Ticketscoach Jim Boeheim won his 800th game on Monday night.
Think about that for a second. If a coach averages 20 wins a year, he would have to stick around for 40 years to get to 800.
It hasn't taken Boeheim nearly that long because he's averaged 24 wins a year. This is his 34th season as a college head coach - all of them spent at his Alma mater - and his all-time record is 800-288. He's captured one national championship and been to three Final Fours.
Boeheim is 64-years-old and has already been inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame, but has given no indication that he intends to retire any time soon. Bob Knight's all-time record of 902 wins is not out of the question, although Mike Krzyzewski (833) and Jim Calhoun (805) could break it first.
The Syracuse Post-Standard had a reporter ask all of the Big East coaches for their reaction to Boeheim's milestone at Big East media day. Here's what Mick Cronin had to say:
"I don't know about coaching 800 games, let alone winning 800 games," Mick said. "It's amazing - a testament to what he's done there over the years. Unbelievable. It's mind-boggling. I can't even begin to swallow it. In this day and age, it's so dog-eat-dog. You gotta win every year. And coaches - we're all overpaid, so therefore we're all fired too quickly, we're scrutinized too much. But it goes with the territory. That's what happens when you get the dollars. I don't know if you'll see a guy last as long as he's lasted at his institution. I think that's sad because he's synonymous with his university. And you see what happens when one guy gets to stay in one place for such a long period of time. Not only does he impact winning, but he's been able to impact the university in different ways: Coaches vs. Cancer . . . being an ambassador for his university. I'd love to have half of his run at my Alma mater."