Coach Smith has his good and bad days

Dean Smith

I’ve been trying to write this post for a while now, and everytime I do so a mixture of emotions comes over me that just makes me stop. In the end I know I do not want to write it because this subject hurts for two reasons. A couple of days ago I read the article on FayObserver where it talks about how Dean Smith has “his good days and his bad”. The good ones give us the man we became accustomed to seeing coaching or at some of the events after he was done with that, the bad ones give us someone who does not remember people that he has known for years (if not decades). Having a father that is reaching 85, who was the rock of the family as I grew up and now is a shadow of himself, this story about Dean Smith does not just hurt because of what is happening to the legendary coach, but it also hurts because of what is happening to my hero, my dad. And that is why it took me so long to write about this, because it truly hurts on both sides.

The great news when it comes to the ex coach for the Tar Heels is that he has a huge support group around him. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for my dad, as I live an ocean away from him (and my mom) and the family on that side of the “pond” is also far away. All of that makes it even harder to think about it as all of this weighs on me and my family. When it comes to how I feel about these two men the second part of this comment by a great Heel, Eric Montross, basically says it for me:

“As you get older, I think you become more in touch with thanking people and more in touch with letting people know that you know how much they impacted you,” Montross said. “I think that played in to making it all the more memorable for folks. The great thing about memories is that they can live on like present day. And I think that’s a lot for us to hang on to.”

I will always hang on to what Dean Smith did not just for UNC, but for basketball, for things outside of sports, and other things. I will also hang on to all that I can for what my father did for me, for my family, for anyone he could. Without a doubt these two men are totally different, but for me, who has been blessed to know both of them, I can say they both have been a part of my life, each in their own way, each in their own capacity, with of course one being a lot more than the other. When they do pass (as late as possible for both of course) they will leave a void in me that will never be filled.

I know this is a short post, probably not giving enough merit to the man who built what we love and cherish, but you have to believe me when I say (or type) this is the hardest time I have had writing a post. Not because I do not know what to say, but because of how much it hurts. It’s a stereo of hurt, hurting twice as much and hurting deep inside. As a friend of mine once said “death closes things, watching people die keeps the wound wide open”. That article is just a reminder of all of this!

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