But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. 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. Theyd had their disagreements, yes. 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. We offer our deepest condolences to the Guthridge family as they grieve the loss of a wonderful husband and father.. (Smith told me), Its just not coming back. North Carolina made 10 trips to the Final Four and won two national championships during the time Smith and Guthridge spent together. 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. No, I couldnt even consider that, Smith said. Calhoun, elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2005, is . 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. All rights reserved. A tremendously loyal person with an ego that was seemingly non-existent. And I think he probably had second thoughts, because at what point was it really a danger? School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. He said Friday he now knows how Smith felt in 1997 when he stepped down. "I'd always set my time to GST, 10 minutes ahead.". In 1993, he and his wife, Leesie, created the William W. and Elise P. Guthridge Library Fund, which helped with purchasing materials and renovation of the House Undergraduate Library. "Coach Guthridge was instrumental in recruiting me to UNC and I have so many great memories of him and the lessons he taught me. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. Guthridge, 62, said a few weeks ago that he planned to stay on another five or six years. The Tar Heels lost to Florida in last seasons Final Four. The next day, Kenny Smith said, assistant coach Bill Guthridge wasn't at practice. (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. Hed grown up in North Carolina, graduated from the university, won a championship as an assistant under Smith and had built a successful program as the coach at Kansas. Guthridge also handled many day-to-day responsibilities in the program and oversaw UNC's summer basketball camps. But there was no questioning the depth of their relationship. Hanners, one of Fords close friends to this day, recalls the natural coaching instincts Ford had when the two oversaw the JV team. As he would prepare for a basketball practice or game, he was equally intense about attention to detail in scheduling or whatever.. Former UNC coach, assistant Guthridge dies, Sizing up the player of the year winners in all 32 Division I men's conferences, Tide's Oats takes blame for Miller's 'TSA' intro, Davis within 25 points of tying Maravich's mark, New NCAA president readies for NIL, legal issues, Scheyer makes history as Duke sweeps at home, Tennessee win soured by knee injury to Zeigler, USC, OU, Seton Hall, Iowa in new hoops tourney, Houston, Alabama remain atop AP Top 25 poll. 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. Showdown in Durham: NC State and Duke battle for ACC, NCAA seeding, Brownlow: NC State, Duke and Carolina all look to avenge ACC losses on busy basketball Saturday, Welter: I'm not mad, Carolina, just disappointed, AP source: Panthers to meet with QB Derek Carr at combine. He was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina. Well if hes got a five-year contract, you know hes gonna coach five years. Case in point. When Smith was needlessly ejected from the 1991 Final Four, it was Guthridge who was furious in the tunnel after the game. 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. 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. He stopped when he did because he was afraid his memory wasnt as good as it was or had been. What you saw was the quiet assistant sitting on the bench. Go play golf. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report. Suggestion to Return DismissedWhen 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 Guthridge from Kansas State -- had enjoyed. But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. (An aside: if Doherty stays, does Mike Brey, succeeded him and still remains in South Bend, get that job, or is he elsewhere too?). He wasnt an electric radio show guest. So why leave?, His dry sense of humor was legendary among his players. The Tar Heels either won the ACC tournament or finished atop the league standings -- or did both -- in 23 of those seasons. Which 16 teams should you buy or fade ahead of March Madness? 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 father figure.". It was the 14th time Guthridge participated in the Final Four. (LogOut/ Whatve you got to prove then?. Or perhaps someone else from Smiths coaching tree, such as George Karl or Eddie Fogler? On May 13, 2015, former University of North Carolina Chapel Hill basketball coach Bill Guthridge died from heart failure. 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. In our prayers. 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. Or does Doherty get his chance regardless? Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State . Tim Crothers. When it was announced last week that Smith would receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom award, I could not help but think back to that interview in 2000 while also thinking about what might have been. Guthridge could deal with Dean's irritability, his need to control the smallest things. That was the presumption Baddour and the basketball program operated under. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. William Wallace Guthridge (July 27, 1937 May 12, 2015) was an American college basketball coach. But I know thats something that bothered him to his death, Ndiaye says. Coach Smith always had a plan. In public, he was never going to be the center of attention. 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. 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. Its one game, Jamison says. The possibilities were endless, but Baddour is certain of one thing: keeping things in the family was a must. The closest he came to leaving Chapel Hill was 1978, when he verbally accepted the head coaching job at Penn State. Chapel Hill, N.C. For all of his wins and championships, the Olympic gold medal, tactical innovations, social impact and fertile coaching tree, Dean Smiths unselfishness defined his career to an enormous, but often overlooked, extent. We ended up beating em easily, and I thanked him later for it, Hanners says. 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.. 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. He is probably best remembered for his loyalty to Smith, who died in February at age 83. 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. Note: Former University of North Carolina mens basketball coach Bill Guthridge passed away May 12. He wasnt going to entertain a room full of boosters with behind the scenes stories. Everybody would have loved Coach Ford to get the opportunity, Frederick says. Smith was needlessly ejected from the Associated Press contributed to this report deal with Dean & # ;. 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