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Congratulations For Coach K and Duke

90bhsgrad

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90bhsgrad    10

90bhsgrad
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Coach K just went into 1st place in overall NCAA wins and Duke is their 8th straight sweet 16! Amazing in this era of college basketball.

 

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Ugh.

 

[/ QUOTE ]I find that reply "objectionable in nature" and it should be deleted! but since it's not about Vt sports it won't be.

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90bhsgrad    10

90bhsgrad
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he passed a legend Dean Smith

 

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KRat will never pass Dean Smith in anything...

 

[/ QUOTE ]Hey there Sparky!!! Coach K has more champion rings and more tourney wins then Dean has right? So i think he's already surpassed him in some things.

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90bhsgrad    10

90bhsgrad
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It's simple math Coach K NCAA championships 3 Dean 2, that's plus 1 to K

Coach K NCAA Tournament wins as of 3-20 66 Dean 65 plus one to K yet again!!!!!!!!!!!! hope this made things a bit clearer for everyone!!!! If not then call Duard Addington at BHS maybe he can explain it better. grin.gif

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Bluefield_Rules    46

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Are we suppose to be impressed? Carolina grows All-Americans, so I had to burst your bubble, but I'm not impressed. Walk inside the Dean Dome sometime and look at all the banners hanging from the rafters, now that's impressive. Great picture of Mr. Ed though...

 

a-williams032003.jpg

 

 

Mr.%20Ed%20Smiles%20Back.jpg

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Bluefield_Rules    46

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For 1, that not even mr ed.

 

And two if you so called "grow" all-americans, then i'd like to see where there at this year?...because i dont see any first team all-americans at all

 

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Would you like to know why? Because Carolina is a team loaded with outstanding players, not one or two. They don't have a single player averaging over 30 minutes per game, nor a player averaging anymore than 16.8 points per game. They have five players averaging double-figures. The five players picked to the All-American team were guys that had to carry most of their team's scoring load. No single guy at Carolina has to carry the scoring load b/c the Heels have so many weapons, which is why they lead the nation in scoring.

 

Sean May was named 2nd team A-A and Felton 3rd team. You're right though, no first teamers this year. But, no team in college basketball history has had more first-team All-Americans than North Carolina. So I hate to break it to you, but Dook having a first teamer this year and Carolina none doesn't even begin to cut into Carolina's lead in that department. So again, I'm not impressed...

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beaverbaseball    10

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Ok well who gives a hoot about all americans. And "NO" UNC is not jealous because they don't have any this season. You wanna know why? Because they know they are better than Duke, They know they are one of the best teams in the country, and they know they have a good chance of winning it all.

 

 

And Dean Smith was the greatest coach to live. No coach can be compared to him, escpecially Coach K, im not talking about stats or any of that BS, im talking about COACHING!

 

 

And one more thing, I would pick Sean May over Sheldon Williams any day of the year

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beaverbaseball    10

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mug.jpg

 

I KNOW THIS MIGHT SEEM REALLY REALLY LONG BUT THIS IS ALL THE ACOMPLISHMENTS HE HAS HAD. AND AS YOU CAN TELL ITS ALOT!

 

Smith finished his career as the alltime winningest coach in basketball history with 879 victories.

 

 

In 36 years, Smith coached Carolina to 11 Final Fours, two national titles and 13 ACC Tournament Championships.

 

 

Over 96 percent of Smith's lettermen graduated since his first year in 1961.

 

 

From 1981 to 1989, Carolina was ranked in the final Top 10 of both the Associated Press and coaches' poll each year.

 

 

Only four times in Coach Smith's 36 years did the Tar Heels fail to make 50 percent from the field.

 

 

Smith is the author of Basketball: Multiple Offenses and Defense, which has been translated into several foreign languages and is the best-selling technical basketball book in history.

 

 

Smith graduated from Kansas where he played varsity basketball and baseball and football as a freshman.

 

 

Smith was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1983. He was also inducted into the North Carolina Hall of Fame in 1981.

 

 

Smith was voted ACC Coach of the Year eight times - 1967, 1968, 1969, 1971, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1988 and 1993.

 

 

Consistency.

 

It is perhaps the trait that everyone in athletics most admires, the ability to accomplish something on a regular basis. Anyone can achieve a goal once or even twice, but to do it everyday or every year is the mark of true brilliance.

 

Sports fans, for example, like to say that "records are made to be broken."

 

They will also tell you there is one record that will always be safe- Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak.

