Syracuse Basketball: Jim Boeheim Ties Dean Smith With 879 Wins

by Sean Keeley on Feb 4, 2012 6:08 PM EST in Syracuse Basketball

With the Syracuse Orange's 95-70 win over the St. John's Red Storm on Saturday, head coach Jim Boeheim has tied legendary North Carolina Tar Heels coach Dean Smith on the all-time Division I wins list with 879.

Jim you must be thrilled and overjoyed and unable to control your emotions...what say you???

"We’re focused on trying to get to the next game," Boeheim said. "That’s what we’re going to continue to try to do."

Oh.

Actually, Boeheim did say it was "a great honor" and the idea that he could break the record against the Georgetown Hoyas on Wednesday sounds too perfect.

Boeheim is in his 36th year at the helm of the Orange, which is the same number of years that Smith coached. He will now try to catch Bobby Knight, who won 902 games in 42 seasons. If Boeheim keeps up his usual pace, he could break that record as soon as the end of next season.

After that is Coach K, who's at 919 wins and showing no signs of slowing down. When asked about catching Coach K, Boeheim scoffed:

"I can’t even see him," Boeheim joked when asked if had heard from Krzyzewski lately about moving up the list. "Dean Smith was an unbelievable coach, one of, I think, the four best ever in college basketball. But we have a long way to go this season."

Congrats to Jimmy B, may there be many more wins to come, including a couple in large stadiums during a very special weekend (and I don't mean your cousin's Bar Mitzvah).

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obviously no way he'll touch coach k

unless k had to retire unexpectedly, but it’s going to be pretty awesome when he retires at a solid #2 with 1,000+. the seasons are longer these days, but will any (presently) young coaches ever coach for 30+ years again?

BK: This guy is on fire, he is really smokin'.
KenKo: Oh yeah, Bill? What's he smokin'?

by jlanning17 on Feb 4, 2012 6:54 PM EST reply actions

That's at least 5 years away

we’ll see if Jimmy rides off into the sunset before then.

http://www.syracuserugby.com/

by 'CuseRugby on Feb 4, 2012 7:26 PM EST up reply actions

I see him staying two more years, which will put him at 70

Which should give him about 945 wins with the pace he has set the last couple years

You keep chanting one more year, I thought college was four years

by PointBlankPeriodPeriod on Feb 4, 2012 7:31 PM EST up reply actions

I don't know

He might keep coaching, I think hes enjoying it. I mean he SMILED today, and for more then just a split second.

by fatmofo55 on Feb 4, 2012 8:15 PM EST up reply actions

As long as the Big East keeps us, he'll be on the sidelines.

I feel he’ll retire when we make our move to the ACC and let Hopkins be the ACC guy.

by adselver15 on Feb 4, 2012 9:12 PM EST up reply actions

But he said

He wanted to make sure there is an easy transition. Which to me says hes gonna coach a few years in the ACC.

by fatmofo55 on Feb 5, 2012 9:40 AM EST up reply actions

What's crazy

is I remember when he won his 500th, and I thought that was a lot. Then I remember when Knight won his 800th and they made a list of guys who would get to 800. Of course Jimmy was on that. It’s crazy that he won #800 2 years ago and will get to 900 next year. Frankly, if we get another NT, I wouldn’t be surprised to see him step down the next year, especially with all that he’s gone through this year.

Without Gerry McNamara we wouldn't have won 10 f-- games, not 10

by PoetryInMoten on Feb 4, 2012 8:27 PM EST reply actions

The coolest thing about all of this

Is that it is ALL within the program. Like the article a week or so ago about top-scoring coaching staffs, or this piece about most career wins… with OUR program, it ALL happens within Syracuse.
ALL of our coaches played for and scored for SU. Boeheim achieved ALL his wins at the same school (for which he played). Hopkins? McNamara? We are so lucky to have chosen a program that’s so loyal to itself. We’ve NEVER had to debate the controversy of the next coaching hire (see: football). And when JB’s done, the coaching bench is all SU. (heck, the PR guy and lawyers from the Fine scandal are all SU grads).
We may not ever be #1 in all of the very top stats, but we pretty much own same-school stats. And that’s a program to be proud of.

by JT1Night on Feb 4, 2012 10:42 PM EST reply actions