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. He was extremely special, important to every player, every coach who ever worked here. 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. You will be missed. "Needless to say I'm tired of having meetings like this." And everything that happened, for better or worse, led the program to where it is today. On Oct. 9, 1997, Smith called it quits. Of course, Smith did retire. Carolina Basketball confirmed the news on Twitter: Sad news. Whether Williams would have returned at that time is impossible to say. Following his stint at Kansas State, Guthridge moved to North Carolina to join the staff of fellow Kansas native Dean Smith. 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. So was Williams always fated to end up back at North Carolina? 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. in mathematics in 1960 and an M.A. 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. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. Guthridge didn't bother to recruit Jason Williams, conceding him to K, even though Jason reportedly had an interest in UNC. The careers and lives of the two coaches from Kansas were solidly intertwined. "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 is probably best remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at age 83. I was just happy that the team had success. But if Smith was selfless in his handling of McAdoo, it was nothing compared to Smiths shocking retirement on Oct. 9, 1997. In his three seasons as head coach Guthridge led the Tar Heels to the NCAA final Four twice, in 1998 and again in 2000. A relatively quiet man with a wonderful and dry sense of humor. Im like, Coach, we won it, congrats! Jamison remembers. The little doo-doos, Smith called them, the administrative tasks just within the purview of his job responsibilities. 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. Had it worked out where there wasnt a down year or whatever, maybe things end up differently, Frederick says. Hed have been a lifer, Hanners says. Watch more top videos, highlights, and B/R original content, Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. 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. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. All rights reserved. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. I wouldve gone to Roy.. The team bus never left at 2 p.m. He still had four seasons remaining on his contract, enough to carry him to the summer of 2001. 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. [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. Ndiaye even tried cracking the ice by joking that Guthridges years as head coach probably hadnt hurt his wallet. But if Williams had said no, as he did two years later, would Ford have been tapped for the job then? Guthridge, 62, said a few weeks ago that he planned to stay on another five or six years. Hanners, one of Fords close friends to this day, recalls the natural coaching instincts Ford had when the two oversaw the JV team. Ford whispered for Hanners to try running 21 defense really sagging off defenders, even inside the 3-point line. His lack of recruiting is why they went 8-20 shortly thereafter. Were the best North Carolina team that never won a championship. 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 Roy Williams declined the opportunity to be Carolinas head coach in 2000, he had to mend more hurt feelings with Guthridge than with Smith. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State . He was on the sidelines for a record 73 NCAA Tournament victories, including 71 at Carolina and two at Kansas State. Penn State was a good situation, he said in an interview in 2010. 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. But Guthridge, who died Tuesday at 77 of heart failure, was not just one of the best college basketball coaches of all time, he was an unfailingly decent man who displayed a rare degree of. The Kansas native took over the role of head coach following Smith's departure. Theres no right answer, no certainty. After that loss, Carter and Jamison turned pro. Guthridge could deal with Dean's irritability, his need to control the smallest things. But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. Guthridge was the longtime assistant to UNC coach Dean Smith, who died earlier this year. 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. (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 . Veteran sports reporter Peter Gammons had high praise for the former coach: Saddened to learn Bill Guthridge passed away. Our condolences go out to his family and friends.. 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. While serving as an assistant coach, Guthridge turned down several head coaching opportunities, preferring to remain in Chapel Hill working alongside Smith. After Coach Guthridge's retirement in 2003, he and Coach Smith stayed in close contact, visiting each other frequently. 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. No, I couldnt even consider that, Smith said. "Coach Guthridge was instrumental in recruiting me to UNC and I have so many great memories of him and the lessons he taught me. 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. 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. I think its time I make this decision. 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. 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. That not-wanting-to-step-on-toes thing? And I think he probably had second thoughts, because at what point was it really a danger? 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. College Basketball Coach. 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 . Guthridge would still call on Smith, after all, to speak to the team at certain times. 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. 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. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. Together, they taught us basketball is secondary. 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. Unfortunately, it took UNC two tries to find that leader. Then Guthridges voice wavered as he began to apologize I feel like its my fault. When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me, Hanners says. 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. WAKE FOREST: Former basketball standout Charlie Davis quit his job in the athletic department, reportedly for not being considered for advancement. My guess is that Coach Guthridge probably never came back from that place after Coach Smiths death and I would speculate that Coach Smiths death may have been the final straw of an increasingly-unfamiliar and disconnected life for Coach Guthridge. Or perhaps someone else from Smiths coaching tree, such as George Karl or Eddie Fogler? He never called me at home, unless it was something dire, Hanners says, but he said, How would you feel about meeting me in the office early on Monday at 7 to go over some things before everyone gets there? Hanners obliged, trying to ease Guthridges feeling that he was somewhat out of touch. Spend time with family. But Guthridges request also made Hanners realize that plan might not come to fruition. He spurned offers to interview for head coaching vacancies, preferring to remain out of the spotlight and continuing to team with Smith. Postseason invitational champion 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 . 