Basketball On The Internet.

LONG ago I heard this riddle - Q. Who's the only person who can hold Michael Jordan to less than 14 points a game? A. Dean Smith.

It was a reference to the University of North Carolina's great coach Dean Smith and Jordan averaging 13.5ppg in his freshman season.

(MJ still had a pretty solid season, scoring the winning shot in the 1982 NCAA Championship game to beat Georgetown Hoyas - a shot the great man himself said led to his belief in his ability to be the game's greatest player.)

Smith, 83, died on Sunday, Australian time, with an extraordinary record as head coach of the UNC Tar Heels in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

Counting down, here is a quick thumbnail of The Dean's achievements.

50+ players graduating up to the NBA or ABA;
33 straight years in the top-three of the final ACC standings;*
27 consecutive years of 20+ wins;*
27 NCAA tournament appearances;
23 consecutive NCAA tournament appearances;*
20 straight years in the top-two of the final ACC standings;*
17 ACC regular season championships;*
13 ACC tournament champions;*
13 consecutive Sweet 16 appearances;*
11 Final Fours;
9-time ACC coach of the year;
4-time national coach of the year;
2 national championships.
(*The asterisk denotes the stat still is the record.)

“He was more than a coach — he was a mentor, my teacher, my second father," Jordan said.

“Coach was always there for me whenever I needed him and I loved him for it.

“My heart goes out to (Smith’s wife) Linnea and their kids.

“We’ve lost a great man who had an incredible impact on his players his staff and the entire UNC family.”

ESPN college analyst and former Duke star Jay Bilas said Smith was 'the gold standard" in the ACC.

“He was the most respected coach in the game. Yet even though he coached the blood rival of my school, every time I had any interaction with Smith, he was very kind to me and always a gentleman," Bilas said.

"In a game full of characters, Smith was a man of great character.”

Other than the riddle about Jordan, there's also a great quote attributed to Dean Smith which I've also always enjoyed.

Shortly after North Carolina beat Georgetown in that awesome 1982 NCAA Final - Patrick Ewing, Sam Perkins, James Worthy were all also playing - a journo told Smith the Championship validated his career.

Smith dismissed that saying he was no better a coach that morning than he was the day before. His team had just happened to win.

R.I.P. Dean Smith, 1931-2015