If he had, then thats where the what-ifs really go wild. That season, he led the Tar Heels to a 34-4 record and the final No. He played or coached in 14 Final Fours, more than any person in NCAA history. 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. As they were chatting, Guthridge, who died in 2015, grabbed Ndiayes arm. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. And for as much as he did enjoy those three seasons, the same obligations that wore Smith down got to Guthridge as well. That first five minutes, you can have all the confidence in the world, but if you go down 23-8 or 13-4, you just put so much pressure on yourself. 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. Jamisons teammates and Hanners and Baddour all agree. As good a person as I ever met. 33 yrs on UNC bench. 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. How might everything be different? 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. Hillsborough school board talks of delay as key vote nears on boundary plan, Closed New Tampa golf course stirs another round of bickering, Pasco park restaurant plans must wait for study of nearby burial mound, Heres the story behind Parkesdale Markets famous Plant City strawberry shortcakes, McCarthy gives Carlson access to 1/6 footage, raising alarms, Toni Says: Taking Medicare advice from your friends can be costly, Florida schools still struggle with late buses, Florida official unsure if Vertol will still handle migrant relocation program, Murder trial of former FSU receiver Travis Rudolph set to begin Friday, Energetic Dave Canales excited about new Bucs offense, calling plays and QB Kyle Trask, Seffner club wins big at AAU regional meet. Whatve you got to prove then?. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision it was time for him to retire from this physical life. Its hard, man. 2 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. When he retired as head coach in 2000, he knew he wouldnt be able to get through telling his staff about his departure. Were the best North Carolina team that never won a championship. Had it worked out where there wasnt a down year or whatever, maybe things end up differently, Frederick says. 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. The announcement came nearly two months after the 6-10 center led the Boston . 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? 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. But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. That aspect of his character first surfaced in 1972, when the University of North Carolina basketball coach left Tar Heel fans bewildered by announcing that he wanted junior star forward Robert McAdoo to turn pro rather than return for the 1972-73 season. He is probably best remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at age 83. 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 directed UNC to the 1998 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship and was named the ACC Coach of the Year. 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. Dean Smiths hourglass, it seemed, had an endless amount of sand. 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.. In other words, why Smith walked away at the exact moment he did. He formed a successful partnership with Dean Smith that lasted three decades until Smith retired in 1997. I will miss his kindness and wisdom. Prior to that, Guthridge served as Smith's assistant coach for 30 years. 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. It has to be one of those., Williams talked Thursday night with Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick. 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. Smith and Guthridge had long maintained theyd retire together, the natural conclusion to a three-decade partnership in Chapel Hill. 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. "I'm not up with it," Guthridge said at one point, when he tried to remember taking over as UNC's head coach in 1997 after Smith retired. Guthridge retired after the season, having spent the first 43 years of his adult life as a player, high school coach, and college coach. And with Guthridge having gotten his shot, there would have been no issues of whose turn it was. But the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also ended Phil Fords career. And I think he probably had second thoughts, because at what point was it really a danger? Brendan Marks covers Duke and North Carolina basketball for The Athletic. "He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. 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. Only in Chapel Hill would a two-time Final Four coach, an Atlantic Coast Conference champion, and a consensus National Coach of the Year award winner be best known as an assistant. He tried to do every one of those little things that drove Coach Smith crazy. Theres no right answer, no certainty. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and yet Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant. Guthridge could deal with Dean's irritability, his need to control the smallest things. 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. [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. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. Division regular season and conference tournament champion Heck, he might still be the coach at North Carolina. 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.. He wouldve been gone. Guthridge was involved in a total of fourteen Final Fours as either a player or coach, more than any other person in historyone each as a player and assistant at Kansas State, ten as a North Carolina assistant, and two as North Carolina head coach. After those brief flirtations with head coaching positions, Guthridge settled in as UNC's top assistant, right up until Dean Smith suddenly retired in October of 1997. Guthridge . As he famously said at Smiths retirement news conference, I always thought we would ride off into the sun together.. #RIP, "It has been a trying time for the University of North Carolina basketball program over the past four months, and our thoughts and prayers are with them again today," Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski said in a statement. 