 

That may sound confusing, but it's an indication of the incredible awe with which the DiMaggio streak is viewed. To get a base-hit in each of 56 consecutive games is a stunning achievement.

 

It is a record of unbelievable consistency.

 

The incredible record of North Carolina Basketball Coach Dean Smith is a similar example of amazing consistency. The overall numbers alone are staggering.

 

But, the consistent manner with which they were put together is even more remarkable.

 

 

In 36 seasons at Carolina, Smith's teams had an alltime record of 879-254. His teams won more games than those of any other college coach in history.

 

However, that's only the beginning of what his UNC teams achieved.

 

 

Under Smith, the Tar Heels won at least 20 games for 27 straight years and 30 of his final 31. No coach in history has ever produced that many consecutive 20-win seasons. In fact, no other coach has even won 20 games for 27 years.

 

 

A 28-7 finish in his last year also gave Smith an NCAA-record 22nd season with at least 25 wins. Fresno State's Jerry Tarkanian ranks second in 25-win seasons with 14 and former UCLA Coach John Wooden is third with 11.

 

 

From 1981 to 1989, Carolina was ranked in the final Top 10 of both the Associated Press and coaches' polls each year. That nine-year run is the second-longest streak of Top-10 finishes in history, exceeded only by UCLA's 13-year string from 1967 to 1979.

 

 

In an era of tremendous competitiveness in the college game, the Tar Heels were ranked among the nation's final Top 15 teams 28 of the past 31 seasons, missing only in 1970, 1990 and 1996 and were among the Top 10 on 23 occasions during that period. Kentucky was second on the list with 23 appearances in the Final Top 15. Carolina teams coached by Smith finished the season ranked

No. 1 in at least one of the two major polls four times (1982, 1984, 1993 and 1994).

 

 

Smith's teams were also the dominant force in the Atlantic Coast Conference, arguably the nation's strongest overall basketball league. The Tar Heels under Smith had a record of 364-136 in ACC regular-season play, a winning percentage of .728.

 

 

The Tar Heels finished at least third in the ACC regular-season standings for 33 successive seasons. In that span, Carolina finished first 17 times, second 11 times and third five times.

 

 

Those 17 first-place finishes are the most ever by an ACC coach. Frank McGuire ranks second with six regular-season ACC titles.

 

 

In 36 years of ACC competition, Smith's teams finished in the conference's upper division all but one time. That was in 1964 when UNC was fifth and had its only losing record in ACC regular-season play under Smith at 6-8.

 

Contrast that 36-year record of league success with the fact that since 1977 every other ACC school, with the exception of Florida State which has only been in the league six years, has finished last at least once in the regular-season standings.

 

 

Carolina's sweep of the 1997 ACC Tournament was its 13th under Smith. Former coaches Vic Bubas of Duke and Everett Case of N.C. State rank second in ACC Tournament titles with four each.

 

 

When Carolina advanced to the NCAA Final Four last season, it marked the 11th trip for one of Smith's teams to the national semi-finals. Only Wooden, with 12, has been there more often.

 

 

 

Smith's teams made a record 23 consecutive appearances in the NCAA Tournament. Georgetown's John Thompson has the second-longest streak in history at 15.

 

 

In his last 31 years Smith guided the Tar Heels into the NCAA Tournament 27 times. That's the most in history. Indiana's Bob Knight is second with 22 appearances.

 

 

From 1981 through 1993 Carolina reached the Final 16 of NCAA play every season. That 13-year streak is the second-longest in Tournament history to a 14-year stretch by UCLA from 1967 to 1980.

 

Those numbers just begin to tell the story of what Dean Smith accomplished in his Carolina career. He has done more for his sport than perhaps any coach in history. Respected by fellow coaches, admired by his current and former players and acknowledged as one of the greatest minds in the game, Smith has accomplished nearly everything imaginable in his sport.

 

The awards and accolades continue to be given to Smith, even after he stepped down as Carolina's head coach on October 9, 1997. Smith was named Sportsman of the Year by Sports Illustrated, Honorary Coach of the Year by the United States Olympic Committee, received the Arthur Ashe Award for Courage at the annual ESPY Awards, and was honored with special awards for contributions to basketball by the Atlanta Tipoff Club and New York Athletic Club.

 

Smith also became the first recipient of the Mentor Award for Lifetime Achievement, given by the University of North Carolina Committee on Teaching Awards for "a broader range of teaching beyond the classroom."

 

He's recognized throughout the sports world for his character, his innovations to the game and his ability to have established Carolina's program as one of the greatest in college basketball. Smith's players consistently produce on the floor, in the classroom and in life.

