Guthridge was the head coach of the Tar Heels for three seasons following Dean Smith's retirement in 1997. 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. 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. 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. Veteran sports reporter Peter Gammons had high praise for the former coach: Saddened to learn Bill Guthridge passed away. Think about it: Youve been an assistant coach for 30-plus years. Former University of North Carolina basketball coach Bill Guthridge, 77, died Tuesday from a heart condition. We easily could have won the championship, man, Ndiaye says. In 2000, the Tar Heels struggled in the regular season, falling out of the polls for the first time since the start of the 199091 season. The 1971-72 Tar Heels had finished 26-5 but were upset by Florida State (not an ACC member at the time) in the NCAA Final Four semifinals. Its not what gets remembered for the rest of your life, at least not at a place like North Carolina. What if he hadnt retired when he did? The closest he came to leaving Chapel Hill was 1978, when he verbally accepted the head coaching job at Penn State. That said, its worth remembering that he told Williams just a few years ago that perhaps 66 was too early to retire, given his near flawless health at the time. He needed to hear that from Guthridge. Guthridge, his wife said, suffers from vascular dementia - a condition that's a result of reduced blood supply to the brain. And then Bill can decide along the way what he wants to do.. I really liked the attitude of the team, the way they worked hard and how they were rewarded finally. Recharge your batteries, they told him. Smith and Guthridge had long maintained they'd. Try a week on us. 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. In fact, he communicated as much to Baddour after Baddour was tapped in late June to replace John Swofford as athletic director. 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. He was 77 years old, Former UNC basketball coach Bill Guthridge passes away at age 77, UNC School of Social Work becomes new home for CEAL@UNC, expand work to advance assisted living. Baddour was scheduled to travel with the football program that day for a game at TCU, but before leaving he spoke to Smith on the phone. Guthridge was a player and then an assistant coach at Kansas State before joining the Tar Heels staff in 1967. 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. Making the Final Four is a tremendous accomplishment but its not what you chase. 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. I wouldve never thought of that in a million years.. He was 77. With a wealth of returning talent, Guthridge instituted a "six starters" system, whereby the team's top six players, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, Ed Cota, Shammond Williams, Ademola Okulaja, and Makhtar N'Diaye rotated positions in the starting five. At the time, their run of 172 consecutive weeks in the AP Poll was the second-longest in college basketball history. Dick, lets talk on Monday, but Im pretty sure Im gonna tell you Monday its time to transition, Baddour remembers. And for as much as he did enjoy those three seasons, the same obligations that wore Smith down got to Guthridge as well. The guys worked hard and didnt lose confidence, Guthridge said after the season. As he would prepare for a basketball practice or game, he was equally intense about attention to detail in scheduling or whatever.. 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. SCNext Top 25: Ranking the best high school boys' basketball teams in the 2022-23 season, Brown: There will never be another Bill Guthridge. Revisionist history does offer some diverging paths, though. On June 30th in 1969, Bill Russell announced his retirement from professional basketball after a 13-year NBA career. But it was all as a team, no one mans fault or wrongdoing for the groups shortcoming. "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 Dean Smith retired, Bill Guthridge took over for three years and at some point, we can't remember exactly which year, Boswell struck. He was inducted into the N.C. Sports Hall of Fame in 2013. Guthridge took over when Smith retired after 36 seasons in October 1997. 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. Guthridge went 80-28 from 1997 to 2000 before retiring in June 2000. I dont think I have ever heard of anyone that didnt like and respect Bill Guthridge. How close did Raleigh come to getting an NFL team? But the Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four. His legacy and contributions to my life and to our University will live on and he'll be much more remembered for his sense of humor and class just as much as his coaching.". The next day, Kenny Smith said, assistant coach Bill Guthridge wasn't at practice. Guthridge was completely committed to Carolina basketball, and he wanted to make sure everyone else in the program felt the same way. 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. Carolina Basketball confirmed the news on Twitter: Sad news. Perhaps, at last, somewhere in his mind, Coach Guthridge finally made the decision it was time for him to retire from this physical life. Just like Smith, Guthridge found a way to impact his players beyond teaching them offensive and defensive principles. 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. Smith, who attended Guthridges retirement announcement, called the day a celebration of a fantastic career. I enjoyed my 30 years as an assistant coach, and Ive enjoyed my three years as a head coach.. 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. Conference regular season champion 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. But theres also the fact that Dean did it his way, which was entirely predictable. Guthridge coached three years and took the Tar Heels to two Final Fours. Although four years further down the line, theres skepticism Guthridge, at the age of 64 or 65, would still have been interested in taking a crack. But the Tar Heels suffered a soul-crushing NCAA Tournament loss that also ended Phil Fords career. Theres no way you could dream, Hanners says, anyone would necessarily do better.. He was instrumental in helping lure Williams back to North Carolina. How might everything be different? 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. But theres another alternate history with extreme on-court implications that might have forced his hand. Guthridge coached that team to the Atlantic Coast Conference tournament championship, a school record-tying 34 wins (including 30 wins going into the NCAA Tournament the most in school history at the time) and an appearance in the Final Four, where they lost to Utah. School officials stressed that Guthridge was not merely a placeholder for then-Kansas coach Roy Williams, signing him to a five-year contract. Postseason invitational champion He was 77. My time is in the past now and we have to move forward.. In our prayers. 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. As he famously said at Smiths retirement news conference, I always thought we would ride off into the sun together.. Even 22 years after turning down the Nittany Lions, Guthridge still couldnt quite bear to leave. I was just happy that the team had success. 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. 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. "You get old." Bill and Dean, friends for life Smith. 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. Former UNC Coach Bill Guthridge passed away last night at age 77 w/ family at his side. He saw his memory issues coming long before the world did. He won more games than any college head coach in history after just two seasons and tied N.C. States Everett Case for most coaching victories after three years. "From cultivating a global mindset across campus to partnering with researchers across the world, we make connections that strengthen our state and establish Carolina as a leading global public research university.". He was a kind soul with a strong, competitive spirit. Guthridge was the longtime assistant to UNC coach Dean Smith, who died earlier this year. In Guthridge's final season, he went 18-13 -- at the time, the program's worst finish in decades -- but bounced back in the postseason to reach North Carolina's 15th Final Four before losing in the national semifinals to Florida. North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour has refused to comment directly on Guthridge's contract, saying the school's board of trustees discourages him from talking publicly about such personnel issues. Guthridge also handled many day-to-day responsibilities in the program and oversaw UNC's summer basketball camps. 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. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Says losing Guthridge "is another tremendous loss. [6], National champion The Tar Heels then went 24-10 in 1998-99 but were upset by Weber State in the first round of the NCAA tournament. In fact, Guthridge has been involved with 13 teams which have reached the Final Four-as a player at Kansas State in 1958, as an assistant coach with the Wildcats in 1964, as a Tar Heel assistant coach in 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977, 1981, 1982, 1991, 1993, 1995 and 1997, and as UNC's head coach in 1998.. Did Musselman coach in the NBA? We offer our deepest condolences to the Guthridge family as they grieve the loss of a wonderful husband and father.. Guthridge . 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. 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.. 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. The complaints turned to praise after the teams unlikely Final Four appearance. What burned just below that was a fierce competitor who might sometimes react more like a fan than you would expect. 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. 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