Gary Williams Retires

[oakvillebluedevil]

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Maryland-coach-Gary-Williams-retiring-after-22-seasons-050511

Wow. Another big change coming.

[JasonEvans]

Huge news.

Unlike some of the other ACC programs that have had some trouble finding a good replacement coach lately, I think Maryland is a more attractive job because they have had some big successes in the past decade and the program is seen as a priority for the university (unlike Clemson, Miami, Ga Tech, and some other schools where football comes first).

I have not even begun to think about replacements for Gary. I need to think a bit about which former assistants or players might be compelling potential replacements. No one really jumps to mind though.

I wonder if this had something to do with Jordan Williams' final decision to head to the NBA.

-Jason "we may have mocked him, but Gary could coach... he will be missed" Evans

[dukenilnil]

hope he and his family are healthy. It seems rather abrupt.

[tommy]

Huge news.

Unlike some of the other ACC programs that have had some trouble finding a good replacement coach lately, I think Maryland is a more attractive job because they have had some big successes in the past decade and the program is seen as a priority for the university (unlike Clemson, Miami, Ga Tech, and some other schools where football comes first).

I have not even begun to think about replacements for Gary. I need to think a bit about which former assistants or players might be compelling potential replacements. No one really jumps to mind though.

I wonder if this had something to do with Jordan Williams' final decision to head to the NBA.

-Jason "we may have mocked him, but Gary could coach... he will be missed" Evans

Wow. Didn't see this one coming at all.

Replacements? What about The Citadel's Head Coach?

[Mike Corey]

hope he and his family are healthy. It seems rather abrupt.

He's just dehydrated, no worries.

[NovaScotian]

Wow, this is quite the shock. Maybe he just didn't have another year of underperforming in duke and unc's shadow in him. Too bad his last year was a let down - if he left after vasquez's senior year at least he could have gone out on top in the acc (sort of).

[fisheyes]

Sure seems to be for real:

http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/050511aab.html

He's staying on as Assistant AD and will be fund raising.

Wow.

[SCMatt33]

Huge news.

Unlike some of the other ACC programs that have had some trouble finding a good replacement coach lately, I think Maryland is a more attractive job because they have had some big successes in the past decade and the program is seen as a priority for the university (unlike Clemson, Miami, Ga Tech, and some other schools where football comes first).

I have not even begun to think about replacements for Gary. I need to think a bit about which former assistants or players might be compelling potential replacements. No one really jumps to mind though.

I wonder if this had something to do with Jordan Williams' final decision to head to the NBA.

-Jason "we may have mocked him, but Gary could coach... he will be missed" Evans

I seriously doubt that Jordan Williams had any influence. If he did, Gary wouldn't retire so soon afterward. I would assume he had been ready to do this for a while and just made the final call now. If anything, Jordan Williams only influenced him in that Gary would have wanted to let Jordan make his announcement first so that he didn't steal his thunder.

His decision is a little late in terms of coach movement as most of the coaches who want to move have moved, which could limit Maryland's options depending on who they want to hire. That being said, he is the only coach to win a title or even reach the Final Four at Maryland, so I think he earned the right to take his time with the decision.

I guess now, the only sweating that Gary will be doing will be on the beach or the golf course or chasing around grandchildren.

I couldn't comment on this without reminding everyone that Gary Williams final game as a head coach ended up being a loss to Duke.

[JasonEvans]

What about Chuck Dreisell, son of the legendary lefthander? Chuck coached for several years at a Div III school and has been on the staff at James Madison and Georgetown before coming to Maryland, where he was an assistant for 4 years. He left Maryland to be the head coach at The Citadel last year. They weren't very good, but it was his first year on the job and that is not an easy program at which to win. He would seem to have at least some respectable experience and might be considered for the job.

Keith Booth is currently on Gary's staff and has been for several years. He has no head coaching experience, but was a very successful player in college and then in the NBA. I wonder if he will get a look.

Rick Barnes and Fran Fraschilla both coached under Gary at Ohio State. I don't think Barnes is leaving Texas for Maryland and Fran pretty much coached his way out of another big-time job when he was at St John. Is being an assistant to Gary in the past enough of a connection for Maryland to consider you? If so, Fran Dunphy could be in the mix too as he was on Gary's staff at American. Fran has done a really nice job at Temple and Penn. He's older, but would be a nice hire if Maryland can get him.

I think they should really look at Jimmy Patsos, who was an assistant at Maryland for 13 years. He is currently at Loyola (MD), which is a woeful program that had not had a winning season in more than a decade when he took them over in 2004. He hasn't turned them into world-beaters, but they've had winning seasons in 4 of the past 6 years -- which is like a miracle at Loyola. They had one year they won 19 games. He's in his mid-40s, so he's young enough to perhaps stay in the job for a while. I think he'd be a strong candidate.

--Jason "Any other ideas?" Evans

[Biscuit King]

Speak for yourself, Evans. I won't miss the sweaty jerk.

As for replacements, I assume the brilliant Jimmy Patsos will be on the list. And maybe Dave Dickerson. If they are smart, though, they'll go outside the coaching tree.

[JasonEvans]

I seriously doubt that Jordan Williams had any influence. If he did, Gary wouldn't retire so soon afterward. I would assume he had been ready to do this for a while and just made the final call now. If anything, Jordan Williams only influenced him in that Gary would have wanted to let Jordan make his announcement first so that he didn't steal his thunder.


You misunderstood (and I did not make myself clear). I did not mean that Gary retired because Jordan Williams was leaving. I meant that Jordan may have made up his mind t leave because Gary told him he was retiring.

Does that make more sense?

-Jason "sorry for the mixup" Evans

[moonpie23]

the face of the ACC basketball profile is continually changing.... :( i'm gonna miss the sweat machine myself..

[gethlives]

This is an extremely attractive job--I would say clearly the third best in the league and maybe a top 15 job in the country so I think that they will look beyond just folks with Maryland ties. I think, for instance, Shaka Smart, would be a real candidate this is clearly the step up that NC State wasn't necessarily. Even someone like a Jamie Dixon or a Jay Wright is a possibility though that is probably a lateral move for them. Point being, I think they will get a real good hire

[OZZIE4DUKE]

Very surprising indeed. I didn't see this one coming.

I think they will have a far wider range of highly qualified and interested candidates than did NC State. And I'm pretty sure that Debbie Yow won't try to influence any of them not to take the job... :cool:

[SCMatt33]

You misunderstood (and I did not make myself clear). I did not mean that Gary retired because Jordan Williams was leaving. I meant that Jordan may have made up his mind t leave because Gary told him he was retiring.

Does that make more sense?

-Jason "sorry for the mixup" Evans

That makes much more sense. Stupid pronouns and ambiguity. I just read that math equation thread on the off-topic board and I'm sick of ambiguity right now. GRRRR.

