The 2025–26 men’s basketball season has featured several coaching milestone victories across all levels of college basketball. Multiple head coaches have reached significant career win totals, marking notable achievements in their careers and in the history of their respective programs. The following is a listing of milestone victories recorded so far during the 2025–26 season. (If I’ve missed any, please send them to: [email protected]).
900 wins
Pat Smith – Moberly Area CC (11/22/25). Smith secured his 900th career coaching win on November 22 as the Greyhounds earned a 92–82 victory over Southeastern Iowa. The milestone adds another highlight to an extraordinary career that has made Smith one of the most successful and respected coaches in NJCAA men’s basketball history. Entering the 2025–26 season, Smith ranked second among all active NJCAA coaches in total victories and No. 5 on the NJCAA’s all-time wins list. More HERE.
800 wins
Steve Knight – William Carey University (12/15/25). Knight picked up his 800th career win, as the Crusaders defeated Southeastern Baptist 123-72 on Monday December 15. Knight has been the head coach at William Carey for the past 43 seasons. More HERE.
Steve Ridder – Embry Riddle (11/22/25). In his 36th season as the head coach of the Eagles, Ridder has become one of the winningest active coaches in all collegiate basketball. His 800 wins have elevated him into the top 35 on the all-time collegiate men’s basketball career wins list. More HERE.
Kelvin Sampson – Houston (11/2/25). With a 75-57 win vs Lehigh, Sampson improved to 800-354 in his 37-year career, including 300-84 since taking over at Houston in 2014. He became the 17th coach in NCAA history to reach 800 wins at NCAA Division I level and the fourth active D1 coach to achieve the milestone, joining Rick Barnes, John Calipari and Bill Self. More HERE.
750 Wins
Mark Few – Gonzaga (12/7/25). Few is the second-fastest to 750, reaching the mark in 904 games. He trails only Adolph Rupp, the Kentucky icon who did it in 902 games. Few is in his 27th season as Gonzaga’s coach and has never missed an NCAA Tournament. More HERE.
Tom Izzo – Michigan State (1/6/26). The Hall of Famer — Izzo was inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame back in 2016 — has been the Spartans’ head coach since 1995, picking up every single one of those wins there over the last 31 years. This is the latest in a string of notable wins for Izzo, as well: back in February, he passed Bobby Knight for the most Big Ten conference wins with his 354th, earned against Illinois, and it was also last season that Izzo made his way into the top-25 for wins by men’s college basketball coaches, passing first Phog Allen and then Ray Meyer. More HERE.
500 wins
Steve Brennan – Babson (11/14/25). Brennan’s Babson squad defeated No. 4 Tufts University, 83-79 for win #500 in his career. More HERE.
Matt Painter – Purdue (11/15/25). Painter won his 500th career game with a 97-79 win over Akron. Painter, in his 22nd season as a head coach (25 wins at Southern Illinois; 475 at Purdue), becomes the 16th active head coach with 500 wins. He achieved the milestone in the seventh-fewest games (Few, Calipari, Self, Pitino, Izzo, Bennett). More HERE.
400 wins
Andy Kennedy – UAB (12/21/25). With a victory vs UNC Asheville, head coach Kennedy earned his 400th career win as a head coach. Kennedy is the 15th fastest active Division I coach to reach 400 wins in just 623 attempts. This was his 134th win at UAB in just six seasons with the Blazers. He has won three conference championships and made four NCAA Tournament appearances. He is the second all-time winningest coach in UAB’s history behind Gene Bartow. More HERE.
Matt Richards – Southern Maine CC (11/2/25). With a win over Holyoke Richards hit a historic milestone — 400 career wins at SMCC. He is in his 23rd season leading the Seawolves program. More HERE.
Rich Sutter – Westfield State (1/10/26). Sutter earned his 400th career win as the Owls head men’s basketball coach as his team topped Worcester State 85-64. The winningest head coach in the history of the men’s basketball program, Sutter now has a career record of 400-300 in 27 years at Westfield. More HERE.
Tony Wysinger – Illinois Central (12/10/25). Three players reached double figures for the #22 Illinois Central College men’s basketball team in a 79-58 victory over St. Ambrose JV on Wednesday night, giving head coach Tony Wysinger the 400th win in his coaching career. Wysinger has spent his entire coaching career at ICC and is in his 26th year on the sidelines for the Cougars. More HERE.
200
Kevin App – Williams (12/20/25). The Williams head coach, who is in his 11th year of coaching the Ephs, earned the milestone victory on Dec. 20 in Daytona Beach, Fla. In the second game of the Daytona Beach Shootout, Williams held off Carleton College 73-71. More HERE.
Chris Collins – Northwestern (12/13/25). Collins became the second coach in program history to reach the 200 wins mark at Northwestern and the first since Naismith Hall of Famer Dutch Lonborg (1927-50). More HERE.
Chuck Taylor – Coastal Alabama-North (12/31/25). A victory vs East Mississippi marked fifth-year Head Coach Chuck Taylor’s 200th career win at the NJCAA level. “I’ve been blessed with a lot of great players and assistant coaches,” Taylor said following the win. “This isn’t possible without those guys or the administration who took a chance on me. I salute you all.” More HERE.
100 Wins
Tae Norwood – Palm Beach State College (11/24/25). Norwood captured career win #100 with a 72-65 win vs Fort Scott
Blake Sandquist – Des Moines Area CC (1/10/26). Sandquist captured win #100 with an 80-64 win vs Iowa Lakes. He is now 100-19 in his tenure at DMACC.
Jon Scheyer – Duke (12/16/25). Scheyer tallied his 100th career victory, becoming the fastest ACC head coach to the century mark, with Duke’s 97-73 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday, Dec. 16. Scheyer reached 100 career wins in just his 122nd game at the helm of the program, surpassing Duke’s Vic Bubas, who held the previous conference record of doing so in 128 games. More HERE.
Steve Smiley – Northern Colorado (1/8/26). UNC knocked down 16 three-pointers and led for more than 39 minutes rolling past Idaho State, 85-72, at Bank of Colorado Arena in Big Sky Conference action. The victory marked the 100th career win at Northern Colorado for Smiley, who reached the milestone as the Bears improved to 11-5 overall and 1-2 in Big Sky play.
Chris Wright – Langston University (12/4/25). The win vs University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma marked another milestone for head coach Chris Wright as he became the fifth head coach in program history to notch 100 wins as head coach at Langston University. Currently, Wright holds a 100-14 mark leading the Lions program and a cumulative win-loss record of 311-114. More HERE.
