How Jim Boeheim Could Pass Mike Krzyzewski in Wins...Kind Of
Duke basketball officially announced that long time head coach Mike Krzyzewski will retire after the 2021-22 season. He is currently at the top of the all-time division one men's basketball wins by a head coach with 1,170. He will add to that with the next season, and then his number will be set in stone.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim is still coaching, has not announced any retirement plans, and has a chance to challenge that number. Well, sort of. Boeheim currently has 1,083 wins in reality. However, the NCAA discredited 101 wins due to violations. Therefore, the official NCAA record book reflects an alternate reality of 982 wins.
Disregarding the NCAA record book for a moment, Boeheim's 1,083 wins are 87 behind Krzyzewski. That variance could increase or decrease depending on Duke's and Syracuse's win totals next season. We will assume a 90 win difference for purposes of using a round number. Boeheim/Syracuse will need to average 22.5 wins over four seasons in order to tie Krzyzewski. If Boeheim coaches for five more seasons, the average wins per season drops to 18.
Five more years would put Boeheim at 81 years old and the first 80-year old to coach in a division one college basketball game. In a vacuum that seems almost unfathomable, but who would put it past Boeheim?
In the NCAA's world, Boeheim is currently 188 wins behind Coach K. That is much more difficult but not entirely impossible. Syracuse would have to average 23.5 wins over eight seasons in order to pass Coach K in the NCAA's record books. Eight more years would put Boeheim at 84 years young.
Who knows how many more years Jim Boeheim will coach Syracuse, and certainly with his peers Coach K and Roy Williams retiring, it will bring up that question. His win total will certainly be something to watch for the next few years as long as he remains on the Orange sidelines.
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