On the replacement front, I wonder how much the AD will look to win the press conference. To do that they will need a big name (which I'm not sure they'll get, especially this late) or at least a proven recruiter given their frustrations with Gary's recruiting style over the past few years. If they don't see what they like right now, I could see them going the "caretaker" route and hire an older guy to be there for three or four years and try again. With Jordan Williams gone, it's not exactly like they're on the verge of a Final Four anyway.

[MChambers]

Keith Booth is currently on Gary's staff and has been for several years. He has no head coaching experience, but was a very successful player in college and then in the NBA. I wonder if he will get a look.
Booth was a good college player, but he scored a total of 130 points in the NBA. Might be a good coach, however, and it would be nice to hear Bobby Cremins pronounce his name once more.

[OldPhiKap]

Wow, big blow for the conference.

Not a "fan" by any stretch but he brought fire and competitiveness to the plate.

It's late in the game to get a replacement, though.

[WVDUKEFAN]

Not a "fan" per se, either, but I always thought Coach Williams was a class act. I'd take him over Ole' Roy any day of the week.

[Bob Green]

I'm going to miss Gary Williams. He was the second best coach in the ACC and consistently achieved more with less. One of my favorite "what if" questions: what if Gary Williams could have recruited the talent to Maryland that Paul Hewitt had at GT?

[Olympic Fan]

Wow, the turnover in the ACC continues unabated -- that's eight coaches in the last three years, seven in the last two and four in the last one. As of today, Leonard Hamilton is second in senoirity in the league.

The list (years at current school):
Krzyzewski, Duke -- 31 years
Hamilton, FSU -- 9 years
R Williams, UNC -- 8 years
Greenberg, Va Tech -- 8 years
Bennett, UVa -- 2 years
Brownell, Clemson -- 1 year
Donohue, BC -- 1 year
Bzdelok, Wake -- 1 year
Gregory, G Tech -- 0 years
Gottfried, NC State -- 0 years
Larranaga, Miami -- 0 years
Maryland ??? -- 0 years

Sorry to see Gary go, but as I said in another thread, he slipped badly in the last few years. He won the national title less than a decade ago (2002), yet over the last seven years, he missed the NCAA Tournament FOUR times. He's finished better than sixth in the ACC just twice in the last seven years.

I still think he's a good coach, but his recruiting has slipped badly. He got lucky with two moderately rated recruits (Vasquez and Williams), who became very good and helped him win a share of the ACC regular season title in 2010, but that's about the program's only bright spot in the last seven years.

I also think he lost some of his fire after winning the national title. Before 2002, Gary was competitive, nasty and unrelenting. Afterwards ... well, he was almost mellow. He was a lot more likeable, but a lot less effective.

Still, he'll be missed. He was the ACC's third most accomplished coach ... it will be hard to replace the pre-2002 Gary ... but they might do better than the guy who's been coaching there in the last seven years.

PS I've already heard Mike Brey's name suggested -- he got his coachjing start at DeMatha, just a few miles from the College Park campus.

[weezie]

Up and rolling on local DC news.

I'm oddly shocked and kind of sad to see him leave the coaches seat, too, like some folks above.

[OldPhiKap]

Awkward social question:

What does one bring to a coach's retirement riot?

[superdave]

I'm going to miss Gary Williams. He was the second best coach in the ACC and consistently achieved more with less. One of my favorite "what if" questions: what if Gary Williams could have recruited the talent to Maryland that Paul Hewitt had at GT?

I'd like to second this post. Gary was always a good foil and a great competitor. When his kids took on his fighting spirit, they won a lot. Think Vasquez and Dixon.

As for replacements, I would think Patsos and Booth would have to be on the initial list because it is now May. But Smart would be the first phone I'd make as AD.

[superdave]

Awkward social question:

What does one bring to a coach's retirement riot?

Anything that will burn is acceptable. Any behavior that gets you tear-gassed is acceptable. Shirts optional for gentlemen.

[summerwind03]

I guess I'm a little surprised.

http://www.umterps.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/050511aab.html

[Delaware]

http://msn.foxsports.com/collegebasketball/story/Maryland-coach-Gary-Williams-retiring-after-22-seasons-050511

Wow. Another big change coming.

I've said for a while that Gary is both:
- the 2nd best coach (to you know who)
and
- the 2nd worst person (to the guy down the road 8 miles)
in the ACC coaching ranks.

[taiw93]

Wow. Really sorry to hear this. As much as I hate Maryland fans, I've always been sort of partial to Gary Williams. He's a great coach and, more importantly, he's just hilarious to watch. I'm going to miss the "Sweat, Gary, sweat!" chants.

[sagegrouse]

A real loss to the ACC. He was a consistent winner, even when he had less than blue-chip talent, and his best teams were very, very good indeed.

He will be missed.

sagegrouse

[SmartDevil]

hope he and his family are healthy. It seems rather abrupt.

According to the often unreliable DC sports radio stations, Gary got married again two weeks ago.

[JasonEvans]

I wish we'd known this was coming sooner. He deserved a farewell tour of the ACC.

-Jason "I waned to hear a final, loving serenade of 'sweat, Gary, sweat!'" Evans

[dyedwab]

...about Gary. A few takeaways (not direct quotes, but paraphrases)

1) Patsos was shocked, said he saw Gary in the last couple of weeks and he didn't hint that he was thinking about retirement

2) Said Gary really thought about retirement last year - and was devastated by the Michigan State last second shot knocking UMD out of the tournament. Said Gary had a particular bond with Greivas.

3) Said the Jordan Williams decision could have been a trigger that pushed Gary to decided that he just didn't want to coach in the game today, the way it is changing.

4) Patsos said he'd be honored to be considered for the job - Said former UMD assistant Mike Lonergan (now head coach of Vermont) is a done deal to George Washington.

[LSanders]

Per the front page ... If Gary and Yow do end up in the same retirement home, think she'll hire a taster for her prune juice?

(Will he?)

[JasonEvans]

According to the often unreliable DC sports radio stations, Gary got married again two weeks ago.

Part of how I will always remember Gary (a small part) is this photo --

http://drunkathlete.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/coach-gary-williams.jpg

--Jason "the chicken bone in his hand just makes this photo!" Evans

[Duvall]

Per the front page ... If Gary and Yow do end up in the same retirement home, think she'll hire a taster for her prune juice?

(Will he?)

She should. Gary, speaking to his favorite sockpuppet: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/post/gary-williams-retiring-after-22-seasons-as-maryland-coach/2011/05/05/AFgPuc0F_blog.html)


“I started thinking about it last year after we tied Duke for the ACC title,” Williams told The Post’s John Feinstein in a telephone interview. “I’ve been doing this a long time and I thought it might be time to do something else. After [Debbie] Yow left, I thought I might enjoy it more this year and I really did like working with Kevin Anderson. He’s a straight shooter. But I think I’d been worn down by the previous 15 years [with Yow]. It grinds on you."

