On Saturday, February 7^th, the College Basketball family lost a great coach, an innovator, and an icon. Dean Smith peacefully passed away Saturday evening in his North Carolina home with his wife and five children by his side.

Dean Smith was more than just a coach. To many players, he was a father figure. To coaches, he was an idol. To many fans he was simply “the best”. Smith is remembered for his 36 year coaching tenure at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill, where he won two National Titles, attended 11 Final Fours, won 13 ACC Championships, and won the National Coach of the Year honors four different times. Smith was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame in 1983 and College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006. But Smith is remembered for more than is accomplishments, Smith is remembered for the way he was able to influence and change the game of basketball and mentor some of the greatest Basketball players to ever play the game.

Smith was able to Coach players in the likes of James Worthy, Michael Jordan, Jerry Stackhouse, Vince Carter, and Antawn Jamison. While Smith managed to win two National Titles with these players, he was also able to build these players physically and mentally. Michael Jordan, arguably the greatest basketball player to this date, claimed he could not have gotten where he did without Coach Smith and “He was more than a coach—He was my mentor, my teacher, my second father.”

Along with mentoring many, he innovated the game of basketball. By introducing many different styles and mannerisms, Smith changed the game forever. Dean Smith introduced the “4-corners” offense, which was new to college basketball and an effective way to waste time. Later, College Basketball instituted a shot clock because of Smiths ability to hold the ball for minutes at a time. Smith also introduced many different mannerisms, including the whole bench standing up when a player is subbed out and having a player who just scored point at the man who passed him the ball.

Dean Smith’s legacy will live on forever. Not just because his name is engraved in the basketball Hall of Fame or the UNC stadium is named after him, but also the way he innovated the game of basketball and mentored many great players, pushing so many to the next level.