College Basketball: Lasting Legacies

Over the past week, the college basketball world has had to say goodbye to two legendary coaches. North Carolina’s Dean Smith and Jerry Tarkanian, most notably of UNLV, both passed away. Smith was 83 and Tarkanian was 84. While both men were very successful at the highest level of their professions as both won NCAA championships (Smith 2, Tark 1), their legacies are more than just wins and losses and even conference and national titles.

Feb 20, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; UNLV Runnin

Dean Smith coached in Chapel Hill from 1961-97. That covers from Larry Brown to Rasheed Wallace with a guy named Michael Jordan in between. And although it’s being tarnished a bit lately, Smith was responsible for the “Carolina Way.” Although it was a bit pretentious, the thing that was the most admirable about Smith was the way he nurtured a family culture within UNC Basketball. He made sure that different generations of Tar Heels understood their role in the rich tradition of the program. And that is to be commended.

Off the court, Dean Smith did a lot to help not only desegregate the Tar Heel basketball, but North Carolina as a university as well. He graduated 96.6% of his players and sent a lot of notable players to the NBA. After he retired, Smith was diagnosed with early onset dementia and slowly faded out of the public as his famous memory began to fail him. Perhaps Dean Smith’s greatest achievement has been that not one person, within or without the Carolina community, has come out and said anything negative about him.

Like the mascot of the University of Nevada at Las Vegas, Jerry Tarkanian was a rebel. He was a thorn in the side of the NCAA. How big a thorn was he? In 1998, the NCAA settled a lawsuit brought about by Tarkanian where he alleged the NCAA was harassing him. He also famously fought the NCAA in a case that went to the Supreme Court and led to sweeping reforms in NCAA enforcement. On the court, he was just as defiant. Combing through junior colleges to fill his roster, he plan came to full fruition with the 1990 and 1991 Runnin Rebels.

Before Michigan’s Fab Five hit the scene, UNLV and Tark the Shark were the bad boys of college basketball. Their home games mimicked Las Vegas style shows on the strip. The team, headlined by future NBA star Larry Johnson, had plenty of swag to spare. When the Rebels met the Duke Blue Devils in the 1990 NCAA final, the 30 point margin (103-73) set the record for margin of victory. The two teams met up again in the Final Four in 1991 with the Rebels undefeated on the season. Duke prevailed 79-77 in route to Coach K’s first NCAA championship.

As we take time to remember both Dean Smith and Jerry Tarkanian, it’s important to remember that in basketball, particularly at the college level, is about the coaches. The coaches set the tone for the programs that their entrusted to run. Whether it’s the stoic, dignified calm of the Dean or Tark the Shark chomping on his towel, there’s certainly more than one way to make your mark on the game. We thank them both for their contributions to the game and leaving behind fantastic, lasting legacies.