ORLANDO, Fla. — For Mike Dunleavy, son of an NBA coach, the decision of where to attend college came down to Duke or North Carolina.
Dean Smith, Dunleavy recalled, got involved in his recruitment, sending him letters and sitting with him at a Tar Heels practice. But the legendary coach, who died late Saturday, had stepped down by then, ceding the reigns to Bill Guthridge.
“My decision to go to Duke was largely because of the relationship I developed with Coach K,” Dunleavy said of Mike Krzyzewski. “It would have made it more difficult if Dean Smith had still been there. It speaks to the type of person and coach he was. I have tremendous respect for the program he built.”
Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau never met Smith but amplified that sentiment.
“He certainly was an icon for all coaches in all sports,” Thibodeau said. “(We) have studied things he did. He was very innovative — from offense to defense (transition), special situations, run and jump (press), the four corners, the (triple-post) T offense, the individual development, hard-smart-together, that’s all from him.
“He had a great impact on the game. And the way he carried himself, what he stood for, he was an all-time great coach. He will be missed.”