Kansas high school coaching legend Steve Eck reaches 1,000th win milestone at Kapaun
Steve Eck had modest expectations when he began his basketball coaching career at the age of 21 at Jardine Middle School in Wichita some 45 years ago.
“I was just hoping I could go .500,” Eck admitted.
More than four decades later, Eck, now 67, earned his 1,000th victory as a basketball head coach on Friday when he guided the Kapaun Mt. Carmel boys basketball team to a 68-33 win over Wichita North.
“I’ve had a lot of good players and a lot of good assistant coaches help me get there,” Eck said. “And that’s the best thing about all of this: it’s not so much the wins, it’s about all of the connections you make along the way.”
Eck, who has a career record of 1,000-165, has been a historic winner at just about every level he has coached at.
He was at the helm of arguably the most impressive dynasty in Kansas high school history, leading Wichita South to 10 straight City League titles and six Class 6A state championships from 1986-96.
That was followed by a Hall of Fame career at the junior college level, where Eck amassed 648 wins at an 83% winning clip during stops at Butler County, Redlands (Okla.), Cowley and Hutchinson. He is the only coach in NJCAA history to lead four different programs to a No. 1 national ranking and won two NJCAA national championships.
After stepping down as Hutchinson’s all-time winningest coach last spring, Eck returned to the City League after a quarter-century absence. In his first season at Kapaun, he led the Crusaders to a 21-2 record and No. 1 ranking, but a loss in the first round of the state tournament ended his return season in abrupt fashion — and left him on career win No. 999.
“I try not to think about that kind of stuff very much,” Eck said. “Every once in a while someone will bring it up, but I don’t think about it a lot. I didn’t get into coaching to try to get 1,000 wins.”
Kapaun’s players were aware of the milestone their coach had achieved on Friday, but Eck declined to take any pictures or have much made about the achievement.
“The kids had a pretty good time about it in the locker room after the game,” Eck said. “I told the guys that I appreciated it, but now let’s move on to the next game. We’ve got more games to win.”
The Crusaders figure to once again be among the contenders for the Class 5A title this season with a strong nucleus featuring Will Anciaux, William Thengvell, Teagan Charles, Max Keller, Dominic Shibley, Corbin Johnson, Nathan Thengvall, Brooks Powers, Nathan Wegeng and Beau Dalian.
Eck said there is no end in sight for how long he wants to continue coaching at the high school level.
“As long as I can be with the kids and keep my communication with the kids,” Eck said. “I really enjoy that connection. I’m still a kid at heart, so being around the guys and watching them grow is a lot of fun.”
Kansas high school boys basketball scores
Wichita Heights 47, Wichita Northwest 37
Wichita West 67, Wichita South 60
Bishop Carroll 66, Wichita Southeast 63
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 68, Wichita North 33
Andover 73, Campus 34
Maize South 46, Andover Central 40
Maize 52, Salina Central 50
Eisenhower 65, Salina South 63 (OT)
Goddard 58, Augusta 34
Hays 65, Newton 40
Arkansas City 64, Winfield 45
McPherson 74, Dodge City 32
Wellington 60, Mulvane 28
Cheney 63, Clearwater 30
Circle 68, Kingman 55
Buhler 57, Nickerson 27
Wichita Trinity Academy 53, Garden Plain 31
Norwich 72, Belle Plaine 46
Conway Springs 51, Medicine Lodge 26
Douglass 56, Udall 26
Halstead 46, Sedgwick 44
Haven 58, Hutchinson Trinity 40
Remington 58, Bluestem 10
Berean Academy 42, Central Plains 40 (OT)
Southeast of Saline 56, Hesston 46
Sterling 66, Hillsboro 60
Hoisington 50, Scott City 40
Pratt 65, Larned 19
Abilene 73, Smoky Valley 52
Lyons 52, Ellsworth 46
Inman 51, Minneapolis 24
Ell-Saline 60, Herington 19
West Elk 61, Oswego 32
Kansas high school girls basketball scores
Wichita Heights 55, Wichita Northwest 39
Wichita South 76, Wichita West 10
Bishop Carroll 45, Wichita Southeast 25
Kapaun Mt. Carmel 53, Wichita North 20
Maize South 41, Andover Central 38
Salina Central 40, Maize 32
Andover 67, Campus 10
Eisenhower 42, Salina South 30
Augusta 33, Goddard 27
Hays 45, Newton 29
McPherson 43, Dodge City 37
Buhler 45, Nickerson 43
Circle 46, Kingman 39
Wellington 49, Mulvane 29
Arkansas City 35, Winfield 32
Cheney 57, Clearwater 47
Garden Plain 54, Wichita Trinity Academy 38
Conway Springs 43, Medicine Lodge 35
Norwich 40, Belle Plaine 28
Halstead 39, Sedgwick 13
Haven 48, Hutchinson Trinity 22
Remington 35, Bluestem 27
Berean Academy 46, Central Plains 29
Hillsboro 44, Sterling 18
Smoky Valley 73, Abilene 39
Southeast of Saline 49, Hesston 36
Pratt 52, Larned 50
Scott City 40, Hoisington 22
Ellsworth 48, Lyons 33
Minneapolis 45, Inman 35
Ell-Saline 53, Herington 14
West Elk 60, Oswego 16
