| | By Andy Katz
ESPN.com
Bill Guthridge's departure Friday was classic Carolina. Guthridge
resigned on his terms, just like his predecessor and mentor Dean Smith did
three years ago.
Smith resigned in October of 1997, on the eve of the season. He
said he didn't have the energy to keep going and thought the timing was
right to step aside.
|  | | Guthridge didn't have to be pushed out -- he left UNC on his own terms. |
Guthridge did the same thing Friday, exhausted and unable to get his
energy up for another draining season. He retired a week before the July
recruiting period. It may not be the regular season, but it's just as
important a stage of the college basketball calendar year.
North Carolina's program lacked energy during the regular season but perked up in March during the Final Four run. Guthridge was
probably unfairly criticized after taking the Tar Heels to two Final Fours
in three years. He was handed a loaded roster and kept it stacked with the
addition of Joseph Forte, Jason Parker, Adam Boone and Brian Morrison over the past two years.
But Guthridge never had a chance to be lauded as Chapel Hill's
chosen one. Replacing a legend is never easy, and Guthridge was expected to
compete for the national title every season. He did two of the three years,
but the sense that the soon-to-be 63-year old Guthridge was near the end of
his career rather than the beginning gave the program a perception that it
was stagnant.
"He has one of the best active records in a three-year period
(80-23) but the expectations on him were unrealistic," said new Tulsa coach
Buzz Peterson, a former North Carolina player. "He was really put in an
unfair situation. Any time you switch coaches and the personalities aren't
the same, they don't always work out for people. But coach Guthridge was his
own head coach and did his own thing."
Peterson said he, like many of the Tar Heels alumni, were pumped up at
the Final Four after Guthridge was roasted for the marginal 18-13
regular season.
"He was able to put egg on the face of all his critics," Peterson
said.
But no one seems to be panicking in Chapel Hill. North Carolina has
experience at easing coaches into a new situation. Smith passed the baton to Guthridge
for a three-year stint. The likely successor, Kansas' Roy Williams, will get
the torch next. No one seems to be concerned about the timing. Smith said
Friday that he and Guthridge have more basketball knowledge than athletics director Dick Baddour and would be influential in the hiring process.
That means it will be a Carolina disciple such as Williams. As long as
Smith is still active on campus, it will be a coach from Smith's lineage. Carolina is one of the top two
jobs in the country along with Kentucky, and going outside the family tree is
unacceptable to the Carolina faithful.
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Staying put
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Want to see proof that coaching longevity is rare in college basketball? If Roy Williams leaves Kansas for North Carolina, there will be only 19 coaches who have been at their current school for 10 years or longer among the top 10 conferences. |
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Coach
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School
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Started
|
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Bob Knight
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Indiana
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1971-72
|
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Denny Crum
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Louisville
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1971-72
|
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Jim Boeheim
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Syracuse
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1976-77
|
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Gabe Catlett
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W. Virginia
|
1978-79
|
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M. Krzyzewski
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Duke
|
1980-81
|
|
Gene Keady
|
Purdue
|
1980-81
|
|
John Chaney
|
Temple
|
1982-83
|
|
Lute Olson
|
Arizona
|
1983-84
|
|
N. Richardson
|
Arkansas
|
1985-86
|
|
Jim Calhoun
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UConn
|
1986-87
|
|
Speedy Morris
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La Salle
|
1986-87
|
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M. Montgomery
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Stanford
|
1986-87
|
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Riley Wallace
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Hawaii
|
1987-88
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Perry Clark
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Tulane
|
1989-90
|
|
Bob Huggins
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Cincinnati
|
1989-90
|
|
Rick Majerus
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Utah
|
1989-90
|
|
Dave Odom
|
W. Forest
|
1989-90
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|
Gary Williams
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Maryland
|
1989-90
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Eddie Sutton
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Okla. St.
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1990-91
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While Williams would be leaving tradition-rich Kansas, Carolina is
on another level. And leaving after a decade or more at one school isn't
all that bad. Sometimes it's time to leave. Williams was
under scrutiny in Lawrence, Kan., for criticizing fans last season. He has
been chastised for his postseason troubles, even though the Jayhawks have
been one of the most dominating regular-season teams the past decade.
Guthridge was tired of the recruiting and the speaking engagements.
Williams seems to relish those roles, constantly flying around the country
to meet with prospects, even after they have signed. If Williams accepts the
job, North Carolina will immediately
have life this July.
The Tar Heels need an infusion of talent at center and
shooting guard. They'll lose senior center Brendan Haywood and senior forward Brian Bersticker, and sophomore guard Joseph Forte is a likely early-entry NBA draft candidate in
2001. The Tar Heels' 2001-02 lineup is likely to include forwards Jason Capel, Kris Lang, guard Ronald
Curry and four incoming freshmen on this year's squad -- forward Jason Parker, center Neil Fingleton,
guards Adam Boone and Brian Morrison.
