Tag: Dean Smith

Caleb Porter guarantees last-place Revs will beat Charlotte FC

This one could really backfire on the Revs coach

The pressure is already growing on Caleb Porter just a couple months into his tenure as New England Revolution head coach.

Now, Porter has taken a step that will undoubtedly ratchet that pressure up even more.

In an appearance on a Boston radio station, Porter guaranteed the Revs would defeat Charlotte FC at Gillette Stadium on Saturday.

The promise was notable, given the Revs are currently the worst team in MLS on a points-per-game basis. Porter’s side has one draw and four defeats in five games thus far, with a league-worst goal differential of -7.

New England is also coming off a dismal 4-0 home loss against Club América on Tuesday, essentially ending their Concacaf Champions Cup quarterfinal tie after just one leg.

Porter appeared on 98.5 The Sports Hub on Thursday, and closed out his interview by saying: “We’re going to get a win Saturday. I promise that.”

Word of Porter’s guarantee quickly reached Dean Smith, whose Charlotte  side currently sits six places and seven points above the Revs in the table.

“He shouldn’t make promises he might not be able to keep,” the coach fired back.

Whether Porter’s guarantee ends up being suicidal or a brilliant bit of motivation, we have to give the coach credit for turning a nondescript early-season matchup into a game MLS fans will now be closely monitoring.

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Only Dean Smith has gone to more consecutive Sweet 16’s than Mark Few

Not many programs advance deep consistently in the NCAA Tournament. Dean Smith holds the record from his time leading the Tar Heels.

Even without a star-studded team like in years’ past, Gonzaga head coach Mark Few still has his team dancing in the Sweet 16.

This year’s Bulldogs squad turned a 1-point halftime deficit into a 21-point victory against Kansas, beating the shorthanded Jayhawks 89-68 in Saturday’s Round of 32.

With this victory, Gonzaga made its ninth-straight Sweet 16 under Few.

Before Few’s dominance in the NCAA Tournament, there was a legendary coach by the name of Dean Smith.

If you need a refresher on who Smith was, he was the longtime, legendary UNC basketball head coach for 36 years. Smith’s Tar Heels made the NCAA Tournament 27 times during his tenure as head coach, which included the 1982 and 1993 National Championships.

Not only did Smith’s North Carolina teams just make the tournament, but they typically advanced far.

One fact that highlights this was UNC’s ability to constantly reach the Sweet 16, which North Carolina did for 13 straight years (1980-81 season to 1992-1993).

What Mark Few’s done in recent years is impressive, but he still has four years to reach Smith. Has there been anyone who’s surpassed Smith’s record?

You’ll see the Big Dance constants like UNC, Michigan State, Duke and Kentucky in today’s game, but they rarely consistently advance in the tournament. Defending champion UConn might be building something special, too, but they’ll need to win on Sunday, March 24 for a Sweet 16 trip.

Could Hubert Davis be the next Tar Heel coach to build an NCAA Tournament legacy like Smith and Davis? He and the 2023-2024 North Carolina squad can continue building upon their current run, as they’ll play the winner of Alabama-Grand Canyon on either March 28 or March 29.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Hubert Davis one of four UNC coaches to accomplish this feat

There haven’t been many recent coaches in UNC basketball history, but they’ve all enjoyed success. What rare feat has Hubert Davis achieved?

It’s March Madness week, which means tons of excitement and decreased productivity.

Yes, most of us are either in school or working jobs, but that doesn’t stop us from gaining emotional highs during the NCAA Tournament. People fill out their brackets, then watch as their picks progress or brackets are busted by Cinderellas.

After missing the Big Dance last year, UNC is back in this year. The Tar Heels won the ACC Regular Season Title, while falling to rival NC State in the tournament championship.

Not only did North Carolina make the NCAA Tournament, but it also holds a Number One seed – in the West Region. Major props to Hubert Davis and his players for the massive turnaround.

As a result of leading UNC to a top seed, Davis is now just one of four coaches in program history to do so.

Recognize the other coaches on that list? Bill Guthridge advanced North Carolina to the 1998 and 2000 Final Fours, but never won a National Championship.

Dean Smith and Roy Williams aren’t just two of the most legendary coaches in program history, but in all of college basketball.

Smith led UNC to the 1982 and 1983 NCAA Titles, making 11 Final Fours during his 36 years in Chapel Hill. Williams won three titles as the Tar Heels’ head coach – 2005, 2009 and 2017 – while making nine Final Fours in his 18 years leading North Carolina.

Will Hubert be able to turn UNC’s 1-seed into a National Championship?

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North Carolina NCAA tournament history since 1982

How has the UNC basketball program fared in the NCAA Tournament since 1982? We take a look back at each season.