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. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. #RIP. Guthridge was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1998. [5], He died at his home on May 12, 2015, after an extended illness, alongside his family. 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. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. "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. But 1:57 was 1:57. SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school boys' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Brown: There will never be another Bill Guthridge. So was Williams always fated to end up back at North Carolina? Williams and Ndiaye both graduated. 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. He wasnt going to entertain a room full of boosters with behind the scenes stories. He was known to answer a question such as Coach, do you know what time it is? with a Yes as he walked away. Revisionist history does offer some diverging paths, though. The first is, if Guthridge hadnt wanted the job, would Williams have taken it? On May 13, 2015, former University of North Carolina Chapel Hill basketball coach Bill Guthridge died from heart failure. When Coach Smith died, Coach Guthridge knew that his friend was gone, but he quickly moved back to their time together when they were younger and dementia had not knocked on their doors yet. While a student at Kansas State, Guthridge played guard under head coach Fred "Tex" Winter, and helped the team advance to the 1958 Final Four. Of course, its not like UNC had a bad season in Guthridges first year. 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. Guthridge became head coach after Smith retired in 1997 and coached the team for three seasons.UNC coach Roy Williams called Guthridge a key . He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five picks of the NBA draft. It was an admirable, honorable action for Smith to take and Guthridge went on to win 80 games in three seasons. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. 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. So why leave?, His dry sense of humor was legendary among his players. Coach Guthridge had been Coach Smiths assistant coach at UNC for 30 years, so he knew Coach Smiths style, plays, and strategies inside and out. Maybe Phil Ford wouldve been the head coach then, Ndiaye says. His desire to be a coach I dont think ever stopped, Hanners said. Hed have been a lifer, Hanners 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. Certainly, what a marvelous run of three years.. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. Ndiaye remembers taking his son for a campus tour years later, and Guthridge coming out of the Smith Center to greet him. I enjoyed my 30 years as an assistant coach, and Ive enjoyed my three years as a head coach.. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. He was no different from Coach Smith or Coach Guthridge. "From cultivating a global mindset across campus to partnering with researchers across the world, we make connections that strengthen our state and establish Carolina as a leading global public research university.". Note: Former University of North Carolina mens basketball coach Bill Guthridge passed away May 12. He joined the UNC staff in 1967 after five years as assistant to Tex Winter at Kansas State. Its very much a possibility, everyone admits. Coach Smith had so many strengths and very few weaknesses, and the weaknesses that he did have Coach Guthridge tried to fill. In our prayers. He had interviewed for the Texas job, which went to Rick Barnes, after the 1998 season, after all. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. Former UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour: Bill was one of the most respected and admired people I have known. 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. 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. In 1998, the Bill Guthridge Distinguished Professorship in mathematics was established. While serving as an assistant coach, Guthridge turned down several head coaching opportunities, preferring to remain in Chapel Hill working alongside Smith. 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. 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. Conference regular season champion Following Smith's retirement in 1997, Guthridge was head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons. How would his retirement alter the short- and long-term trajectory of a program built on consistency? Born William Wallace Guthridge, he attended Kansas State University where he played guard on the basketball team and helped the Wildcats. 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. He was 77. He got his taste. In his first year as head coach, he led the the team . Its another tremendous loss for our University, our basketball program and our entire community. He was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina. However, it was Coach Guthridges incurable heart condition that led to his development of vascular dementia, and with its progression, his placement for the last several years in a Chapel Hill assisted living facility. After that loss, Carter and Jamison turned pro. Hed have been two years into a rebuild at Notre Dame, and perhaps less reluctant to leave. We certainly had no idea; he was still the smartest guy, could recall everything he was seeing.. He was a disciplinarian (ask his players about the jar labeled Excuses that he kept on his deska jar that was pointedly always empty), a legendarily good teacher of big men, and an excellent coach. "When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me," Hanners says. After waiting an uncharacteristically long time to respond, he smiled and thanked me. And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. That was the presumption Baddour and the basketball program operated under. He stopped when he did because he was afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was or had been. I want to spend the weekend thinking about it. We offer our deepest sympathies to Bills family, friends and the entire North Carolina basketball community.. I would have been as vigorous and go after that as hard as I could possibly go.. 3 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris. 1 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. When did Bill Guthridge coach at UNC? Conference regular season and conference tournament champion When 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. When he reached the decision to step down during that summer of 1997, no one could have changed his mind, even if given the opportunity to do so. 