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. 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. 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.". What Smith left behind was arguably the most talented team hed ever assembled: a pair of future NBA All-Stars, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison; the programs all-time assists leader, point guard Ed Cota; a lights-out shooter, Shammond Williams; a frontcourt enforcer, Makhtar Ndiaye; and much more. Prior to that, Guthridge served as Smith's assistant coach for 30 years. He held tight. In fact, he communicated as much to Baddour after Baddour was tapped in late June to replace John Swofford as athletic director. Following his stint at Kansas State, Guthridge moved to North Carolina to join the staff of fellow Kansas native Dean Smith. As a coach, he was stubbornly competitive. He was a kind soul with a strong, competitive spirit. 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. So I just feel like we got robbed.. 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. And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. But I already had a better job than that and I was happy here. 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One year against Laurinburg, Hanners squad was down about 18 with under nine minutes to play; suddenly, he felt Ford come up behind him. You will be missed. It was very, very much real and something Smith had to balance with the sentiment that maybe he had left too soon. Current coach Roy Williams referenced Smith's death, which occurred on Feb. 7 of this year, when commenting onGuthridge, via Andrew Carter of theCharlotte Observer: Here's Roy. Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. It left at 1:57 p.m. His reasoning? 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. On the day of Smiths retirement, The Washington Post reported Smith wants his other longtime assistant, former Tar Heels point guard Phil Ford, eventually to become the coach, a source said. Ford was arguably Smiths best player ever, and UNCs all-time leading scorer at the time. Only different alternate realities. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Following Smith's retirement in 1997, Guthridge was head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons. The possibilities were endless, but Baddour is certain of one thing: keeping things in the family was a must. 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.". But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. 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 set NCAA records for most wins by a first-year head coach with 34, and for wins in his first two years with 58. He will certainly be remembered for what he did as opposed to what else he might have done. "He was my coach, he was another mentor. 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. 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. All the things he couldnt do during the daunting in-season months. No, I couldnt even consider that, Smith said. He would, however, have just lost his three best players at Kansas in Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Billy Thomas. In our prayers. The announcement came nearly two months after the 6-10 center led the Boston . In our prayers. To combat that fatigue, every summer, Smiths assistant coaches urged him to get out and enjoy life. 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In other words, why Smith walked away at the exact moment he did. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State . Everybody would have loved Coach Ford to get the opportunity, Frederick says. I was just happy that the team had success. Ndiaye comforted his coach, who had become a friend in time. North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge retired Friday after three years as Dean Smiths successor, a move that opens one of the most prestigious jobs in college sports. 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. Its funny, I talk to (Williams) players, and with the thought of the day, and the way things are run, and I go to their practices, Jamison says, its Coach Gut, Coach Smith in a younger body.. As he famously said at Smiths retirement news conference, I always thought we would ride off into the sun together.. 3 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris. Born in Parsons, Kansas,[2] Guthridge attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, and graduated with a B.S. Hed told reporters he expected to honor the remaining four years on his deal. Which put Baddour on the search for a long-term replacement for the first time. 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. He was a lifetime assistant coach for whom Dean did a solid. