Statham Ties Smith NCAA Career Win Record

JACKSON, Tenn. (AP) -- McKendree College coach Harry Statham tied Dean Smith&#39;s record of 879 career wins Saturday with the Bearcats&#39; 78-69 victory over Freed-Hardeman.<br> <br> &#34;We&#39;re trying to keep everything in focus and get on with our season,&#34; said Statham, who can break the record Dec. 1 in a home game against Maryville.<br> <br> Statham passed Adolph Rupp&#39;s total of 876 wins earlier this season. Rupp still ranks second to Smith in NCAA history because all of Statham&#39;s victories have come at the NAIA level.<br> <br> The 67-year-old Statham has spent 39 years at the 1,500-student, liberal arts college about 25 miles east of St. Louis. He is a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame and has topped 20 wins in 29 of his 38 seasons at McKendree (8-2). He has also reached the postseason 33 times, getting to the NAIA national tournament semifinals two seasons ago.<br> <br> Statham was the NAIA coach of the year for 2001-02, and set that level&#39;s career wins record the following season.<br> <br> &#34;To get that 500th win was a milestone,&#34; Statham said. &#34;Then when we got to 800 everybody started thinking we&#39;re going to get that record and started to talk about it a little bit.&#34;<br> <br> He said the attention has been a distraction.<br> <br> &#34;It has to have a bearing on our kids,&#34; Statham said. &#34;We don&#39;t get much national attention. We get pretty good local media but not anything beyond that.&#34;

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