“I hated to lose.” – Mike Krzyzewski
903.
That is how many wins Mike Krzyzewski has in his career, now the all-time leader, surpassing his mentor Bobby Knight, for winningest coach in NCAA Men’s Basketball Division I history.
Let’s try and put that number into perspective.
If you coached a basketball game for every day, it would take you two and half years to reach that mark; and that’s assuming you won every single game.
And Coach K shows no signs of stopping anytime soon. With his Blue Devils ranked in the AP Top 10 for what feels like the 20th consecutive season, Duke is poised to add at least 20 more wins this year alone to Krzyzewski’s legacy. And his legacy is already a spectacular one: 4 NCAA Championships (1991, 1992, 2001, 2010), 11 Final Four appearances, 13 ACC Championships, Basketball Hall of Fame (2001), USA National Team Head Coach (1987, 1990, 2006-present) and Olympic Gold Medal (2008). There is a reason Duke signed him to a lifetime contract.
His ability to turn his players into winning teams is unparalleled: in his thirty years at Duke, Coach K is 830-225, an amazing winning percentage of 0.787. He has only has two losing seasons at Duke, in his second and third seasons at the helm. He has had twelve 30+ win seasons, including the last three. He has led his Blue Devils to twenty six 20+ win seasons; an amazing feat in a traditional powerhouse such as the ACC.
“You never want to be the guy that threw to Hank Aaron,” Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo said, in the days prior to the matchup with Duke. “It’s an incredible feat he’s trying to get to. I hope he gets there. I just hope it’s not on our night.”
Unfortunately for Izzo and his Spartans, it was. Just another impressive addition to a career filled with milestones.
Coach K now stands alone and it couldn’t be more deserved.
… and that’s the last word.