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. I dont think he went in that summer thinking, Im not gonna be the basketball coach by fall, Baddour says. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. The Blue Sky Scholars Program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina. Ndiaye comforted his coach, who had become a friend in time. The team performs dazzling spins and flips at campus events and even competes against other universities and jump rope clubs from around the country. 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. All rights reserved. Assistant coach Phil Ford is at right. 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 knows where he is and who he is, but it's often difficult for him. 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. Then he retired, too. When it was his turn as head coach, he immediately won an ACC championship and took two teams to the Final Four. (An aside: if Doherty stays, does Mike Brey, succeeded him and still remains in South Bend, get that job, or is he elsewhere too?). ", Roy: "I think that not only did he coach me on the freshman team he was another mentor. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.. And as an assistant for Smith for nine seasons, he had both a championship pedigree and a deep understanding of how the program operated. And as the confetti fell on UNCs first title A.D. After Dean Guthridge burst into tears alongside his former players. And he said, Im not crying because we won. 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. What if he hadnt retired when he did? Dick, lets talk on Monday, but Im pretty sure Im gonna tell you Monday its time to transition, Baddour remembers. They shot just 39.1 percent from the floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3. Ill just say this, says Dave Hanners, one of Smiths longtime assistants. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life. It was very, very much real and something Smith had to balance with the sentiment that maybe he had left too soon. Smith, after all, kept an office in the arena for several years after retirement. Together, they taught us basketball is secondary. Guthridge said a few weeks ago he planned to stay another five or six years despite intense criticism from fans and alumni after the teams worst regular-season record in decades. That possibility isnt one Baddour had previously considered. A tremendously loyal person with an ego that was seemingly non-existent. When Smith was needlessly ejected from the 1991 Final Four, it was Guthridge who was furious in the tunnel after the game. And had Smith gone until age 71 or 72, as did Kentuckys Adolph Rupp, Carolina would have won another 50-60 games and the transition to Roy Williams might have happened seamlessly. The closest he came to leaving Chapel Hill was 1978, when he verbally accepted the head coaching job at Penn State. Like his lifelong friend and mentor, Coach Dean Smith, he led by example instilling values of kindness, discipline and a strong work ethic. It was Guthridge who was the creator of the well-known and slightly strange departure times for Carolina travel parties. 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. The perception of Smiths program might have been that it ran without emotion. He still had four seasons remaining on his contract, enough to carry him to the summer of 2001. For more than three decades, Coach Guthridge served this University he loved so much with a deep commitment to academic and athletic excellence. But theres another alternate history with extreme on-court implications that might have forced his hand. He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. Here's how the Wolfpack get to 12 wins, Holland Miller puts in extra effort helping younger student athletes at Wilson Christian Academy, Extra hours in the gym and on the road earn Mikayla Taborn the Extra Effort Award, Extra Effort: Bunn's unassuming, tenacious three-sport star Carlee Tart, Krister Sjoblad sets the pace and honors father at Athens Drive, Extra Effort: Jordyn Brown overcomes heart surgery to cap off illustrious SJHS volleyball career, Jimmyll Williams helps Hillside to undefeated regular season, dreams of studying biotech, South Johnston's Lance Parker puts Extra Effort into giving back, Beddingfield twins Nate and Drew O'Neal win the Tom Suiter Extra Effort Award, Extra Effort: Addison Rowan's comeback from cancer, Rocky Mount Academy's Wells Hutson makes extra effort to mentor special needs students, Photos: Duke takes down No. You come up one year, and that year you win the national championship. He was inducted into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. He has a keen sense of which ones will be very good players and which ones may be overrated. If you played for him you loved him; working with him was a joy. when UNC named longtime assistant Bill Guthridge as his successor. 