33 yrs on UNC bench. "All I can say is I'm pursuing other opportunities," Davis said. That was the presumption Baddour and the basketball program operated under. Smith, who attended Guthridges retirement announcement, called the day a celebration of a fantastic career. He needed to hear that from Guthridge. That Plan B, clearly, was Guthridge. But there was no questioning the depth of their relationship. So why leave?, His dry sense of humor was legendary among his players. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report. 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. Born in Parsons, Kansas,[2] Guthridge attended Kansas State University in Manhattan, and graduated with a B.S. 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. "When Coach Smith announced he was retiring and that Coach Guthridge was taking over, then it all clicked into place for me," Hanners says. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. Dean Smiths hourglass, it seemed, had an endless amount of sand. 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. And so those players, all of them, kick around the questions to this day. Smith is now 82 and with some health issues. 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 took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. Says losing Guthridge "is another tremendous loss. (LogOut/ The guys worked hard and didnt lose confidence, Guthridge said after the season. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . Once he asked a manager, whose arms were full of equipment, if he had change for a quarter. But it was as if the whole contraption was tilted, resting at an incline so that the sand would never get to the bottom. 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. Guthridge had ample opportunities to leave Chapel Hill and become the head coach of his own program. Williams famously turned him down, opting to remain at Kansas, where hed built a Carolina-esque family dynamic (at Smiths alma mater, to boot). Graduate of the University of North Carolina. Then there are the other options from Smiths tree: Karl and Fogler and even Larry Brown. Certainly, what a marvelous run of three years.. As good a person as I ever met. 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. 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. When did Bill Guthridge coach at UNC? When Smith was needlessly ejected from the 1991 Final Four, it was Guthridge who was furious in the tunnel after the game. 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. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. He took the team to the NCAA final Four twice and was named national coach of the year in 1998, before retiring in 2000.[1]. 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. 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.. Lets say youve got a 35-year-old guy. Maybe Phil Ford wouldve been the head coach then, Ndiaye says. [5], He died at his home on May 12, 2015, after an extended illness, alongside his family. He bought into everything. In that scenario, Williams never leaves Kansas and Ford probably never leaves North Carolina. At that point, Baddour turned to Matt Doherty, who had been the coach at Notre Dame for just one season. All the scheduling calls, speeches for adoring donors, piles and piles of paperwork that accompanied seemingly everything he did. Who will win each 2023 conference tournament? Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. What happened, happened. He tried to do every one of those little things that drove Coach Smith crazy. Now Guthridge, 77, is enduring a similarly cruel fate . And althoug he believes that scenario puts more emphasis on winning than it does on building relationships and teaching the things Guthridge and Smith both loved its not out of the question. 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. Coach Guthridge is the best I have ever seen in selecting potential in high school players, Smith once said, according to the teams website. He also was an assistant to Smith on the 1976 U.S. Olympic team that won the gold medal in Montreal. Its very much a possibility, everyone admits. Having grown up in North Carolina and gone to school here and worked here, I think it was probably just destiny.. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. Guthridge said he took a vacation in Europe in May, hoping to recharge, but wasnt able to. In his 33 seasons at Carolina, the Tar Heels won two NCAA championships, in 1982 and 1993; played in 12 Final Fours; won the ACC Tournament championship 13 times; and played in the ACC Tournament championship game a total of 22 times. The latest in the sports world, emailed daily. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss in 1999. Why would you stay? Conference regular season champion 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. Its funny that were doing this story, Jamison says. 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. The Tar Heels then went 24-10 in 1998-99 but were upset by Weber State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. Without question, every opportunity that I would have to hire Roy Williams. If you previously used a social network to login to WRALSportsFan.com, click the Forgot your password link to reset your password. We offer our deepest sympathies to Bills family, friends and the entire North Carolina basketball community.. 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. His legacy and contributions to my life and to our University will live on and hell be much more remembered for his sense of humor and class just as much as his coaching., 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 after the passing of Bill Guthridge. He would sneak into practices, hide way up in the rafters so as not to be seen. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. Guthridge also took a less talented team to the Final Four in 2000. 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. Looking around at his devastated players in the locker room, Guthridge realized he simply couldnt leave. "Mak said he gets this call from his mom: 'Mak, there's this man here in Africa, says he's your coach,' ". But it is my opinion that he expected, when he first told me that, that he would continue to be the coach.. 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. If Williams had said no, then who might have been offered the job? And as the confetti fell on UNCs first title A.D. After Dean Guthridge burst into tears alongside his former players. Division regular season champion People could misinterpret 2 p.m.perhaps it really meant 1:45, or maybe 2:15. Neither Davis nor athletic director Ron Wellman would comment on his departure. As he would prepare for a basketball practice or game, he was equally intense about attention to detail in scheduling or whatever.. "My sympathies go out to his wife, Leesie, and their kids and family.". To combat that fatigue, every summer, Smiths assistant coaches urged him to get out and enjoy life. William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 May 12, 2015) was an American college basketball coach. 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.. I want to spend the weekend thinking about it. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. But theres another alternate history with extreme on-court implications that might have forced his hand. 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. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. 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