Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, March 28, 1993 TAG: 9303280180
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: D5 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DOUG DOUGHTY AND JACK BOGACZYK STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
Smith, in his 32nd year at North Carolina, was discussing the coach-teacher role in East Rutherford, N.J., when the name of ousted California coach Lou Campanelli was mentioned.
Campanelli was dismissed at mid-season, reportedly because of his harsh treatment of the players, and he was replaced by 29-year-old assistant Todd Bozeman.
"I wasn't there," Smith said. "I haven't been to one of Lou's practices, [but] I'm disappointed in an assistant coach who accepts the head-coaching job in that situation.
"I know, if I was fired for any reason and they offered the job to [assistants] Bill Guthridge or Phil Ford, there's no way they're going to take it. Your assistants need to be loyal to the coach, not the school, if you want a good program."
Smith said he never would have been the head coach at North Carolina if Frank McGuire had been fired.
"If he had told me not to take it, I wouldn't have," Smith said. "I would have gone with him to Philadelphia. I can't think of many times a head coach is fired and an assistant becomes head coach.
"Berkeley [the University of California] won, so does that make it a good decision? The chancellors are supposed to be in charge of universities now. I wonder if anybody consulted the chancellor."
\ WHAT'S HE DOING?: Asked for his opinion on Bobby Cremins, Smith said: "I started telling about Bobby going to South Carolina and he [the reporter] said, `Didn't you hear? He's going back to Georgia Tech.' You have to understand I've been concentrating on Cincinnati for the last 11 hours."
\ DIFFERENT PHILOSOPHIES: Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins bristled when his practice of recruiting junior-college transfers was compared to the North Carolina system.
"We're getting to the point where we can be selective," Huggins said. "We've tried to recruit some high school guys, we weren't real successful, so we recruited junior-college players."
Huggins signed five players this past fall, five out of high school, although high school All-American Dontonio Wingfield of Albany, Ga., is unlikely to qualify.
"We'll always recruit some junior-college transfers," he said. "Guys jump in a van, ride five or six hours to play in a game [and] it gives them a great appreciation for where they are and what it's taken to get there."
\ SCUTTLEBUTT: It was almost a foregone conclusion two weeks ago that Cliff Ellis was out after nine years as Clemson coach. ACC sources now are saying Ellis, whose program has survived an NCAA investigation, will keep his job after a 17-13 season.
\ RIM SHOTS: Florida State guard Sam Cassell finished his career in an arena in which he may see again as an NBA player. He's hoping for more accuracy.
In three games at the Charlotte Coliseum this season, Cassell was 11-for-40 - 5-of-15 against Clemson in an ACC Tournament loss and 6-of-25 in Southeast Region games against Western Kentucky and Kentucky.
In two ACC Tournament games at Charlotte last year, his first at Florida State as a junior-college transfer, Cassell was only 9-of-25. That's a 20-for-65 - 30.7 percent.
by CNB