 

As in any vocation, it's one's peers who truly know the daily rigors of a job best and can most appreciate what it takes to excel in the competitive world of collegiate coaching. The accolades Smith has received over the years are an indication of the respect they have for him.

 

Those have been common throughout his career, but mushroomed in March 1997 as he surpassed Adolph Rupp as the coach whose teams have won the most game in college history.

 

Here are a few examples of what some coaches said when that milestone was reached:

 

Former Winston-Salem State Coach Bighouse Gaines: "I can't think of a more deserving coach to break that record than him. He's done so much for the game of basketball- I think it's terrific. He's a credit to the profession. He's not only a role model for the state of North Carolina, he's known throughout the world."

 

Former UCLA Coach John Wooden: "It's a tremendous accomplishment to break Coach Rupp's record. More than anything, it shows excellence over a long period of time. But what's more impressive to me about Dean than the record is how good he is as a teacher of basketball. I've always said he's a better teacher of basketball than anyone else. I couldn't begin to teach players the things Dean has taught them. I've admired him because there's more to him than just wins."

 

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Indiana's Bob Knight: "Let me say some things that he won't say. He's going to say an awful lot about teams and that's the way it should be.

"But let me put it in perspective. His being able to do that and do it at a single institution, do it through all the years without ever having a problem with any kind of recruiting violation or probation, is a very singular accomplishment in college basketball. I think it's a great achievement, indicative of a guy who really knows how to coach and has decided from day one that things are going to be done the absolute right way.

 

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"He's not going to tell you, but just take my word for it. That's a great, great accomplishment for a coach."

 

Missouri's Norm Stewart: "North Carolina had a great reputation when he took over, but he took that and built on it. In order to stay on top you've got to change, innovate and develop, and he's done that. He was ahead of his time. He was far ahead of everyone else in the use of personnel. We have to change rules because of Dean."

 

Princeton's Bill Carmody: "Every day in practice we mention his name because things are named after him. Fastbreak, they run this, transition offense, that's North Carolina this or that. When you start having things named after you, you've done something.

 

"It's an incredible thing. It's like Cy Young's record 511 wins. A 20-game winner for 25 years and you still can't beat the guy."

 

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Mike Krzyzewski of Duke: "It's singularly such a tremendous accomplishment. People might say 'Yeah, you're at North Carolina and you've been there a number of years." You be there a number of years. You be competitive. And you be as consistent with excellence as he has been.

"So whatever is written about him in a positive sense he justly deserves. I know he'll give credit, as we all would, to the players who have played for us, but in this situation the praise for him should rise well above that for the players who played for him."

 

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Kentucky Athletic Director C.M. Newton: "Coach Smith is a master innovator who is the best I've ever seen at dealing with a player individually."

 

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ROY WILLIAMS OF KANSAS: "He has a basketball program, he doesn't have a team. And when you have a program, you're concerned about the kids' entire lives, their entire existence... and what they're going to do after they leave you and what kind of effect you can have on them as they mature.

"I think that's his greatest strength. I've always felt that he's the best there is on the court, but he's even better off the court in what he gives to those people who come in contact with him.

 

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Dave Odom of Wake Forest: "What boggles the mind about him, at least to me, are the numbers of nights he's gone into the arena and been ready to compete on every single possession. I've not done it anywhere close to half as often and there are nights when it seems the season will never end. And yet, he's there, ready to go, always figuring out a way to beat you. Whenever I think about it, I shake my head in wonder."

 

DePaul's Pat Kennedy: "I think the more you mature in this business, the more you appreciate two things: longevity and excellence. To put both of them together in one package, as Dean has, is incredible. He has created the IBM of college basketball. It's mind-boggling what he has done."

 

Bobby Cremins of Georgia Tech: "Dean has always been the guy you shoot for. He's always been at the top. It just seemed like his team was the best one every year. His teams were special. He set the standard."

 

Former Virginia Coach and current Athletic Director Terry Holland: "He has been a target for all of us who coached in the ACC to shoot for. It is not always the most pleasant position to be in. The Carolina program was the measuring stick to everybody who came into the league. He has been willing to be the measuring stick. He helped create national exposure not only for North Carolina, but also for the other ACC teams as well and made us all improve our programs."

 

Former Virginia Coach Jeff Jones: "I think the sheer numbers of wins he has is remarkable. But when you look at the consistent way his teams have achieved this, it's amazing. This is probably the most competitive time in college basketball and he's still going strong.