[Mike Corey]

I wish we'd known this was coming sooner. He deserved a farewell tour of the ACC.

-Jason "I waned to hear a final, loving serenade of 'sweat, Gary, sweat!'" Evans

That, along with the "Inspiration" v. "Perspiration" chant, were among my favorites.

[-bdbd]

What about Chuck Dreisell, son of the legendary lefthander? Chuck coached for several years at a Div III school and has been on the staff at James Madison and Georgetown before coming to Maryland, where he was an assistant for 4 years. He left Maryland to be the head coach at The Citadel last year. They weren't very good, but it was his first year on the job and that is not an easy program at which to win. He would seem to have at least some respectable experience and might be considered for the job.

Keith Booth is currently on Gary's staff and has been for several years. He has no head coaching experience, but was a very successful player in college and then in the NBA. I wonder if he will get a look.

Rick Barnes and Fran Fraschilla both coached under Gary at Ohio State. I don't think Barnes is leaving Texas for Maryland and Fran pretty much coached his way out of another big-time job when he was at St John. Is being an assistant to Gary in the past enough of a connection for Maryland to consider you? If so, Fran Dunphy could be in the mix too as he was on Gary's staff at American. Fran has done a really nice job at Temple and Penn. He's older, but would be a nice hire if Maryland can get him.

I think they should really look at Jimmy Patsos, who was an assistant at Maryland for 13 years. He is currently at Loyola (MD), which is a woeful program that had not had a winning season in more than a decade when he took them over in 2004. He hasn't turned them into world-beaters, but they've had winning seasons in 4 of the past 6 years -- which is like a miracle at Loyola. They had one year they won 19 games. He's in his mid-40s, so he's young enough to perhaps stay in the job for a while. I think he'd be a strong candidate.

--Jason "Any other ideas?" Evans

All good thoughts Jason. I'm in DC and can tell all of our NC-based Dukies that the MD fanbase is, in many ways, much like the NCSU one. IOW, they think their program is a LOT more attractive than it is. So, I fully expect lots of discussion about Brad Stevens, Rick Barnes and Mike Brey around DC in the coming couple of weeks. It really is quite late in the season to be initiating a coaching search, so I wouldn't be shocked if someone like Booth is named an "interim" HC for the next season, to give them time to really recruit a big name. Smart and Stevens and the UR coach are immediate candidates that I'd think of, but have all just signed long extensions. Patsos seems like the most likely if they want to move quickly, though Dreisell might be a good link to the past.

I for one will miss Gary. I think of him as a worthy adversary. Sure he has his quirks, but in the final analysis he's held his own against K and Duke pretty much as well any other coach over a long period of time. I also think that he is the best in the ACC for getting the most out of lesser talents, and developing them. I also respect that he refused to play the recruiting games, which probably cost him a few notable recruits -- much to the disdain of many Terp fans who expected Final-Four-quality teams every year after 2002, and "after we built a new state-of-the-art facillity for him in the Comcast Center." I hope they don't, like NCSU fans, come to a belated realization of how good he was some years from now, after experiencing failure in more than one successor. He was a good one.

More linkage:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports

[roywhite]

We'll have to see how things go with Mike Brey being a candidate for the Maryland job.

Mike Brey reportedly a candidate (http://dc.sbnation.com/maryland-terrapins/2011/5/5/2156162/mike-brey-maryland-basketball-gary-williams-retire)

In this article from Washington, DC, they do a quick summary of Brey's background and manage not to mention his time at Duke with Coach K.


Sources insist that Maryland is likely to target Notre Dame's Mike Brey to fill their head coaching vacancy - deep roots in DC area.

Brey has compiled a 238-120 record in 11 years at Notre Dame. He originally graduated from DeMatha in the late 1970s and also spent five years as the head coach at Delaware. The Fighting Irish finished as the second-best team in the hyper-competitive Big East last season, but were bounced by Florida State in the Round of 32 of the NCAA Tournament.

[buddy]

I guess this means I will have to retire my custom made "Sweat, Gary, Sweat" tee shirt. Only worn once a year for the last five years. Now I'll have to find another shirt to wear when we smear the turtle.

[wilko]

I guess this means I will have to retire my custom made "Sweat, Gary, Sweat" tee shirt. Only worn once a year for the last five years. Now I'll have to find another shirt to wear when we smear the turtle.

It can have an honored spot next to the "Lefty" skull-cap..

[loran16]

All good thoughts Jason. I'm in DC and can tell all of our NC-based Dukies that the MD fanbase is, in many ways, much like the NCSU one. IOW, they think their program is a LOT more attractive than it is.

Actually, I disagree on this. NC State was known by the experts to be a meh job. But Maryland:
Both Dave Telep and Evan Daniels noted that its a great job due to its recruiting grounds, and other college bball analysts (Goodman, Wolken, Luke Winn, Staples, etc.) are all saying this is at least a top 20 job, due to the recruiting ground, great facilities, tradition, and being in the ACC.

NC State's recruiting ground was shared with two national powers in the same conference. Maryland's is shared with 1 power in a different conference, and Georgetown is NOT UNC/Duke. Moreover, Maryland's got apparently better facilities, and has won significant games in the lifetimes of current college bball recruits.

Maryland is a very good job. I'm not sure it'll get huge interest due to how late the job opened. But it is NOT NC State.

[Duvall]

Actually, I disagree on this. NC State was known by the experts to be a meh job. But Maryland:
Both Dave Telep and Evan Daniels noted that its a great job due to its recruiting grounds, and other college bball analysts (Goodman, Wolken, Luke Winn, Staples, etc.) are all saying this is at least a top 20 job, due to the recruiting ground, great facilities, tradition, and being in the ACC.

NC State's recruiting ground was shared with two national powers in the same conference. Maryland's is shared with 1 power in a different conference, and Georgetown is NOT UNC/Duke. Moreover, Maryland's got apparently better facilities, and has won significant games in the lifetimes of current college bball recruits.

Maryland is a very good job. I'm not sure it'll get huge interest due to how late the job opened. But it is NOT NC State.

You have to take into account the fact that a fair number of college basketball experts aren't very bright. (I expected better from Winn, though.)

Maryland's tradition, facilities and conference affiliation aren't any better than NC State's, Duke spends much more time in Maryland's "recruiting ground" than it does in NC State's, and 2002 is ancient history to tomorrow's recruits. If there's a major difference between the two jobs, it isn't obvious.

