Coach K still going strong at St. FX after 42 seasons

College basketball coach Steve Konchalski says at age 71 he has been rejuvenated by his current team and has no plans to retire.

Konchalski is in his 42nd season as the men's basketball coach at St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S.

"You are there to win and the games are just as exciting as ever," said Konchalski.

"Over the years, the development of the players and the people you work with have really taken over my priorities."

Coach K

Affectionately known to many as Coach K, Konchalski has shaped the lives of hundreds of players through the decades.

He says knowing he's had an impact on many young lives is more important than the three national championships he's won with the university's team, the X-Men.

Two of Konchalski's three Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships came in back-to-back seasons in 1999-2000 and 2000-2001.

'A really great experience'

His first national title was in the 1992-1993 season when three African players from the Central African Republic, led by centre Richard Bella, suited up for St. FX.

"On the day they came to Canada it was 38 degrees in Central Africa and when they landed in Halifax it was –16," said Konchalski. "It was a really great experience for my family and my children to learn about people from a different part of the world."

Konchalski has had hundreds of conversations with parents in their living rooms while trying to recruit high school players for St. FX.

'Always been about quality'

Citadel High School principal Wade Smith played for Konchalski from 1985 to 1990.

The former Queen Elizabeth High School standout blossomed into a smooth shooting all-Canadian guard and a two-time Atlantic Conference all-star while playing for Konchalski at St. FX.

"Steve has always been about the quality of the relationship," said Smith. "He understands that basketball isn't going to carry anyone forever."

Fierce rivalry

Konchalski hasn't been loved by all. During the late 1970s and into the 1980s, there was a fierce rivalry between St. FX and Acadia University. Konchalski was well-known for some theatrics on the sidelines.

He once emptied all the money he had in his pocket on to the gym floor — a direct shot at the referees.

There was another time when Acadia coach Ian MacMillan pointed a finger just inches from Konchalski's face as the two got into a heated argument at the end of a highly-charged game.

Rather than firing a punch or getting into a shoving match, Konchalski bit MacMillian's finger.

The next time St. FX played at Acadia, Axemen fans showed up en masse wearing Band-Aids on their fingers.

"If I ever did some of those things, now I'd be suspended for years," joked Konchalski from inside his office, where the walls are covered with dozens of framed St. FX basketball pictures.

Basketball champ

Konchalski moved to Canada from New York City to play college basketball at Acadia in the 1960s. He led the Axemen to a national championship in 1965.

He scored 41 points in the semi-final game and 28 more in the championship game. He was named tournament MVP. It marked the first time a team from Atlantic Canada had won the national title.

Konchalski spent 20 years with Canada's national team, serving as an assistant to long-time head coach Jack Donohue before taking over from him as head coach in 1995.

He's a dual citizen who has a law degree from Dalhousie University.

'A lot of passion for the game'

Coach K says the day will come when he decides to step down as St. FX coach, but it won't be anytime soon.

"I still have a lot of passion for the game," said Konchalski. "I love working with young people, so retiring is not in the near future."

No coach has won as many university games as Konchalski. In fact, no one is even close.

This year's St. FX team has already qualified for the playoffs and will take part in the Atlantic University Sport tournament next month.

At one point in his career, Konchalski coached his team into the playoffs for 38 consecutive years.