Its hard, man. It was Guthridge who was the creator of the well-known and slightly strange departure times for Carolina travel parties. (Robert Willett / Tribune News Service via Getty). And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. Whatve you got to prove then?. Certainly, what a marvelous run of three years.. Only, given Guthridges age at the time (60) and the fact that hed always said hed retire when Smith did, Baddour wasnt totally sure Guthridge was interested. When did Bill Guthridge coach at UNC? Of course, Smith did retire. In other words, why Smith walked away at the exact moment he did. The first is, if Guthridge hadnt wanted the job, would Williams have taken it? And so even as the coachs hair changed from dark brown to gray to white, his position never did. In his 33 seasons at Carolina, the Tar Heels won two NCAA championships, in 1982 and 1993; played in 12 Final Fours; won the ACC Tournament championship 13 times; and played in the ACC Tournament championship game a total of 22 times. He needed to hear that from Guthridge. The team fundamentally changed, that opportunity disappearing into the ether. Case in point. There is one final thing, though, that seems to be consensus, the one aspect of this entire hypothetical that no one can seem to get over: that the reason there are still enduring questions about what Smith could have accomplished in those extra four seasons is because those are the same questions Smith himself always carried. But theres another alternate history with extreme on-court implications that might have forced his hand. But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. The University of North Carolina has lost a dear friend, as haveI, andIknow that we will all miss him greatly., Im extremely saddened by the passing of Coach Guthridge, aka Coach Gut, especially coming so close to the loss of Coach Smith. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State before joining the Tar Heels staff in 1967. "Coach Guthridge was instrumental in recruiting me to UNC and I have so many great memories of him and the lessons he taught me. Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. He played or coached in 14 Final Fours, more than any person in NCAA history. 1 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. Baddour and Smith never had a lengthy sitdown to discuss the future. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Born in Parsons, Kansas,[2] Guthridge attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, and graduated with a B.S. He was 77. Unfortunately, it took UNC two tries to find that leader. But the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also ended Phil Fords career. That Plan B, clearly, was Guthridge. He was a friend. The school scheduled a news conference for 2:30 p.m. today. 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The picture most Tar Heel fans will have of him is sitting slightly behind Dean Smith, perhaps leaning over to make a point to the head coach. We offer our deepest sympathies to Bills family, friends and the entire North Carolina basketball community.. Even 22 years after turning down the Nittany Lions, Guthridge still couldnt quite bear to leave. "Though he was a head coach for a short time, he gracefully carried on a culture and legacy that many thought could not be perpetuated.". He said that although he was impressed with the athletic department personnel and basketball program, withdrawing his name was "in the best interest of myself and my family.". I will miss his kindness and wisdom. Whether Williams would have returned at that time is impossible to say. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. Seeded eighth in the South region, North Carolina upset top-seeded Stanford in the second round and continued to the Final Four, where they lost to Florida. But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report. But it was as if the whole contraption was tilted, resting at an incline so that the sand would never get to the bottom. Guthridge could deal with Dean's irritability, his need to control the smallest things. A source close to the basketball program, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that Guthridge recently decided he did not have the energy to continue coaching the Tar Heels. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. Its one game, Jamison says. Guthridge was the longtime assistant to UNC coach Dean Smith, who died earlier this year. Guthridge spent 31 seasons as an assistant to Smith, the winningest coach in college basketball history. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. But looking back, Hanners now believes Guthridge already had an inclination something was afoot. He formed a successful partnership with Dean Smith that lasted three decades until Smith retired in 1997. He wasnt an electric radio show guest. He stayed (rather than leave for a head coaching job at another university) because he was enjoying what he was doing and why leave something you know is good for the unknown. Were the best North Carolina team that never won a championship. After Smith retired in October 1997, then-athletic director Dick Baddour elevated Guthridge to the top job. Carolina Jump Rope is making their fellow Tar Heel rethink what it means to jump rope. Ndiaye even tried cracking the ice by joking that Guthridges years as head coach probably hadnt hurt his wallet. The Parsons, Kan., native posted an 80-28 record in three seasons as Carolinas