 

"That says a lot about him as a recruiter, about him as an organizer and as a coach. We're talking about a team, a total team. When I look at the big picture, the consistency just smacks me in the face."

 

Consistency.

 

Coaches certainly recognize its importance and the work it takes to maintain a program at Carolina's level on a year-in, year-out basis. There are more good players than ever in college basketball. Competition is tougher than it has ever been in the past. That's what makes the accomplishments of Smith's teams more incredible.

 

And it is the teams that Smith says deserve any recognition which has come his way. The players, he points out, are the ones who make the plays, stop the opposition and face the pressure of winning and losing games.

 

Carolina has certainly had its share of sensational players. But, it was Smith who molded them into great teams by stressing unselfish play on offense and emphasizing hard-nosed defense on the other end of the court.

 

That's why he received praise for years and not just because of his all-time record.

 

In the December 1993 issue of College Sports magazine, Smith was hailed by his fellow NCAA Division I coaches as the coaching colleague they respected the most. In a survey of 46 Division I basketball coaches, Smith topped the most respected category and was second in the most feared category behind Indiana's Knight. The latter was based on the question, "Who would you least like to face in a big game?"

 

The results of a 1986 Dallas Morning News poll of college head coaches also revealed resounding admiration for Smith. In a survey of head coaches at that season's NCAA Final Four, Smith received 49 votes as the nation's top basketball coach.

 

At the 1995 NCAA Final Four, the Seattle Post-Intelligencer conducted a poll of all attending coaches. The paper asked, "If you could spend one hour talking with one living person about college basketball, who would it be?" The top three answers were UCLA's Wooden, Knight and Smith.

 

Perhaps his greatest form of praise on a worldwide level came when a group of his peers, including Hall of Fame coaches Henry Iba, Pete Newell and Red Auerbach, chose Smith to coach the U.S. Olympic basketball team in the 1976 Montreal Games. The Americans had finished a controversial second to the Soviet Union at Munich in 1972. Smith was given the challenge of trying to develop a team to regain the Gold Medal against a group of improving international teams.

 

He promptly named his long-time Carolina assistant, Bill Guthridge, and Georgetown's John Thompson, to be his assistants on the Olympic Team staff. Smith's teaching skills were put to a one of its toughest tests. In the international game, it's not about building character and preparing young men for life, it's about winning under extreme pressure.

 

Smith molded a group of college all-stars into a cohesive unit during a few short weeks in that summer of 1976 and led them to the gold medal, sweeping through the Games undefeated and beating Yugoslavia in the championship game. Emphasizing a tough pressure defense and a fast-breaking, attacking style on offense, the Americans returned to the top of the international game.

 

Four of Smith's Tar Heels - Walter Davis, Phil Ford, Mitch Kupchak and Tommy LaGarde - played on that 1976 U.S. Team. In fact, Smith has had at least one player on eight of the last nine U.S. Olympic teams, dating back to the 1964 games in Tokyo when Larry Brown was named to the squad. In addition to the quartet in 1976, this group has included Charlie Scott in 1968 in Mexico City, Bobby Jones in 1972 in Munich, Al Wood in 1980 (although the U.S. boycotted the Moscow Olympics), Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins in 1984 in Los Angeles, J.R. Reid in 1988 in Seoul and Jordan again in 1992 in Barcelona. In addition, former Tar Heel player Henrik Rodl was the starting point guard on the 1992 German Olympic Team.

 

Just as Smith used his talents to develop that 1976 all-star team into an Olympic champion, he has prepared a host of players for successful careers in the NBA.

 

"UNC is a plus-four school," according to Orlando Magic Vice President of Basketball Operations-Player Personnel John Gabriel, "meaning that if I rate a player as the 10th-best player in the NBA Draft, being a Tar Heel automatically jumps him to number six. The plus-four rating is based upon the success of former Tar Heels in the NBA."

 

The Miami Heat's Pat Riley, who coached former Tar Heel standout James Worthy to three world titles with the Los Angeles Lakers, is another believer in Smith's program.

 

"We always look for players from North Carolina," said Riley a few years ago. "If we could draft players every year from North Carolina, we'd do it. You know they know how to play. The players are so full of character like James and Michael Jordan. I have a lot of respect for Coach Smith. I'm the beneficiary of a man who has taught all these guys how to play the game. When they come to the pros, they're refined. They're ready to step right in."

 

While statistics can sometimes be misleading, in Smith's case the figures are just too overwhelming to ignore.

