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Featherston: K Gets To 800 Wins
RALEIGH, N.C. - Gerald Henderson had no idea that Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski was approaching his 800th career victory.
It wasn’t until the Blue Devil sophomore joined ESPN sideline reporter Stacey Dales for a postgame interview after Duke’s 71-58 victory over Georgia Tech earlier in the week that he learned that Coach K was on the brink of history.
“Stacey Dales actually made me aware of it,” Henderson said. “Coach, he would never mention anything like that. I know that he doesn’t coach for records or anything like that. That’s not what he’s thinking about while we’re in the season. But it’s important. He’s had a lot of great players play for him and it’s an honor to play for him.”
The Georgia Tech win was No. 799 for the Duke coach. The Blue Devil players gave Krzyzewski his 800th career victory Saturday with a dramatic 87-86 win at N.C. State. The Blue Devils trailed almost the entire game, rallying from a 13-point second half deficit to finally get the lead on two DeMarcus Nelson free throws with just over a minute left.
“The very first thing is, it is a very remarkable win,” Krzyzewski said after being presented with the game ball by his players. “I know it was win No. 800 ? how much more remarkable can you get than something like that? It’s an emotional afternoon.”
But Krzyzewski insisted that the victory was about more than his personal milestone.
“I tell my players, coaching stuff is shared always with your players, staff and family,” he said. “That’s what coaching is. It’s amazing that my players won this game and I happened to coach them.”
The Hall of Fame coach, who turned 61 years old Feb. 13, is just the sixth Division I coach to reach the 800-win plateau.
“That’s a lot of wins,” Duke junior Greg Paulus said. “He’s done some amazing things. It’s just pretty special to think about how many wins he has.”
Krzyzewski trails just Bob Knight (902), Dean Smith (879), Adolph Rupp (876), Jim Phelan (830) and Eddie Sutton (801) on the NCAA career victory list. At his current pace, Krzyzewski will pass Sutton for fifth place on the list before the end of this season. He’ll take over fourth place late next season, then begin his pursuit of the top three names on the list.
“All of us in the media hope that Coach K sticks around for 1,000 wins,” ABC commentator Brent Musburger said. “That's how much he's respected by broadcasters and writers. When you say ?class act’ Coach K is at the very top.”
Krzyzewski also drew plaudits from his peers.
“Mike’s built one of the most consistently successful programs in college basketball history,” Syracuse coach Jim Boeheim, a Hall of Famer with 767 career wins of his own, said. “To coach 800 wins at the Division I level at a time when college basketball has gotten so competitive is an amazing accomplishment.”
Maryland coach Gary Williams, who recently picked up his 600th career victory, said he was impressed with how Krzyzewski compiled his 800 career wins
“Nobody gave Mike anything,” Williams said. “He started out coaching at West Point which is a difficult situation, then when he went to Duke where they had to fight hard to get back to a national level again. I’ve always appreciated that fact that Mike worked for whatever they have won. In addition to that, sustaining a program is very difficult especially nowadays with so many schools putting the resources into basketball, but Duke continues to be right at the top every year. To maintain that high level for his program is a tremendous accomplishment. Lastly, I wasn’t sure we’d ever see a college coach coaching the Olympic team again with pro players, but I think that shows the amount of respect people have for Mike’s basketball knowledge.”
Krzyzewski has averaged 24.2 wins a season for his career. That includes 73 wins in five seasons at the U.S. Military Academy and 727 wins (so far) in 28 seasons at Duke. In fact, he’s averaged 30.2 wins a season over the last decade ? meaning that he could be in position to pass Knight as college basketball’s winningest coach early in the 2011-12 season.
His coaching milestones track the progress of his tenure at Duke:
- His career 100th win came Feb. 24, 1982 when senior Vince Taylor scored 35 points to help Duke pull out a 75-74 victory over Clemson in triple overtime. It’s the 10th ? and last ? victory for Krzyzewski’s second Duke team.
- His 200th career win came Dec. 13, 1986 as Duke upset No. 16 Alabama 76-67 at the Meadowlands in East Rutherford, N.J. Senior Tommy Amaker and freshman Phil Henderson each scored 15 points to lead the victory.
