Duke’s “Coach K” Gets 1,000th Win

Coach 1K. How grand.

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 Krzyzewski in four figures on his first try.

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.

When the final horn sounded, Duke players engulfed Krzyzewski, and he received a bear hug from assistant Jeff Capel. Players were given T-shirts that read "1,000 Wins And Kounting."

"We were so gritty in the last 10 minutes," Krzyzewski said. "It was tough to get involved with 1,000. I was just trying to survive this game, which is how you get to 1,000."

A public address announcement offered congratulations to Krzyzewski from St. John's, and Duke fans at a packed Garden chanted his name and held aloft "K" signs.

"I'm in it right now. I wasn't in it until now," he said. "You know, to see the happiness of my players makes it good. We have to keep it in perspective. It makes us 17-2 and we've got to go to Notre Dame on Wednesday, but for this moment, for basketball, for the game and for this program, we'll enjoy this one right now."