The Dean Smith that replaced McQuire in today's world would very likely have been looking for a job after a couple years with us, rather than having the time to become the legend we all know him to be today. The game, the way it is played, the nature of players, the world itself has changed since Dean was hired as well as since he has retired.
Read someone down playing what Mark Few has done at Gonzaga, was there even Gonzaga basketball before Mark Few? He has taken a crappy program in a crappy conference and lead them to the point where they are in the discussion for the NCAA crown every season. When again has the NCAA ever presented charges that Few or his program have committed violations, I don't recall any? Thou his talent level has increased I don't see a steady line of 5 star talents rolling to the Zags and yet they still win at a very high level every season now days.
Tony Bennett, now I see folks saying they would hate Tony Bennett being our coach because they hate the way he drags a game out, his offense is like watching grass grow? And yet at the same time those very folks share how much love and respect they have for Dean and what he established at UNC? Do ya remember Phil Ford putting those 4 fingers in the air folks, those 4 fingers were in the air at Dean's instruction. Those 4 fingers in the air by Phil resulted in an offensive attack that by comparison made Bennett's offense look like the Running Rebs under Tark! But we found a way to still love Dean?
Roy, for all the love we all have for Roy, for all the love we have for "the system" how is it that we love Roy so much and yet he does not coach like Dean did or have you not noticed that you nearly have to put a gun to Roy's head to force him to have his players go to a zone defense? How about the part of Dean's "system" that featured multiple switching defenses as opposed to our every trip down man defense under Roy?
My point, any coach that replaces Roy will be and will have to be his own coach. Any coach that comes to us should be smart enough to realize that he has to embrace our traditions, embrace our history, maintain and add to the true spirit of family, run a clean program, be respectful to the players both past and present, and maybe most important of all WIN ! I promise you, Hubert may be the greatest guy on the planet but if he takes over for Roy when Roy does step down and does not win, he will be unlikely to see a second contract.
Funny thing winning, funny thing how winning causes a fan base to accept things they used to hate. Example look at Ky and Calipari, when he was at memphis Ky fans hated Calipari more than any fan base today does, more than we do, more than dukies do, more than louisville fans do, Ky fans branded him a cheater that they despised (understandable) every thing about him until they named him as their head coach and now all the sudden they see him as squeaky clean? LOL JUst as UNC fans back in the day were screaming for the AD to fire that loser in-experienced coach named Dean Smith but then his teams began to win and folks forgot how much they hated him.
Fans will accept most anything if the program wins and it is not constantly under NCAA investigation, I hope that separates us from Ky fans in that I hope UNC would never accept a cheater to head our program, I do not believe the admin would allow that but they did allow Butch Davis to head coach our football program and many even to this day hate he was fired.
As I have said, I want the guy that one day replaces Roy to give us wins and do things the right way and I want him to honor our past and add to our history in his future. The Carolina Way, a phrase drug thru the mud in the last few years but that is what is important to me. The Carolina Way is not about 42s and 43s, it isn't about primary or secondary breaks. It is about coaches running a program with honor and respect for the school, for the players, for for those that went before them. It is about doing things the right way more than some "system", it is about embracing the past and adding to that past glory with accomplishment today and in the future. It is about developing players and demanding excellence both on and off the court, it is about all that because it is all of that leading to those wins we covet. Yes, that is easier for a new coach to understand, may make it even more important to a guy that has been thru it but no guarantees there else larry Brown would have been our coach after Gut retired.
For me, our next head coach can run any "system" he wants to run as long as that system respects and honors the Carolina Way and I think any coach would be foolish not to realize that. Matt didn't we all saw how that turned out...
