But against the Utes, the Tar Heels fell behind quickly and were never able to catch up. Hed told reporters he expected to honor the remaining four years on his deal. Lets say youve got a 35-year-old guy. That possibility isnt one Baddour had previously considered. All the things he couldnt do during the daunting in-season months. 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 stepped down 2 months later. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. Then Guthridges voice wavered as he began to apologize I feel like its my fault. 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. Other opportunities had arisen over time, and yet Guthridge always remained as Smiths assistant. Like his lifelong friend and mentor, Coach Dean Smith, he led by example instilling values of kindness, discipline and a strong work ethic. Sad news. In 1998, the Bill Guthridge Distinguished Professorship in mathematics was established. But I already had a better job than that and I was happy here. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . Guthridge didnt need the change, just wanted to know if he had it. 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. I dont think I have ever heard of anyone that didnt like and respect Bill Guthridge. Information from The Associated Press contributed to this report. If my answer was no, then Roy wouldve had absolutely zero interest. He led his first team to the 1998 Final Four and had two players, Vince Carter and Antawn Jamison, selected in the top five . In retrospect, Smiths premature exit was a mistake on all fronts. "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.". #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. In fact, he communicated as much to Baddour after Baddour was tapped in late June to replace John Swofford as athletic director. The Kansas native took over the role of head coach following Smith's departure. 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. The protege was named Naismith College Coach of the Year in his first season as Smith's replacement. #RIP. But looking back, Hanners now believes Guthridge already had an inclination something was afoot. His desire to be a coach I dont think ever stopped, Hanners said. 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. Guthridge . One year against Laurinburg, Hanners squad was down about 18 with under nine minutes to play; suddenly, he felt Ford come up behind him. 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. Following Smith's retirement in 1997, Guthridge was head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons. Carolina Basketball confirmed the news on Twitter: Sad news. Graduate of the University of North Carolina. 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. After that loss, Carter and Jamison turned pro. People could misinterpret 2 p.m.perhaps it really meant 1:45, or maybe 2:15. One of the best testaments to Guthridges impact came on that retirement day, June 30. Of course, its not like UNC had a bad season in Guthridges first year. Theres no way you could dream, Hanners says, anyone would necessarily do better.. Guthridge coached North Carolina to the Final Four in his first season before losing to Utah. Although his individual achievements showcased his ability as a head coach, Guthridge always seemed content working with Smith to develop a top program at North Carolina. 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He was 77 years old. 33 yrs on UNC bench. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. At Smith's retirement. Bill was a great coach, but he never got enough credit during most of those years. How close did Raleigh come to getting an NFL team? "I'd always set my time to GST, 10 minutes ahead.". 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. ", Roy: "I think that not only did he coach me on the freshman team he was another mentor. He is one of five people to have appeared in the Final Four as both a player and 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. 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. [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. Later during that conversation, I suggested to Smith that he still had a lot of quality coaching mileage left and that maybe he should consider returning for an encore. When he reached the decision to step down during that summer of 1997, no one could have changed his mind, even if given the opportunity to do so. 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. 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. But it really wasnt and we both knew it. At that point, Baddour turned to Matt Doherty, who had been the coach at Notre Dame for just one season. You will be missed. Guthridge was completely committed to Carolina basketball, and he wanted to make sure everyone else in the program felt the same way. 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. He led the program to a pair of Final Four appearances in three seasons at the helm before retiring following the 1999-2000 campaign. The perception of Smiths program might have been that it ran without emotion. A relatively quiet man with a wonderful and dry sense of humor. 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. "I'm extremely saddened by the passing of Coach Guthridge, aka 'Coach Gut,' especially coming so close to the loss of Coach Smith," Jamison, who was national player of the year during Guthridge's first season as coach, said in a statement. Really, a championship or not is the only major differentiator between Smith and Guthridge. The ones he did have Coach Guthridge tried to fill. Buffalo Brothers - 1/2 Price Appetizers 4:30pm-6:00pm Monday - Friday, Holliday: State and Carolina headed in different directions for the final two weeks, Brownlow: Angst will be at an all-time high as NC State hosts hated rival UNC, Holliday: Miami puts the Heels back on the bubble, Brownlow: NC State, Duke and UNC all seek to avoid two losses in a row as crunch time hits, Holliday: Pivotal road trips for NC State and Duke, Brownlow: Saturday's matchup marks the beginning of a new Carolina-Duke era, Holliday: Could this be Keatts' best ACC season? But more than just that team, Smith left behind a mound of questions. Division regular season champion 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. Conference regular season and conference tournament champion On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA Tournament loss in 1999. We ended up beating em easily, and I thanked him later for it, Hanners says. Ironically, both coaches developed dementia along the way (Coach Smith died in January 2015 of complications from dementia). (LogOut/ He joined the UNC staff in 1967 after five years as assistant to Tex Winter at Kansas State. Division regular season and conference tournament champion Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. 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. In our prayers. He will certainly be remembered for what he did as opposed to what else he might have done. 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