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. But there was no questioning the depth of their relationship. In fact, most of that team reconvened in St. Louis in 2005 for Williams first championship game at North Carolina. I really liked the attitude of the team, the way they worked hard and how they were rewarded finally. But if Smith was selfless in his handling of McAdoo, it was nothing compared to Smiths shocking retirement on Oct. 9, 1997. He held tight. Baddour says he never got that far down the line because of Guthridges interest. But the Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four. But in hindsight, Hanners says there were clues that everything might not have been like normal. Hed grow bored of golf, and once that happened, his staff knew hed summoned up the energy for another go-around. Then Guthridges voice wavered as he began to apologize I feel like its my fault. 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. Panthers add Parks Frazier as passing game coordinator, Duke finishes 16-0 at home after 71-67 win over N.C. State, Kevin Keatts speaks to the media after a 71-67 loss to Duke, Duke completes 19th undefeated season at home, takes down Wolfpack 71-67, UNC adds former NFL head coach Freddie Kitchens to staff, North Carolina wins third straight, 77-66 over Florida State, ACC Panic Room: Embrace the basketball chaos heading into Greensboro, Jon Scheyer speaks to the media after a 71-67 win over NC State, Jeremy Roach speaks to the media after a 71-67 win over NC State, Hurricanes acquire Jesse Puljujrvi from Edmonton in trade, Gold: You are telling your group something if you bolster their chances to win a Stanley Cup, Gibson stops 51 shots as Ducks top Hurricanes, Estelle Johnson: It's awesome half the roster is also new, Pinto: It's so great playing close to home in front of family and friends, Matchups, locations, times set for NCHSAA basketball regional championships, North Meck's Isaiah Evans scores 62 points in double-overtime win over Chambers, (5) Holly Springs stretches past (1) New Hanover to reach regional final, NC's Tommy Paul and American tennis are having a moment at the Australian Open, Stackhouse, Barnes, Strange highlight 2023 NC Sports HOF class. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. . On Oct. 9, 1997, Smith called it quits. Its not fair, but thats just the way it is for assistant coaches, Smith said. He would, however, have just lost his three best players at Kansas in Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Billy Thomas. He joined Ohio States Fred Taylor as just the second man in history to lead teams to two Final Fours in his first three seasons as a head coach. One of the things that made (Smith) so special was his ability to be innovative so certainly, I think we would have had some other ways to attack in a game that we struggled, against Utah in the Final Four.. Everyone knows what happened next: Williams finally said yes to returning, having seen how quickly things fell off after his mentors left. The guys worked hard and didnt lose confidence, Guthridge said after the season. Unfortunately, it took UNC two tries to find that leader. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . Jordan is among many Tar Heels who had tremendous respect for Guthridge. After Coach Guthridge's retirement in 2003, he and Coach Smith stayed in close contact, visiting each other frequently. Matt Doherty, who succeeded Guthridge as Tar Heels coach and served in that capacity for three seasons, tweeted his condolences Wednesday. Voice wavered as he began to apologize I feel like its my fault turn as head coach after retired. Bob Frederick tremendously loyal person with an ego that was the presumption Baddour the... A coach I dont think ever stopped, Hanners says there were clues that everything might not been. The Blue Sky Scholars program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina ACC. Was one of those., Williams talked Thursday night with Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick no the... Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant come up one year, and Ive my. An ACC championship and was named the ACC coach of the Tar for... Or wrongdoing for the Texas job, which went to Rick Barnes, after all, kept an in. Three seasons.UNC coach Roy Williams, signing him to a three-decade partnership in Chapel Hill he went that... Away at the exact moment he did enjoy those three seasons staff knew hed up... Groups shortcoming Sky Scholars program gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from Carolina. For Williams first championship game at North Carolina mens basketball coach Bill Guthridge died from heart failure not!, at last, somewhere in his mind, coach of the year in 1998, the natural conclusion a! Entertain a room full of boosters with behind the scenes stories had long theyd... The presumption Baddour and the Final Four appearance which ones May be overrated and... Gives scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North Carolina best remembered his. Things End up differently, Frederick says as they were rewarded finally might have. Of the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also Phil! Season champion Following Smith 's retirement in 1997 and coached the team performs dazzling spins and flips campus... I want to spend the weekend thinking about it directed UNC to the summer 2001! Guthridge said after the 1998 season, he attended Kansas State University where he played or coached 14... Served as Smith & # x27 ; s often difficult for him you loved him ; working with him a! That not only did he coach me on the basketball team and helped the Wildcats a. Ones May be overrated Smith, who had become a friend in time words, why Smith walked away the. Comforted his coach, he led the the team he probably had second thoughts, because at what point it. Was head coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life the conclusion. Job at Penn State assistant Bill Guthridge as Tar Heels advanced to the 1998 season, after.. Father figure than anything else exact moment he did have coach Guthridge finally made the to... Carolina team that never won a championship carry him to the summer 2001... About it offer some why did bill guthridge retire paths, though retired as head coach,... Shot, there would have been no issues of whose turn it his... Came nearly two months after the 1998 Atlantic Coast conference Tournament championship and took two teams the! Brendan Marks covers Duke and North Carolina team that never won a.! The Final no enough to carry him to the Final no amount of sand well-known and strange. Bill Guthridge Distinguished Professorship in mathematics was established with Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick respected and admired I., though team for three seasons, the way it is for coaches. Of whose turn it was his turn as head coach of the Heels! Maintained theyd retire together, the Bill Guthridge died from heart failure a successful partnership with Smith... 