...and this isn't meant to divide or scold --- it's a suggestion to come together.
I (and I'm sure some others) have been keeping the board at arm's length since Roy's announcement. It just didn't feel right to dive into the inevitable rancor over candidate preferences. Now, I'll readily admit that is in stark contrast to my stance back in 2003 when Matt was fired. Hell, I was neglecting other stuff to be online and checking with contacts (and the board, that even had a different name back then) determined to somehow will Roy to finally come home --- and yes, I even found a livestream link to a Lawrence, KS radio station feed that was covering Roy getting on the UNC plane that I posted updates for. Yep... guilty as charged.
So what was the cause of my dweebdom then? This special thing we know as Carolina Basketball. Other than the passing dookies and trolls, I'm sure all of us here share that affection, even though we have each come to it at our own individual times. I'm sure there are folks here who remember 1957... or like our late, great friend Mike Irby who remember when Dean was still an Assistant... or those who came to it later in the 60s... or (like me) lived and died with the teams of the 70s and 80s. But thing is, even for those who fell in love with Carolina hoops long after Dean retired, we still share an affection for the same legacy. To watch the teams under Gut and Roy was nonetheless watching true Carolina Basketball.
That's what this hire was about --- maintaining that special thing nobody else has. There are some here and elsewhere who have been saying "We're Carolina --- we should be able to get anybody we want". I totally get that. But perhaps another approach to that might be "We're Carolina --- we don't need to make a 'splash' hire, we got this". I think that's what Bubba learned in the process. I would just suggest keeping in mind that the "We're Carolina" mantra wouldn't mean jack if not for Dean E. Smith. Fact is, we as Carolina fans are all spoiled --- no matter when we came to it --- because of UNC carrying on the legacy Dean created.
UNC hired a lovable rogue named Frank McGuire in the 50s to compete with other rogues dominating the sport back then. The bad news is he cheated and got caught, so that Natty woulda been a nice one-off had he not had the sense to hire the young X-and-O wonk from Phog Allen's tree, and then had someone in the administration not decided to promote the Boy Scout on the bench to clean up the shenanigans. So again, it was Dean Smith who invented Carolina Basketball we know today. And y'know, I've seen folks complaining about "grooming" successors. Well of course Dean groomed Roy. Hell, before that he groomed Larry Brown, but Larry was the prodigal who could never keep his nose clean. Then he groomed Eddie Fogler, but Eddie went more his own way as a HC, so yeah, Roy was the true-believer disciple who finally became the heir-apparent. And think about it --- aren't ya glad he DID groom Roy? I know I sure as hell am.
So, did Roy groom Hubert? Of course he did, and again, hopefully we'll be very glad he did. Hubert played for Dean and coached for Roy (with a pretty sporty NBA career in between), but as importantly, he's a true-believer in the system and this thing we call Carolina Basketball. And that's the key to success here. I mean geez... I see some putting down Gut's tenure. Seriously? 2 FFs in 3 seasons (including the last)? Works for me, and it happened because Gut continued just as Dean had. Sure, it's fair to say recruiting slumped a bit, but that was only because everyone knew Gut was short-timing. Hubert will have no such stigma. And had Gut stayed one more season and/or coordinated his exit better for Roy the first time, we never would've endured the Doherty debacle (which happened because he eschewed the system and resources that were bequeathed to him).
Look, I've seen some folks say it was a bogus search, but I really don't think that was the case. For example, for me personally, the only acceptable outsider would've been Few (because of all the "Carolina stuff" he runs), but think about it --- why would he move 3000 miles from a place where they'll end up building a statue and naming the damn court after him? I think it's probably more accurate to say that Bubba learned a lot about Carolina Basketball over the past few days. I do know that among the former players --- from recent guys, to early Dean guys --- they were nearly unanimous that it should be in the family. Many leaned to Hubert, some leaned to Wes, but it was clear to them that those were two excellent options and there was no need to reinvent the wheel. And the reason that former players felt that way had nothing to do with "loyalty" or being "sentimental" --- it was because they uniquely appreciate what they were part of, and how continuing and reinvigorating that is the key to Carolina Basketball continuing to be something special for future generations.
Finally, fact is none of us know the future, but for those fretting about Hubert's hire, I can tell you he is highly regarded as both a coach and person within the program and you'll never have to worry about shenanigans. Everyone has a right to feel how ya feel about the hire, but all I can suggest is to get behind Hubert and the staff (that he will tweak) and the talented cadre of players a year older and wiser, coming back with what I imagine will be a revitalized spring in their steps.
