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When we looked up information for Bucky Waters before writing the article about his successful surgery, we saw a great trivia question: only six former ACC players have become ACC coaches. And if you can’t trust Wikipedia, who can you trust?
So....is that right? And who are they?
Well Bucky for one: he went to NC State. Vic Bubas for another: he also went to NC State.
Jeff Capel obviously went to Duke and is now the head man at Pitt and Bobby Cremins was at South Carolina before the Gamecocks miscalculated and ended up wandering in the desert before landing in the SEC.
So those are pretty easy.
But who are the other two?
One who would be easy to get wrong: Roy Williams. He played on the freshman team at UNC but we’re not sure that counts. And Jim Boeheim doesn’t count: he didn't play in the ACC.
Back to NC State: Les Robinson and Sidney Lowe.
So Everett Case accounts for three former ACC coaches — Bubas, Waters and Robinson - and Lowe gives State four.
So that gives us...
- Vic Bubas
- Bucky Waters
- Bobby Cremins
- Les Robinson
- Sidney Lowe
- Jeff Capel
Well, someone needs to straighten Wikipedia out because we count a minimum of eight.
Gary Williams went to Maryland in the ‘60s and took over the job in the late ‘80s while Jeff Jones succeeded Terry Holland at Virginia after being point guard for the Cavaliers during the Ralph Sampson era.
Anyone else? Oh wait - Lefty Driesell.
The Lefthander went to Duke and was a legend at Maryland.
Oops! Bones McKinney, who played at both NC State and UNC and coached Wake Forest in the ‘60s.
Hold the presses! Matt Doherty. Yes, people would rather forget it but he did coach UNC.
Like Jim Boeheim, Murray Greason doesn’t quite qualify: he played for Wake Forest before coaching the Deacs at the dawn of the ACC.
So by our revised count, and we think this is pretty close if not entirely right, Wikipedia is pretty far off:
- Vic Bubas
- Bucky Waters
- Lefty Driesell
- Bobby Cremins
- Jeff Jones
- Les Robinson
- Gary Williams
- Sidney Lowe
- Matt Doherty
- Jeff Capel
Here’s a tougher trivia question: how many former ACC assistants became ACC head coaches?
You can start with Bubas...Waters...Capel..Jones...Dino Gaudio...Chris Mack...Bill Guthridge...Neil McGeachy...and we forgot Mike Brey.
Or here’s another, more exclusive list: former ACC assistants who are in the Hall of Fame. Try Roy Williams, Chuck Daly, Hubie Brown, Vic Bubas, Dean Smith and Red Auerbach.