He would, however, have just lost his three best players at Kansas in Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Billy Thomas. Theres no right answer, no certainty. #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. If he had, then thats where the what-ifs really go wild. He was 77. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State . "Because I knew Coach Guthridge had the best interest for you and wanted to see you succeed.". 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. Williams and Ndiaye both graduated. That not-wanting-to-step-on-toes thing? Making the Final Four is a tremendous accomplishment but its not what you chase. North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour has refused to comment directly on Guthridge's contract, saying the school's board of trustees discourages him from talking publicly about such personnel issues. 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. Having grown up in North Carolina and gone to school here and worked here, I think it was probably just destiny.. Together, they taught us basketball is secondary. The next season, North Carolina earned a #3 seed in the West regional of the NCAA tournament, but was upset in the first round by Weber State in a late game in Seattle. I talk to Coach Williams all the time, and I asked him, Whats the best advice Coach Smith ever gave you? And he said, Antawn, Coach Smith told me just coach til you cant coach anymore. The only thing he regretted was he felt like he stopped coaching too early.. 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. At Smith's retirement. 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. Hed told reporters he expected to honor the remaining four years on his deal. 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. Why would you stay? Bill Guthridge was consistently portrayed as a quiet gentleman. And for as much as he did enjoy those three seasons, the same obligations that wore Smith down got to Guthridge as well. His legacy lives on in each of the players who were privileged to call him Coach and countless Tar Heels and people across the nation who admired him. (Smith told me), Its just not coming back. The university made a huge misstep when it hired former UNC player, Matt Doherty, a young, untested coach in the league of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and a 180-degreechange from the coaching styles of Coach Smith and Coach Guthridge, as its head basketball coach in 2000, when Coach Guthridge retired. What happened, happened. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. You will be missed. (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 . That startling decision equated to the ultimate professional sacrifice. The Tar Heels finished first or tied for first in the ACC regular season 16 times, finished second or tied for second in the ACC regular season 11 times and finished third or tied for third in the ACC regular season six times. When he retired as head coach in 2000, he knew he wouldnt be able to get through telling his staff about his departure. "My sympathies go out to his wife, Leesie, and their kids and family.". 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. It didnt bother me that I was a lousy coach, and when we started winning I was a better coach. 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. 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. 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. Guthridge was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1998. He was a father figure.". He coached 1997-98 National Player of the Year Antawn Jamison 99 and 1998-99 NBA Rookie of the Year Vince Carter 99, both of whom entered the NBA draft after their junior seasons. Why bring those up? I would lean a little bit toward the side of Bill saying, Look, Im not on the front end of my career, its great to have done this, what a way to go out, Baddour says. We certainly had no idea; he was still the smartest guy, could recall everything he was seeing.. The people who knew him best werent surprised he went to two Final Fours in three seasons.. Guthridge had once accepted Penn States head coaching vacancy in the 1970s, only to return to Chapel Hill before his connecting flight to State College. Guthridge was the head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons following Dean Smith's retirement in 1997. Smith, after all, kept an office in the arena for several years after retirement. 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Subscribe to The Athletic for in-depth coverage of your favorite players, teams, leagues and clubs. Guthridge would still call on Smith, after all, to speak to the team at certain times. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. He was 77. 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. But part of me, at the end of the day, thinks Coach Williams was destined to end up back here. 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. Its another tremendous loss for our University, our basketball program and our entire community. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. 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. Whatve you got to prove then?. "All I can say is I'm pursuing other opportunities," Davis said. 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. At the time, their run of 172 consecutive weeks in the AP Poll was the second-longest in college basketball history. I want to spend the weekend thinking about it. He was a member of the Pi Kappa Alpha fraternity. Peterson -- who roomed with Jordan on those early 1980s teams -- said Guthridge kept the program going off the court, with the assistant making him run the school's golf course at 6 a.m. as punishment for once being late. A tremendously loyal person with an ego that was seemingly non-existent. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . I mean, the Plan B was there.. Revisionist history does offer some diverging paths, though. He was a part of 867 wins in 33 seasons at Carolina and 960 college coaching victories overall, including 93 wins on the staff at Kansas State. He needed to hear that from Guthridge. 