College Basketball Loses a Living Legend
When it comes to college basketball you think of Duke , Michigan State, Michigan, Syracuse, Indiana, but the one school everyone is aware of is North Carolina. This past weekend the University of North Carolina's men's basketball program, and the college basketball world lost a legend in former head coach Dean Smith who passed away at the age of 83. He passed away peacefully at his home. He was having some health issues which made him to decide to lay low and try to take care of himself. Everyone in the coaching world along with Basketball hall of famers called coach Smith a coaching legend. He had coached for many years at North Carolina from 1961 to 1997 and retired with a total of 879 total victories which at the time was the most for a Divison 1 coach. He was the head coach for the Tar Heels for thirty six years. He had the ninth highest winning percentage which was 77.6% throughout his career. During his coaching career at North Carolina he had won two national championships, and appeared in eleven final fours. Unlike most programs in the country he had ran a very clean program in making sure people acted the correct way. What is also impressive is he had one of the highest graduating rates at 96.6% for his athletes receiving their degrees.
While growing up in Kansas Dean Smith went to Topeka High School where he lettered in two sports basketball, and football and played catcher for his schools team. After graduating high school he attended the University of Kansas and participated on the football, baseball, and basketball teams. What was interesting to find out was he wasn't there on a athletic scholarship but was on a academic scholarship. When he played on the basketball team he was coached by living legend James Naismith. After graduating from Kansas he served as the assistant head coach from the 1953-1954 season. Which I thought was interesting is that he served a short stint in the United Sates Air Force in Germany, he later than served as the head coach at the Air Force Academy for the baseball and golf program. He joined the Tar Heels in 1958 and became the assistant to Frank McGuire of the basketball program. Smith served as the assistant to McGuire until 1961 when McGuire was involved in a recruiting scandal that forced to step down as head coach and that's where Dean Smiths legacy began.
His success began in the late 1960's seasons when his teams won two consecutive regular- season and conference championships, and went to three straight final fours. When they had this success it was occurring when the UCLA mens basketball team won ten national titles in twelve years. In the 1968 season John Wooden and Dean Smith meet for the National title and Wooden would win the title that season. It took seven trips to the Final Four before he won his first national title. It took him nine more years, and two more trips to win his second national title. When he won his first national title in 1982 he had a team that was filled with future NBA hall of famers they were Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and Sam Perkins. That season the Tar Heels finished with a record of 32-2. That type of record is very hard to come by because of the season and how many games they play in the tournament.
Along the way when they won there second title they had a squad that featured Eric Montross, Brian Reese, Donald Williams, and Derrick Phelps. There title game was a see-saw battle but it is remembered for the Chris Weber timeout which his team had none left. They played Michigan that game it cost the Michigan Wolverines the game for him doing that. It was a revenge game for the Tar Heels who were defeated by them a year before. When you mention this game everyone remembers that particular play.
In 1997 Dean Smith retired from the game which caught many people off guard because they didn't expect this announcement. He quoted by saying that if he ever felt he couldn't give his team the same enthusiasm he had given it for years, he would retire. While retired he had a huge impact on the North Carolina program. In 2003 Dean Smith talked to Roy Williams who was the coach at Kansas at the time about whether or not to replace a struggling Matt Doherty as coach. Williams was once offered the position but declined the position when Bill Guthridge retired. Roy Williams along with a few others were mentored by Dean Smith and went onto become successful coaches, or associated in a way with basketball.
Smiths coaching style was all depending on the type of players he had available. The system mainly featured a fast break style, a half court offense which emphasized a passing game. his defense was a aggressive trap game that produced many turnovers and easy baskets. Until he retired his teams produced a shooting percentage of over 50 percent in all but four years. What was also interesting and cool fact he would start all his seniors at the last home game of the season as a way of honoring them. He would play all four corners of the game. When he had a lead he would use a stalling tatics to keep the lead.