[BD80]

She should. Gary, speaking to his favorite sockpuppet: (http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/terrapins-insider/post/gary-williams-retiring-after-22-seasons-as-maryland-coach/2011/05/05/AFgPuc0F_blog.html)


"... But I think I’d been worn down by the previous 15 years [with Yow]. It grinds on you."



Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.


Happy trails Gary, I'll miss you.

[loran16]

You have to take into account the fact that a fair number of college basketball experts aren't very bright. (I expected better from Winn, though.)

Maryland's tradition, facilities and conference affiliation aren't any better than NC State's, Duke spends much more time in Maryland's "recruiting ground" than it does in NC State's, and 2002 is ancient history to tomorrow's recruits. If there's a major difference between the two jobs, it isn't obvious.

I do take that into account. But I trust Telep and Evan Daniels on recruiting - they've proven to be experts on that.

Duke spends time in Maryland's recruiting ground because Maryland DIDNT. But recruits are generally more favorable toward staying near home, especially if there's a bigtime local school there. That didn't work for NC State. It would work for Maryland.

As to the tradition, there's a major difference there, in that 2002 is NOT ancient history to those recruits, especially as compared to say...the 1980s.

http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/30633/a-recruiting-culture-change-on-tap-for-terps is a nice read on this, among others.

[4decadedukie]

Recognizing the following opinions are bound to be somewhat controversial, I do not respect Williams and I believe -- in the long-term -- his retirement may be good for both the ACC and for intercollegiate hoops. Specifically, it is absolutely clear that Gary was all about -- and probably only about -- winning, not character development, or undergraduate-level academics, or ethics, or leadership by example.

His teams' academic ratings were, at best, very poor; for some years, Maryland had a ZERO percent academic success/graduation rate. That is simply unsatisfactory for any college coach, who doubtless has a principal mission to ensure at least marginal scholastic performance. Further, I read last week that UMd is likely to join a small, shameful group that will forfeit at least one scholarship this year, due to terrible academics; only a few Division I universities attain this dubious NCAA distinction -- it simply is not easy to do so.

Similarly, it is certain that Williams de facto encouraged thuggish, uncivil and sometimes illegal conduct (principally by fans, students, alumni, and boosters -- not players) both at Cole/ComCast and in College Park. The intentional derision of Duke basketball family members, the vulgar chants and ubiquitous "Duck Fuke" shirts, the physical assaults, the post-game rioting, arson and destruction, and so forth were all enabled by Williams. Any sincere request from Gary would have instantaneously stopped these sorts of things; however, he never seriously asked students and boosters to desist, simply because he believed that such hooliganism enhanced the Terps opportunity to win. That this long-term comportment also badly denigrated the university and significantly sullied its broad reputation seems to have been entirely irrelevant to Williams.

In fairness, he was a good coach, but only insofar as getting reasonable on-court performance from his players was concerned. However, that is only one facet of his responsibilities and -- in the long-run -- one of secondary importance.

[UrinalCake]

Selfishly, I'll be looking to see what happens to their incoming recruits. I imagine they'll wait until a replacement is named before making a decision, but it is May, only a few weeks away from summer session. They've got that big German guy who's quite intriguing. Also, didn't they sign a guy in the 2012 class who was previously considering Duke?

[devildeac]

That, along with the "Inspiration" v. "Perspiration" chant, were among my favorites.
"Sure" and "Unsure" was pretty clever, too.

[Reilly]

....
I think they should really look at Jimmy Patsos, who was an assistant at Maryland for 13 years. He is currently at Loyola ... He's in his mid-40s, so he's young enough to perhaps stay in the job for a while. I think he'd be a strong candidate. ...

I don't think they should look at Patsos and I don't think he should be a strong candidate. His sideline demeanor is woeful/comical/buffoonish. Patsos makes Gary Williams look like Brad Stevens. Seriously. I don't think he's that good of a coach, either, and not that good of a face for the program. There have been reports he's tried to mellow/mature, somewhat. He's got long-time service as an assistant at Maryland, but to me that's all he has going for him.

[rogermortimer]

I think GW is a good coach, and while crusty and susceptible to berating his players, he is, in the context of college basketball.

I don't share the negative view of GW. What I do believe is that Maryland is far less of an attractive school in 2011 than people generally believe.

The school itself has no curb appeal. PG County and the surrounding environs are evolving into high crime barrios (far different than when I competed at UMd in the late 70's), and it is not an easy place to recruit from. The fact is that the great players who want to stay local are far more inclined to go to Georgetown - an attractive draw - and the national stars in the area will look at Duke and UNC before Maryland. Yes, it all could change with a great coach, but the school's dismal PG County vibe, with all of its post-Industrial Route 1 charm, is not a draw. It doesn't help that the school sits astride a key post in the nation's illegal drug corridor, either.

This does all make a difference, too. Maryland feels like a commuter school, and the weekends there can be dead. And indeed, many opt to commute home on weekends, even if that means Salisbury or Westminster.

Maryland fans are awful in their behavior. But I don't agree that Gary could have done much. Yow liked the money at all cost, and she wanted the draw that the moronic fans could bring. The Terps attendance this year explained a lot. They are not the basketball fans of Lucas, Elmore, McMillen, et. al...they are in it for the obnoxiousness and the rowdiness, and if their team is just OK, they stay away in droves at a really nice facility - in fact, one of the nicer buildings on campus in a sea of mundane red brick buildings. In other words, they are not a bunch that appreciates good basketball, just the circus that they can surround it with. Oh, the smell of burnt couches in the air.

I could easily be accused of capriciousness when it comes to College Park. But I live in Northern Va, and there are 4/5 Virginia schools with superior to equivalent academics that offer a lot nicer college experience. And they don't compare well to many others in the ACC, from Duke to UNC to Georgia Tech to Wake to Uva to BC and so on. I think it far from the great job to which it is advertised. There was no worse major school program than when Bob Wade ran Maryland. And Len Bias' death made the school a pariah. I don't think GW gets enough credit. I don't see them doing well without him.

[uh_no]

there are 4/5 Virginia schools with superior to equivalent academics

There are probably 4 schools in DURHAM with equivalent academics.....heck NCSSM could give them a run for their money

fear the classroom baby!

[pjhw2021]

This does all make a difference, too. Maryland feels like a commuter school, and the weekends there can be dead. And indeed, many opt to commute home on weekends, even if that means Salisbury or Westminster.



I think your view of College Park on the weekends is a bit outdated. Maryland is often considered a "party school," and has seen increasing enrollment of out of state students who don't and can't go home every weekend. The majority of in-state students venture home once a month, if that. There is certainly a commuter presence, but it is not the majority of the population. I see many of Maryland's team in the College Park bars during the off-season, and it doesn't seem like they (or any other student at the school) thinks the weekends are "dead."