Oh, and Go Heels!
I (and I'm sure some others) have been keeping the board at arm's length since Roy's announcement. It just didn't feel right to dive into the inevitable rancor over candidate preferences. Now, I'll readily admit that is in stark contrast to my stance back in 2003 when Matt was fired. Hell, I was neglecting other stuff to be online and checking with contacts (and the board, that even had a different name back then) determined to somehow will Roy to finally come home --- and yes, I even found a livestream link to a Lawrence, KS radio station feed that was covering Roy getting on the UNC plane that I posted updates for. Yep... guilty as charged.
So what was the cause of my dweebdom then? This special thing we know as Carolina Basketball. Other than the passing dookies and trolls, I'm sure all of us here share that affection, even though we have each come to it at our own individual times. I'm sure there are folks here who remember 1957... or like our late, great friend Mike Irby who remember when Dean was still an Assistant... or those who came to it later in the 60s... or (like me) lived and died with the teams of the 70s and 80s. But thing is, even for those who fell in love with Carolina hoops long after Dean retired, we still share an affection for the same legacy. To watch the teams under Gut and Roy was nonetheless watching true Carolina Basketball.
That's what this hire was about --- maintaining that special thing nobody else has. There are some here and elsewhere who have been saying "We're Carolina --- we should be able to get anybody we want". I totally get that. But perhaps another approach to that might be "We're Carolina --- we don't need to make a 'splash' hire, we got this". I think that's what Bubba learned in the process. I would just suggest keeping in mind that the "We're Carolina" mantra wouldn't mean jack if not for Dean E. Smith. Fact is, we as Carolina fans are all spoiled --- no matter when we came to it --- because of UNC carrying on the legacy Dean created.
UNC hired a lovable rogue named Frank McGuire in the 50s to compete with other rogues dominating the sport back then. The bad news is he cheated and got caught, so that Natty woulda been a nice one-off had he not had the sense to hire the young X-and-O wonk from Phog Allen's tree, and then had someone in the administration not decided to promote the Boy Scout on the bench to clean up the shenanigans. So again, it was Dean Smith who invented Carolina Basketball we know today. And y'know, I've seen folks complaining about "grooming" successors. Well of course Dean groomed Roy. Hell, before that he groomed Larry Brown, but Larry was the prodigal who could never keep his nose clean. Then he groomed Eddie Fogler, but Eddie went more his own way as a HC, so yeah, Roy was the true-believer disciple who finally became the heir-apparent. And think about it --- aren't ya glad he DID groom Roy? I know I sure as hell am.
So, did Roy groom Hubert? Of course he did, and again, hopefully we'll be very glad he did. Hubert played for Dean and coached for Roy (with a pretty sporty NBA career in between), but as importantly, he's a true-believer in the system and this thing we call Carolina Basketball. And that's the key to success here. I mean geez... I see some putting down Gut's tenure. Seriously? 2 FFs in 3 seasons (including the last)? Works for me, and it happened because Gut continued just as Dean had. Sure, it's fair to say recruiting slumped a bit, but that was only because everyone knew Gut was short-timing. Hubert will have no such stigma. And had Gut stayed one more season and/or coordinated his exit better for Roy the first time, we never would've endured the Doherty debacle (which happened because he eschewed the system and resources that were bequeathed to him).
Look, I've seen some folks say it was a bogus search, but I really don't think that was the case. For example, for me personally, the only acceptable outsider would've been Few (because of all the "Carolina stuff" he runs), but think about it --- why would he move 3000 miles from a place where they'll end up building a statue and naming the damn court after him? I think it's probably more accurate to say that Bubba learned a lot about Carolina Basketball over the past few days. I do know that among the former players --- from recent guys, to early Dean guys --- they were nearly unanimous that it should be in the family. Many leaned to Hubert, some leaned to Wes, but it was clear to them that those were two excellent options and there was no need to reinvent the wheel. And the reason that former players felt that way had nothing to do with "loyalty" or being "sentimental" --- it was because they uniquely appreciate what they were part of, and how continuing and reinvigorating that is the key to Carolina Basketball continuing to be something special for future generations.
Finally, fact is none of us know the future, but for those fretting about Hubert's hire, I can tell you he is highly regarded as both a coach and person within the program and you'll never have to worry about shenanigans. Everyone has a right to feel how ya feel about the hire, but all I can suggest is to get behind Hubert and the staff (that he will tweak) and the talented cadre of players a year older and wiser, coming back with what I imagine will be a revitalized spring in their steps.
Oh, and Go Heels!
