Mike Krzyzewski Ties Dean Smith in Total Wins
by T.H. on Dec 21, 2010 8:44 AM EST
in Basketball
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I suppose I should mention something about Mike Krzyzewski tying Dean Smith in career wins last night as Duke beat the mighty Elon. I don't really care all that much though, because Coach Smith never did. In fact, I firmly believe that if the 1997 season had ended with a few more losses – and it was shaping up to early on – he would have retired short of Adolph Rupp's record, and been happier doing so. We were all thrilled for him, because he was a great coach and a better man, and it was nice for him to surpass a rather horrible man to be astride the coaching world. But Dean Smith was actively avoiding this type of spotlight. He hated it. He was thrilled when Bob Knight passed him, loved pointing out that NAIA coaches were still above him (he would always bring up Big House Gaines' 830 wins when people talked about win totals, and will probably cheer to fall even further down the list. So although it annoys me, a partisan Carolina fan, I just duck the hagiographies and go on with things. After all, there's a limit to how stupid even they can be.
Nobody in his right mind could have ever imagined that the midwesterner with the funny name at the private school in Durham could ever overtake the folksy Kansan at the public school in Chapel Hill in terms of success and stature, but Duke’s win over Elon tonight is just one more huge prong in an argument that’s long been settled: when it comes to K & Dean, Krzyzewski is the better coach, and history will quite possibly judge him as the second-best of all-time behind John Wooden. Sorry, Heels fans, but it’s true.
I stand corrected – that's pretty $@#&ing stupid.
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The argument might have some valid points. I believe Coach K would probably care about all of that and would work diligently to surpass everything Coach Smith accomplished. In the end that would spell the difference between the two. Coach Smith loved to teach and coach and would have done so in a gym that sat 100 people and never received any publicity and Coach K and his ego wouldn’t feel that was an accomplishment.
Congrats to him. He is a great coach and an average human being. Coach Smith would probably settle on being a average coach and a great human being. But sorry Duke fans, He was a great coach and a great human being. It’s true!
Oh, the Argument Might
But, you know, they would have to actually make it. Just saying, “879 wins! Whelp, that Duke guy is obviously better!” doesn’t cut it.
I’m actually not very happy with the way basketball journalism discusses most coaches. I’ll try to write something longer about that over the next few days. But one of the reasons I think Smith is a better coach, is that I know more about what he coached, because he was willing to teach anyone who was willing to learn.
Coach K is a fine coach
But what did he do to actually impact the game? Was he an innovator? Has what he has done being taught around the globe as a fundamental aspect of the game?
The answer is no. Coach Smith innovated aspects of the game that are now simply considered fundamental. His motion offense, his secondary break, his “way” is taught at every level.
Coach K? He does what everyone else does, simply better than them. Coach Smith simply made the game better. Who cares how many wins.
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