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. Following his stint at Kansas State, Guthridge moved to North Carolina to join the staff of fellow Kansas native Dean Smith. Theres no right answer, no certainty. 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. He was 77. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. CHAPEL HILL, N.C. ? The Tar Heels either won the ACC tournament or finished atop the league standings -- or did both -- in 23 of those seasons. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. 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]. Think about it: Youve been an assistant coach for 30-plus years. Ndiaye comforted his coach, who had become a friend in time. He saw his memory issues coming long before the world did. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. Looking around at his devastated players in the locker room, Guthridge realized he simply couldnt leave. 33 yrs on UNC bench. 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. in mathematics in 1960 and an M.A. "Needless to say I'm tired of having meetings like this." Our hope and fervent desire is that the best basketball coach in America will continue to practice his craft at KU, he said Thursday night. 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. 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. Guthridge said he took a vacation in Europe in May, hoping to recharge, but wasnt able to. Smith and Guthridge had long maintained theyd retire together, the natural conclusion to a three-decade partnership in Chapel Hill. And with Guthridge having gotten his shot, there would have been no issues of whose turn it was. Which put Baddour on the search for a long-term replacement for the first time. At that point, Baddour turned to Matt Doherty, who had been the coach at Notre Dame for just one season. in education in 1963. 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. But I already had a better job than that and I was happy here. But when Guthridge retired, Williamsthen playing with the Seattle Sonicsmade the effort to find a commercial flight to Chapel . It was more a series of passing conversations, regular updates about the coachs state of mind. "Because I knew Coach Guthridge had the best interest for you and wanted to see you succeed.". 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. Note: Former University of North Carolina mens basketball coach Bill Guthridge passed away May 12. His loss is deeply felt by our university and the basketball world. 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. If he had, then thats where the what-ifs really go wild. You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. 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. My time is in the past now and we have to move forward.. Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. In public, he was never going to be the center of attention. What happened, happened. But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. But looking back, Hanners now believes Guthridge already had an inclination something was afoot. when UNC named longtime assistant Bill Guthridge as his successor. 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. (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 . The only people who came to know about that line of succession, so to speak, were Baddour, Smith, Guthridge and then-chancellor Michael Hooker, who expressed some concerns about Guthridges age early on. Dick, lets talk on Monday, but Im pretty sure Im gonna tell you Monday its time to transition, Baddour remembers. 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. 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. 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 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 was like Coach Guthridge in that both of them loved and bled Carolina blue so much that they never wanted to leave the program.. Fords reputation was growing fast as a star recruiter, having single-handedly delivered Rasheed Wallace to UNC and playing a major role in Carters eventual commitment. 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. 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.. Try a week on us. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He directed UNC to the 1998 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship and was named the ACC Coach of the Year. Hed have been two years into a rebuild at Notre Dame, and perhaps less reluctant to leave. Postseason invitational champion 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. Im crying because I failed you guys. When Bill Guthridge retired as North Carolina's basketball coach in the summer of 2000, it set off a chain reaction that touched the lives of dozens of people in his profession. Lets say youve got a 35-year-old guy. Not only did he coach me on the freshman team, he was my coach, another mentor, a friend, a father figure, a big brother for me just like he was for so many players. No, I couldnt even consider that, Smith said. He stopped when he did because he was afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was or had been. Ill really miss this next years team and what those guys have done for me, said Guthridge, whose team last season reached the Final Four before being eliminated in the semifinals. After waiting an uncharacteristically long time to respond, he smiled and thanked me. But the season, and that loss specifically, never faded from their collective consciousness. Guthridge was the consensus National Coach of the Year in 1998. He was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina. He would, however, have just lost his three best players at Kansas in Paul Pierce, Raef LaFrentz and Billy Thomas. 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. He played or coached in 14 Final Fours, more than any person in NCAA history. 