It's been a rough week for college basketball. The sport lost North Carolina's Dean Smith on Saturday night and today, UNLV's Jerry Tarkanian passed away. Their lives were spent in college basketball and while that may have been their only connection, I think it's safe to say we'll never see a pair like them again.
As I get older, I often muse things were "better when" but in reality know that isn't the case. Hell, I find myself occasionally thinking County Stadium was a better place to take in a game than Miller Park or the 80's weren't that bad for the Packers. But when I thought of these two giants of the game, I can't help but think the college basketball game was better when they were on the sidelines.
I was never a Carolina fan. I rooted for Duke in my formative years, mostly as a reflex against North Carolina and because they were good. It wasn't until I read John Feinstein's, A March To Madness, did I realize who Dean Smith really was. A man who helped integrate the ACC, a man who in the Jim Crow south wasn't afraid to stand up for civil rights, a man who called himself and the Governor of North Carolina murderers because North Carolina had the death penalty.
What coach or would any coach today take such stances? It's simplistic to say we don't have the issues today that Dean Smith lived through. Maybe that's true but even if we did, what major college coach is going to risk shoe deals, job security, recruiting issues or the constant hot take blowhards ripping him or her? Yeah, some coaches are great for their community and do the charitable endeavors but what coach will take a stance that is perhaps controversial? There isn't a Dean Smith or John Thompson coaching today. I don't get how that's better. A lot of coaches in their sympathy messages said how much they learned from and how much they respected Dean Smith. I'm not sure that's entirely true.
As for Jerry Tarkanian, if you're old enough to remember his UNLY teams, you were truly a witness to some of the finest and most fun teams of that era. Tarkanian was a real rebel who wasn't afraid to tackle the hypocrisy of the NCAA or challenge the blue bloods. Dan Wetzel of Yahoo Sports beautifully captures the irascible Tarkanian in his piece today.
Chris Dufresne of the LA Times tweeted out some great Tark quotes today. I can't embed so, here they are:
"The NCAA was so upset at UCLA, they put Northridge on two years' probation."
Tark said he loved transfers from major programs because, "They already have their cars paid for"
Tark once said, "nine out of ten teams break the rules, and the other one is in last place"
Tark tried to get Sinatra to recruit player from New Jersey, Kid went to North Carolina. Tark said, "Frank could really sing, but he couldn't recruit"
One of a kind, a real character and something the game sorely misses today. I won't get into how his teams played, but it was a beautiful style of basketball so far superior to today's staid and boring slug fests.
We move forward but the game has been a lesser place without either and would be better if there were some like them in it today.
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