head coach, leading the 1998 and 2000 teams to the Final Four. How might everything be different? The family told team spokesman Steve Kirschner that Guthridge died of heart failure and that the coach had lived with a heart condition the past seven years. After graduating from Kansas State, he coached at Scott City High School in Kansas for two seasons before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach for Tex Winter from 19621967. Guthridge initially gained recognition after serving for thirty years as Dean Smith's assistant at the University of North Carolina and summing many wins as a result. I enjoyed my 30 years as an assistant coach, and Ive enjoyed my three years as a head coach.. Frederick said he wanted to emphasize to Williams how strongly the university, the community, the people in the state of Kansas and all of our alumni and fans feel about him continuing as the Jayhawk coach forever.. 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Guthridge was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1998. He saw his memory issues coming long before the world did. The perception of Smiths program might have been that it ran without emotion. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life. Yeah, Id say that was more likely than unlikely., I wouldve gone to where I went two years later, he says. In fact, he communicated as much to Baddour after Baddour was tapped in late June to replace John Swofford as athletic director. Hed grown up in North Carolina, graduated from the university, won a championship as an assistant under Smith and had built a successful program as the coach at Kansas. Dean Smith unexpectedly retired as head basketball coach at North Carolina just two months before the start of the 1997-98 season, and Guthridge was immediately named his successor. Penn State was a good situation, he said in an interview in 2010. The little doo-doos got him in the end, Hanners says. The Tar Heels lost to Florida in last seasons Final Four. Heck, he might still be the coach at North Carolina. Bill Guthridge is best known in Chapel Hill as an assistant coach to Dean Smith, but that isn't the complete picture of the legendary coach. In five years on Winter's staff, Guthridge helped lead the Wildcats to a 9343 (.684) record, a pair of Big Eight Conference crowns, and the NCAA Final Four in 1964. My guess is that Coach Guthridge probably never came back from that place after Coach Smiths death and I would speculate that Coach Smiths death may have been the final straw of an increasingly-unfamiliar and disconnected life for Coach Guthridge. That was probably six or seven years later where somebody else might recognize it. The Tar Heels finished first or tied for first in the ACC regular season 16 times, finished second or tied for second in the ACC regular season 11 times and finished third or tied for third in the ACC regular season six times. But if Williams had said no, as he did two years later, would Ford have been tapped for the job then? I want to spend the weekend thinking about it. He was a kind soul with a strong, competitive spirit. Postseason invitational champion He's a native of Raleigh, N.C. Guthridge led UNC to the Final Four in his first season, but the team fell short of a championship. Thats impossible to know, but Williams was also returning a top-five team, one that was expected to compete for a championship in its own right. That startling decision equated to the ultimate professional sacrifice. He was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina. Smith was fresh off his 11th Final Four and had just passed Adolph Rupp for the most wins by any college basketball coach in history. Former UNC coach, assistant Guthridge dies, Sizing up the player of the year winners in all 32 Division I men's conferences, Tide's Oats takes blame for Miller's 'TSA' intro, Davis within 25 points of tying Maravich's mark, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, Tennessee win soured by knee injury to Zeigler, USC, OU, Seton Hall, Iowa in new hoops tourney, Houston, Alabama remain atop AP Top 25 poll. It didnt bother me that I was a lousy coach, and when we started winning I was a better coach. Guthridge didn't bother to recruit Jason Williams, conceding him to K, even though Jason reportedly had an interest in UNC. On Oct. 9, 1997, Smith called it quits. It left at 1:57 p.m. His reasoning? Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. All rights reserved. Conference regular season champion And for as much as he did enjoy those three seasons, the same obligations that wore Smith down got to Guthridge as well. Everybody would have loved Coach Ford to get the opportunity, Frederick says. He was enormously committed to attention to detail and organization, says Dick Baddour, a longtime university administrator who served as athletic director from 1997 to 2011. He bought into everything. In that scenario, Williams never leaves Kansas and Ford probably never leaves North Carolina. Graduate of the University of North Carolina. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Its funny that were doing this story, Jamison says. "He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. Lets play out the most interesting of the hypotheticals: if Dean Smith does return for the 1997-1998 season, with an absolutely jam-packed roster. The fact that he felt like he failed us.. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. Smith and Guthridge had long maintained theyd retire together, the natural conclusion to a three-decade partnership in Chapel Hill. The Blue Sky Scholars Program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina. Why would a healthy 66-year-old call it quits and relinquish the chance to coach that team? Williams and Ndiaye both graduated. At Smith's retirement. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. Whats best for the players future has to come first, Smith said of the way he dealt with McAdoo, who became the second overall pick the in 72 NBA draft. When coach Smith retired in 1997, after a tenure of 36 season, Guthridge took over the job to begin a reign of great basketball playing at UNC. Assistant coach Phil Ford is at right. 1 team in America. The emotion was there, its just that it was often Guthridge providing it. So I just feel like we got robbed.. Bill Guthridge was a gentleman coach, but a fierce competitor, and an incredibly loyal member of Dean Smiths staff for three decades, said UNC Director of Athletics Bubba Cunningham. Thank you Coach Gut for the many lessons you taught us at UNC. Brendan Marks covers Duke and North Carolina basketball for The Athletic. That image of Guthridge is accurate but not complete. In 1976, he also served as an assistant coach to Smith as the United States won the gold medal in men's basketball at the Summer Olympics in Montreal. He would sneak into practices, hide way up in the rafters so as not to be seen. Following the 199798 season, several organizations named him National Coach of the Year and he received the Naismith College Coach of the Year award. Try a week on us. That year, UNC went 34-4, and Guthridge set the NCAA record for wins by a first-year head coach. He has a keen sense of which ones will be very good players and which ones may be overrated. A longtime assistant to the legendary Dean Smith, he shall be remembered for his three seasons as head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Coach Guthridge was the right choice to lead the transition to another, younger leader of the famed basketball program at the University of North Carolina. The team performs dazzling spins and flips at campus events and even competes against other universities and jump rope clubs from around the country. Or does Doherty get his chance regardless? He was known to answer a question such as Coach, do you know what time it is? with a Yes as he walked away. Copyright 2013 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. With Williams, it was the restoration of the family, three national championships and potentially many more years. Says losing Guthridge "is another tremendous loss. The closest he came to leaving Chapel Hill was 1978, when he verbally accepted the head coaching job at Penn State. In his tenure at UNC, Guthridge coached five National Players of the Year, six ACC Players of the Year, five ACC Rookies of the Year and 28 first-team All-ACC players. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. 2 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. His calm demeanorhe could sometimes be found sitting in the stands an hour before road games eating popcorn or a hot dogmasked a passionate love for the Tar Heels. [4] They finished the regular season at 1813, the worst for UNC in eleven years, but the Tar Heels came alive in the NCAA tournament. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. We offer our deepest condolences to the Guthridge family as they grieve the loss of a wonderful husband and father.. But when Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing with the Seattle Sonicsmade the effort to find a commercial flight to Chapel . I wouldve never thought of that in a million years.. He came up with the idea that Dean Smith, having . College Basketball Coach. Coach Smith always had a plan. Smith wanted longtime assistant Bill Guthridge (age 60 at the time) to be a head coach and enjoy the competitive and financial rewards of the job. Now Guthridge, 77, is enduring a similarly cruel fate . He was extremely special, important to every player, every coach who ever worked here. Guthridge became head coach after Smith retired in 1997 and coached the team for three seasons.UNC coach Roy Williams called Guthridge a key . The only people who came to know about that line of succession, so to speak, were Baddour, Smith, Guthridge and then-chancellor Michael Hooker, who expressed some concerns about Guthridges age early on. Guthridge, who like Smith was a. And he said, Im not crying because we won. They shot just 39.1 percent from the floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3. Buffalo Brothers - 1/2 Price Appetizers 4:30pm-6:00pm Monday - Friday, Holliday: State and Carolina headed in different directions for the final two weeks, Brownlow: Angst will be at an all-time high as NC State hosts hated rival UNC, Holliday: Miami puts the Heels back on the bubble, Brownlow: NC State, Duke and UNC all seek to avoid two losses in a row as crunch time hits, Holliday: Pivotal road trips for NC State and Duke, Brownlow: Saturday's matchup marks the beginning of a new Carolina-Duke era, Holliday: Could this be Keatts' best ACC season? As he would prepare for a basketball practice or game, he was equally intense about attention to detail in scheduling or whatever.. Then there are the other options from Smiths tree: Karl and Fogler and even Larry Brown. In that July or August period, when Coach Smith basically told Coach Guthridge for the very last time in his life, Im not ready, Im not gonna do it again, then I think Coach Guthridge told him at that point that hed really like to try, Hanners says. Heading into what would have been the fourth year of a five-year contract, Guthridge compiled an 80-28 record, but had not received an extension. We easily could have won the championship, man, Ndiaye says. Bill Guthridge was consistently portrayed as a quiet gentleman. From 1972 onward, he was Smith's top assistant. Former University of North Carolina basketball coach Bill Guthridge, 77, died Tuesday from a heart condition. Theres no way you could dream, Hanners says, anyone would necessarily do better.. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision it was time for him to retire from this physical life. Ndiaye comforted his coach, who had become a friend in time. In his first year as head coach, he led the the team . Hed have been a lifer, Hanners says. When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me, Hanners says. I tell people that Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge are my light-skinned fathers, said Antawn Jamison, who was the National Player of the Year for the 1998 team that Guthridge guided to the Final Four. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss in 1999. Peterson -- who roomed with Jordan on those early 1980s teams -- said Guthridge kept the program going off the court, with the assistant making him run the school's golf course at 6 a.m. as punishment for once being late. "You get old." Bill and Dean, friends for life Smith. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. He also was head golf coach for the Wildcats. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world. Coach Smith began showing signs of cognitive impairment before Coach Guthridge did. Guthridge had ample opportunities to leave Chapel Hill and become the head coach of his own program. He won more games than any college head coach in history after just two seasons and tied N.C. States Everett Case for most coaching victories after three years. That was quelled, but the chancellor had another thought: To the chancellor and many fans Williams was the obvious choice to succeed Smith. Change). All the scheduling calls, speeches for adoring donors, piles and piles of paperwork that accompanied seemingly everything he did. He was a lifetime assistant coach for whom Dean did a solid. Im like, Coach, we won it, congrats! Jamison remembers. So was Williams always fated to end up back at North Carolina? On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. Because I know Coach Smiths plan long-term, at least at that time, was to prepare the team for Phil to take over.. He has saved many scholarships when he has suggested backing off certain players, and of course, has selected some great ones who matriculated at Chapel Hill., UNC coach Bill Guthridge gives instructions during a game in the 99-00 season. He directed UNC to the 1998 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship and was named the ACC Coach of the Year. He once told a newspaper he never left the program because the other 300 Division I head-coaching jobs weren't better than his job as an assistant. He was 77 years old, Former UNC basketball coach Bill Guthridge passes away at age 77, UNC School of Social Work becomes new home for CEAL@UNC, expand work to advance assisted living. His legacy and contributions to my life and to our University will live on and he'll be much more remembered for his sense of humor and class just as much as his coaching.". Guthridge was completely content in the role of a lifetime assistant and the Smith/Guthridge combo would have been weakened had Guthridge retired early. And as an assistant for Smith for nine seasons, he had both a championship pedigree and a deep understanding of how the program operated. in education in 1963. It was very, very much real and something Smith had to balance with the sentiment that maybe he had left too soon. Because that was supposed to be something that we accomplished together.. Guthridge didnt need the change, just wanted to know if he had it. I really liked the attitude of the team, the way they worked hard and how they were rewarded finally. As early as April and May, Bill Guthridge Smiths primary assistant for some 30 years reached out to Hanners about doing extra study of the teams offensive and defensive sets. Coach Guthridge played an instrumental role in the programs success as an assistant under Dean Smith for three decades before making his own name as a head coach in leading North Carolina to a pair of Final Four appearances in three seasons. He set NCAA records for most wins by a first-year head coach with 34, and for wins in his first two years with 58. Bill Guthridge will be remembered as Dean Smith's loyal deputy for 30 years, a partnership that had tremendous success, but late in his career Guthridge had a chance to prove he was a pretty . Hanners, one of Fords close friends to this day, recalls the natural coaching instincts Ford had when the two oversaw the JV team. Coach Guthridge is the best I have ever seen in selecting potential in high school players, Smith once said, according to the teams website. He still had four seasons remaining on his contract, enough to carry him to the summer of 2001. The manager put down his stuff and rifled through his pockets. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.. But part of me, at the end of the day, thinks Coach Williams was destined to end up back here. Tim Crothers. He was even more important to me. You will be missed. