NEW YORK — Bobby Hurley thinks Coach K could easily get to 1,000 career victories and remain the all-time wins leader potentially forever.
“I would assume, [if] he stays healthy,” Hurley, who led Duke to back-to-back NCAA titles in the early 1990s, told SNY.tv. “I don’t think that they’re going to start losing games anytime soon.”
Krzyzewski tied Bob Knight atop the Division I men’s career wins list with his 902nd victory in No. 6 Duke’s 96-55 rout against Presbyterian on Saturday.
Coach K improved to 902-284 during his 37th season as a college coach at Army and Duke. He can pass Knight-his coach and mentor-on Tuesday night against Michigan State at Madison Square Garden.
Hurley, now an assistant coach to his younger brother Dan at Wagner College, says Coach K, 64, has no plans to call it quits anytime soon.
“I don’t know why he would,” Hurley said. “I know he still has a real passion just in talking to him.
“And then he gets new players. You get new guys who you’re excited about coaching and he takes good care of himself. I don’t see why he would.”
Jim Boeheim (66) and Bob Huggins (58) have been mentioned as coaches who could possibly give Coach K’s record a run for its money, but Hurley doubts it, saying it would have to be somebody much younger, like perhaps a Brad Stevens at Butler.
Stevens, 35, entered this season with 117 career wins.
“I don’t see anyone in his age bracket,” Hurley said of Coach K. “You could see some of the younger coaches, maybe Stevens, someone like that that’s in a great conference that wins big-time.
“But I don’t see anyone of his peers that would.”