I also disagree with your statement about "boring red buildings," but maybe that's just me: http://www.urhome.umd.edu/marylandimages/image/fs/70.jpg

My point is that you are right in that there are big issues in the area surrounding Maryland (though I would also disagree that that makes recruits shy away), but some of your speculation is not correct.

[magjayran]

I'll just repost my facebook status
Shout out to Gary Williams. My favorite coach in the ACC that wasn't Coach K. In some ways he may have been the best in the conference. He generally avoided the recruits with the most hype and got a helluva lot out of the ones that slipped under the radar. All told, I'll miss him and I'll miss Maryland's relevance too.

[Chitowndevil]

...I do not respect Williams and I believe -- in the long-term -- his retirement may be good for both the ACC ...

While I disagree with most of these opinions, the claim that Gary Williams leaving is good for the ACC strikes me as especially hard to defend. The state of ACC coaching is simply terrible right now. Outside of Mike Kyzyzewski and Roy Williams the coaching resumes get awfully, awfully thin. The comparison to the Big East is particularly glaring, but also the Big Ten. Outside of K and Roy, how many ACC Coaches would you take over any of Thad Matta, Matt Painter, Bo Ryan, Tom Crean, or John Beilein? I guess maybe Leonard Hamilton? I like Tony Bennett a lot but it's hard to argue for him based on results to this point. The SEC loses Bruce Pearl but gains Mike Anderson to go with Calipari (say what you want, the guy can coach) and Billy Donovan. Do you take Leonard Hamilton over Vandy's Kevin Stallings?

I'd have to think about this a bit, but I'm seriously wondering if you could make a reasonable list of the 3rd and 4th best coaches in all of the other major conferences and, except maybe Hamilton, whether I'd take any of the current ACC coaches not named Krzyzewski or Williams over any of the names on that list.

[darjum]

Stunned to wake up this morning and see this news on DBR. Any time you lose a coach as recognizable to G.Williams it's never a good thing for a program or conference. Regardless of off the court issues, on the court when Duke played Maryland you never penciled it in as a definite Duke win with Williams on the other sideline to Coach K.

A question for those in the know around the Carolina area, what was the relationship between Coack K and Williams like?

[loldevilz]

This is an end to an era - an era of resentment and hate. This is naturally a sad day.

Gary was a one of a kind basketball coach. He had talent in finding under the radar kids that blossomed into stars. Although he could have just recruited stars from his home state of Maryland, which is one of the basketball meccas of America.

He loved to sweat during games and cuss at the refs. He especially loved to tell the country that other teams “get all the calls”. He was loyal to his fan base that was one of the worst in the land. He refused to apologized when his fans rioted after games, chanted profane chants at opposing players, or threw objects at player’s moms.

Gary had a competitive streak, which naturally found its greatest outlet in getting into fights with his AD Debbie Yow. He even tried to sabotage her search for a new coach at NC State. It also allowed him to take down the big boys Duke and UNC which he did on a regular basis (at home of course).

He won one national championship during his tenure in 2002. It will luckily not be remembered as the weakest national championship team of all time, due to the recent championship-winning UCONN Husky team that made everyone embarrassed to be a college basketball fan.

Gary Williams, you will be missed

[4decadedukie]

While I disagree with most of these opinions, the claim that Gary Williams leaving is good for the ACC strikes me as especially hard to defend.

How about a coach who believes in the critical and fundamental concept of the student-athlete, who recognizes that for almost all players academic performance will be far more important throughout life's long decades than athleticism, and who does not encourage fan vulgarity, obscenity, assault, arson, intimidation, lawlessness and mayhem?

Your entire post focuses exclusively on wins and losses, on the athletic role of the coach; however, while that is the coach's most visible requirement, it certainly is not his most critical one. Character maturation, leadership by example, encouraging intellectual and professional development, demanding ethical and legal comportment from everyone associated with “his” program (including fans, alumni, students, boosters, etc.), and being a true credit and a stellar representative of the university are -- in aggregate -- MUCH more important.

I have been surprised and somewhat disappointed that so few DBR participants seem to see Williams’ retirement as I do. I therefore ask, would we admire Coach K so greatly and believe that he is one of the seminal individuals in the Duke University’s unprecedented increase in national and global stature during the last three decades (not to mention a key catalyst in securing the mammoth donations that have facilitated so much that enhances Duke), were his non-athletic performance, values and attitudes much like Gary Williams'? No one competes more fiercely than K; however, he does so without resorting to gauche, uncivil and illicit behavior. Further, he demands (and he attains) the highest standards of fan/student/alumni “sixth man” performance -- zealously support our Blue Devils, but do so in ways that reflect distinction, decency, and intellectual cleverness on the University. In addition, he emphasizes academics (especially for his athletes); players graduate (even superstars with unquestioned NBA potential), they attend excellent professional schools, they have stellar careers, they become outstanding citizens and contributors to our society, and they are superior role models. Moreover, K is deeply committed to civic engagement, ranging from leadership of our Olympic Team to the Emily Krzyzewski Center that principally serves Durham’s disadvantages youth. In sum, Williams is a Coach, whereas K is a leader, a teacher, an ethical beacon, and an example for all to emulate.

The University of Maryland, the ACC and intercollegiate basketball would be well served were Gary's replacement a better person, leader and example, as well as a good coach.

[jdj4duke]

Recognizing the following opinions are bound to be somewhat controversial, I do not respect Williams....Specifically, it is absolutely clear that Gary was all about -- and probably only about -- winning, not character development, or undergraduate-level academics, or ethics, or leadership by example.

His teams' academic ratings were, at best, very poor; for some years, Maryland had a ZERO percent academic success/graduation rate.. ...

Similarly, it is certain that Williams de facto encouraged thuggish, uncivil and sometimes illegal conduct (principally by fans, students, alumni, and boosters -- not players) both at Cole/ComCast and in College Park. ...however, he never seriously asked students and boosters to desist, simply because he believed that such hooliganism enhanced the Terps opportunity to win. That this long-term comportment also badly denigrated the university and significantly sullied its broad reputation seems to have been entirely irrelevant to Williams.

In fairness, he was a good coach, but only insofar as getting reasonable on-court performance from his players was concerned. However, that is only one facet of his responsibilities and -- in the long-run -- one of secondary importance.

Ding Ding Ding! We have a winner.

Good coach and fierce competitor? I guess.

Charitable winner? Not much; I always found even his compliments toward defeated opponents perfunctory and obligatory. Even discounting the necessary coach-speak factor, he just never seemed to like or respect anyone.

Gracious loser? Not that I recall; nobody likes to lose, but he just seemed always ready to come unglued and to my mind generally was in the "we didn't lose we beat ourselves" mode.