 

During the past 31 seasons, since Smith's Tar Heels won their first ACC title in 1967, Carolina has been among the most dominant teams in the history of the game. The Tar Heels have a record of 813-207 in that span, winning 79.7 percent of their games. That's an average record of 26-7 per year.

 

In 23 of those 31 seasons, Carolina has won either the regular-season or tournament title or both. That level of consistency would be an amazing feat for any college basketball program, but it is particularly significant in a league as competitive as the ACC.

 

Most schools are happy just to win 20 games in a season. At Carolina, it's become a habit. No school in the country has won more total games in that 31-year period than Carolina. UCLA is second with 751 victories. The Tar Heels also have the most wins over the last 20 seasons with 539, and over the last 10 years with 268.

 

Smith's teams earned 27 or more wins in 14 of his last 17 seasons.

 

Carolina's record under Smith was even more amazing given the fact the Tar Heels not only played in the rugged ACC, but also regularly have faced one of the country's toughest non-conference schedules. Those assignments were even more difficult for, as Holland pointed out, a win over North Carolina is a top priority for every school the Tar Heels play.

 

Even opposing coaches had admitted there's something special about Smith's Tar Heel program.

 

When Joe Wolf, a Wisconsin native and recruiting target of Marquette, signed with Carolina a few years ago, Rick Majerus, then the Warrior head coach, said he couldn't argue with that decision.

 

"Joe made a good choice," said Majerus, now the head coach at Utah. "North Carolina may very well be the best program in the country, and Dean Smith may very well be the best coach of all time."

 

For Smith and his players, the word "class" applied to the team's exemplary sportsmanship on the court, to its excellent academic performance and to Smith's belief that basketball involves many complexities that must be learned over the course of time - that coaching and playing the game is a classroom situation in its own right. The Tar Heels' astounding consistency on the court was due in large part to Smith's efforts to teach his players the fundamentals and the intricacies of the sport.

 

That dedication, along with a graduation rate among his lettermen of 97.3 percent, have been instrumental in Carolina's success.

 

"I think he is the number one guy in America," said Bill Frieder, the former Michigan coach whose Wolverines were beaten in the 1987 NCAA Tournament second round by Smith's Tar Heels. "He's always there. It isn't like Louisville or Villanova, where they win it all one year and they're way down the next. Even Indiana finished way down in our league a couple of years ago. But with Dean and Carolina, year after year, they're there."

 

Without compromising a commitment to academic excellence, Smith's teams have won championships at every level. There were NCAA titles in 1982 and 1993 and a sweep of the National Invitation Tournament in 1971. His gold medal-winning team at the 1976 Summer Olympic Games makes Smith one of only three men in history to coach teams to that troika of an NCAA title, NIT championship and Olympic victory. The others are Pete Newell of California and Indiana's Knight.

 

Smith's coaching skills and dedication to playing with class are the reasons he was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield, Mass., in 1983. He was also inducted into the North Carolina Sports Hall of Fame in 1981.

 

Former Marquette Coach Al McGuire once said of him, "If anyone was born to be a coach, it's Dean Smith. He's the Jack Armstrong-type person."

 

A key to Smith's success has been his ability to change Carolina's style to fit his personnel. He favored an offense which used the fast break whenever possible and featured a quick passing attack. But, he was also comfortable in a more disciplined style of play.

 

He liked to play multiple defenses to confuse opponents. However, his preference was a pressure, man-to-man to speed up the action.

 

Smith had tremendous rapport with his players and that was an important aspect of what he has accomplished. He had an uncanny talent for getting the best out of all his players, from his many All-Americas to the last guys on the bench.

 

The fast-breaking attack, great teamwork in a set offense and steals produced by the defense resulted in a number of easy baskets. Along with good shot selection, those things have helped Carolina annually rank among the best shooting teams in the nation. Only four times since 1970 has Carolina failed to hit 50 percent from the field as a team. Even in those four seasons, Carolina topped the ACC in field goal shooting each year - 49.8 percent in 1990, 49.9 percent in 1994 (and fifth nationally) 49.2 percent in 1996 and 47.9 percent in 1997. Those figures all came after the three-point field goal was added to the rules.

 

Among Smith's many innovations are the run-and-jump defense, the scramble defense out of man-to-man pressure defense, the point zone, team huddles at the foul line, double-teamming the screen-and-roll, the free-lance passing game and multiple screens against zone defenses.

 

"Dean is one of the most organized and brilliant minds that I've ever met in basketball," says Georgetown's John Thompson. "He shared ideas and thoughts and philosophies with me that people just don't share with people, and I will always be grateful and respect him for that. He did me a tremendous favor. One of the greatest gifts you can share with somebody is the knowledge that you have."