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. And as the confetti fell on UNCs first title A.D. After Dean Guthridge burst into tears alongside his former players. I think its time to turn it over to somebody else, he said at a campus news conference. Guthridge also took a less talented team to the Final Four in 2000. 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. He was inducted into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Hed grow bored of golf, and once that happened, his staff knew hed summoned up the energy for another go-around. An assistant to Dean Smith for 30 seasons, Guthridge replaced his former boss when Smith retired in 1997 after 36 years as coach of the Tar Heels. What if he hadnt retired when he did? That's exactly what they did. Guthridge was completely committed to Carolina basketball, and he wanted to make sure everyone else in the program felt the same way. To combat that fatigue, every summer, Smiths assistant coaches urged him to get out and enjoy life. And by the end of every summer, Smith returned freshly rejuvenated. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. But theres also the fact that Dean did it his way, which was entirely predictable. But 1:57 was 1:57. As he famously said at Smiths retirement news conference, I always thought we would ride off into the sun together.. I needed Bill to tell me, Dick, yes, I want to do this, Baddour says, and he was clear that he wanted to.. Had it worked out where there wasnt a down year or whatever, maybe things end up differently, Frederick says. 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. And everything that happened, for better or worse, led the program to where it is today. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and yet Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant. When it was his turn as head coach, he immediately won an ACC championship and took two teams to the Final Four. Whether Williams would have returned at that time is impossible to say. And come Monday, he got the fateful notice. Former UNC Director of Athletics Dick Baddour: Bill was one of the most respected and admired people I have known. SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school boys' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Brown: There will never be another Bill Guthridge. Were the best North Carolina team that never won a championship. (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). 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. 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. You will be missed. William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 May 12, 2015) was an American college basketball coach. He will certainly be remembered for what he did as opposed to what else he might have done. He is probably best remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at age 83. He was even more important to me. I mean, the Plan B was there.. Guthridge coached three years and took the Tar Heels to two Final Fours. 17 Miami at Cameron Indoor stadium, Report: Sylvia Hatchell made racially insensitive remarks, forced players to compete while hurt, NC State makes NIT, AD Debbie Yow upset Wolfpack not invited to Big Dance, NC State extends Doeren's contract through 2023, UNC women continue on despite Hatchell's absence, Forty years later, the story of '83 never gets old for NC State, Interactive 2023 NCHSAA boys & girls basketball state playoff brackets, What 7 classes could look like in the NCHSAA if realignment amendment passes, Raleigh-Durham Skyhawks: The football team that never won, Raising money for cancer research, playing golf and being a grandparent: Roy Williams dons retirement hat in style, Top sports stories of 2022 from WRAL SportsFan - The Biggest Sports Stories of 2022, Complete HSOT all-state football team revealed, HSOT Watch List: Boys basketball players to look out for in the 2022-2023 season, North Carolina high school sports scoreboard, 'Going to get left behind': NC State, Duke, UNC hope transfer portal delivers for men's basketball teams, If the Los Angeles Lakers stumble to start 2022-23 season, Mike Krzyzewski is waiting in 'retirement', The Fan plays 'Dungeons & Dragons' for ACC realignment, Former NC State AD Lee Fowler on ACC's 2005 expansion: 'It was a crazy 24 hours'. He is one of five people to have appeared in the Final Four as both a player and coach. Veteran sports reporter Peter Gammons had high praise for the former coach: Saddened to learn Bill Guthridge passed away. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25, earned the ACC Coach of the Year award and guided North Carolina to the Final Four before losing to Utah. Once he asked a manager, whose arms were full of equipment, if he had change for a quarter. We didnt play well for just five minutes, and that decided the game.. But Baddour explained to the chancellor that because of Williams respect for Guthridge, hed never have taken the job over his friend. In our prayers. He stepped down 2 months later. 3 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris. Guthridge also handled many day-to-day responsibilities in the program and oversaw UNC's summer basketball camps. 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. He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. The school scheduled a news conference for 2:30 p.m. today. "Mak said he gets this call from his mom: 'Mak, there's this man here in Africa, says he's your coach,' ". But in hindsight, Hanners says there were clues that everything might not have been like normal. "If he told me to run through that wall to make me better, I'd hit that wall," former North Carolina player and well-traveled college coach Buzz Peterson told The Associated Press. Why would a healthy 66-year-old call it quits and relinquish the chance to coach that team? The Child and Adolescent Anxiety and Mood Disorders Program is one of the first research programs focused exclusively on addressing the gap in child and adolescent mental health services. 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