Influence on the conference and the game atmosphere? I gladly refer to 4decadedukie's comments above which are spot on. He could have done something, really anything, to reign in the nonsense in College Park. The fact that he basically ignored and tacitly approved the cage-fight atmosphere for me pretty much offsets whatever he did on the bench. He stayed way too removed from the unfortunate fray he did much to create.

[CharlestonDevil]

I can appreciate anyone who shows this level of passion and commitment. To me Gary was the epitome of "man I hate your team, but I can't help but respect you".

And just so there is no confusion, no, I will never come close to letting myself feel that way about kerlina. GTHC!

[Chitowndevil]

How about a coach who believes in the critical and fundamental concept of the student-athlete, who recognizes that for almost all players academic performance will be far more important throughout life's long decades than athleticism, and who does not encourage fan vulgarity, obscenity, assault, arson, intimidation, lawlessness and mayhem?





Look, nobody around here approves of the above actions by Maryland fans. I have been very harsh about their fans' behavior in multiple previous posts and I do think it reflects badly on Gary. But holding Gary Williams responsible for all of it is ludicrous. Do we hold pro coaches responsible for fans' behavior? Comcast is not Cameron, populated nearly exclusively by undergrads and older affluent donors. It's a large venue situated in a competitive sports market- a lot of people buying tickets would not tolerate, for example, Gary Williams stopping a game to chastise fans.

And ask Coach K how important support from his athletic department has been to his success at Duke. Gary, at least for 15 years or so, didn't have that. Coach K is able to set the tone with fans and media in large part because his AD has his back. Sure, Gary could make announcements and write letters to Maryland fans. Without strong support from the athletic department and administration, it's so much shouting in the wind.

I'm not holding Gary Williams up as a model of how to run a program. I am saying he is one hell of a good basketball coach. He is among the handful (plus or minus a couple fingers) of most successful coaches ever in arguably the most storied college basketball conference. His teams have always played hard, smart basketball and his departure comes at a terrible time for the conference, when many programs are rebuilding and/or feature untested coaches. Saying his departure is somehow good for the ACC is ridiculous.

[Devil07]

I for one will miss Gary, if for nothing else because I loved the sweat chants. Something tells me so did Dana O'Neil (http://espn.go.com/blog/CollegeBasketballNation/post/_/id/30629/passing-of-the-guard-after-old-school-williams). Check out the intro to her blog post about Gary retiring:

Gary Williams wore his passion on his sleeves.

And under them.

And on his shirt. And on his brow.

Yet while his sweat glands may have been compromised, Williams never was.

And then I love this caption under the picture in the article:
Gary Williams: An impassioned, old-school coach with a sparkling résumé, who had a tendency to sweat a lot.

If that doesn't sum up the man, I don't know what will!

[Slackerb]

Why is this job such a better job than the NC State one? I'm not sure it is.

The proximity to Duke and UNC is overstated...If an elite player is near your school, it doesn't matter whether it's 12 miles away or 275 (as in the case of UMD), you still have to compete with Duke/UNC/Kentucky/etc.

UMD has more recent success, but even that success was short lived and 7-8 years ago. Since then, they haven't accomplished much. NC State has less to show for on the court recently, but has recruited better, and has more overally history.

If there's one school that is measured by how they succeed against Duke/UNC as much as NC State, it's UMD. It's maybe a marginally better job, but it's no huge step up.

I certainly couldn't see someone like Shaka Smart or Sean Miller leave for UMD but not NC State.

[diablesseblu]

Kudos to the posts of 4decadedukie and jdj4duke. Couldn't have said it better.

While I'm happy for MD fans that GW resurrected their program and I acknowledge his coaching abilities, I cannot say I respect him. No coach in any sport should tacitly encourage (or at least not discourage) thuggish behavior on/at his/her home court. It's almost as if GW's message to his team/fans was "we cannot beat you without using this approach".

Have posted before on his behavior towards his team at the Durham Hilton before a game with the Heels. No need to repeat that info. However, since that day, have thought that the MD crowd's behaviors simply mirrored the attitude of their coach....and that he was fine with that.

I actually liked MD when Lefty was there and knew nothing about Gary when he came. With a change in coaches, I hope the Terps can return to being a school other fans are willing to visit. My last trip to College Park was in 1992. I swore I would not return until fan behavior was addressed.

Wonder if the conference is finally planning to address crowd behavior (which they should) and that GW knows, at least in CP, the genie will be tough to get back in the bottle?

[jipops]

Like Gary or not (and I happen to like the guy), this is a big hit to the ACC. The quality of coaching has suffered in the last 10 years with the constant turnover and Gary was one of the main-stays. In my opinion Gary was, at worst, the 2nd best coach in the conference - possibly even the best on-the-floor coach. The way he could put a team together that consisted mostly of players not as highly regarded as those coming in to UNC and Duke was remarkable. Maybe you could knock on Gary for not being the level of recruiter as K and Roy. Or maybe he was already at some type of disadvantage in that area - that is another debate. But when Gary's teams featured a high level of talent, they produced - see 2001 and 2002. And even without it, they still managed to challenge for the lead in the conference. Do you think Gary would have failed to make the tournament with UNC's 2010 roster? I bet not.

He is a far better coach than a lot of the terp fans deserve. But I am certainly going to miss him being around. The is a big, big loss for the conference, and for college ball - just as K has been quoted. I hope he pops up in a coaching gig somewhere soon.

[4decadedukie]

Look, nobody around here approves of the above actions by Maryland fans. I have been very harsh about their fans' behavior in multiple previous posts and I do think it reflects badly on Gary. But holding Gary Williams responsible for all of it is ludicrous. Do we hold pro coaches responsible for fans' behavior? Comcast is not Cameron, populated nearly exclusively by undergrads and older affluent donors. It's a large venue situated in a competitive sports market- a lot of people buying tickets would not tolerate, for example, Gary Williams stopping a game to chastise fans.

And ask Coach K how important support from his athletic department has been to his success at Duke. Gary, at least for 15 years or so, didn't have that. Coach K is able to set the tone with fans and media in large part because his AD has his back. Sure, Gary could make announcements and write letters to Maryland fans. Without strong support from the athletic department and administration, it's so much shouting in the wind.

I'm not holding Gary Williams up as a model of how to run a program. I am saying he is one hell of a good basketball coach. He is among the handful (plus or minus a couple fingers) of most successful coaches ever in arguably the most storied college basketball conference. His teams have always played hard, smart basketball and his departure comes at a terrible time for the conference, when many programs are rebuilding and/or feature untested coaches. Saying his departure is somehow good for the ACC is ridiculous.


