When Mike Krzyzewski tied Adolph Rupp for third place on the all-time Division 1 victory list earlier this month, he joked, “I’m gonna win more games, I think. Coach Rupp, God bless him, is not.”
The same can be said of Dean Smith and Bob Knight, both of whom are retired while Coach K is fast moving up the list.
With No. 1 Duke’s 98-72 victory Monday over Elon behind 24 points from Kyle Singler, Krzyzewski earned his 879th career victory and tied Smith, the former North Carolina coach, for second all-time.
“It’s an honor to have won that many games,” Krzyzewski said. “I’m sure Dean would say the same thing, that it was an honor for him to win that many games. I have the utmost respect for Dean – the fact that we’ve been really good coaches in this league … he was at his school a long time and I’ve been here a long time.
“I know we’ve both realized we wouldn’t have won as many games without being at these schools. Again, I know it’s like a milestone, but I’m more interested in how we become a better team this year.
Knight, Coach K’s mentor at Army, sits atop the list with 902 career wins. Duke (11-0) would need to win 34 games this season, or 23 more, for Krzyzewski to tie Knight, and 35 for him to pass him.
In other Duke news, a source close to the program said freshman point guard Kyrie Irving is expected to be out at least a couple more weeks with an injury to his right toe.
CAREER WINS
1.Bob Knight 902
2(t).Dean Smith 879
2(t). Mike Krzyzewski 879
4. Adolph Rup 876
5. Jim Boeheim 841
6. Jim Calhoun 832
7. Jim Phelan 830
8. Eddie Sutton 804
9. Lefty Driesell 786
10(t). Luke Olson 780
10(t). Lou Henson 780
