Duke fans didn’t much enjoy his time in Chapel Hill, but there’s no question that Dean Smith was a remarkable coach. His teams regularly made remarkable comebacks and they were nearly always ready to play at a very high level.
And just as importantly, he created a family atmosphere that all of his players clearly valued. At one point, one of his guys had an issue (we don’t remember who) and was ashamed and Smith told him that that was exactly when he needed to feel he could come to him.
It was hard to appreciate those things while he was coaching; it’s impossible not to appreciate them years later.