NEW YORK — Another win. Another milestone.
Syracuse’s 95-70 victory over St. John’s on Saturday afternoon was Orange head coach Jim Boeheim’s 879th career win, tying him for third place on the victory list with former North Carolina coach Dean Smith.
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He trails only Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski (919) and former Indiana coach Bob Knight (902) on that list. All four coaches are in the Basketball Hall of Fame.
“It’s great,” Boeheim said. “It’s a great honor.”
But as it has been throughout his whole coaching career, Boeheim was quick to deflect attention from his own accolades.
“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.”
Boeheim won No. 879 much in the same way he won his other 878 games—with his defense. The Orange held St. John’s to 30.8 percent shooting in the first half.
“We were active and I thought our overall defense was good,” Boeheim said. “I thought our defense was good early.”
Meanwhile, the Orange shot 55.7 percent for the game, and cruised to a victory in front of a mostly Orange-clad 19,979 in Madison Square Garden.
Boeheim can take sole possession of third place when SU hosts Georgetown on Wednesday at the Carrier Dome.
“That’s a great accomplishment for him,” forward Kris Joseph said. “I’m proud of him because he works hard, just as much as we do. So, that’s a great thing and I’m happy for him.”