The Confidential

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Archive for the tag “Krzyzewski”

15 Nov 2011
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Coach K Gets #903!

The Confidential is very proud to recognize the Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski as the all-time leader in coaching wins at the Division I level.  Tonight, he and the Blue Devils were able to beat a game Michigan State Spartans squad 74-69.  In the process, Coach K moved out of a tie with his former coach, Bob Knight, and into sole possession of first on the all-time wins list.

While there will be no shortage of stories on this feat, sometimes it is the numbers that are most overwhelming.  Consider the top 25 in all-time coaching wins at the Division I level:

  1. Coach K, 903 (and counting)
  2. Knight, 902
  3. Dean Smith, 879
  4. Adolph Rupp, 876
  5. Jim Boeheim, 856 (and counting)
  6. Jim Calhoun, 855 (and counting)
  7. Jim Phelan, 830
  8. Eddie Sutton, 804
  9. Lefty Driesell, 786
  10. Lute Olson, 780
  11. Lou Henson, 779
  12. Henry Iba, 764
  13. Edgar Diddle, 759
  14. Phog Allen, 746
  15. Jerry Tarkanian, 729
  16. Norm Stewart, 728
  17. Ray Meyer, 724
  18. Don Haskins, 719
  19. Bob Huggins, 691 (and counting)
  20. Denny Crum, 675
  21. Gary Williams, 668
  22. John Wooden, 664
  23. Roy Williams, 643 (and counting)
  24. Billy Tubbs, 641
  25. Hugh Durham, 633

Just look at those names.  And yet the most amazing thing about this list is the number of coaches who have arenas named after them.  These are coaching icons.  And all of them are looking up to Coach K tonight.

Well, all but one of them were looking up to Coach K last week too.  But tonight, even Bob Knight must look up.

It is also interesting how many of those names Coach K had to battle with, such as the legendary games against Dean Smith (#3) and Roy Williams (#23) of North Carolina.  The games against Lefty Driesell (#9) and Gary Williams (#21) in Duke-Maryland matchups.  The March games against Jerry Tarkanian (#15) and the Runnin’ Rebels of UNLV.  A lot of those 903 wins were big wins.

But The Confidential is still most impressed by a different statistic.  As the head coach of Army, Coach K was 73-59, including a 9-17 season in 1979-1980.  Duke still hired him for the 1980-1981 season.  And, after three seasons at Duke, Coach K’s record was still a disappointing 38-47.  That means that after his eight first seasons as a coach, his overall record was 111-106.  That’s a career-ending record in today’s game.  With a fully functioning blogosphere, Coach K might not have survived at Army, much less Duke.

As we know, Duke stuck with him.  802 more wins later, it can be called a “good” decision.  Which is an understatement along the lines of calling the Pacific Ocean “moist.”  It was a great decision!

Today’s win is an amazing accomplishment.  Congratulations to Coach K, his family, and Duke nation!

UPDATE: Here is a great link for more information on the early years at Duke for Coach K: http://www.cbssports.com/collegebasketball/story/16131537/coach-ks-path-to-greatness-cleared-by-patient-ad-butters

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , ,
15 Nov 2011
1 Comment

ACC is One of Three Conferences Without a Loss in 2011-2012

So far during this early basketball season, the Atlantic Coast Conference is undefeated!  While it obviously is just a matter of time before this streak ends, it is notable and pride evoking that the current ACC schools are an impressive 18-0.  Add in the undefeated starts by Syracuse and Pittsburgh, and the league record swells to 22-0!

With more than 30 basketball conferences, you might think that a lot of conferences are in the ACC’s position this early in the season.  You would be wrong. With the first few days of the season completed, the ACC is one of just three conferences whose teams have yet to lose.

The Big 12 is undefeated at 14-0.  However, new member West Virginia has suffered a loss.  So, if we are looking at future membership, the Big 12 would be eliminated.  #2 Kentucky plays #12 Kansas tonight, so this is a streak that may end very soon.  The Midwestern Conference is the only other conference that is undefeated.  It’s 8 teams are a combined 13-0. San Diego State plays #11 today, so this is another streak that may be over very soon.

To be fair, if we are not counting West Virginia as a Big East school, that means the Big East would be undefeated at 23-0 (excluding West Virginia, Syracuse, and Pitt).  Given that most observers believe that the Big East and the ACC volley back and forth as the best basketball conference, none of this is surprising.

As for keeping that streak going, there are several important games today:

  • Duke hosts Michigan State.  As you already know, Mike Krzyzewski is searching for win #903 tonight.  As is always the case, Michigan State’s Tom Izzo likes to beat up his team in November.  Following the Carrier Classic with a game at Duke is certainly a great way to do that.  Unlike most seasons, however, Michigan State follows this game up with a series of games against directional schools.  In any event, the big picture is Coach K and his pursuit of the all-time record for wins.  Should be an outstanding environment and a great game.
  • Miami hosts Rutgers in a game between 1-0 schools.  With Jim Larranaga looking to put Miami on the map, and Rutgers’ Mike Rice looking to do for basketball what Greg Schiano has done for football, do not overlook this game.  These two teams could be March participants soon, even if not this year.
  • Virginia Tech’s annual effort to be a bubble team can take a step in the right direction by holding off Isaiah Thomas and Florida International.
  • Syracuse hosts Albany as Jim Boeheim tries to keep within 50 of Coach K on the win front.

While it is of no lasting consequence, it would be a nice feather in the cap for the ACC to be that last undefeated conference.

 

 

 

Posted by acaffrey in ACC only, Basketball and tagged , , , , , , , ,

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