Overall, Dean Smith was an incredible coach on the court that many people to this day are thankful for. He was a great mentor on and off the court in having players being successful and stay on the right track. Many people are hurt and sad that he has passed because of the person he was. North Carolina did an incredible gesture in his honor by renaming the court in his honor which to this day will never be forgotten. He developed many people that to this day have become very successful two names to mention are Larry Brown and Roy Williams. From all college basketball fans Coach Dean Smith we would like to say thank you and we all will miss you. I am sure this season North Carolina will try to play even harder and make this a special one in Coach Dean Smith's honor. You wont be able to find anything wrong people have said about him.
While growing up in Kansas Dean Smith went to Topeka High School where he lettered in two sports basketball, and football and played catcher for his schools team. After graduating high school he attended the University of Kansas and participated on the football, baseball, and basketball teams. What was interesting to find out was he wasn't there on a athletic scholarship but was on a academic scholarship. When he played on the basketball team he was coached by living legend James Naismith. After graduating from Kansas he served as the assistant head coach from the 1953-1954 season. Which I thought was interesting is that he served a short stint in the United Sates Air Force in Germany, he later than served as the head coach at the Air Force Academy for the baseball and golf program. He joined the Tar Heels in 1958 and became the assistant to Frank McGuire of the basketball program. Smith served as the assistant to McGuire until 1961 when McGuire was involved in a recruiting scandal that forced to step down as head coach and that's where Dean Smiths legacy began.
His success began in the late 1960's seasons when his teams won two consecutive regular- season and conference championships, and went to three straight final fours. When they had this success it was occurring when the UCLA mens basketball team won ten national titles in twelve years. In the 1968 season John Wooden and Dean Smith meet for the National title and Wooden would win the title that season. It took seven trips to the Final Four before he won his first national title. It took him nine more years, and two more trips to win his second national title. When he won his first national title in 1982 he had a team that was filled with future NBA hall of famers they were Michael Jordan, James Worthy, and Sam Perkins. That season the Tar Heels finished with a record of 32-2. That type of record is very hard to come by because of the season and how many games they play in the tournament.
Along the way when they won there second title they had a squad that featured Eric Montross, Brian Reese, Donald Williams, and Derrick Phelps. There title game was a see-saw battle but it is remembered for the Chris Weber timeout which his team had none left. They played Michigan that game it cost the Michigan Wolverines the game for him doing that. It was a revenge game for the Tar Heels who were defeated by them a year before. When you mention this game everyone remembers that particular play.
In 1997 Dean Smith retired from the game which caught many people off guard because they didn't expect this announcement. He quoted by saying that if he ever felt he couldn't give his team the same enthusiasm he had given it for years, he would retire. While retired he had a huge impact on the North Carolina program. In 2003 Dean Smith talked to Roy Williams who was the coach at Kansas at the time about whether or not to replace a struggling Matt Doherty as coach. Williams was once offered the position but declined the position when Bill Guthridge retired. Roy Williams along with a few others were mentored by Dean Smith and went onto become successful coaches, or associated in a way with basketball.
Smiths coaching style was all depending on the type of players he had available. The system mainly featured a fast break style, a half court offense which emphasized a passing game. his defense was a aggressive trap game that produced many turnovers and easy baskets. Until he retired his teams produced a shooting percentage of over 50 percent in all but four years. What was also interesting and cool fact he would start all his seniors at the last home game of the season as a way of honoring them. He would play all four corners of the game. When he had a lead he would use a stalling tatics to keep the lead.
Overall, Dean Smith was an incredible coach on the court that many people to this day are thankful for. He was a great mentor on and off the court in having players being successful and stay on the right track. Many people are hurt and sad that he has passed because of the person he was. North Carolina did an incredible gesture in his honor by renaming the court in his honor which to this day will never be forgotten. He developed many people that to this day have become very successful two names to mention are Larry Brown and Roy Williams. From all college basketball fans Coach Dean Smith we would like to say thank you and we all will miss you. I am sure this season North Carolina will try to play even harder and make this a special one in Coach Dean Smith's honor. You wont be able to find anything wrong people have said about him.
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