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. 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. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. Guthridge retired after the season, having spent the first 43 years of his adult life as a player, high school coach, and college coach. After graduating from Kansas State, he coached at Scott City High School in Kansas for two seasons before returning to his alma mater as an assistant coach for Tex Winter from 19621967. Guthridge was Smiths assistant for 30 years. With Williams, it was the restoration of the family, three national championships and potentially many more years. He would sneak into practices, hide way up in the rafters so as not to be seen. The Tar Heels then went 24-10 in 1998-99 but were upset by Weber State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. I wouldve gone to Roy.. Bill Guthridge, who led North Carolina to two Final Four appearances in his three seasons as basketball coach of the Tar Heels, will announce his retirement today, the Associated Press reported. Carolina Basketball confirmed the news on Twitter: Sad news. Division regular season and conference tournament champion 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.. 1 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. Like his lifelong friend and mentor, Coach Dean Smith, he led by example instilling values of kindness, discipline and a strong work ethic. I enjoyed my 30 years as an assistant coach, and Ive enjoyed my three years as a head coach.. Maybe Phil Ford wouldve been the head coach then, Ndiaye says. The next day, Kenny Smith said, assistant coach Bill Guthridge wasn't at practice. 2 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. Prior to that, Guthridge served as Smith's assistant coach for 30 years. Of course, Smith did retire. I was just happy that the team had success. Even 22 years after turning down the Nittany Lions, Guthridge still couldnt quite bear to leave. Coach Smith began showing signs of cognitive impairment before Coach Guthridge did. Its hard, man. So why leave?, His dry sense of humor was legendary among his players. (Ford) goes, Ah, you wouldve seen it sooner or later. Yeah right. He had recently been in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. He had recently been in an assisted living facility in Chapel Hill. To combat that fatigue, every summer, Smiths assistant coaches urged him to get out and enjoy life. 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. He won more games than any college head coach in history after just two seasons and tied N.C. States Everett Case for most coaching victories after three years. But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. 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. 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. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. The spring of 1997, it seemed, was no different. Jordan is among many Tar Heels who had tremendous respect for Guthridge. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. 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. After Coach Guthridge's retirement in 2003, he and Coach Smith stayed in close contact, visiting each other frequently. Because before we can consider what might have been, we have to understand why everything played out as it did. 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. And by the end of every summer, Smith returned freshly rejuvenated. Assistant coach Phil Ford is at right. He will certainly be remembered for what he did as opposed to what else he might have done. Smith is now 82 and with some health issues. Recharge your batteries, they told him. I wouldve never thought of that in a million years.. If Bill Guthridge doesnt look familiar to you as a UNC-Chapel Hill head basketball coach, theres a very good reason for that. 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. In our prayers. Guthridge didnt need the change, just wanted to know if he had it. But there was no questioning the depth of their relationship. Case in point. That stemmed not from the coaching aspect of his job, but from everything else. Im crying because I failed you guys. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. Had Smith made the logical move and coached on until his 70th birthday -- the route likely to be taken by Dukes Mike Krzyzewski (66) and Syracuses Jim Boeheim (68) -- he would have finished with at least 1,000 wins and possibly two more national titles. In 1998, the Bill Guthridge Distinguished Professorship in mathematics was established. 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. But when Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing with the Seattle Sonicsmade the effort to find a commercial flight to Chapel Hill, then flew out again as soon as the press conference was over. A source close to the basketball program, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that Guthridge recently decided he did not have the energy to continue coaching the Tar Heels. North Carolina made 10 trips to the Final Four and won two national championships during the time Smith and Guthridge spent together. Guthridge also gave to the University away from basketball. MIAMI: Tulane athletic director Rick Dickson acknowledged he has given the school permission to talk to Green Wave coach Perry Clark about replacing Leonard Hamilton. "He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. (Jed Jacobsohn / ALLSPORT via Getty), Theres a world where Ford got his chance to be UNCs head coach, and maybe still would be in that position. He was a lifetime assistant coach for whom Dean did a solid. "Coach Guthridge was instrumental in recruiting me to UNC and I have so many great memories of him and the lessons he taught me. (Scott Sharpe/News & Observer), Standing Together With Our Black Community, Assistant Schall Named Head Volleyball Coach, After 33 Years, Volleyball Coach Sagula Retires, In Memoriam: Elizabeth B. Morgan (19302022). 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. Theres no way you could dream, Hanners says, anyone would necessarily do better.. Kansas chancellor Robert Hemenway said the school was privileged to have Williams. No, I couldnt even consider that, Smith said. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. But the Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four. If Williams had said no, then who might have been offered the job? There is one final thing, though, that seems to be consensus, the one aspect of this entire hypothetical that no one can seem to get over: that the reason there are still enduring questions about what Smith could have accomplished in those extra four seasons is because those are the same questions Smith himself always carried. They shot just 39.1 percent from the floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. 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. He always knew what he was doing.. 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. He was my friend, a father figure, a big brother for me just like he was for so many players," current UNC coach Roy Williams said. He got his taste. A relatively quiet man with a wonderful and dry sense of humor. Conference tournament champion. After 36 years as the coach at North Carolina, it kept trickling down, grain by grain. So I just feel like we got robbed.. In our prayers. You come up one year, and that year you win the national championship. Hed have been two years into a rebuild at Notre Dame, and perhaps less reluctant to leave. Its not fair, but thats just the way it is for assistant coaches, Smith said. 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. In Guthridge's final season, he went 18-13 -- at the time, the program's worst finish in decades -- but bounced back in the postseason to reach North Carolina's 15th Final Four before losing in the national semifinals to Florida. We offer our deepest sympathies to Bills family, friends and the entire North Carolina basketball community.. 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 also handled many day-to-day responsibilities in the program and oversaw UNC's summer basketball camps. But I already had a better job than that and I was happy here. "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.". School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. 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. One year against Laurinburg, Hanners squad was down about 18 with under nine minutes to play; suddenly, he felt Ford come up behind him. It was an admirable, honorable action for Smith to take and Guthridge went on to win 80 games in three seasons. And then Bill can decide along the way what he wants to do.. Conference regular season champion Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? When Smith was needlessly ejected from the 1991 Final Four, it was Guthridge who was furious in the tunnel after the game. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? A longtime assistant to the legendary Dean Smith, he shall be remembered for his three seasons as head coach of the University of North Carolina Tar Heels. Bill Guthridge, who led North Carolina to two Final Four appearances in his three seasons as coach of the Tar Heels, will announce his retirement at a news conference Friday, The Associated Press has learned. Bill and Dean, friends for life. Heck, he might still be the coach at North Carolina. 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. 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 was on the sidelines for a record 73 NCAA Tournament victories, including 71 at Carolina and two at Kansas State. Only, given Guthridges age at the time (60) and the fact that hed always said hed retire when Smith did, Baddour wasnt totally sure Guthridge was interested. 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. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State before joining the Tar Heels staff in 1967. 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. It left at 1:57 p.m. His reasoning? Spend time with family. Longtime North Carolina basketball coach Bill Guthridge died Tuesday night. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. You will be missed. That's exactly what they did. Its very much a possibility, everyone admits. People could misinterpret 2 p.m.perhaps it really meant 1:45, or maybe 2:15. His lack of recruiting is why they went 8-20 shortly thereafter. And everything that happened, for better or worse, led the program to where it is today. I didnt really have to focus too much on a Plan B, Baddour says. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world. Guthridge joined Smith's staff for the 1967-68 season, starting out as the freshman coach and a co-assistant varsity coach and eventually becoming the Hall of Famer's most trusted assistant. Hed have retired with a championship trophy, and then let someone else step right in, Ndiaye says. Dick, lets talk on Monday, but Im pretty sure Im gonna tell you Monday its time to transition, Baddour remembers. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. In 1998, Guthridge inherited a team that had been to the 1997 Final Four the previous year under Smith. 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. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. Guthridge, who like Smith was a. Penn State was a good situation, he said in an interview in 2010. We didnt play well for just five minutes, and that decided the game.. He saw his memory issues coming long before the world did. But I know thats something that bothered him to his death, Ndiaye says. 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. His desire to be a coach I dont think ever stopped, Hanners said. But theres another alternate history with extreme on-court implications that might have forced his hand. He wasnt an electric radio show guest. A member of the family, three national championships and potentially many more years when we started I... Than three decades, coach Smith, after all, to speak the... The floor and made only 3-of-23 attempts from 3 would sneak into,... Me ), you wouldve seen it sooner or later the sidelines for a record 73 tournament! Four years on his deal Monday its time to transition, Baddour says trips to the 1997 Final Four previous. 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