| | By Jay Bilas
Special to ESPN.com
When Bill Guthridge was named the successor to the legendary Dean
Smith at North Carolina, the prevailing and lingering question that dogged
him was, "Just when will Coach Gut step aside in favor of Smith's long-term
successor?" What a shame that was.
There are no words to adequately convey
the intense pressure and scrutiny that accompanies the succession of an
icon, and Bill Guthridge was perhaps the most successful ever in handling
that thankless chore, on the court and off. The men who replaced Wooden,
the Bear, and Rupp, while all capable and successful, did not experience
quite the same success that Guthridge did, and they did not do it with
quite the same dignity and grace.
As head coach of the Tar Heels, Guthridge displayed intense loyalty to his
university, his staff and his players. He proved himself more than capable
as a chief recruiter, a bench coach and a teacher. And when the inevitable
criticism came his way, he deflected blame away from his players and
shouldered it himself without reservation. On his desk sits a jar labeled
"Excuses," and Guthridge performed his job without ever making one. Even
after a difficult 2000 regular season in which his team struggled to an
un-Carolina-like 18-13 record, then marched all the way to the Final Four,
Guthridge refused to gloat or revel publicly following all of the public
outcry for him to step aside. In short, Guthridge gave us all a lesson in
the meaning of integrity and character.
Guthridge had three flaws that drew enormous criticism and commentary.
First, he was not the most engaging personality in media interviews or on
the sidelines, and the perception left from his mild-mannered demeanor
hindered him among the vocal public.
Second, he was gray haired and over 60
years old. He did not appear to be a long-time head coach, and the question
of when, and not if, he would step aside was used against Carolina in
recruiting and against Guthridge in the minds of his detractors.
Third, he
was not Dean Smith or Roy Williams.
Critics were wrong about Guthridge. He is and always has been an
incredibly intense competitor. He is determined and passionate, but his
personality and dry wit did not show the fire within him. And, above all,
he did an enormous service to Carolina. Guthridge served as the bridge from
the legend of Smith to, in all likelihood, the promise of Williams. He took
the Heels to two Final Fours, and he took an enormous amount of
disparagement from college basketball observers upon himself, saving the
next coach from having to shoulder the same burden. Now, Williams can step
into the job free of the added pressure of replacing Smith, the all-time
winningest coach in college basketball history. For that alone, the Tar
Heel faithful owe Coach Gut a tremendous debt of gratitude.
Where does Carolina go from here? It is a given that the next Tar Heel
coach will come from Carolina's incredible stable of coaching talent, and
that Dean Smith will be the brains behind the decision. It is similarly a
given that Roy Williams is the next Carolina head coach, unless he does the
unthinkable and says no to his alma mater and to his mentor, Dean Smith.
While Williams will publicly agonize over the decision, saying no to Coach
Smith will probably be too much for him to handle.
Like Guthridge, Williams is intensely loyal, but his loyalty is divided
between Kansas, where he was given his first big break by Bob Frederick, and
Carolina, the place he dreamed of as a boy, and pines for as an adult.
Williams will find it difficult to say no to either one, but the pull
toward Carolina may be too strong.
If Williams returns to Carolina, as most have expected from before Smith
retired, he will bring enormous authority and standing to a program that
demands it like few others. Williams brings a stellar .800 winning
percentage, a sterling reputation as a recruiter, and a teaching ability
that is widely respected. Dean Smith used to say that Kansas ran Carolina's
system under Williams better than Carolina ran it under Smith, and for a
time, he may have been right. North Carolina will benefit most from
Williams as the next coach, and so will the ACC.
With Williams as coach, Carolina can go head-to-head against Duke and Mike
Krzyzewski in similar fashion to when Coach K built Duke's program to the
level where the Blue Devils could credibly challenge Carolina for ACC
supremacy. Duke has dominated the ACC for the last two years, but Williams
will make that trend very difficult to continue. Remember the mid-court
meeting turned shouting match between Williams and Krzyzewski in
Winston-Salem in last year's NCAA Tournament? That was Williams challenging
Krzyzewski in ACC country in front of his Carolina supporters, just as
Krzyzewski challenged Smith years before. It was real, and it was the
intense competition that the ACC has lacked for the last three years. And
it was fun to watch.
Talk about a foreshadowing of things to come. The rivalry may just get even
more interesting.
ESPN's Jay Bilas is a frequent contributor to ESPN.com.
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