The North Carolina Tar Heels are one of college basketball’s premier programs with six national championships, 20 Final Fours, 28 Elite Eights and 34 Sweet 16 appearances. They are among the winningest college programs of all time and have a history that is almost unmatched.

When you go to North Carolina, playing in the Big Dance is an expectation and most years so is getting to a Sweet 16 and beyond. While there have been some rocky years here and there, UNC has been in the tournament 36 times since the 1982 season. With another tournament looming, we wanted to look back at the Tar Heels’ NCAA Tournament history since ’82 which features Michael Jordan, Vince Carter, Antawn Jamison, Jerry Stackhouse, Rasheed Wallace, Sean May, Raymond Felton, Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson, Marcus Paige, Joel Berry and more.

Here’s a look at how the Tar Heels have done in the tournament since 1982 when Jordan drained the jumper to beat Georgetown to deliver Dean Smith a title in Chapel Hill.

More NCAA Tournament History from the College Wires Network:

Alabama / Aub / Fla / LSU / Tenn. / UGA // Mich. / Mich St. / Ohio St. / Penn St. / Wisc. // Okla. / Texas // ND // USC

WATCH: Awesome Dean Smith commercial from 1997 resurfaces

An awesome video of former UNC basketball head coach Dean Smith has resurfaced after over 25 years.

The 2023-24 college basketball season is underway with one week already in the books. As we move closer to Thanksgiving week, the action will really start to pick up with the holiday tournaments and some big non-conference games.

With ESPN being the main home for college basketball games again this season, the excitement is in the air. And one video featuring North Carolina Tar Heels’ legend Dean Smith is resurfacing again.

Last week, the X account College Basketball Classics posted an awesome ESPN promo from 1997 featuring the one and only Dean Smith. It’s a classic video that will give UNC fans and even college basketball fans goosebumps.

Take a look for yourself:

Smith coached 36 seasons at UNC before retiring in 1997. He won 879 total games in his coaching career, bringing two national championships to the program in 1982 and 1993. He also reached the Final Four 11 times and won 13 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournaments.

North Carolina has begun this season 2-0 with both wins in the Dean E. Smith Center so far.

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Opinion: Arkansas baseball season a disappointment but not a failure

Dave Van Horn’s Razorbacks had a terrific 2023 campaign that was marred by a disappointing finish. But a failure? Not in this writer’s opinion.

Being outscored 50-15 in three games versus Texas Christian University this season certainly leaves a bad taste in the mouth regarding the Arkansas baseball team.

Dave Van Horn has created such a high standard for the program that anything short of a Omaha appearance is viewed as a failure by the majority of fans.

Six of the 16 teams left in the tournament are SEC teams. Arkansas shared the SEC title with Florida, who had to go to the distance to win the Gainesville regional.

That accomplishment cannot be derided. It is only the third time in Van Horn’s 21 seasons that he has won the conference overall.

Winning the Western Division is just as impressive. Seeing as the last two national champions are from it, and that Alabama is the only team from the division that hasn’t been in the College World Series in the last decade from it.

At the end of the day though, fans want to be hoisting the national championship trophy on the last week of June at Charles Schwab Field.

Until the Razorbacks finally break through and do that, the misplayed pop-up in 2018 will haunt Van Horn and his program.

People like to compare Van Horn to legendary Florida State skipper Mike Martin, as Martin has won more games than any other coach in NCAA baseball history and went to Omaha 17 times but never won the whole thing.

While there isn’t anything inherently wrong with that comparison, I’d argue that Van Horn is more like Dean Smith, despite it being a different sport.

Smith took over the North Carolina men’s basketball job in 1961 and was ultra successful after a rough first five seasons.

He went to the Final Four six times (1967, 1968, 1969, 1972, 1977 and 1981) and was the national runner-up twice in ’68 and ’81.

Finally the Tar Heels broke through in 1982 with James Worthy and Sam Perkins and a guy named Michael Jordan and clipped Georgetown and Patrick Ewing in the closing seconds in the Superdome.

1981-82 was year 21 for Smith, which is what Van Horn just finished.

Van Horn has gone to Omaha 7 times as the Hog skipper, and has the 2018 runner-up finish while finishing third twice.

As well as he and his staff recruit, eventually they are going to secure that final out in the final game and bring a championship back to Fayetteville, surely.

Twitter reacts to Dean Smith and Roy Williams’ placement in top 10 ranking

Twitter reacts to Dean Smith and Roy Williams placement in the top ten college basketball coaches of all-time.

Twitter was in a frenzy Monday night after the NCAA March Madness account released its top 10 college basketball coaches of all time.

Instead of using a human to create the list, it turned to artificial intelligence, using the popular growing ChatGPT to generate the rankings. Unsurprisingly, this caused quite a reaction, with fans debating the placement of some of the coaches featured on the list.

