Thinking about a UNC legend...

Yesterday I once again got the jolt I needed to remind me why I am a Tar Heel and so proud of it. I turned on ESPN Classics where Dean Smith was featured, telling in a short hour what all of us that are Heels already know. The only thing I can say after watching that show is: "Sixty minutes is way too little to tell what Dean Smith means to the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill."

I know we live in a world of "what have you done for me lately" and "win now" and so on and so forth, but those that know the story of Dean Smith, that know what he has done for North Carolina, can understand that it takes time and determination to build a program. It takes passion, not just for the game, but for your players, for the college and most of all for the "love of the game". Yes, the love of the game, for what it was meant to be and how to play it. Dean Smith was not just a coach, he was an inventor, he was a teacher and most of all he was a father/friend/mentor to all of his players, and not just while they were at UNC, but way beyond that.

Things that everyone does now were not done back in the day until coach Smith implemented them. Huddling before a free throw, check. Huddling before the other team shot a free throw, check. But for me, the one that stays most in my mind is the one of pointing to a team mate who gave you the pass to score, check!!! But maybe I love talking about this man because of the one thing that I wish I could have, his humility. From not wanting to break the all time wins, to not wanting to have the Dome named after him, Dean Smith has always shown that it is never about him. Even in his last duty as the head coach at UNC he showed that humility, first wanting to just give a statement and not have a news conference (but the media wouldn't allow that) and then once the presser was over, driving one of his old time friends to the airport.

I mean, on his day, on the day where anyone connected to Chapel Hill was being interviewed to talk about him, coach Smith was thinking about someone else. We talk about the "Carolina Way", the "Carolina Family", about giving back, about what we are. Well, for this old Tar Heel, who lived through the good and bad of the program, who lives now with those standards, my giving back today is to tell anyone that stumbles upon this blog that whether you love or hate the Heels, respect Dean Smith, because for all of his years he respected the game and his opponents.

I will finish with this, if you don't know of Dean Smith, make sure you google or read about him somewhere. But, even if you don't know of him, you might know of Larry Brown, Billy Cunningham, George Karl, Roy Williams, Antawn Jamison, Vince Carter, James Worthy, Brad Daugherty, and yes, maybe I should also put in Michael Jordan. All of these men, and so many more, have Dean Smith to thank (some more than others) for the great career they have had in basketball. Many, many more have Dean Smith to thank for their careers after basketball. So, from this Tar Heel, thank you Dean Smith!