I'll tell you exactly what this "great" coach could – and should have – have done. He could have told the media, the students, the Trustees, the state government, the senior administrators, and the alumni/fans/boosters that unless certain things substantially changed – all of which reflected VERY poorly on his alma mater, the University of Maryland, and on his Basketball program – he would take his skills and passion elsewhere. In essence, "shape up, or ship out." Make academics meaningful, reign in thuggishness and hooliganism, demand fan decency, preclude post-game rioting and arson, and so forth . . . and if you do not, find a new Head Coach.

That is precisely what true professionals do when the organization with which they are affiliated fails to meet their overriding ethical, performance, and behavioral standards. Williams did not do so because, as I stated in my first (and second) post to this thread, he was – and is – all about winning, not about the FAR more important responsibilities he has as a coach, a university official, a teacher, and a leader.

Enough specious apologies for this man; his record – pathetic academics combined lawless, déclassé conduct – speaks for itself.

[Jderf]

I'll tell you exactly what this "great" coach could – and should have – have done. He could have told the media, the students, the Trustees, the state government, the senior administrators, and the alumni/fans/boosters that unless certain things substantially changed – all of which reflected VERY poorly on his alma mater, the University of Maryland, and on his Basketball program – he would take his skills and passion elsewhere. In essence, "shape up, or ship out." Make academics meaningful, reign in thuggishness and hooliganism, demand fan decency, preclude post-game rioting and arson, and so forth . . . and if you do not, find a new Head Coach.

That is precisely what true professionals do when the organization with which they are affiliated fails to meet their overriding ethical, performance, and behavioral standards. Williams did not do so because, as I stated in my first (and second) post to this thread, he was – and is – all about winning, not about the FAR more important responsibilities he has as a coach, a university official, a teacher, and a leader.

Enough specious apologies for this man; his record – pathetic academics combined lawless, déclassé conduct – speaks for itself.

Those are some very harsh words. Personally, I have to disagree.

Although I suspect he secretly relished the gritty make-up of both his team and his fanbase, I don't know where Gary Williams stood on the issue of fan behavior or his team's poor academic records. I don't know if he encouraged any of it, or if he simply thought there was nothing he could do about it. But I do know this: there are much greater evils in college basketball.

Yes, Gary could have made a public issue out of the fan behavior. But he didn't. And nor did he have to. Accepting a position as a coach on a basketball team does not entail responsibility for an entire university's undergraduate student conduct.

Gary was never involved in any major scandal and he was never one for breaking the rules. He had a long and steady career as a head coach in the ACC, highlighted by a few stellar successes and a hard-earned national championship. He may not have been a saint, but he was certainly a law-abiding citizen. And to act as though his tenure at Maryland was embodied by some sort of constant ethical failure is, in my opinion, both undeserved and unreasonable.

His departure is a loss for the ACC.

[Spret42]

Yes, Gary could have made a public issue out of the fan behavior. But he didn't. And nor did he have to. Accepting a position as a coach on a basketball team does not entail responsibility for an entire university's undergraduate student conduct.

Gary was never involved in any major scandal and he was never one for breaking the rules. He had a long and steady career as a head coach in the ACC, highlighted by a few stellar successes and a hard-earned national championship. He may not have been a saint, but he was certainly a law-abiding citizen. And to act as though his tenure at Maryland was embodied by some sort of constant ethical failure is, in my opinion, both undeserved and unreasonable.

His departure is a loss for the ACC.

I admire the effort, but around here you are screaming into a hurricane.

[timmy c]

Why is this job such a better job than the NC State one? I'm not sure it is.

The proximity to Duke and UNC is overstated...If an elite player is near your school, it doesn't matter whether it's 12 miles away or 275 (as in the case of UMD), you still have to compete with Duke/UNC/Kentucky/etc.

UMD has more recent success, but even that success was short lived and 7-8 years ago. Since then, they haven't accomplished much. NC State has less to show for on the court recently, but has recruited better, and has more overally history.

If there's one school that is measured by how they succeed against Duke/UNC as much as NC State, it's UMD. It's maybe a marginally better job, but it's no huge step up.

I certainly couldn't see someone like Shaka Smart or Sean Miller leave for UMD but not NC State.

Why is the Maryland job attractive?

It’s Location, Location, Location! The College Park campus is considered local for both Baltimore kids and DC kids. The amount of talent located within a 100 mile radius of the campus is significantly better than anything in NC states recruiting area. Take a look at this list comprised of DC basketball talent (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:Basketball_players_from_Washington,_D.C). If a big name comes in and keeps even a tiny fraction of that talent, look out!

Stating that NC State has a richer history might be a perspective in your area. I was born in Baltimore and my father was an adjunct professor at UMD medical school -Clearly, I am biased. But, people in the DC area consider the tradition of Williams, Lefty, and Bias to be as relevant as NC States college basketball lore.

[Duvall]

Those are some very harsh words. Personally, I have to disagree.

Although I suspect he secretly relished the gritty make-up of both his team and his fanbase, I don't know where Gary Williams stood personally on the issue of fan behavior or his team's poor academic records. I don't know if he encouraged any of it, or if he simply thought there was nothing he could do about it. But I do know this: there are much greater evils in college basketball.

Yes, Gary could have made a public issue out of the fan behavior. But he didn't. And nor did he have to. Accepting a position as a coach on a basketball team does not entail responsibility for an entire university's undergraduate student conduct.

That's a bit much. No one is suggesting that Williams should have been responsible for the conduct of all Maryland undergraduate, only the actions of his basketball fans during his basketball games. And frankly, if Williams had tried to rein in fan conduct and failed, I doubt anyone would have blamed him for that. People are annoyed because he barely tried.

[OldPhiKap]

People are annoyed because he barely tried.

What efforts did he ever put out there to stop it? (Serious question). I think you're being too kind, but if I overlooked something, someone please let me know.

[Matches]

I will miss him, and I think he's one of the greats. Gary was not perfect, for many of the reasons that have been raised in this thread, but he was a heckuva basketball coach. He did as good a job of developing players as any coach in the ACC, including K. (Not saying he's K's equal as a coach overall, just in that one area.)

Gary's bombastic personality was both fun to watch and annoying at times. He is a flawed human being, as we all are, and his flaws were often on display. He managed, though, to resurrect the UMd program from the ashes, build a successful program, and compete regularly with Duke and UNC without cheating and without scandal.

I was as annoyed as anyone with Gary's potshots at Duke in the early 00's. He hasn't done that in quite some time, though, and it appeared that he and K genuinely became friends over the last few years. I think with distance we'll look back at him at the best coach UMd has had.

