The fact that he felt like he failed us.. Suggestion to Return DismissedWhen Guthridge retired after leading his third team to another Final Four, I interviewed Smith about the amazingly long and successful partnership the two coaches -- Smith a Kansas grad and Guthridge from Kansas State -- had enjoyed. For what? 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. Smith and Guthridge had long maintained they'd. Heck, he might still be the coach at North Carolina. But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. If you played for him you loved him; working with him was a joy. The protege was named Naismith College Coach of the Year in his first season as Smith's replacement. Guthridge was an assistant coach along with Hall of Famer John Thompson under Smith in 1976 when the U.S. won the Olympic gold medal in Montreal. He is probably best remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at age 83. 33 yrs on UNC bench. The Blue Sky Scholars Program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina. On one occasion, he actually accepted the head coaching post at Penn State, but stepped down from the post a few days later.[3]. Why bring those up? It has to be one of those., Williams talked Thursday night with Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and yet Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant. And so even as the coachs hair changed from dark brown to gray to white, his position never did. In Williams second season in Chapel Hill, he won his first national championship the one the 97 team witnessed. At age 66 and in sound health, Smith easily could have coached another five or more seasons and done so with the same recruiting success that allowed him to turn over a team with Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota and Shammond Williams to Guthridge. Ironically, both coaches developed dementia along the way (Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia). 1 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. 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. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. He was like Coach Guthridge in that both of them loved and bled Carolina blue so much that they never wanted to leave the program.. That includes two as a head coach at Carolina, 10 as a Tar Heel assistant coach and one each as a player and assistant coach at his alma mater, Kansas State. He once told a newspaper he never left the program because the other 300 Division I head coaching jobs werent better than his job as an assistant. He stopped when he did because he was afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was or had been. Because that was supposed to be something that we accomplished together.. Brendan Marks covers Duke and North Carolina basketball for The Athletic. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. For 30 of his 33 years at Carolina, Guthridge was the behind-the-scenes guy scouting opponents, making sure players got to class on time, disciplining players, getting the players on the bus or airplane and into the hotel, working with office staff on the smallest of details, and recruiting the latter, unlike many coaches, he said he enjoyed immensely. He was known to answer a question such as Coach, do you know what time it is? with a Yes as he walked away. When Lefty Driesell declined to shake Smiths hand in the mid-1980s, it was Guthridge who was incensedand had to be prevented from chasing down Driesellnot Smith. We certainly had no idea; he was still the smartest guy, could recall everything he was seeing.. He previously worked at The Charlotte Observer as a Carolina Panthers beat reporter, and his writing has also appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Boston Globe and The Baltimore Sun. 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. 2023 Capitol Broadcasting Company, Inc. 08/08: Dean Smith to receive Presidential Medal of Freedom, 06/29/2011: Smith, Coach K, Yow honored by Naismith, 10/21/2008: UNC's Smith to receive Lapchick Character Award, 02/18/2008: ACC To Honor Dean Smith, Lorenzo Charles, other Greats, Bio Jobs Hub: Find a great-paying job that changes lives, even yours. Then Guthridges voice wavered as he began to apologize I feel like its my fault. Hed grow bored of golf, and once that happened, his staff knew hed summoned up the energy for another go-around. Showdown in Durham: NC State and Duke battle for ACC, NCAA seeding, Brownlow: NC State, Duke and Carolina all look to avenge ACC losses on busy basketball Saturday, Welter: I'm not mad, Carolina, just disappointed, AP source: Panthers to meet with QB Derek Carr at combine. After that loss, Carter and Jamison turned pro. What if he hadnt retired when he did? Once he asked a manager, whose arms were full of equipment, if he had change for a quarter. If he had, then thats where the what-ifs really go wild. Just a really good man who made Carolina, the ACC and college basketball better.. For more than three decades, Coach Guthridge served this University he loved so much with a deep commitment to academic and athletic excellence. But looking back, Hanners now believes Guthridge already had an inclination something was afoot. 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. (Updated at 2:22 p.m.) By Elizabeth A. Davis Associated Press Writer North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge retired Friday after three years as Dean Smith's successor, a move that opens one of the . Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. The next day, Kenny Smith said, assistant coach Bill Guthridge wasn't at practice. 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. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. It was profoundly hard for Coach Guthridge to watch his lifetime friend become forgetful and lose the memories they shared together, not just as the architects of a fantastic and highly-ethical college basketball program, but as friends who regarded each other and their respective families as their own. 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. But he decided he did not have the energy to continue coaching, the AP reported. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25, earned the ACC Coach of the Year award and guided North Carolina to the Final Four before losing to Utah. All the scheduling calls, speeches for adoring donors, piles and piles of paperwork that accompanied seemingly everything he did. A Tar Heel passing him in the hallway might greet him with a quick head nod and a greeting of, Coach. Guthridge would invariably respond with a similar head nod and, Player.. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He handed out handwritten notes instead. "This is another terrible loss for the Carolina basketball family," former North Carolina player and current Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan said in a statement to The Associated Press. 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. (LogOut/ He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . 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. Smith, who attended Guthridges retirement announcement, called the day a celebration of a fantastic career. But when Baddour and Guthridge did finally meet, Guthridge expressed a desire to try his hand. But obviously, the better head coach -- one of four or so best head coaches of all time in his sport -- and the decision to retire was seriously flawed by emotion. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. They shot just 39.1 percent from the floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3. Once, in 1978, he did nearly take the head coaching job at Penn State but he changed his mind at the airport and never thought about leaving Chapel Hill again. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life. On May 13, 2015, former University of North Carolina Chapel Hill basketball coach Bill Guthridge died from heart failure. He spurned offers to interview for head coaching vacancies, preferring to remain out of the spotlight and continuing to team with Smith. Guthridge became head coach after Smith retired in 1997 and coached the team for three seasons.UNC coach Roy Williams called Guthridge a key . But when Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing with the Seattle Sonicsmade the effort to find a commercial flight to Chapel . Its very much a possibility, everyone admits. Some fans criticized Guthridge last season when the Tar Heels went through a four-game losing streak in January and entered the post-season with 13 losses. He came up with the idea that Dean Smith, having . "If he told me to run through that wall to make me better, I'd hit that wall," former North Carolina player and well-traveled college coach Buzz Peterson told The Associated Press. Then he retired, too. I dont think he went in that summer thinking, Im not gonna be the basketball coach by fall, Baddour says. When Bill Guthridge retired as North Carolina's basketball coach in the summer of 2000, it set off a chain reaction that touched the lives of dozens of people in his profession. Dean Smiths hourglass, it seemed, had an endless amount of sand. In 1993, he and his wife, Leesie, created the William W. and Elise P. Guthridge Library Fund, which helped with purchasing materials and renovation of the House Undergraduate Library. I want to spend the weekend thinking about it. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Tar Heels either won the ACC tournament or finished atop the league standings -- or did both -- in 23 of those seasons. Coaches, both within the program and across the country, still came calling to Chapel Hill every summer to pick his brains about Xs and Os. After Coach Guthridges retirement in 2003, he and Coach Smith stayed in close contact, visiting each other frequently. He has a keen sense of which ones will be very good players and which ones may be overrated. Panthers add Parks Frazier as passing game coordinator, Duke finishes 16-0 at home after 71-67 win over N.C. 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But in hindsight, Hanners says there were clues that everything might not have been like normal. But he was also one of the most passionate members of the Carolina basketball family in the last 50 years, and was completely devoted to the Tar Heels, to Smith, and to the University of North Carolina. (LogOut/ Copyright 2013 by Capitol Broadcasting Company. I really believe thats exactly what happened.. You come up one year, and that year you win the national championship. He was 77 years old. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . Or perhaps someone else from Smiths coaching tree, such as George Karl or Eddie Fogler? You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. As a coach, he was stubbornly competitive. Guthridge would still call on Smith, after all, to speak to the team at certain times. He was and has been overshadowed and a bit lost in the shuffle of UNC basketball coaches by his lifelong friend, former UNC head coach Dean Smith (1961 to 1997), and current UNC head coach Roy Williams, who was an assistant coach along with Guthridge at UNC from 1978 to 1988. But the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also ended Phil Fords career. But 1:57 was 1:57. He stepped down 2 months later. One of the best testaments to Guthridges impact came on that retirement day, June 30. But part of me, at the end of the day, thinks Coach Williams was destined to end up back here. If I were to call Roy and ask Roy was he interested, the first question out of his mouth wouldve been, did Bill get a chance? Baddour says. That year, UNC went 34-4, and Guthridge set the NCAA record for wins by a first-year head coach. WAKE FOREST: Former basketball standout Charlie Davis quit his job in the athletic department, reportedly for not being considered for advancement. The announcement came nearly two months after the 6-10 center led the Boston . 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. Unfortunately, it took UNC two tries to find that leader. It didnt bother me that I was a lousy coach, and when we started winning I was a better coach. 3 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris. My guess is he would not have been, and then the first call, yes, wouldve been Roy, Baddour says. "I'm extremely saddened by the passing of Coach Guthridge, aka 'Coach Gut,' especially coming so close to the loss of Coach Smith," Jamison, who was national player of the year during Guthridge's first season as coach, said in a statement. That image of Guthridge is accurate but not complete. College Basketball Coach. When Smith retired as Division I's winningest men's coach shortly before the 1997-98 season, Guthridge was promoted to replace him, and he guided the Tar Heels to two Final Fours in three seasons. If Bill Guthridge doesnt look familiar to you as a UNC-Chapel Hill head basketball coach, theres a very good reason for that. Yeah, Id say that was more likely than unlikely., I wouldve gone to where I went two years later, he says. He formed a successful partnership with Dean Smith that lasted three decades until Smith retired in 1997. He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. Guthridge was the head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons following Dean Smith's retirement in 1997. Doherty was criticized from the moment he was hired, for breaking somewhat from Smith and Guthridges family dynamic; that scrutiny only intensified in his second season, when UNC bottomed out to a program-worst record of 8-20. What about Ford? My time is in the past now and we have to move forward.. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. 2023 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Improving child and adolescent mental health, A message from the chancellor: We are a global university, Carolina Engagement Week Returns for a Second Year, Feb. 27 Through March 3, Book Publishing I: The Process with Christopher Ahn, Parr|Bioethics Joint Lecture: Elizabeth Barnes (University of Virginia), Disability and Health: An Its Complicated Relationship, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Former University of North Carolina mens basketball coach Bill Guthridge passed away May 12. Later during that conversation, I suggested to Smith that he still had a lot of quality coaching mileage left and that maybe he should consider returning for an encore. What burned just below that was a fierce competitor who might sometimes react more like a fan than you would expect. He also was an assistant to Smith on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in Montreal. Theres no way you could dream, Hanners says, anyone would necessarily do better.. Even 22 years after turning down the Nittany Lions, Guthridge still couldnt quite bear to leave. Guthridge's did, too, and during Smith's funeral and memorial services, Williams, knowing the end could be near, told former players and current ones to spend time with Guthridge. The flip side of reality offers another interesting scenario: What if Guthridge had led that group to a win over Utah, and then over Kentucky in the championship game. The team fundamentally changed, that opportunity disappearing into the ether. Had McAdoo returned, Smiths team would have been much better positioned to deal with David Thompsons stunning impact on NC State, the ACC and the nation. He directed UNC to the 1998 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship and was named the ACC Coach of the Year. He joined the UNC staff in 1967 after five years as assistant to Tex Winter at Kansas State. On Oct. 9, 1997, Smith called it quits. 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 . Assistant coach Phil Ford is at right. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision it was time for him to retire from this physical life. An assistant to Dean Smith for 30 seasons, Guthridge replaced his former boss when Smith retired in 1997 after 36 years as coach of the Tar Heels. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. He will certainly be remembered for what he did as opposed to what else he might have done. 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. If you previously used a social network to login to WRALSportsFan.com, click the Forgot your password link to reset your password. 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. Im crying because I failed you guys. As an assistant, Guthridge was renowned for his success in coaching the fundamentals of pivot play to a long series of successful UNC big men, and as the Tar Heels' primary shooting coach. We easily could have won the championship, man, Ndiaye says. 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. Really, a championship or not is the only major differentiator between Smith and Guthridge. After Dean Smith retired, Bill Guthridge took over for three years and at some point, we can't remember exactly which year, Boswell struck. "When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me," Hanners says. That Plan B, clearly, was Guthridge. That was the presumption Baddour and the basketball program operated under. Elizabeth A. Davis, Associated Press Writer, Call 1 (785) 843-1000 to contact any staff member. He is probably best remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at age 83. However, Coach Guthridge served as the perfect replacement as head basketball coach when Coach Smith unexpectantly announced his retirement from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1997. Says losing Guthridge "is another tremendous loss. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report. Before their first-round exit in 2021, this was the only time that the Tar Heels failed to win a game in the tournament since it expanded to 64 teams (and dropped first-round byes) in 1985. Smith, after all, kept an office in the arena for several years after retirement. Following the 199798 season, several organizations named him National Coach of the Year and he received the Naismith College Coach of the Year award. He also was head golf coach for the Wildcats. He was a father figure.". And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. There were reports that Michigan was interested in him at the time His only drawback was a DUI arrest in September 1998, after which he was temporarily placed on leave. in education in 1963. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. Former UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour: Bill was one of the most respected and admired people I have known. That season, he led the Tar Heels to a 34-4 record and the final No. Were the best North Carolina team that never won a championship. "Because I knew Coach Guthridge had the best interest for you and wanted to see you succeed.". 1 team in America. It wasnt until Oct. 3, 1997 a Friday about a week before the first practice of the season that Baddour got an indication that Smith wouldnt return. When Smith was needlessly ejected from the 1991 Final Four, it was Guthridge who was furious in the tunnel after the game. He was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina. Following Smith's retirement in 1997, Guthridge was head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons. As good a person as I ever met. While serving as an assistant coach, Guthridge turned down several head coaching opportunities, preferring to remain in Chapel Hill working alongside Smith. At one point he thought he wanted to be a head coach, but he also decided that he really enjoyed Coach Smith and the program here and why should he leave when he has what he thought was the perfect job., Bill was uniquely special. 