Coach K nears 800 wins
If the St. Francis Xavier X-Men continue to win as they’ve done so far this season, head coach Steve Konchalski will collect his 800th career win in short order.
Already the record holder for CIS men’s basketball coaches after passing Brandon’s Jerry Hemmings’ mark of 734 two years ago, the Elmhurst, N.Y. native, would hit the number this weekend with wins Friday and Saturday over the UNB Varsity Reds at Oland Centre.
It all sets up nicely for the former national team coach, a member of the Canadian Basketball Hall of Fame and the Nova Scotia Sport Hall of Fame. His X-Men, ranked second in the country behind Carleton, are 16-0 this season against all opponents, which includes a 5-0 mark in the race for top spot in AUS regular-season play.
It’s a tidy number the 66-year-old Konchalski expects to get sooner or later, maybe before the end of the season, he jokes.
But it’s a moment that goes beyond a milestone. It marks time — from the disco era to Justin Bieber — and an evolving culture in Canadian university sport.
Don’t expect anybody to approach 800 again.
Since coaching his first win over the Mount Allison Mounties, featuring current Saint Mary’s coach Ross Quackenbush, at the Acadia Tip-Off Tournament in 1975, Konchalski has seen his obligations change nearly beyond recognition in 37 seasons.
"I think I’ve outlasted people," he said this week. "But, to be honest, I’m proud of it in the sense that my goal when I came to St. F.X. . . . was I wanted to build a program that was consistently competitive regionally and nationally every year.
"You don’t get to 800 without being able to win a consistent number of games over a while."
Konchalski has three national titles, the first in 1993 followed by back-to-back wins in 2000 and 2001.
His thoughts don’t stray far from this year’s title contender. The X-Men are on their way to a 36th straight Atlantic conference playoff appearance.
"My main focus right now isn’t 800 or any particular number; I’m really excited about this team and the potential it has to do some damage in March."
His sideline outbursts at referees may not have the same intensity of years ago, but it doesn’t mean he can’t get wound up.
A passion for basketball rivalled by his love of winning is an age-defying potion.
"I like working with young people and helping to shape their lives," he said. "That’s a behind-the-scenes thing. But something that’s more up front and visible to the public is my love of competition. I love to compete. I think I still have that same burning desire."
He agrees that the business of being a university sport coach in the 21st century doesn’t resemble the era when a young Dalhousie law school graduate went to Antigonish looking for work in basketball.
He got a slice of the athletic department pie in those days and had to work within those confines. Today, finding extra cash from businesses and alumni in the age of athletic scholarships is as critical as X and O’s.
"It’s become a larger part of the workload and I don’t think you’re going to see people doing it for that many years," he said.
He knows someone else will be head coach of the X-Men someday. He doesn’t know when that might be.
Jack Curran, his high school coach at Archbishop Molloy in New York, is still coaching in his 54th season.
"I know I’m going to have to retire eventually, but it hasn’t really crossed my mind," said Konchalski, crediting late national team coach Jack Donohue for his roots in Canadian basketball. "Right now, I don’t have any number in terms of how many more years I’m going to coach. I just know I want to keep doing it. As long as I’m healthy I’m going to keep going forward, at least that’s my intention."
( mmosher@herald.ca)