And then Bill can decide along the way what he wants to do.. The emotion was there, its just that it was often Guthridge providing it. 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. And so even as the coachs hair changed from dark brown to gray to white, his position never did. 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. 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. Smith, after all, kept an office in the arena for several years after retirement. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Smith died on Feb. 7 after suffering for years from a neurological disorder that robbed him of his memories. 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. 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. You will be missed. He was North Carolina basketball, the constant as the new building was built in his honor and the banners in the rafters accumulated, the link from Scott to Ford to Jordan to Stackhouse. And I think he probably had second thoughts, because at what point was it really a danger? The ones he did have Coach Guthridge tried to fill. Guthridge coached North Carolina to the Final Four in his first season before losing to Utah. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. "He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. Smith and Guthridge had long maintained they'd. Its not what gets remembered for the rest of your life, at least not at a place like North Carolina. "Mak said he gets this call from his mom: 'Mak, there's this man here in Africa, says he's your coach,' ". Coach Smith always had a plan. He competed in one as a player at Kansas State in 1958, was an assistant coach at 11 before directing the Tar Heels at two as head coach. After Smith retired in October 1997, then-athletic director Dick Baddour elevated Guthridge to the top job. (An aside: if Doherty stays, does Mike Brey, succeeded him and still remains in South Bend, get that job, or is he elsewhere too?). 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. Prior to that, Guthridge served as Smith's assistant coach for 30 years. But Guthridges request also made Hanners realize that plan might not come to fruition. The spring of 1997, it seemed, was no different. 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. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and yet Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant. He formed a successful partnership with Dean Smith that lasted three decades until Smith retired in 1997. 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. Why would you stay? You accomplished something that takes some other people 20-plus years to do. The manager put down his stuff and rifled through his pockets. 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. SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school boys' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Brown: There will never be another Bill Guthridge. Some fans criticized Guthridge last season when the Tar Heels went through a four-game losing streak in January and entered the post-season with 13 losses. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Making the Final Four is a tremendous accomplishment but its not what you chase. That possibility isnt one Baddour had previously considered. But theres another alternate history with extreme on-court implications that might have forced his hand. 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. Matt Doherty, who played at UNC while Guthridge was an assistant and then became the school's head coach after Guthridge retired, sent along his condolences: Thank you Coach Gut for the many lessons you taught us at UNC. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. 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. I really liked the attitude of the team, the way they worked hard and how they were rewarded finally. Division regular season and conference tournament champion Having grown up in North Carolina and gone to school here and worked here, I think it was probably just destiny.. He was 77. We offer our deepest condolences to the Guthridge family as they grieve the loss of a wonderful husband and father.. (Ford) goes, Ah, you wouldve seen it sooner or later. Yeah right. 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. 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. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. Frederick said he wanted to emphasize to Williams how strongly the university, the community, the people in the state of Kansas and all of our alumni and fans feel about him continuing as the Jayhawk coach forever.. In his three seasons as head coach Guthridge led the Tar Heels to the NCAA final Four twice, in 1998 and again in 2000. "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.". "You get old." Bill and Dean, friends for life Smith. For starters, Baddour says he still would have offered Guthridge the job first. 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 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. And I said, I cant say to you with certainty what Bills gonna do, but this is how we have to approach it. It was the 14th time Guthridge participated in the Final Four. Heck, he might still be the coach at North Carolina. 3 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris. 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. (Robert Willett / Tribune News Service via Getty). 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. He was a perfect sidekick for Coach Smith. Thank you Coach Gut for the many lessons you taught us at UNC. One of his most tempestuous relationships had been with guard Shammond Williams, who even walked off the court at Virginia on one occasion. The team fundamentally changed, that opportunity disappearing into the ether. But it is my opinion that he expected, when he first told me that, that he would continue to be the coach.. He said that although he was impressed with the athletic department personnel and basketball program, withdrawing his name was "in the best interest of myself and my family.". It was more a series of passing conversations, regular updates about the coachs state of mind. 2 "The End of Absence" Michael Harris, Pt. One year against Laurinburg, Hanners squad was down about 18 with under nine minutes to play; suddenly, he felt Ford come up behind him. How might everything be different? But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. (LogOut/ 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. (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). He held a news conference in the bowels of the Dean Smith Center, where he announced his retirement from the game hed given his life to. Ndiaye remembers taking his son for a campus tour years later, and Guthridge coming out of the Smith Center to greet him. 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. 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'. Revisionist history does offer some diverging paths, though. Says losing Guthridge "is another tremendous loss. 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. He would sneak into practices, hide way up in the rafters so as not to be seen. 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. when UNC named longtime assistant Bill Guthridge as his successor. I needed Bill to tell me, Dick, yes, I want to do this, Baddour says, and he was clear that he wanted to.. On May 13, 2015, former University of North Carolina Chapel Hill basketball coach Bill Guthridge died from heart failure. 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. Coach Guthridge was the right choice to lead the transition to another, younger leader of the famed basketball program at the University of North Carolina. You wouldnt think that would work, but it did. But the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also ended Phil Fords career. Longtime North Carolina basketball coach Bill Guthridge died Tuesday night. We offer our deepest sympathies to Bills family, friends and the entire North Carolina basketball community.. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State before joining the Tar Heels staff in 1967. Jordan is among many Tar Heels who had tremendous respect for Guthridge. What about Ford? 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. He was 77 years old. Spend time with family. Hed been given a five-year contract when he took over for Smith, because the administration feared recruits would stop coming if they thought Guthridge could retire at any moment. 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. Smith wrote in his memoir, A Coachs Life, that before he retired in 1997, he told recruits: If Im not coaching, I am confident that your coach will be either Bill Guthridge, Eddie Fogler, Roy Williams, Larry Brown, George Karl or Phil Ford, not necessarily in that order. The University is currently operating under normal conditions. He, like Coach Smith, was more of a mentor and father figure than anything else. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision to retire from this physical life. As good a person as I ever met. The Tar Heels then went 24-10 in 1998-99 but were upset by Weber State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. 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. Now Guthridge, 77, is enduring a similarly cruel fate . 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 our prayers. 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. In fact, most of that team reconvened in St. Louis in 2005 for Williams first championship game at North Carolina. Go play golf. Guthridge didnt need the change, just wanted to know if he had it. Born William Wallace Guthridge, he attended Kansas State University where he played guard on the basketball team and helped the Wildcats. Theres no right answer, no certainty. Jamisons teammates and Hanners and Baddour all agree. Student-run Chapel Thrill Escapes brings its newest escape room to life Rameses in Wonderland continuing to provide an outlet for student creativity, entrepreneurship and collaboration on Carolina's campus. That image of Guthridge is accurate but not complete. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss in 1999. Hed have been two years into a rebuild at Notre Dame, and perhaps less reluctant to leave. On Oct. 9, 1997, Smith called it quits. But more than just that team, Smith left behind a mound of questions. Its often forgotten that he helped engineer the 2000 Final Four run by keeping his team in Charlotte overnight after a disappointing quarterfinal ACC Tournament loss, and pushing them hard in practice on Saturday. The Parsons, Kan., native posted an 80-28 record in three seasons as Carolinas head coach, leading the 1998 and 2000 teams to the Final Four. 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