In his first three seasons against North Carolina and coach Dean Smith, Georgia Tech coach Bobby Cremins lost all seven games, six of them by a dozen points or more.
In season four, the Yellow Jackets swept the Tar Heels, defeating them in the 1985 ACC championship game at the old Omni. Following Smith’s death Saturday at the age of 83, Cremins shared credit for Tech’s successes under his watch with Smith.
“At the end of the day, when I looked back at my life and my career, I looked at the people who made me a better person, who made me a better coach,” Cremins said Monday. “Nobody challenged me as a young coach more than Dean Smith.”
Cremins said that Smith’s dominance of the ACC forced Cremins and contemporaries like Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski, N.C. State coach Jim Valvano and Maryland coach Gary Williams to either improve as coaches and recruiters or be left behind. Challenged by Smith, all four took their teams to some of the greatest heights in each school’s history, which in turn raised the profile of the conference
“He made ACC basketball,” Cremins said of Smith. “He set a standard that was so high for all of us.”
To meet that standard, Cremins sought to become an expert about the man who retired in 1997 after 36 seasons with 879 wins, at that point the most in college basketball history. Prior to his hiring at Tech in 1981, Cremins attended several of his clinics. He read Smith’s book.
“I studied his system inside and out,” Cremins said. “We all did, because we knew we had to beat him.”
Smith actually helped Cremins get his job at Tech. Prior to becoming Tech’s AD in 1980, Homer Rice had previously served as North Carolina’s AD from 1969-75. Before hiring Cremins, Rice consulted with Smith, who assured him that the coach from Appalachian State was right for the job.
Smith also unintentionally had a hand in helping Cremins land one of his most important recruits. Shortly after Cremins’ hire, Smith was looking at two guards in Oklahoma. Smith decided to pursue Steve Hale, leaving an opportunity for Cremins to scoop up Mark Price.
Price became a three-time All-American and the 1985 ACC player of the year.
Actually, Smith’s benevolence to Cremins began years earlier. In 1968, Cremins played for South Carolina coach Frank McGuire, who had previously coached at North Carolina and had hired Smith as his assistant. He was ultimately replaced by Smith. Cremins led the Gamecocks to an upset win in Chapel Hill, N.C. With the Tar Heels repeatedly fouling him, Cremins made 13-of-16 free throws, scoring 23 points with 15 rebounds.
Said Cremins, “(Smith) used to get mad at me when I used to thank him for making me a hero.”
As a competitor, Cremins said, Smith was not an easy man to get to know, due to his private nature and competitive streak. Cremins did have an in with Smith through their shared admiration for McGuire, but it didn’t protect him from Smith’s needling.
Prior to one big Tech-Carolina game, “I went up before the game to shake his hand,” Cremins said. “He said, ‘That doesn’t look like your favorite yellow tie.’ He didn’t know it, but it was. He’d always play little games with you. He always liked a little jab.”
Their friendship developed after Smith’s retirement in 1997 through golf outings, trips organized by Nike and their tie through McGuire. The gamesmanship continued on the golf course, as Smith was loathe to concede short putts.
“Sometimes I’d miss it and I’d want to take the putter and hit him over the head with it,” Cremins said.
Monday, Rice remembered a man who was an innovator with his “Four Corners” offense, who instructed his players to point to teammates who had fed them assists and was seemingly unbeatable in close games. Smith was a most exemplary employee for Rice.
“I’d ask him what he needed and I stayed out of his way,” Rice said.
Rice’s admiration extended far beyond their professional relationship.
“He was very fair in all his doings,” Rice said. “Just a good person and, of course, a superior basketball coach. He had those things going for him. Just a great person.”
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