Dean Smith, An Iconic Figure in Basketball History and North Carolina

So many great basketball coaches and basketball minds comprise collective coaching wisdom. How do you decide among Auerbach and Wooden, Newell and Knight, Smith and Krzyzewski, Auriemma and Summitt, Meyer and Jackson? Why choose one? We are wired to learn by observation. If we thirst for success, study leaders in your field...see what works and what fails. 

As an example, I'll share some Dean Smith ideas, concepts, and memories...most of all I think of him as a man of great intellect and great compassion, a really compelling figure. 

Coach Smith strongly believed in the value of shot selection. His teams invariably led the ACC in shooting percentage. In fact, Carolina sometimes scrimmaged with points assigned by shot quality. For example, a layup (made or missed was +2), a turnover minus 2, and a low quality shot zero. 

He believed in team basketball. Therefore the joke, "who was the only man who kept Michael Jordan under twenty points a game?" Dean Smith. 

He believed in a quantitative approach to games and tracked points per possession long before analytics became fashionable. That may have originated from his background as a math major in college. 

He valued training men, not just basketball players. He used to have a "thought for the day" that players had to remember and were tested on. 

He took a lot of heat for not winning a National Championship early in his career. He truly believed that goal (his teams ultimately won two) didn't define him or his teams as winners or losers. 

His father had played an African-American student as a young coach. Smith broke that barrier at UNC as well with Charlie Scott. 

His book "Basketball, Multiple Offense and Defense" belongs on the shelf (or E-reader) of any serious basketball coach. 

During his career, he was deeply involved in trying to eliminate the death penalty in North Carolina. 

This is an iconic photograph of Coach Smith after WINNING the 1982 National Championship. It symbolizes the cost of victory far more than any triumph. 

Here are a few quotes from Coach Smith: 

A lion never roars after a kill. 

The coach’s job is to be part servant in helping each player reach his goal within the team concept. 

I would never recruit a player who yells at his teammates, disrespected his high school coach, or scores 33 points a game and his team goes 10-10.

“I was very demanding, but the role of a head coach is that of a demanding teacher. Demands must be coupled with true caring for the students. 

“The focus should be on the players. I'm here a long time. You can call me in the summer. Our seniors will be gone.”