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world. That season, he led the Tar Heels to a 34-4 record and the final No. Without question, every opportunity that I would have to hire Roy Williams. I needed Bill to tell me, Dick, yes, I want to do this, Baddour says, and he was clear that he wanted to.. Guthridge would still call on Smith, after all, to speak to the team at certain times. Guthridge, his wife said, suffers from vascular dementia - a condition that's a result of reduced blood supply to the brain. Baddour was scheduled to travel with the football program that day for a game at TCU, but before leaving he spoke to Smith on the phone. [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. At Smith's retirement. With the number of Americans residing in assisted living communities nearing 1 million and growing, CEAL@UNCs work will be vital for ensuring that older adults nationwide have access to quality and supportive care that enables them to age with dignity and respect. Guthridge said he took a vacation in Europe in May, hoping to recharge, but wasnt able to. When did Bill Guthridge coach at UNC? "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. In public, he was never going to be the center of attention. Go play golf. 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. Making the Final Four is a tremendous accomplishment but its not what you chase. 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. Guthridge also took a less talented team to the Final Four in 2000. Ironically, both coaches developed dementia along the way (Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia). 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. With Williams, it was the restoration of the family, three national championships and potentially many more years. Coach Smith began showing signs of cognitive impairment before Coach Guthridge did. Guthridge was completely committed to Carolina basketball, and he wanted to make sure everyone else in the program felt the same way. But if Williams had declined the opportunity, as he initially did a year prior? William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 May 12, 2015) was an American college basketball coach. But when Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing with the Seattle Sonicsmade the effort to find a commercial flight to Chapel . 1 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. 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. I really believe thats exactly what happened.. After 36 years as the coach at North Carolina, it kept trickling down, grain by grain. We easily could have won the championship, man, Ndiaye says. Guthridge was the head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons following Dean Smith's retirement in 1997. Coach Smith would be more likely to draw up something in a timeout, or draw up a play maybe we hadnt worked on, where as Coach Guthridge was going to rely on what wed done in the past, says Brad Frederick, a forward on that team and now a UNC assistant coach. You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. Guthridge was criticized last season by alumni and fans for losing five games at home the most since World War II and for a record that dropped to 18-13 after a first-round defeat in the Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament. 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. Ndiaye even tried cracking the ice by joking that Guthridges years as head coach probably hadnt hurt his wallet. That's exactly what they did. Former UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour: Bill was one of the most respected and admired people I have known. Once he asked a manager, whose arms were full of equipment, if he had change for a quarter. But Baddour explained to the chancellor that because of Williams respect for Guthridge, hed never have taken the job over his friend. Smith wrote in his memoir, A Coachs Life, that before he retired in 1997, he told recruits: If Im not coaching, I am confident that your coach will be either Bill Guthridge, Eddie Fogler, Roy Williams, Larry Brown, George Karl or Phil Ford, not necessarily in that order. He always knew what he was doing.. Guthridge coached that team to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship, a school record-tying 34 wins (including 30 wins going into the NCAA Tournament the most in school history at the time) and an appearance in the Final Four, where they lost to Utah. Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. I didnt really have to focus too much on a Plan B, Baddour says. 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. 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. 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. I mean, the Plan B was there.. Yeah, Id say that was more likely than unlikely., I wouldve gone to where I went two years later, he says. . He wasnt going to entertain a room full of boosters with behind the scenes stories. A relatively quiet man with a wonderful and dry sense of humor. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision it was time for him to retire from this physical life. I think its time I make this decision. The first is, if Guthridge hadnt wanted the job, would Williams have taken it? "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.". As things went, by the end of the 1999-2000 season which concluded with a surprise Final Four run, Guthridges second trip in three seasons Smiths right-hand man was finally ready to step away himself. But if Smith was selfless in his handling of McAdoo, it was nothing compared to Smiths shocking retirement on Oct. 9, 1997. He was named National Coach of the Year in 1997-98 by the National Association of Basketball Coaches, the Atlanta Tipoff Club (Naismith Award), CBS/Chevrolet, the Columbus (Ohio) Touchdown Club and The Sporting News. What if he hadnt retired when he did? Guthridge was Smiths assistant for 30 years. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.. By the way, Dean Smith basically forced UNC to hire Guthridge, his long-time assistant, when El Deano suddenly retired in October 1997, just before the beginning of the hoops season. People could misinterpret 2 p.m.perhaps it really meant 1:45, or maybe 2:15. 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. The death of Guthridges mother, Betty, 96, two days before the Tar Heels played Tennessee at Knoxville in the NCAA South Regional semifinals also contributed to a difficult season. 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. Jamisons teammates and Hanners and Baddour all agree. He had recently been in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill. You come up one year, and that year you win the national championship. When employees came to work at the GAA on a rainy day, Elizabeth Morgan, warm, Bill Guthridge, who made his college basketball reputation as Dean Smiths trusted right-hand man then took Carolina to two Final Fours in three years as head coach after his mentor retired has died after a long illness. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. I enjoyed my 30 years as an assistant coach, and Ive enjoyed my three years as a head coach.. Williams and Ndiaye both graduated. North Carolina made 29 NCAA tournament appearances in Guthridge's 33 years on the staff and finished no worse than third in the Atlantic Coast Conference regular-season standings every year -- with 16 first-place finishes and 10 more in second. Penn State was a good situation, he said in an interview in 2010. Theyd had their disagreements, yes. 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. That image of Guthridge is accurate but not complete. Coach Smith began showing signs of cognitive impairment before Coach Guthridge did. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia, Profiles in Dementia: Zelda Fitzgerald(1900-1948), Facebook Group for Caregivers of Loved Ones with Alzheimer's Disease, Dementia, and Other Age-Related Illnesses, R. E. M. Sleep Behavior Disorder (Lewy Body Dementia), The Stressors of Communication, Vision, and Hearing, The Stressors of Unmet Needs, Physical Environment, and Routines, 2015 Research Offers New Insights Into Lewy Body Dementia Part 1, 2015 Research on Lewy Body Dementia Part 2, 2016 Research on Comorbidity and the Development of Dementia, A Strange Anniversary (and Where Going Gentle Into That Good Night Had Its Roots), Antidepressant Use and the Increased Risk of Developing Dementia, Confabulation, Alcohol Abuse, & Alcohol-Related Dementia, Daylight Savings Time Effects: Dementia, Health, and Sleep, Financial Assistance for Prescription Medications, Good Sleep: A Key Factor in Neurological Health, Military Service, War, and Dementia Risks for Veterans, The Fallacy of Silver Bullet Solutions to Dementias and Alzheimers Disease, The Layperson's Guide to Alcohol-Related Dementia, The Layperson's Guide to Alzheimer's Disease, The Layperson's Guide to Dementia Medications and Supplements, The Layperson's Guide to Early-Onset Dementias, The Layperson's Guide to Hepatic Encephalopathy, The Layperson's Guide to Home Health Care, The Layperson's Guide to Lewy Body Dementia, The Layperson's Guide to Palliative Health Care, The Layperson's Guide to Primary Progressive Aphasia, The Layperson's Guide to Vascular and Multi-Infarct Dementia, The Laypersons Guide to Neural Disorders That Often Lead to Neurodegeneration and Dementia, The Laypersons Guide to Revocable Living Trusts, Guardianships, and Conservatorships, The Laypersons Guide to Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), The Link Between Brain Injuries & Neurological Disease, The Rare Dementias: Corticobasal Degeneration (CBD), The Rare Dementias: Fatal Familial Insomnia, The Rare Dementias: Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, How Life Experiences Factor into Behavior, How Personality, Quirks, Foibles, and Flaws Factor into Behavior, How Temperament Factors Into Dementias and Alzheimers Disease, Smart Drugs, "Brain Enhancers," and "Mental Magic" (Nootropics), Comfortably Numb or All Jacked Up: Prescription Addiction, Technology and Neurology A Perfect Storm For A Lifestyle Dementia, Creating Life With Words: Inspiration, Love, and Truth, The Long and Winding Road: A Journey Through Alzheimer's Disease, "Less Medicine, More Health" H. Gilbert Welch, "Patient H.M.: A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets" Luke Dittrich, "When Breath Becomes Air" Paul Kalanithi, Bad Pharma: How Drug Companies Mislead Doctors and Harm Patients Ben Goldacre, The Tale of Dueling Neurosurgeons Sam Kean, How We Do Harm: A Doctor Breaks Ranks About Being Sick in America by Otis Webb Brawley, Pt. Coach Smith always had a plan. Guthridge was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1998. Fast-forward to present day, and he has surpassed Smith in both national championships and wins. 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. "Because I knew Coach Guthridge had the best interest for you and wanted to see you succeed.". For more than three decades, Coach Guthridge served this University he loved so much with a deep commitment to academic and athletic excellence. 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