 

Smith's amazing knack for being such a good instructor developed early. Born February 28, 1931, in Emporia, Kan., Dean Edwards Smith grew up as the son of public school teachers. He graduated from Topeka High School in 1949 and went to the University of Kansas on an academic scholarship. He played varsity basketball and baseball and freshman football for the Jayhawks. He was a member of Jayhawk basketball teams that won the NCAA championship in 1952 and finished second in 1953.

 

After graduating from Kansas, Smith served as an assistant coach at his alma mater to Phog Allen and Dick Harp and then served in the U.S. Air Force as a lieutenant. While in the service, he played and coached basketball in Germany. Smith served for three years as an assistant basketball coach under Bob Spear, recognized by his peers as one of the outstanding coaches in the history of the game, and one year each as head baseball and head golf coach at the United States Air Force Academy. In 1958, the late Frank McGuire asked him to join his staff at Carolina as an assistant coach. Smith served as an assistant under McGuire for three years before McGuire resigned to become head coach of the NBA's Philadelphia Warriors in the summer of 1961. At that time, Carolina Chancellor William Aycock tapped the 30-year-old Smith to become UNC's head coach.

 

Since Smith taught the fundamentals and complexities of basketball so well, former Tar Heel players, assistant coaches and managers have moved on to enjoy very successful careers in all fields of endeavor.

 

Smith shared his knowledge of the game with a talented group of assistants. Former Tar Heel player and assistant coach Larry Brown led Kansas to the 1988 NCAA championship, UCLA to the 1980 NCAA championship game and has rejuvenated the fortunes of many NBA teams, his most current assignment being the Philadelphia 76ers. When Brown left Kansas in 1988 to coach the San Antonio Spurs, the Jayhawks plucked its new coach from the ranks of Smith's staff, choosing Roy Williams, a 10-year assistant.

 

In only his third year Williams led the Kansas to the NCAA championship game. Williams' Jayhawks returned to the Final Four again in 1993, losing to Smith's Tar Heels in the semifinals.

 

Two of Smith's former assistants, John Lotz and Kenny Rosemond, left Carolina to take head coaching jobs at Florida and Georgia, respectively, and each was named the Southeastern Conference Coach of the Year. Lotz currently serves as an assistant athletic director at Carolina.

 

Eddie Fogler, like Brown both a player and an assistant coach under Smith at UNC, left Carolina in 1986 after 15 years as an assistant to take over the head coaching job at Wichita State. He quickly rebuilt the Shockers' program to national respectability, taking them to the NCAA Tournament his first two seasons and the NIT the third.

 

He moved to Vanderbilt for the 1989-90 season, succeeding C.M. Newton as head coach, and in his first season with the Commodores, led them to the NIT championship, after having been picked to finish eighth in the SEC in the preseason. In 1993, Fogler led Vanderbilt to the Final 16 of the NCAA Tournament and the SEC Championship over NCAA semifinalist Kentucky, and he was named National Coach of the Year by several organizations. He's now in his fourth year as the head coach at South Carolina where his team was one of the nation's biggest surprises last year, sweeping both its games with Kentucky.

 

Guthridge, Smith's assistant at Carolina for 30 seasons, received numerous head coaching offers during his stint at UNC. Guthridge, however, made a career decision to stay in Chapel Hill and not pursue head coaching positions. He was named Carolina's head coach on October 9, 1997. Guthridge posted a 34-4 record in his first year as a head coach and was named National and ACC Coach of the Year.

 

That's not the case with Randy Wiel, who resigned in the spring of 1993 to become the head coach at the University of North Carolina at Asheville and is now in his second year at Middle Tennessee State. Former Tar Heel Buzz Peterson, who played on the 1982 national championship team is beginning his second season as Appalachian State's head coach.

 

Smith's talents do not lie solely in tutoring quality college coaches as is evidenced by the number of outstanding players who have gone on to professional careers after their days in Chapel Hill. In Smith's 36-year tenure, over 50 of his players went on to play pro basketball in the National Basketball Association or American Basketball Association and many more played in other professional leagues both in the United States and overseas.

 

In the 1993 NBA playoffs, North Carolina had a former player on at least one team in all eight first round matchups, a rather astonishing feat. The list included Michael Jordan and Scott Williams of the three-time world champion Chicago Bulls, Brad Daugherty of the Cleveland Cavaliers, the New York Knicks' Hubert Davis, Boston Celtic Rick Fox, Kenny Smith of the Houston Rockets, Joe Wolf of the Portland Trailblazers, San Antonio Spur J.R. Reid, Sam Perkins of the Seattle Sonics and Los Angeles Laker James Worthy. In addition, former Tar Heel George Karl coached the Sonics to the Western Conference finals that year.

