by David Cassilo / @dcassilo
With his mentor and former record holder Bob Knight in the building, Duke’s Mike Krzyzewski picked up win No. 903 on Tuesday night to become the winningest coach in Division I history. The historic win came at Madison Square in the first game of the Champions Classic, Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils defeated Michigan State, 74-69.
While the unranked Spartans kept things close for the first 20 minutes, 26 points from Andre Dawkins and 20 points from Seth Curry were enough to bury Tom Izzo’s crew.
But even with the strong performance from the Blue Devils backcourt, the night was all about their coach. Krzyzewski’s 903 wins, which include stints at Army and Duke, include four national titles and 11 Final Four appearances. The Duke head coach played for Knight at Army, and after the game the two legendary coaches shared a moment together.
From The Washington Post:
“I just told Coach I love him,” Krzyzewski said. “I wouldn’t be in this position without him. It’s a moment shared. I know he’s very proud and I’m very proud to have been somebody who’s worked under him and studied him and tried to be like him.”
Krzyzewski’s resume doesn’t just stop with the 903 victories. He was elected into the National Basketball Hall of Fame in 2001 and led Team USA to a gold medal in 2008. The only men’s or women’s coach with more wins in Division I history is Tennessee’s Pat Summit, who has 1,071.
