In 1977, UNC was the favorite in the national championship game vs. Marquette. Dean Smith was fresh off of the 1976 Olympics and a gold medal.
On the other bench was Al McGuire, a guy who ran on naked emotion. Unlike Smith he wasn’t particularly organized and often seemed impulsive.
It was true to an extent, but McGuire was a fascinating figure. He was a coach but had the soul of a poet. And he expressed himself like no one else in the game. He spoke with flamboyance, a poet with a touch of PT Barnum.