Miami search picks up the pace
A source close to Kent coach Gary Waters told ESPN.com on Friday that
he interviewed well with Miami athletics director Paul Dee the day before. Waters
is expecting to hear by Sunday whether or not he can visit Miami. Dee is expected to interview Tulane's Perry Clark this weekend for the second
time. The only other potential candidate is South Florida's
Seth Greenberg. He has talked on the phone with Dee.
Dee is looking for a replacement for Leonard Hamilton, who left
for the Washington Wizards. Dee said he would have a replacement named
by the time recruiting starts July 8. Whoever leaves to take the Miami job
will put the school he's leaving in a bind. Coaches are allowed to evaluate
recruits July 8-31.
Even though recruiting is less than eight days away, new openings
could occur at one of three schools -- Kent, South Florida and Tulane -- as
a response to the Miami opening, Kansas as a result of the North Carolina
opening and then possibly Vanderbilt (Kevin Stallings), Notre Dame (Matt
Doherty) or South Carolina (Eddie Fogler) should any of those coaches leave to fill the potential opening at Kansas. The coaching carousel got started late but has never involved so
many high-profile jobs this close to summer recruiting.
Weekly chatter
Within hours of being shut out at the NBA draft, UCLA's
JaRon Rush received nearly 15 calls for free-agent tryouts. Teams were
scared off by Rush after the sophomore declared for the draft and didn't
work out well.
But Rush's no-show on the draft board should be the perfect example
for players declaring for the NBA draft. Too many underclassmen
like Rush, Alabama's Schea Cotton, DePaul's Paul McPherson -- and even Ohio
State's Michael Redd -- had a glorified perception of their draft status.
Someone was in their ear telling each one of them they could go high in the
draft. For that reason alone, declaring made sense.
In the future, players who could go back to school should think
twice before bolting.
UCLA coach Steve Lavin was at the NBA draft in Minneapolis
and was thrilled to see Jerome Moiso taken by Boston at No. 11. But he's
just as jacked about the Bruins next season. Yes, Lavin -- the eternal
optimist -- thinks the Bruins can compete at the top of the Pac-10.
"UCLA doesn't think NIT," said Lavin.
The biggest hole to fill on the Bruins will be at backup center. They'll lean heavily on freshmen T.J. Cummings and Josiah Johnson to fill in for Dan Gadzuric and his chronic aching knees. The rest of the starting lineup is set with veteran Earl Watson at
the point, Ray Young at shooting guard, Jason Kapono at small forward and
Matt Barnes at power forward.
"Remember who Ray and Matt were backing up these past years and
that's why they haven't been able to get as many looks," Lavin said of the
natural progression for Young and Barnes. The duo played behind Rush and Moiso
the past two years.
Moiso said Gadzuric will relish the role as the sole provider for
points in the post. Kapono, the team's leading scorer last season, will be back as the
top gun on the wing after declaring for the draft and then withdrawing.
"I'm glad Jason came back, it would have been tough for them without
him to make a starting five," Moiso said. "With Jason, Earl and Dan, they
will have veteran guys on the team and will be a good team."
Meanwhile, DePaul's Quentin Richardson is confident the Blue Demons will
wrestle Conference USA away from Cincinnati. Richardson declared for the
draft after his sophomore season and was taken No. 18 by the Clippers.
"They'll be real good," Richardson said. "Lance (Williams), Bobby (Simmons)
and Steve (Hunter) will be the leaders, and Rashon (Burno) will be the
captain," Richardson said. "Imari Sawyer and Andre Brown are coming (as a
point and forward) and if they gel, they'll be good. That's the key thing,
they've got to gel."
Richardson said Simmons would take Richardson's role as the go-to player.
"He's got the ability to do that," said Richardson. "I think they should
win the conference."
And what about Cincinnati, after losing seniors Kenyon Martin, Pete Mickeal,
Jermaine Tate, Ryan Fletcher and freshman DerMarr Johnson?
"If they've got a catch-and-finisher like Kenyon, they'll be fine," Johnson
said.
The Bearcats may lean on junior college forwards Antwan Jones and Jamaal
Davis to be the main scorers inside and out.
Gonzaga, New Mexico and TCU recently got creative in their scheduling. The Bulldogs turned down an ESPN date at Creighton on Dec. 23 to host
the Lobos in a three-way scheduling deal. New Mexico would then host TCU and
Gonzaga would travel to the Horned Frogs. Next year, the three schools would
rotate. Gonzaga coach Mark Few said each school was having trouble getting
name schools for home games and this turned out to be the perfect way to
beef up everyone's schedule.
Former Michigan point guard Jamal Crawford said he doesn't have to
repay money to the NCAA now that he was drafted in the NBA. Crawford was
ordered to repay money he was loaned prior to college. He was suspended for
12 games last season.
"If I had missed one payment I would have been ineligible," Crawford said.
Andy Katz is a senior writer at ESPN.com. His Weekly Word is updated Thursdays throughout the offseason. | |
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