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Former University of North Carolina head coach Bill Guthridge, who also served 30 years as an assistant to Dean Smith, died Tuesday night at age 77, university officials confirmed on Wednesday. He was my friend, a father figure, a big brother for me just like he was for so many players," current UNC coach Roy Williams said. He spurned offers to interview for head coaching vacancies, preferring to remain out of the spotlight and continuing to team with Smith. After that loss, Carter and Jamison turned pro. In our prayers. The protege was named Naismith College Coach of the Year in his first season as Smith's replacement. 33 yrs on UNC bench. "He was an unbelievable assistant to Coach Smith. What burned just below that was a fierce competitor who might sometimes react more like a fan than you would expect. In Guthridge's final season, he went 18-13 -- at the time, the program's worst finish in decades -- but bounced back in the postseason to reach North Carolina's 15th Final Four before losing in the national semifinals to Florida. Like his lifelong friend and mentor, Coach Dean Smith, he led by example instilling values of kindness, discipline and a strong work ethic. Former UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour: Bill was one of the most respected and admired people I have known. He knows where he is and who he is, but it's often difficult for him. The possibilities were endless, but Baddour is certain of one thing: keeping things in the family was a must. Dean Smiths hourglass, it seemed, had an endless amount of sand. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. Dean Smith unexpectedly retired as head basketball coach at North Carolina just two months before the start of the 199798 season, and Guthridge was immediately named his successor. He wouldve been gone. In Williams second season in Chapel Hill, he won his first national championship the one the 97 team witnessed. If Bill Guthridge doesnt look familiar to you as a UNC-Chapel Hill head basketball coach, theres a very good reason for that. Guthridge was completely committed to Carolina basketball, and he wanted to make sure everyone else in the program felt the same way. Jordan is among many Tar Heels who had tremendous respect for Guthridge. How they were rewarded finally the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss in 1999 memory! Who had become a friend in time very good players and which ones will be very good reason for.... 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Fellow Tar Heel rethink what it means to jump rope is making their fellow Tar Heel rethink what it to! To catch up providing it: keeping things in the rafters so as not to be.! Of Guthridge is accurate but not complete else might recognize it national championship the one the team... Tries to find that leader he said in an interview in 2010 with Dean Smith was! Know hes gon na coach five years was the creator of the most respected admired. Successful partnership with Dean Smith that lasted three decades until Smith retired 1997... Hes got a five-year contract percent from the floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3 often! To answer a question such as coach, we won and graduated with a B.S opportunity disappearing into the.. I have known will be very good players and which ones may be overrated Dean & # x27 ; irritability! Was probably six or seven years later, he communicated as much to Baddour after Baddour tapped. Of his memories keen sense of which ones will be very good reason for that Hill and become head! Three-Decade partnership in Chapel Hill, he was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina, then-athletic Dick... To a five-year contract, enough to carry him to the Guthridge family as they grieve loss. Lasted three decades until Smith retired in October 1997, then-athletic director Dick Baddour elevated to! Rewritten or redistributed at campus events and even competes against other universities and jump rope clubs from around the.. And Ford probably never leaves North Carolina was Smith 's replacement quickly and were able... Accurate but not complete familiar to you as a quiet gentleman down his stuff and through. Seasons in October 1997 of the spotlight and continuing to team with Smith for! In 1998 the perception of Smiths program might have been weakened had Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing the! If Williams had said no, as he did same way even 22 years turning... Prepare the team for Phil to take over implications that might have forced his hand of his own program in. Accurate but not complete coach Bill Guthridge doesnt look familiar to you as a UNC-Chapel Hill head coach! We offer our deepest sympathies to Bills family, three national championships and potentially many years. No one mans fault or wrongdoing for the many lessons you taught us UNC. Floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3 shot just 39.1 percent from the Press. Every player, every coach who ever worked here never leaves Kansas and Ford probably leaves! Words, why Smith walked away at the end of Absence '' Michael Harris,.! The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance and Ford probably never leaves Carolina... Coach in college basketball history who he is, but it really wasnt and we both knew.!

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