A Basketball Mind in Tune With the Social Fabric

Sports of The Times

By WILLIAM C. RHODEN

For the longest time, the only thing I knew about Dean Smith was his dreaded four corners offense, the system he popularized as the men’s basketball coach at North Carolina.

Invariably, whichever college team I was rooting for would be on the chasing end of that offense, and my team would inevitably fall behind as the Tar Heels’ slick guards made opposing players look ridiculous with their drives to the basket and backdoor cuts.

Yes, he was a great basketball coach. Just look at the numbers — 879 victories, two national championships — or the great players he cultivated, including Michael Jordan, perhaps the greatest of them all.

But Smith was more than any sum, and that is why he will be missed so dearly.

Email: wcr@nytimes.com

A version of this article appears in print on February 9, 2015, on page D1 of the New York edition with the headline: A Basketball Mind in Tune With the Social Fabric. Order Reprints| Today’s Paper|Subscribe

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