 

In 1994, former Carolina backcourt players Kenny Smith and Hubert Davis went head-to-head in the NBA finals with Smith's Houston Rockets prevailing over Davis' New York Knicks four games to three. As the Rockets repeated as world champions in 1995, Kenny Smith was joined by former Tar Heel Pete Chilcutt as keys to Houston's success.

 

In 1996, Jordan once again led the Bulls to the NBA Championship, capturing regular-season MVP honors along the way. In the NBA finals, Jordan and the Bulls defeated Karl's Sonics team which included Perkins.

 

After playing in Smith's program at Carolina, most Tar Heels have made a smooth transition to the rigors of the professional game. Five of Smith's players have won rookie-of-the-year awards in either the NBA or ABA, including Charlie Scott, Robert McAdoo, Walter Davis, Phil Ford and Jordan. Twelve Tar Heels have been named to the NBA All-Rookie first or second teams, including Philadelphia 76er Jerry Stackhouse in 1996.

 

In addition, Jordan, McAdoo and Billy Cunningham are Smith protEgEs who have won either NBA or ABA Most Valuable Player honors. And a check of NBA championship teams from the past 25 years or so will find many a player listing Carolina as his alma mater, including the Bulls' Jordan in 1991, 1992, 1993, 1996 and 1997; Williams of the Bulls in 1991, 1992 and 1993; the Rockets' Smith in 1994 and 1995; and Chilcutt, who was also with the Rockets in 1995.

 

"Coming out of high school I had all the ability in the world, but I didn't know the game," says Jordan, a five-time NBA MVP. "Coach taught me the game, when to apply speed, how to use your quickness, when to use that first step, or how to apply certain skills in certain situations. I gained all that knowledge so that when I got to the pros, it was just a matter of applying the information. Dean Smith gave me the knowledge to score 37 points a game and that's something people don't understand."

 

Former Chicago Bulls Coach Kevin Loughery, who coached the Bulls when Jordan came into the league in 1984-85, credited Smith for the manner in which Jordan handled his rather instant and incredible popularity as a pro player.

 

"Michael has had the most media hype I've ever seen in professional basketball, and I was around Dr. J for three years," said Loughery. "He has handled it all extremely well. It is a tremendous tribute to the way Dean Smith, who is one of the greatest coaches of all time, handled this guy. You can see his training. We are very fortunate that he has had that coaching background."

 

Bobby Jones, who was named to the NBA's All-Defensive Team nine times in his career, once gave Smith credit for the success of his professional career in an interview with the New York Times.

 

"If I had gone to any other school, I would probably not have been in pro basketball," said Jones. "I was a shy and gangly kid, not very well coordinated when I started playing basketball in junior high school. At North Carolina, they gave me the tools to play in the pros, and I don't want to forget it."

 

In his 36 years at Carolina, Smith coached players who went on to become doctors, lawyers and businessmen. Many of them attribute their success to the skills and lessons they carried over from their time as a player under Smith.

 

"He was always very supportive and has provided me with invaluable insight for most of the major decisions I've made since 1971," says Charles Waddell, Assistant Director of Business Operations for the NFL's Carolina Panthers. "He is one of the best teachers I've had. He taught us to work hard, to sacrifice for the good of the team, to maximize your strengths and minimize your weaknesses. Although he taught us these lessons through basketball, they have provided me with a strong foundation for life."

 

Here are more examples of what some of his former players have said about him in the past:

 

Indiana Pacers' President Donnie Walsh: "He was great. I could really relate to him. Basketballwise, he hit me with things defensively I had never heard before. I thought, 'No one has ever told me to do this, but it works.'

 

"When basketball was over, he cared about how you were fitting in socially and academically. And it wasn't just lip service. I just thought that he sincerely cared about me.

 

"I'm in a situation now where I can really appreciate what he does. I know how basketball is looked upon down there. I know it means a lot. I know how losing affects some of the people who live down there. He never lets winning become everything for his players. He insulated them from all that pressure."

 

Milwaukee Bucks Head Coach George Karl: "I don't think any of the lettermen can really express the family atmosphere that he's built, the tradition that he's built of loyalty and camaraderie. It's a fraternity that's very much admired by basketball people in the world. We get a lot of abuse because of our loyalty to one another, but we love being a part of it."

