North Carolina State University Athletics
Carolina's Crash Isn't Unprecedented
1/28/2000 12:00:00 AM | Pack Athletics
Some of our friends in Chapel Hill thought that they'd see 18 inches of snow in the triangle area before North Carolina would become an NCAA bubble team.
Guess what? Stuff happens. As I write this, I'm hunkered down in the Haynes World apartment complex. Outside, the landscape looks like Fairbanks. The only difference is that our local TV stations are providing non-stop coverage of the snowstorm of the century, I mean millennium, I mean of 2000. When snow falls in Fairbanks, "Leave it to Beaver" runs in its normal time slot.
Now for reality: We did get 18 inches of snow and the Heels are 11-8 following a four game losing streak. Most UNC supporters are pointing the finger at head coach Bill Guthridge.
Carolina hasn't lost four in a row since the 1991-92 season. Guess who the head coach was at that time? I also remember the Tar Heels losing their first three ACC games three years ago. Guess who the head coach was then? And who was the coach who picked Guthridge as his successor?
If you answered Dean Smith to the above questions, then you're correct.
Although some Carolina fans claim otherwise, coach Smith was and is a human being. So were his players, assistants, and student managers.
As we all know, human beings are capable of successes and failures. Yes, even Dean Smith, one of the greatest coaches in college basketball history, actually endured losing streaks.
Hey, let's face it--North Carolina followers are spoiled. 30-plus years of excellence have brainwashed them into thinking that the Heels are somehow immune to slumps. It can happen anywhere. Here's a great example: After going to seven Final Fours in the nine years between 1986-94, Duke finished in the basement of the ACC standings in 1995.
While coach Guthridge is humble enough to blame himself, his team's struggles are more a function of personnel shortages. In the past, Carolina's great teams featured superb athletes who were also excellent basketball players. This year, the Tar Heels are a collection of decent basketball players who lack the overall athleticism of past teams.
Injuries and a lack of quality depth have also amplified the situation.
The Tar Heels are good enough to turn things around, but if they don't, their fans should remember one thing: It did snow 18-inches in Raleigh on January 25th.
