hits such as “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head,” “Hooked On A Feeling” and “As Long As We Got Each Other,” the theme from “Growing Pains.”

I can thank B.J. Thomas for leaving me with one of my most iconic lines in one of my columns: “No matter how many raindrops may fall, I will always be dry. B.J. Drye.”

But that wasn’t the biggest shocker of the week. That came on Wednesday, June 2.

Duke men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski announced that the next season would be his last as head coach. The university also named Jon Scheyer as his replacement.

To some it seems kind of quick. I always thought it would be Johnny Dawkins, Bobby Hurley, Tommy Amaker or Grant Hill as the next coach. But they all are pretty set where they are at. Scheyer may be the best pick, and it appears he was the one Coach K wanted. He has been on his staff and now he is able to help mold him over the next year into the future of Duke Basketball.

There will never be another Coach K, and his retirement definitely makes this diehard Duke fan sad.

Wednesday wasn’t a total loss for me, but that’s a story for another day.

I know I’ll definitely have more to say on Coach K and reminisce about his trip to Stanly County from many years ago. But there’s a whole year for that.

If COVID-19 doesn’t continue to rear its ugly head, maybe I’ll get to chat with him on his farewell tour and if so, you’ll be the first to know.