 

"The meaning of tradition doesn't exist in sports anymore. It's fading, from the Yankees to the Steelers to the Dodgers. The great tradition in pro basketball is fading because of free agency and college basketball because of guys leaving to go pro.

 

"North Carolina still remains very, very special. The loyalty is unprecedented. The man behind it all is Coach Smith."

 

Michael Jordan: "The camaraderie that he has with his players goes a long way. He's taught a lot of us similar traits and we've accepted that and we've moved on as players and people. That's something we treasure more so than maybe our basketball experience- the things that we learned away from the game.

 

"He's like a second father to me.

 

Dean Smith (right) received the 1997 Sports Illustrated Sportsman of the Year Award. SI Managing Editor Bill Colson presented the award as Carolina players stood by at halftime of the Hampton game on Dec. 16, 1997.

 

Year-By-Year with Dean Smith at North Carolina

 

Overall ACC ACC Regular ACC Tournament National Polls Post-Season

Year W-L Pct. W-L Season Finish Finish Media Coaches Finish

1961-62 8-9 .471 7-7 Tied 4th Quarterfinalist

1962-63 15-6 .714 10-4 3rd Semifinalist

1963-64 12-12 .500 6-8 5th Semifinalist

1964-65 15-9 .625 10-4 Tied 2nd Quarterfinalist

1965-66 16-11 .593 8-6 Tied 3rd Semifinalist

1966-67 26-6 .813 12-2 1st Champion 4th 3rd NCAA 4th Place

1967-68 28-4 .875 12-2 1st Champion 4th 4th NCAA Finalist

1968-69 27-5 .844 12-2 1st Champion 4th 2nd NCAA 4th Place

1969-70 18-9 .667 9-5 Tied 2nd Quarterfinalist NIT Final 16

1970-71 26-6 .813 11-3 1st Finalist 13th 13th NIT Champion

1971-72 26-5 .839 9-3 1st Champion 2nd 2nd NCAA 3rd Place

1972-73 25-8 .758 8-4 2nd Quarterfinalist 11th 12th NIT 3rd Place

1973-74 22-6 .786 9-3 Tied 2nd Semifinalist 12th 8th NIT Final 16

1974-75 23-8 .742 8-4 Tied 2nd Champion 9th 10th NCAA Final 16

1975-76 25-4 .862 11-1 1st Finalist 8th 6th NCAA Final 32

1976-77 28-5 .848 9-3 1st Champion 5th 3rd NCAA Finalist

1977-78 23-8 .742 9-3 1st Semifinalist 16th 10th NCAA Final 32

1978-79 23-6 .793 9-3 Tied 1st Champion 9th 3rd NCAA Final 32

1979-80 21-8 .724 9-5 Tied 2nd Semifinalist 15th 15th NCAA Final 32

1980-81 29-8 .784 10-4 2nd Champion 6th 6th NCAA Finalist

1981-82 32-2 .941 12-2 Tied 1st Champion 1st 1st NCAA Champion

1982-83 28-8 .778 12-2 Tied 1st Semifinalist 8th 8th NCAA Final 8

1983-84 28-3 .903 14-0 1st Semifinalist 1st 1st NCAA Final 16

1984-85 27-9 .750 9-5 Tied 1st Finalist 7th 7th NCAA Final 8

1985-86 28-6 .824 10-4 3rd Quarterfinalist 8th 8th NCAA Final 16

1986-87 32-4 .889 14-0 1st Finalist 2nd 3rd NCAA Final 8

1987-88 27-7 .794 11-3 1st Finalist 7th 8th NCAA Final 8

1988-89 29-8 .784 9-5 Tied 2nd Champion 5th 4th NCAA Final 16

1989-90 21-13 .618 8-6 Tied 3rd Quarterfinalist NCAA Final 16

1990-91 29-6 .829 10-4 2nd Champion 4th 4th NCAA Final 4

1991-92 23-10 .697 9-7 3rd Finalist 18th 12th NCAA Final 16

1992-93 34-4 .895 14-2 1st Finalist 4th 1st NCAA Champion

1993-94 28-7 .800 11-5 2nd Champion 1st 9th NCAA Final 32

1994-95 28-6 .823 12-4 Tied 1st Finalist 4th 3rd NCAA Final 4

1995-96 21-11 .656 10-6 3rd Quarterfinalist 25th 24th NCAA Final 32

1996-97 28-7 .800 11-5 Tied 2nd Champion 4th 4th NCAA Semifinalist

Totals

879-254 .776 364-136

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