- His 300th career win came Mar. 16, 1990 as Duke knocked off Richmond 81-46 in the first round of the NCAA Tournament in Atlanta. Senior Phil Henderson, who had shared scoring honors in Coach K’s 200th career win, scored 19 in the victory, although the top scorer was senior Alaa Abdelnaby with 22. The win started Duke on the path to the NCAA title game in Denver.
- His 400th career victory came Dec. 22, 1993 as Duke won at Iowa 79-76. Junior Cherokee Parks led the way with 18 points. Grant Hill added 15 and sophomore guard Chris Collins scored 17 as Duke improved to 6-0 in a season that will end in the NCAA title game in Charlotte.
- His 500th career win came Feb. 28, 1998 as No. 1 Duke stormed back from a 17-point second-half deficit to beat No. 3 North Carolina 77-75 in the regular season finale in Cameron. Freshman Elton Brand, back in action after missing most of the season with a broken foot, sparked the comeback with 16 second-half points. Senior Roshown McLeod led the Blue Devils in scoring with 23.
- His 600th career win came Mar. 11, 2001 in the ACC title game against North Carolina in front of more than 32,000 fans in the Atlanta Georgia Dome. Junior Mike Dunleavy and senior Shane Battier combined for 44 points and 26 rebounds as the Blue Devils knocked off North Carolina for the second time in eight days without injured center Carlos Boozer. The ACC Tournament victory would propel the 2001 Devils to the national title ? the third NCAA championship for Coach K.
- His 700th win came Dec. 12, 2004 with an 82-54 victory over Toledo.in Durham. Juniors Sheldon Williams ? with 18 points ? and J.J. Redick with 14 ? led the Duke scoring parade. Freshman DeMarcus Nelson,who would also play in victory No. 800 over N.C. State, scored eight points against the Blades.
Nelson, who added 19 points as Duke’s senior captain in victory No. 800 ? including what proved to be the winning free throws, was thrilled to be a part of another milestone win.
“It means a lot,” he said. “Coach has bled his heart and soul into this program and into college basketball. To be a part of his 800th win was tremendous. I was special for us. I’m just glad we were able to go on the road and get his 800th win now.”
He wasn’t the only Duke player excited to be a part of Coach K’s 800th victory.
“It means a whole lot,” freshman Kyle Singler said. “Coach K hasn’t brought it up to the team, but we know it’s his 800th win. It’s definitely a big deal. Only five coaches have reached that level before him. It’s a definitely a point where significant coaches are placed on that win list.”
Sophomore Jon Scheyer noted that although Krzyzewski never mentioned the importance of the game, the players knew what was at stake.
“We talked about it as a team,” Scheyer said. “It’s a great thing for him. It is a big win for us.”
Shane Battier, who played for Krzyzewski from 1998-2001, spoke for many former players, who felt a part of the accomplishment.
“Coach K's 800th win is a testament to all of the values that makes him one of the greatest coaches of any sport,” Battier said. “The virtues of integrity, discipline, and teamwork were ever present in each of his 800 wins. Every player who has ever played under him is looking forward to the next 800 wins.”
Paulus was asked what qualities Krzyzewski possesses that led to his achievement.
“The standards that he has ? they’re so high, demanding perfection every day,” the junior playmaker said. “He brings it every day. No matter if we win by so many or lose by so many, every day it’s about getting better the next day. He’s always striving for more.”
And it’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll wind up with more than 800 career victories ? probably a lot more.
NOTES: Krzyzewski reached the 800 win milestone in 1,064 games ? only Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp and UNC’s Dean Smith reached that plateau faster ... 68 of Coach K’s wins came in NCAA Tournament play. That’s more than any other coach in NCAA history. ... He has 284 ACC regular season wins. Only UNC’s Smith (with 364 ACC wins) has more. ... Krzyzewski has 42 ACC Tournament wins. Again, he trails only Smith (58 ACC Tournament wins) ... Coach K now has 800 wins in 33 seasons. Only Dean Smith won more in his first 33 seasons ? and Coach K could top Smith’s 33-year total of 802 wins before this season is over.