[smvalkyries]

I do not like or respect much about the University of Maryland at all. As a whole I don't respect UM students, academics, administration or alumni. On the other hand I have always respected the basketball teams Gary Williams put on the court at Maryland every year. His teams were tough, gritty teams worthy of respect and sometimes quite good. As hard as they played rarely if ever did I disrespect the quality of any of the individuals that Gary Williams recruited (other than for their decision to attend Maryland in the first place). In my mind Gary Williams was the best and perhaps only good aspect to the University of Maryland. Today the students, administration and alumni of the University of Maryland, and all related brackish water reptiles are the biggest losers.
Little known fact- most female terrapins outweigh their male counterparts. Did Debbie Yow outweigh Gary Williams?

[mapei]

Not a fan of his kids' academic performance (which I see as related to his recruiting and management of their experience once they got there), and seriously not a fan of his on-court demeanor, which kind of reminds me of those old "angriest dog in the world" cartoons. He also should have spoken out more forcefully against thuggish fan behavior. I'm glad he's gone.

But I agree that he was excellent at getting his team prepared and playing to their max on the court. I do acknowledge that part.

[Jderf]

That's a bit much. No one is suggesting that Williams should have been responsible for the conduct of all Maryland undergraduate, only the actions of his basketball fans during his basketball games. And frankly, if Williams had tried to rein in fan conduct and failed, I doubt anyone would have blamed him for that. People are annoyed because he barely tried.

What efforts did he ever put out there to stop it? (Serious question). I think you're being too kind, but if I overlooked something, someone please let me know.

Well, despite my post above, I actually agree with you that Gary Williams should be on the list of people criticized for not trying to rein in Maryland fans -- even though he's pretty far down on that list.

I was only reacting to people who seemed to parade the fact around, as if it somehow showed that his retirement is good for the ACC (it isn't), or as if it somehow negated the fact that he was a great ACC coach (he was).

[cspan37421]

I'm with 4DD on this one, but let's for the moment set aside what he could have / should have or could not have reasonably done to rein in fan misbehavior.

How about his OWN behavior? Did you notice how he treated his own players and coaches? It's hard for me to imagine a starker contrast with Coach K in management style. Williams was like The Great Santini stalking the sidelines, seething with rage, ready to explode at any moment. And sometimes he did - at his own guys!

Yes, he was a great Xs and Os guy. He showed his guys by example how to play with a chip (the size of an overturned police car) on their shoulder. So that motivated his guys, and he must have taught them the game well, too, because MD was often a tough team to beat - and sometimes they got the better of us, even when we were supposedly the better team.

But he came across as a humorless misanthrope with anger issues, and nothing in all the accolades I've heard for his coaching skill from his FRIENDS today (JF, TK) suggest that part of his description is inaccurate.

[cspan37421]

See:

http://www.stationcaster.com/clicktrack/index.mp3?media=%2Fstations%2Fwtem%2Fmedia%2Fmpeg% 2FThe_Tony_Kornheiser_Show_Hour_1-1304696047.mp3&usecat=580&subscribed=true&title=The+Tony+Kornheiser+Show+Hour+1&ext=.mp3

start at 9:10 with the story of GW 3-putting a par 5 he drove in 2, and what he did to TK when TK said, "It's only a game."

proceed on to story of his asst coaches designated to get "black and blue-d" by GW in-game while getting out his frustrations.

[sagegrouse]

I'm with 4DD on this one, but let's for the moment set aside what he could have / should have or could not have reasonably done to rein in fan misbehavior.

How about his OWN behavior? Did you notice how he treated his own players and coaches? It's hard for me to imagine a starker contrast with Coach K in management style. Williams was like The Great Santini stalking the sidelines, seething with rage, ready to explode at any moment. And sometimes he did - at his own guys!

Yes, he was a great Xs and Os guy. He showed his guys by example how to play with a chip (the size of an overturned police car) on their shoulder. So that motivated his guys, and he must have taught them the game well, too, because MD was often a tough team to beat - and sometimes they got the better of us, even when we were supposedly the better team.

But he came across as a humorless misanthrope with anger issues, and nothing in all the accolades I've heard for his coaching skill from his FRIENDS today (JF, TK) suggest that part of his description is inaccurate.

Critics of Gary on this thread are making some really good points. I just have a different perspective.

In an era when there are few great coaches, GW was and is a great coach. He didn't run a great program because he is not the kind of executive and leader to do so. So there were deficiencies in [ahem] academics, [double ahem] fan behavior, and basic public relations (why feud with a boss?). But he can coach his players. And he proved it by winning at American, Boston College and Ohio State, as well as at Maryland.

I haven't had a problem with Gary's bench behavior once I finally realized that he is not yelling AT the poor guys on the bench. He is yelling about missed plays on the floor, and the bench guys get to hear it first.

And in terms of the spoken word or his public persona -- what you see is what you get. It is Gary just being himself. Not Dino Gaudio, nor Sean Miller, nor a host of others trying to act like Coach K. There are few originals left on the college basketball scene, saying this as one who remembers, Lefty and Cremins and Valvano, and even Old Bones McKinney (who had a seatbelt installed on the bench to avoid getting T'd up any more). And the Gray Fox, Everett Case ("Just bury me next to highway 70, going to play Duke at Duke").

sagegrouse

[bjornolf]

I'll tell you exactly what this "great" coach could – and should have – have done. He could have told the media, the students, the Trustees, the state government, the senior administrators, and the alumni/fans/boosters that unless certain things substantially changed – all of which reflected VERY poorly on his alma mater, the University of Maryland, and on his Basketball program – he would take his skills and passion elsewhere. In essence, "shape up, or ship out." Make academics meaningful, reign in thuggishness and hooliganism, demand fan decency, preclude post-game rioting and arson, and so forth . . . and if you do not, find a new Head Coach.


Yea, he should have taken his talents to South Beach! ;) Afterall, the job was open.

[bjornolf]

The thing that will make me miss him most is that I believe he is the last of the ACC basketball coaches outside of K that was there when I was a student in the early 90s. Kind of the last of the old guard, so to speak. That kind of makes me sad and makes me feel old. Am I missing someone?

[Duvall]

The thing that will make me miss him most is that I believe he is the last of the ACC basketball coaches outside of K that was there when I was a student in the early 90s. Kind of the last of the old guard, so to speak. That kind of makes me sad and makes me feel old. Am I missing someone?

Williams is the last of the ACC coaches that was there in the 90s period. Leonard Hamilton is next, and he arrived at FSU in the fall of 2002.

[Faison1]

I just learned of this news right now....been out of touch for the last 48 hours. (And how nice it was.)

Frankly, I am stunned and sad to hear of Gary's departure. Yes, he had many, many issues, but he always seemd to have the highest respect for Duke and Coach K. Some of his players openly hated Duke, but many more seemed to hold Duke in a positive light.

As a poster mentioned above, he represented an old guard of the ACC that is now down to Coach K, and maybe Roy. So, I'm sad to see it slowly fading away. Let's hope the new guard can carry the torch.....