The Associated Press

LUBBOCK, Texas - When Bob Knight had to clear out his locker at Indiana, his son discovered three balls buried under junk and stained by a soft drink.

Each was taped with a number - 500, 600 and 700 - to mark the coach's milestone victories.

"I took them back to the house," said Pat Knight, who emptied the locker after Indiana fired his dad in 2000. "He threw them in the closet."

Yep, Bob Knight doesn't like to make a fuss about all his achievements. But he'll soon have another ball to add to his unwanted collection.

Knight, 62, won his 799th game Wednesday when his Texas Tech Red Raiders beat Colorado. One more victory will make him the fourth men's Division I coach to reach 800. His first chance comes Saturday night against Texas A&M in College Station.

For Knight, the milestone proves only that he has coached a long time, since 1965. As for wins with numerical significance, he said he remembers only No.1. The others "just never meant anything to me," he said.

"I've gotten upset when I lost. When we won, that's just kind of what I thought we were supposed to do," said Knight, who has won three national championships.

Though Knight won't step back and ponder this accomplishment, his peers are happy to do it for him.

"Eight-hundred means you've sustained excellence for a long, long time," said Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, who got his Division I coaching start as an assistant to Knight. "I hope he gets a lot more."

Kansas coach Roy Williams, who recently hit 400, said: "Eight-hundred wins is just mind-boggling. I don't know if I could live through 800 games, much less 800 wins."

Knight registered wins Nos.200-700, and all three of his national titles, while coaching the Hoosiers from 1971-2000. Along the way, the silver-haired coach known as the General also became infamous for his temper.

He threw a chair across a court; kicked a chair on the sideline while his son, Pat, was sitting in it; had countless spats with officials and reporters; and was accused of grabbing a player by the throat during a practice. A videotape of that 1997 episode created a furor that eventually led to his dismissal in September 2000.

Adolph Rupp of Kentucky was the longtime record-holder for coaching victories at 876. North Carolina's Dean Smith passed him in 1997 and retired with 879. Jim Phelan of Mount St.Mary's has 826 wins and is retiring after this season.