Krzyzewski wants to be 'in the moment,' downplays chasing Dean Smith

Duke coach Mike Kryzewski has 868 career wins, which means this could be an epic year in important ways for the Devils coach. Former North Carolina coach Dean Smith had 879 career wins, which was the record at the time. Bobby Knight, Krzyzewski's coach at Army, now leads with 902 all-tme wins.

Krzyzewski, though, is downplaying this run at those records. He still keeps up with Knight, having dinner with him a couple of weeks ago. As for Smith, his longtime adversary, he said, "I respect the heck out of Dean and we became really good friends. But I don’t have any contact with him."

Krzyzewski, at Operation Basketball Wednesday in Charlotte, declined to reach any conclusions about the meaning of any potential records.

“What that means is longevity. That means a lot," he said with a bit of a laugh, no doubt recalling that many Devils wanted him gone in the tough early years. "I’m still doing what I love to do.

"Those are not goals for me. Number of wins, number of championships are not goals. If they are then … [shakes head] … I don’t think you do as good a job.

“You have to be consumed with the group you have. I have Kyrie Irving. That’s a neat thing for me. I don’t know how long I will have him. … It’s important for me to be in their moment, not for them to be in a historical moment.”