The college basketball regular season has finally started, and the games this weekend look to be a lot more competitive than most of the first week’s games. But perhaps the biggest thing to watch is the history that is about to be made.
Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski is on the cusp of winning his 903rd game, which would put him one game ahead of Bob Knight for most wins by a Division 1 coach. But Coach K didn’t really need to get this win to solidify himself as the best. He has been a dominant coaching force for a long time and should be recognized as the best in the game.
After working as an assistant to Bob Knight at Indiana for a year and taking the reigns as head coach of Army for five seasons, Krzyzewski landed at Duke. They were a lackluster team and it was going to take some rebuilding to reach national prominence. But in just four years Krzyzewski was able to get them into the NCAA Tournament, and the success has grown immensely since then.
Krzyzewski has four national championships, 12 conference regular season championships and 11 final four appearances. He also has won two gold medals, one at the 2008 Summer Olympics and one in the FIBA World Championship. These are without a doubt some incredibly impressive stats, but it’s not just the fact that he has won the games, it’s the way he has won them.
In an era in which recruiting is a dirty game, Coach K has managed to keep his nose clean. He has gotten some very good players with great character. He puts an emphasis on getting kids that are not just good basketball players, but good people as well. He has also been offered NBA positions numerous times for outstanding amounts of money, but he has declined every offer to stay at Duke. He obviously has a passion for the game and a passion for Duke basketball.
I am not a big Duke fan. I have rooted against them and rooted for Krzyzewski to bolt for the NBA. I know this is only because he is such a great coach. He wins and always gets some of the best recruits. But underneath all of the hatred for Duke is a layer of great respect for Krzyzewski. He has done everything the right way and he has done it extraordinarily well. This is why he will be considered the best.
Bob Knight has just as many wins as Krzyzewski and is just as big of a coaching icon. But the main difference in the two coaches is their reputations. Knight will always be remembered as the guy who threw the chair across the court or the coach who choked one of his players during practice. Meanwhile, Krzyzewski is not seen in this light whatsoever. He is not known for anything crazy, just winning. I personally love Bob Knight. I think he’s a great coach and I enjoy listening to him speak about basketball, but he will always be best remembered for his worst moments in his career.
Mike Krzyzewski is arguably the best coach of all time. As we have seen over the years, he has always won with class and integrity. At some point in the very near future, he will become the most winning men’s basketball coach in NCAA Division 1 history. But he didn’t really need this record to prove he was the best. He already proved that he was the greatest by his years of dedication and loyalty to the game he loves.