UNC is the only school with two coaches in the top 10. Dean Smith is ranked fourth and Roy Williams sixth. The only other coach from the ACC is Mike Krzyzewski, who ranked second. UCLA’s John Wooden claimed the top spot.

Many argued whether Bob Knight was over Williams, while others wondered how Tom Izzo cracked the list, but Bill Self didn’t. The list caused quite a discussion as fans gave their opinion on the AI-generated list.

Let’s see how Twitter reacted to the top 10 college basketball coaches all-time ranking.

ACC Men’s Basketball Tournament: All-time championships by program

What year and team is the greatest in the history of the ACC?

The ACC was the first conference to use a postseason tournament to determine it’s champion and in the time when only conference champions were sent to the NCAA Tournament, the conference started a trend.

Over the years there have been countless basketball legends that have played in the ACC and are responsible for incredible ACC Tournament moments. Michael Jordan, Len Bias, Tim Duncan, Shane Battier, and David Thompson are just a handful of the many.

Duke and North Carolina certainly come to mind first when you think of the ACC Tournament all-time but others have hoisted the trophy after winning the title and created memorable moments themselves.

As the 2023 ACC Tournament gets started this week, here is a look at how every basketball program has performed in ACC Tournament history.

PHOTOS: UNC Basketball coach Hubert Davis through the years

A look at UNC basketball head coach Hubert Davis throughout his years at North Carolina, the NBA and back in Chapel Hill.

The story of North Carolina basketball can not be told without a chapter for [autotag]Hubert Davis[/autotag]. From his playing career to assistant coaching career and now head coaching career with UNC, his mark has been left on the basketball program.

Davis played under Dean Smith from 1988-92 and helped UNC to a Final Four appearance as a junior. Davis played four seasons and averaged 11.8 points per game and sho 43.5 percent from three for his career. He holds the all-time UNC three-point percentage record.

Davis then went on to be selected No. 20 overall in the 1992 NBA Draft by the New York Knicks. He played 12 seasons in the NBA for six teams. He averaged 8.2 points per game for his career.

After his playing days were over, Davis spent time working at ESPN as an analyst for College Gameday. He would then return to UNC as an assistant coach in 2012.

Last year was Davis’ first season at North Carolina, when he led the Tar Heels to a National Championship runner-up appearance.

Tar Heels Wire commemorates Davis and his extensive playing and coaching career with the photo gallery below.

James Worthy on current NBA: ‘All they do is practice threes, get tattoos and tweet’

During an interview Wednesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show, Lakers legend and Hall of Famer James Worthy, a three-time NBA champ, was asked what he thinks of today’s game and its heavy reliance on the three. And Worthy said the NBA has been …

During an interview Wednesday on the Stoney & Jansen Show, Lakers legend and Hall of Famer James Worthy, a three-time NBA champ, was asked what he thinks of today’s game and its heavy reliance on the three. And Worthy said the NBA has been diminished by “the rush of guys not going to college” — or at least not going for more than a year. “I mean, Kareem had four years with John Wooden, Michael Jordan and I had three years with Dean Smith, Isiah (Thomas) had some years with Bobby Knight. So you learned the fundamentals,” Worthy said. “Not only that, you learned how to live. You learned how to balance your freaking checkbook in college, there’s a lot of things. When you don’t get that, guys are coming to the NBA who are not fundamentally sound. All they do is practice threes, lift weights, get tattoos, tweet and go on social media. That’s it.

Source: Audacy

More on this storyline

Most of the front office, it seems, has zeroed in on Darvin Ham, with former head coaches Terry Stotts (Portland) and Kenny Atkinson (Brooklyn) also in the mix. Ham was briefly an assistant with the Lakers, and according to league sources, he is the favorite of the Phil Jackson-Kurt Rambis layer of Lakers decision-makers. “I think those guys want a young coach they can mold a little bit,” one Western Conference executive told Heavy.com. “I do not think Darvin is a pushover by any means. I just think that they want a guy they can point in the direction they want to go, more traditional basketball, using Russell Westbrook a certain way.” -via Heavy.com / May 26, 2022
And the Rivers rumors? Seems the players, and perhaps general manager Rob Pelinka, too, would rather see an experienced, win-now coach on the sidelines. “If LeBron could pick,” the executive said, “it’s pretty certain he’d pick Doc.” The exec was quick to point out that the Lakers had hoed to be united on the coaching front, considering their last foray into a coaching hire, in 2019, was bungled. The team pursued Ty Lue then but would not meet his contract request, and lost out on Monty Williams to Phoenix almost at the same time. Recently fired coach Frank Vogel was the Lakers’ third choice. -via Heavy.com / May 26, 2022
“So you don’t have that sound player; you have an athletic player. And that’s what’s happening to the game. It’s a lot of ISO and looking for mismatches. Bill Russell told me one time, they had five options off of one play. You don’t see that anymore.” -via Audacy / May 26, 2022