Fact or Fiction - "You're screwing My Program"

[Channing]

Tarheel fans constantly tell me Coach K is selfish and classless and only has his own best interests at heart. One of the key examples they always point to is Coach K yelling at Dunleavy that he is F...ing his program upon being informed Dunleavy was going to the NBA.

I don't remember anything like that ever happening but, admittedly, I didn't follow the program as closely back then as I do now. I know everyone was upset and surprised when Dun announced, but I can't believe that actually came out of Coach K's mouth.

Can anyone shed light on this supposed incident?

[monkey]

Tarheel fans constantly tell me Coach K is selfish and classless and only has his own best interests at heart. One of the key examples they always point to is Coach K yelling at Dunleavy that he is F...ing his program upon being informed Dunleavy was going to the NBA.

I don't remember anything like that ever happening but, admittedly, I didn't follow the program as closely back then as I do now. I know everyone was upset and surprised when Dun announced, but I can't believe that actually came out of Coach K's mouth.

Can anyone shed light on this supposed incident?

Don't know if it happened or not but the alleged player in question was not Dunleavy, who left with K's blessing, but Will Avery (K thought he needed to stay and develop another year IIRC).

Also, while it wasn't 100% clear that Dunleavy would leave early (especially since his family didn't need the cash given his father's work in the NBA), I don't remember anyone being very surprised he left - it was certainly a possibility.

[allenmurray]

And K was clearly correct about will Averynot being ready for the NBA - one of the biggest first round draft busts of all time.

[Olympic Fan]

The quote "You're %$#@#$ up my program" was reportedly shouted by Coach K at Will Avery's mother. It was reported in a story by UNC grad Curry Kirkpatrick, not long after he was fired from Sports Illustrated for falsifying expense reports.

For what it's worth, both Avery and his mother have repeatedly denied that anything like that happened.

All K did was tell Will that he was making a mistake to go pro when he did -- that he needed another year in college to polish his point guard skills.

Of course, nothing anybody can say at this point can convince a Duke-hater that it didn't happen. But who do you believe, a convicted liar (Kirkpatrick) or the testimony of Avery and his mother?

[Duke79UNLV77]

I'll find some quotes when I have better technology than a blackberry, but both Avery and his mother denied the story. Avery said something to the effect of it didn't happen like that at all. The article that promoted the myth was a hack job by Curry Kirkpatrick, who has lost a few jobs due to ethical violations, starting with plagiarism at The Daily Tar Hole in college.

K did advise Avery not to go pro, but for Avery not K. By contrast, he strongly supported Brand's decision that year. A guy by the name of Jason Williams was the incoming pg and led Duke to a #1 seed the following year. K's program was not f'd. Whatever became of Curry Kirkpatrick???

[miramar]

And K was clearly correct about will Averynot being ready for the NBA - one of the biggest first round draft busts of all time.

While there have been plenty of first round draft busts, IIRC McHale announced before Avery's third year that Minnesota had no interest in resigning him once his contract was up. Ouch!

[Atlanta Duke]

Tarheel fans constantly tell me Coach K is selfish and classless and only has his own best interests at heart. One of the key examples they always point to is Coach K yelling at Dunleavy that he is F...ing his program upon being informed Dunleavy was going to the NBA.

I don't remember anything like that ever happening but, admittedly, I didn't follow the program as closely back then as I do now. I know everyone was upset and surprised when Dun announced, but I can't believe that actually came out of Coach K's mouth.

Can anyone shed light on this supposed incident?

As stated in a previous post in this thread, the alleged statement involved the departure of William Avery after the 1999 season and, according to Curry Kirkpatrick (UNC class of 1965), William Avery's mother said the statement was made to her

http://web.archive.org/web/20001027054650/http://augustasports.com/stories/082999/oth_180-4085.001.shtml


The Kirkpatrick story and the subsequent denial of her alleged quotes by William Avery's mother Terry Simonton is reviewed in this online link to Art Chansky's book "Blue Blood"

http://books.google.com/books?id=mpQZSJAq2fcC&pg=PA309&lpg=PA309&dq=Simonton+kirkpatrick&source=bl&ots=j20eVIhleb&sig=x_ncIBkqOS57etkFNZt3qpYK6uU&hl=en&ei=1XRoTYOAG9S_tgfawMTmAg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&sqi=2&ved=0CBkQ6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=Simonton%20kirkpatrick&f=false

[-jk]

This one has been debunked.

-jk