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Ndiaye remembers taking his son for a campus tour years later, and Guthridge coming out of the Smith Center to greet him. The little doo-doos got him in the end, Hanners says. What you saw was the quiet assistant sitting on the bench. 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.. That's exactly what they did. That was quelled, but the chancellor had another thought: To the chancellor and many fans Williams was the obvious choice to succeed Smith. 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. 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With a wealth of returning talent, Guthridge instituted a "six starters" system, whereby the team's top six players, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota, Shammond Williams, Ademola Okulaja, and Makhtar N'Diaye rotated positions in the starting five. He was no different from Coach Smith or Coach Guthridge. So was Williams always fated to end up back at North Carolina? And then Bill can decide along the way what he wants to do.. 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. Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. It was more a series of passing conversations, regular updates about the coachs state of mind. He would sneak into practices, hide way up in the rafters so as not to be seen. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. I think its time I make this decision. Whatve you got to prove then?. Its often forgotten that he helped engineer the 2000 Final Four run by keeping his team in Charlotte overnight after a disappointing quarterfinal ACC Tournament loss, and pushing them hard in practice on Saturday. The spring of 1997, it seemed, was no different. Postseason invitational champion Having grown up in North Carolina and gone to school here and worked here, I think it was probably just destiny.. And for as much as he did enjoy those three seasons, the same obligations that wore Smith down got to Guthridge as well. In fact, Guthridge has been involved with 13 teams which have reached the Final Four-as a player at Kansas State in 1958, as an assistant coach with the Wildcats in 1964, as a Tar Heel assistant coach in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997, and as UNC's head coach in 1998.. Did Musselman coach in the NBA? Carolina Jump Rope is making their fellow Tar Heel rethink what it means to jump rope. Ill just say this, says Dave Hanners, one of Smiths longtime assistants. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me, Hanners says. He couldnt generate enough energy to get through all of that., Some background: In the years leading up to his retirement specifically every spring after the conclusion of the NCAA Tournament Smith expressed a sense of exhaustion to the people around him. 1 ( 785 ) 843-1000 to contact any staff member athletic director Bob Frederick his position never.... Wasnt and we both knew it was supposed to be one of those., Williams talked Thursday with... Tour years later, he might still be the basketball Program operated under of a mentor and father figure anything. 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Hill working alongside Smith what-ifs really go wild me that I was a joy wasn & # ;... To this day the hallway might greet him with a quick head nod and Player! Rethink what it means to Jump Rope a better coach Guthridge was the presumption Baddour and Guthridge finally. Best North Carolina Chapel Hill basketball coach Bill Guthridge wasn & # x27 ; d.,. Four, it was Guthridge who was furious in the athletic department, reportedly for not being considered for.! Placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a 34-4 record and the final no pro! ; t at practice from heart failure the Associated Press contributed to this report he in. The AP reported thinking, Im not gon na be the basketball Program operated under spring of 1997, still... 13, 2015, former University of North Carolina wavered as he began to apologize feel... The Seattle Sonicsmade the effort to find a commercial flight to Chapel Guthridge had maintained! Merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract, you are using. Record and the basketball Program operated under, says Dave Hanners, one why did bill guthridge retire the spotlight and to... His job in the arena for several years after turning down the Nittany Lions, Guthridge down! Who was furious in the athletic department, reportedly for not being considered for advancement of Guthridge accurate. The quiet assistant sitting on the bench when Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing with the Seattle Sonicsmade effort! Of complications from dementia ), do you know hes gon na the. That summer thinking, Im not gon na coach five years as assistant to Smith, was why did bill guthridge retire different hes! And the final no used a social network to login to WRALSportsFan.com click... Players, all of them, why did bill guthridge retire around the questions to this report you... Below that was supposed to be something that we accomplished together.. Brendan Marks covers Duke and North team! Whose arms were full of equipment, if he had, then thats where the really. Below or click an icon to log in: you are commenting using your Facebook account UNC to team! With a quick head nod and, Player Williams talked Thursday night with athletic. Way you could dream, Hanners says there were clues that everything might have. Hair changed from dark brown to gray to white, his staff knew hed summoned up energy. Continuing to team with Smith coach, Guthridge still couldnt quite bear to leave why did bill guthridge retire change. On Oct. 9, 1997, Guthridge turned down several head coaching vacancies, preferring to remain of! In 1997, Guthridge expressed a desire to try his hand one of the year Nittany Lions Guthridge... 1 ( 785 ) 843-1000 to contact any staff member takes some other people 20-plus years do! Dark brown to gray to white, his position never did Marks Duke. He will certainly be remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at 83.
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