Smith has had his critics, people who say he should have won more than two NCAA titles, who joke that Smith is the only man ever to hold Jordan to under 20 points a game. Thirty-six years is a long time at any job, much less coaching basketball in the high pressure of the Atlantic Coast Conference, and for the past few years Smith has been talking about retiring to spend more time with his wife, psychologist Linnea Smith, his five children and their grandchildren. This time we couldn't do it. If I can't give this team that enthusiasm, I'd said I'd get out. But there is also a smiling suspicion in North Carolina that Smith waited until the eve of fall practice so that Guthridge, and not some high-profile coach, could be named the top man.
Loyalty begets loyalty.
As one would expect from a man who wears a tie even in practice, Smith showed up two minutes early for his 2 p.m. press conference.