Tarkanian’s Winning Average Is Second Only to LIU’s Bee

Jerry Tarkanian of Nevada Las Vegas and North Carolina’s Dean Smith head the list of the nation’s winningest college basketball coaches for the third year in a row.

Tarkanian, whose 1986-87 team won 37 games to tie the NCAA single-season record, has won 473 games while losing 100 in 19 seasons as a head coach--five at Cal State Long Beach and 14 at UNLV.

His winning percentage of .825 ranks second on the all-time NCAA list between Long Island University’s Clair Bee (410-86--.827) and Kentucky’s Adolph Rupp (875-190--.822).

Smith’s 26-year record of 611-175--.777 puts him second among active coaches to both Tarkanian in winning percentage and Ralph Miller of Oregon State in total victores. Miller’s teams have won 615 games.

Lou Carnesecca of St. John’s is third and Indiana’s Bob Knight is fourth for the second year in a row. Carnesecca’s 19-year record is 423-145--.745 while Knight, in his 23rd season as a head coach, is 468-169--.735. Knight coached at West Point before going to Indiana.

The only newcomer in this year’s list is Shelby Metcalf of Texas A&M;, who is 16th. He replaces Virginia Tech’s Charlie Moir, who is no longer coaching.

The Top Twenty Coaches list has been compiled for the 21st year by Elmore (Scoop) Hudgins, retired assistant commissioner of the Southeastern Conference.

Hudgins’ formula lists the 20 coaches with the most victories at four-year colleges and then ranks them in order of winning percentage. The cutoff point this year is 397 victories.

Rounding out the top 10 are Don Haskins of Texas-El Paso, 493-215--.696; Lou Henson of Illinois, 481-234--.673; Davey Whitney of Alcorn State, 437-219--.666; Gene Bartow of Alabama-Birmingham, 476-243--.662; Norm Stewart of Missouri, 478-248--.658, and Don Donoher of Dayton, 412-240--.632.

The second 10 consists of Old Dominion’s Tom Young, 463-271--.631; Oregon State’s Miller, 615-373--.622; Eldon Miller of Northern Iowa, 417-256--.620; Florida’s Norm Sloan, 583-370--.612; Gary Colson of New Mexico, 465-298--.609; Texas A&M;’s Metcalf, 397-267--.598; Harry Miller of Stephen F. Austin, 524-356--.596; Northwestern’s Bill Foster, 420-289--.592; Glenn Wilkes of Stetson, 467-345--.576, and Vanderbilt’s C.M. Newton, 470-350--.573.