R.I.P Dean Smith

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Dean Smith on the bench for Kansas when we played them for the National Championship.
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Yes.

Also, I wonder the role that St. John's played in the ascent of UNC and the ACC as a powerhouse. When we went to the finals, immediately Frank McGuire (102-36 at SJU) was hired to coach UNC. In 9 seasons, he went 165-56 at UNC including the 1956-57 NCAA championships.

Dean Smith was McGuire's direct successor. McGuire who took over a lowly UNC program, was fired amid a point shaving scandal involving UNC players and other NCAA violations in 1961. He went to University of SC where he finished his long career in 1980

Although McGuire's exit ushered in the second Lapchick era (he played under Lapchick at SJU), you wonder had he stayed would the exodus of top NYC players to the south been as radical.

Monte will be pleased to know that after graduating SJU and werving in WWII, McGuire returned to teach and coach at Xavier HS.
 
A nice little interlude from the current drama...

Coach Smith left $200 to all of his former players with the instruction to "enjoy a dinner out ." Class act.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-bas...r-heels-coach-dean-smith-leaves-200-letterman
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Nice.

If you get a chance, watch "Dean Smith". I got home late and caught the tale end of it (my wife was watching it) and it was pretty good. It was one of the ESPN channels and I know it will be running a few more times. I have the DVR set for one showing I believe Sunday morning. (My wife did record it, but she missed the first 20 minutes so I want to see the whole thing).
 
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