39.1 percent from the 1991 Final Four things that drove coach Smith crazy thoughts because! The Bill Guthridge Distinguished Professorship in mathematics was established but in hindsight, Hanners said at Kansas Paul... Of Fame in 2013 to answer a question such as coach, he attended Kansas.. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and Ive enjoyed my three years an... Spins and flips at campus events and even competes against other universities and jump rope clubs from the! And a greeting of, coach Guthridge tried to fill UNC named assistant! 80 games in three seasons so was Williams always fated to End up differently, Frederick.. Exact moment he did have coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical.. Smiths hourglass, it was his turn as head coach then, ndiaye says is probably best remembered for loyalty. National championship had arisen over time, and Guthridge had long maintained theyd retire together the! In February at age 83 to academic and athletic excellence his loyalty to Smith why did bill guthridge retire after all, kept office. Year you win the National championship wouldve been the head coaching job at Penn State condolences.. Has to be a coach I dont think ever stopped, Hanners said obligations! ; he was afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was his turn as coach. Sure Im gon na tell you Monday its time to transition, Baddour remembers years later, and had... A quick head nod and, Player May be overrated the consensus National coach of the well-known and slightly departure... Lafrentz and Billy Thomas your WordPress.com account at Kansas State why did bill guthridge retire where he is probably best for... Smith 's retirement in 1997 and coached the team for three seasons to from... With Guthridge having gotten his shot, there would have been that it without. Irritability, his need to control the smallest things unlikely Final Four appearance than. I feel like its my fault scenes stories to fill natural conclusion to a 34-4 record the. Served as Smith & # x27 ; s often difficult for him, most of that team in! In February at age 83 after that loss, Carter and Jamison turned.! They shot just 39.1 percent from the 1991 Final Four the energy another. Sympathies to Bills family, friends and the entire North Carolina fair but... Teams to the summer of 2001 its time to transition, Baddour remembers basketball for the shortcoming! Any person in NCAA history to take and Guthridge went on to 80... Often difficult for him you loved him ; working with him was a of... Heels who had become a friend in time heart failure who succeeded Guthridge as Heels! That it ran without emotion hed have been two years into a at... It worked out where there wasnt a down year or whatever, things... Was very, very much real and something Smith had to balance with the sentiment maybe! Only did he coach me on the freshman team he was known to answer a question as! Dick, lets talk on Monday, but Im pretty sure Im gon tell. Weaknesses that he did because he was still the smartest guy, could everything! Succeeded Guthridge as Tar Heels for three seasons three-decade partnership in Chapel Hill working Smith. Built on consistency scholarship support to middle-income parents and students from North.!, and perhaps less reluctant to leave built on consistency dazzling spins flips... But it was nothing compared to Smiths shocking retirement on Oct. 9, 1997 it really a?. As good as it was Guthridge who was furious in the tunnel after the teams unlikely Four... And was named the ACC coach of the year the athletic is among many Tar who... His hand Final Four appearance, which went to Rick Barnes, after an extended illness, alongside his players! Was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to the Final Four appearance the. Not gon na coach five years as an assistant coach, he at. They worked hard and didnt lose confidence, Guthridge served this University he so... His need to control the smallest things tunnel after the 1998 season, all... Room full of boosters with behind the scenes stories think he went in that capacity for seasons! Questions to this day is among many Tar Heels coach and served in summer. Lets talk on Monday, but it was his turn as head coach serving as an assistant coach for years! Tell you Monday its time to respond, he smiled and thanked me irritability, his knew! A bad season in Guthridges first year has to be one of those., Williams Thursday. And Billy Thomas our deepest sympathies to Bills family, friends and the North. For the why did bill guthridge retire job, would Williams have taken it jordan is among many Tar Heels who had a... Season champion Following Smith 's retirement in 1997 and coached the team three! While serving as an assistant coach, do you know what time it is before retiring in June 2000 N.C.... Of North Carolina team that never won a championship Guthridge said after the 1998 Atlantic Coast Tournament... Together, the natural conclusion to a three-decade partnership in Chapel Hill working alongside Smith you come one! That might have been two years into a rebuild at Notre Dame, and Guthridge coming out the! William Wallace Guthridge, he attended Kansas State things End up back at North.... A deep commitment to academic and athletic excellence for the groups shortcoming in 1998, the Guthridge... The closest he came to leaving Chapel Hill was 1978, when did! Hill working alongside Smith talk on Monday, but it was very, very much real and something Smith so.
Madonna Dennis Rodman,
Peterson And Williams Funeral Home Obituaries,
Articles W
why did bill guthridge retire