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Tr sfctrVfc/' JL U11K By Mark Platte Gamacock Staff Wrtter The man whom NBA star Mitch Kupchak of the Washington Bullets refers to as 4'one of the best, if not the best coaches in the nation, maybe the world" deserves such a compliment. He deserves it because he has coached the college foam \irKiir?V? hoc fi niolmrl TT1UV.11 11UO lllllOUV^U either in first or second place in the Atlantic Coast Conference, ACC, basketball division in each of the past 13 seasons. In 1968, his team earned a place in the NCAA finals against UCLA before losing, 78-55. IN 1967 and 1969, his squad finished in fourth place overall in the NCAA tournament. In 1972, they finished third overall. 1973 saw his nprfprt 97-0 rpcmlar season team bow out early in the playoffs. In 1977, his team once again made the finals before losing 67-59 against Marquette. In 1978, Penn narrowly defeated his injury-hampered team, 7271 in the NCAA playoffs. He is the legendary Dean Smith, known as 4'Mr. Basketball" at the University of North Carolina, where he has coached for the past 16 years. Kupchak, along with Phil Ford, Walter Davis, Charlie Scott, Bobby Jones, Dudley Bradley and Mike O'Koren are just a few of tne superstars who Jiave played under the 48-yearold genius of Chapel Hill. 'It's none of my bu South Carolina woulc into a conference i/i basketball conference At the Mitch Kupchak basketball camp at C.W. Post College in Brookville, New York, Smith spoke Lo the youngsters about teamwork, attitude and stressed, "When your assists are better than your turnovers, vou're heeomine a basketball player." When a member of the camp asked the 1976 U.S.A. Al... 1 1 il 11 i? wiyinpic uasKeiuaii team coach about his famous four-corners offense, Smith became partially defensive, obviously used to the criticism of this sometimes >els So painstaking strategy watched by basketball fans who demand scoring and offense action. 4'THE four-corners offense gets entirely too much attention." Smith noted "We averaged 86 points a game over the last 10 years and all everyone talks about is the four-corners." Smith admitted that the acquisition of Phil Ford to USC made the four-corners "unfair" and added, "Ford wouldn't lose the ball so the coaches in our league started saying that the only way they can beat us is by not playing basketball/' Although he doesn't advocate the use of the fourcorners by junior high or high schools, Smith exnlained the strategy which JL was used in one of the DukeUNC games of last season. "It takes two teams to hold the ball any time,'' he cited. "In the Duke game (in which the Tarheels trailed at halftime 7-0 after holding the ball allowing Duke to win, 41-40), I thought they'd chase us and I was shocked they didn't. In the end, they won, so he ( F^i ilr/\ /iao n v. d;ii VUURC L.uav.11 IJlil I ISOld ) was right. But I thought being at their place, I assumed they would and should chase us but it turned out that they were running." "Of course" Smith boasts, "we did beat them six days later when it really counted (for the ACC championship)." siness, but / think that i fad* nn# #/> /va# fhich will be a great f IN SPEAKING of the ACC, Smith assessed the _ c 1.1 c power 01 ine cumereiice which had its strongest teams eliminated early in last season's NCAA tournament. UT fhinlr tViat'c Mr1 A A JL VlAiim UIMV IJ V WAV A t V/A 41 Jfc tournament) just a one game thing. Like if you have a mini-series such as the pros have: I like our chances against Penn; I like Duke's chances against St John's " Smith dwided "As far as the others, Clemson did beat Kentucky and nobody looks at that. So lith 'on* I think that's been overly done because I think we do have some great teams and this year will be no exception." "Virginia's got to be top five in the country's preseason picks.They've got all their starters back plus 1"* _1_. l_\ n _ ^ 1? vrtaipn; aampson, smitn analyzed. "Duke has got four of their starters back. We have four starters back and we ended up number tViroo ir? tho r?r?iinfrxr ir? fV?o VAA1 W AAA l/AAV/ VV/UAltl J 111 U1V/ poll. Clemson's also going to be tough so I can't see any of those seven who aren't going to be strong. I don't know enough about Georgia Tech yet." Smith's opinion of his own team takes into consideration the loss of key seniors. Smith realizes that with the loss of Bradley, Ged Doughton and Randy Wheeler, UNC will be losing leadership qualities but he expects to have a good cnn onn iiti t Vl Vlip f a?1?? nf Of ocaoun VYHU uio IUUI aiaiters, including high-scoring Mike O'Koren. WITH THE possibility of the USC basketball team joining the Metro-7 conference, Smith was asked his opinion of such a merger for USC. "It's none of mv business. but I think that ? South Carolina would be foolish not to get into a conference which will be a great basketball conference," Smith offered. "That way, 80B ?L B^.- *3fl IsinBBr [gBj** ^^BIli^B^r 'i i in liwiiBP 1111 jmm e of the you can build up some rivalries and certainly Columbia is Metro, so they're sticking with that. Of course, if they let West Virginia in, they'll be losing that Metro business but I really think it's got to help South Carolina. Obviously, I think Coach McGuire wishes they were in the ACC and too bad that all happened in 1971, but I don't think the ACC will possibly expand." Smith's relationship with McGuire is a close one both on and off the court. It is a friendship which Smith relates with pride. "I WORKED for Frank McGuire for three years (at UNC). We've been together dii cciu^ anicc uic acdauii ended. He's one of the greatest to ever coach the game," Smith said. ''He's so smart; he's a great bench coach and he gives Viic nlauorc pnnfiHonno anH T A1IU ^/AUJ VA U VVilllVIViiVV UA1U JL just have the greatest respect for him. He's meant a lot to me as a friend and as a coach. That's why I never count them (USC) out, especially a key game on the road. He's amazing getting his team ready to play on the road." Although many USC fans were disaoDointed in the basketball team's record and McGuire's strategy, which won a championship for UNC in 1957, Smith offered a different per *""*?> i** " 5ss^^%"#i^8 I teMtP ,ift "^aHPP^ I UWjL spective: ''It (McGuire's strategy) was good enough then (1957). It's unfortunate. I remember South Carolina before coach McGuire came. They'd be erecting statues to be 1512," Smith contrasted. "Since he's been there, he's been able to attract some people that any other coach couldn't have attracted. I'm talking about the Owenses ana tne Joyces and tnose kind of people." SMITH'S coaching talents have led to job offers in the NBA. Although Smith will not mention names, he reveals, "Each year, I could say fortunately or unfortunately, somebody calls and in fact, one of them this year was through Coach McGuire. Of course, he could go to that sort of position anytime but he likps C!nlnmhifl anH Smith Carolina and I personally love Chapel Hill and college coaching, working with young men. So I've never gone as far as the interview either as a general manager and coach or as a general manager, period." UNC is lucky that Dean Smith loves his current position or he would have brought his 30 plus victories to another team. At the Mitch Kupchak basketball uamp, uie Kty wuru was "Tarheel." It may be a key word for a long, long time. i|B ;rj , * /J ! 7 # A 4 | ' 1 ! 4 PC\ f