His Most Lasting Invention

Dean Smith (February 28, 1931 – February 7, 2015) is well known for his 36-year coach tenure at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.  He has been called “a coaching legend” and was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.  Smith coached from 1961 to 1997 and retired with 879 victories, which was the NCAA Division I men's basketball record at that time.  During his tenure as head coach, North Carolina won two national championships and appeared in 11 Final Fours.

Some more of Smith’s storied accomplishments include:

• 77.6% winning percentage, which puts him 9th on highest winning percentage.
• Most Division I 20-win seasons, with 27 consecutive 20-win seasons from 1970–1997 and 30 20-win seasons total.
• 35 consecutive seasons with a 50% or better record.
• 13 ACC tournament titles
• 27 NCAA tournament appearances, including 23 consecutive.
• His players were often successful in the National Basketball Association including Michael Jordan, Larry Brown, James Worthy, Sam Perkins, and many others.
• Smith was one of only four coaches to have coached teams to an Olympic gold medal, an NIT championship and an NCAA championship.

On March 5, 2014, ESPN.com carried an article about Coach Dean Smith by Tommy Tomlinson entitled, “Precious Memories.”  The article included these words:

“For 36 years as the Tar Heels' head coach, Dean Smith built a family.  He created a shared identity for the legions of UNC fans who still buy the tickets and wear the T-shirts and paint their dens Carolina blue.  His teams won 20 or more games for 27 years in a row.  But more than that, they won with a selfless style.  Dean's most lasting invention was his simplest: When you make a basket, you point to the player who threw the pass.  He taught his team, and those who watched, that everyone is connected.”

“The most lasting invention” of this “coaching legend” who coached some of the best players the sport has ever known was to give credit where credit is due.

On Judgment Day... if we hear the words, 'Well done, good and faithful servant; you were faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things. Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matthew 25:21), we need to “point” to the One who has made it possible for us to be victorious.  That One is Jesus -- Who died on the cross for our sins so that we might have the forgiveness of our sins and receive the gift of eternal life (John 3:16; Ephesians 1:7).  Without Jesus, we would be lost; without Him we could never enter heaven.

In order to share in HIS victory... we must place our faith and trust in Him (Acts 16:30-31), turn from our sins in repentance (Acts 17:30-31), confess Jesus before men (Romans 10:9-10), and be baptized (immersed) into Christ for the forgiveness of sins (Acts 2:38).  Then, we must follow Him – the “captain” of our salvation – through Whom and through Him only, can we be brought into glory (Hebrews 2:10).

Won’t YOU recognize the real Source of victory and submit your life to Him today?