Coach K Gets to Victory 1K

25 Jan, 2015

Mike Krzyzewski earned his 1,000th career win Sunday, making him the first NCAA Division I men’s coach to reach the milestone, when No. 5 Duke surged past St. John’s in the second half for a 77-68 victory at Madison Square Garden.

Tyus Jones scored 22 points and the Blue Devils (17-2) went on an 18-2 run down the stretch to put Coach K in four figures on his first try.

“I’m not sure I’ve ever been a part of a game like that. That’s kind of nuts, huh?” Krzyzewski said. “It just seemed like three different games.”

Jahlil Okafor had 17 points and 10 rebounds, combining with Jones and Quinn Cook (17 points) to fuel the decisive spurt after Duke trailed by 10 with 8:15 remaining.

That’s when the Blue Devils finally began to look like a Krzyzewski-coached team, picking up their defense and hustling to loose balls as he urged them on from one knee in front of the bench. Duke outworked the Red Storm on the glass and held them without a field goal for 6 pivotal minutes.

“It just, boom! It was great,” Krzyzewski said. “It was beautiful, really, to see them fight today and win.”

When the final horn sounded, Blue Devils players engulfed Krzyzewski and he received a bear hug from assistant Jeff Capel. Photographers swarmed the coach on the court, and players were given T-shirts that read “1,000 Wins And Kounting.”

A public address announcement offered congratulations to Krzyzewski, and Duke fans at a packed Garden chanted his name and held aloft “K” signs.

The 67-year-old Krzyzewski improved to 1,000-308 in a 40-year coaching career that began in 1975 at his alma mater, Army. He is 927-249 in 35 seasons at Duke, guiding the Blue Devils to four NCAA titles and 11 trips to the Final Four.

“It’s special. But it’s for all the players who have played for him who got these wins. It’s not just us,” Cook said. “That’s why we wanted to come out and get it done.”

AP

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