Krzyzewski heads college hoops-hall class, but for first time ceremony won’t be in KC

The 2023 National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame class has a Duke flavor.

The five-member class is headed by former Duke men’s coach Mike Krzyzewski, college basketball’s winningest coach of all-time. Krzyzewski’s Blue Devils teams won 1,129 games. The total grows to 1,202 victories with his ledger over five seasons at Army.

Krzyzewski’s teams won five NCAA championships, second to UCLA’s John Wooden with 10. Krzyzewski’s 13 Final Four and 36 NCAA Tournament appearances, 101 March Madness victories and 132 tournament games are the most in NCAA history.

He added to those totals in his final year, 2022, taking Duke to the Final Four.

The Blue Devils won 15 ACC tournaments and 14 ACC regular-season titles under Krzyzewski.

For the first time, the Hall of Fame ceremony will take place outside of Kansas City, home of the event since the first class was inducted 2006. The enshrinement is scheduled for Aug. 30 in Chicago.

Having the event in Chicago, Krzyzewski’s hometown, doesn’t mean it won’t be back in Kansas City, said Craig Robinson, executive director of the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The NABC created the Hall of Fame and College Basketball Experience, where the Hall is housed.

The NABC, which is based here in KC, also plays host to the Hall of Fame Classic basketball tournament, which will be held Nov. 22-23 at T-Mobile Center. Creighton, Colorado State, Boston College and Loyola (Chicago) are this year’s scheduled participants.

“The NABC, NABC Foundation and National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame are proud of our longstanding relationship with Kansas City — a relationship that remains ongoing through the Hall of Fame’s physical home inside The College Basketball Experience and the Hall of Fame Classic at T-Mobile Center,” Robinson said in a statement.

“Our decision to hold the Class of 2023 Induction Celebration in a different city is by no means a negative reflection on Kansas City. Rather, it is part of a broader strategic effort to grow the stature and visibility of the National Collegiate Basketball Hall of Fame brand nationwide.”

Joining Krzyzeweki in the class is one of his first standout players, Johnny Dawkins, the 1986 Naismith Player of the Year and two-time consensus All-America selection. Dawkins scored 2,556 career points, a Duke record that stood for 20 years. He led the Blue Devils to the 1986 NCAA championship game.

Dawkins is now the head coach at Central Florida after a stint at Stanford.

Other Hall of Fame honorees

The class also includes North Carolina’s Tyler Hansbrough, the ACC’s career scoring leader with 2,872 points, the 2008 consensus national player of the year, and the ACC’s only four-time first-team all-conference selection. Hansbrough is the only player in league history to lead his team in scoring and rebounding in four seasons.

Legendary coach Herb Magee won 1,144 games over 54 years at Division II Jefferson, formerly known as Philadelphia Textile. He became known as the “Shot Doctor” for his ability to teach shot making. Magee also was a prolific scorer in college with 2,235 points over his three-year career at Philadelphia Textile.

For more than four decades, Tom Konchalski, who died of cancer in 2021, was one of college basketball’s most trusted talent scouts. His High School Basketball Insider was published 16 times a year and was considered a go-to source for coaches for his reports and rankings.

Krzyzewski and Magee and members of the Naismith Hall of Fame.