The madness all started with Frankie

Bobby Cremins, fresh from his 500th victory, goes for No. 501 tonight at "The House John Kresse Built" — Cremins' pet name for Carolina First Arena — against a UNC Wilmington team from the town Michael Jordan made famous.

Seems like sweet coincidence that Cremins, Kresse and MJ all have ties to Frankie McGuire, who died at age 57 Sunday night in Columbia. But the College of Charleston's current head coach, the Cougars' legendary former head coach and the star of "Space Jam" are just three of thousands of basketball lives significantly influenced by Frank McGuire's beloved son, who was jolly and loyal and intensely interested in friends and sports.

No, make that millions of lives.

You included.

Follow the bouncing ball.

McGuire was the head coach at St. John's where he guided his alma mater to the 1952 national championship game, but doctors told the coach a warmer climate would benefit Frankie, a cheerful mentally handicapped little boy.

So McGuire moved to North Carolina, a solid football state, and took up residence in Chapel Hill. McGuire knew the hospitals at North Carolina and Duke were two of the best for his son.

By 1957, McGuire had assembled a bunch of talented New Yorkers and the Tar Heels reached the 1957 NCAA championship game. They won a triple-overtime thriller against Wilt Chamberlain and Kansas and changed Tar Heel culture.

McGuire left North Carolina to become Chamberlain's favorite NBA head coach. While playing for McGuire's Philadelphia Warriors, The Big Dipper one enchanted 1962 evening in Hershey, Pa., enjoyed his famed 100-point game.

McGuire left the Tar Heels in the trusty hands of an assistant coach he hired from Air Force, a very young Dean Smith.

Longing for a return to the college game and more warm weather for Frankie, McGuire took over at South Carolina, another football school.

'We loved him'

It's still hard to believe. The Gamecocks were ranked No. 1 in The Associated Press poll going into the 1969-70 season. John Roche made the cover of Sports Illustrated. South Carolina won the 1971 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament, and it was bittersweet because the Gamecocks should have won the year before but lost the title game to N.C. State in double-overtime.

Meanwhile, Smith was building a dynasty at North Carolina.

Growing up in Wilmington, Jordan was smitten.

Frankie McGuire would have his stomach removed.

He kept smiling.

Please. This is not idly patronizing a man who plowed through daily agony. His spirit deeply influenced McGuire, who passed the fire on to his players, who took it with them.

Everyone who knew Frankie believes that.

"When I played for Coach McGuire, Frankie was there every practice," Cremins said Thursday. "He knew all of us. We knew him. Coach McGuire had a lot of tragedy in his life, but he loved that kid. And we loved him, too."

Cremins is among so many of McGuire's former South Carolina players who went on to great careers as players and coaches, in business and families. The group includes Donnie Walsh, Alex English, Mike Dunleavy, Brian Winters, Tom Owens, Ed Lynch, George Felton and Corky Carnevale.

"My father created more gentlemen than anyone I know," said Carol Ann Morgan, Frank McGuire's daughter and Frankie's favorite visitor. "He built their loyalty and taught them to look out for the underdog."

Winthrop, too

North Carolina basketball wasn't much pre-Frankie McGuire. Before the kid settled into Chapel Hill, the Tar Heels lost 15 straight times to an N.C. State powerhouse assembled by Everett Case.

Eventually, however, the North Carolina line directly through McGuire or indirectly through Dean Smith would include Larry Brown, Doug Moe, Billy Cunningham, Roy Williams and Eddie Fogler, and that's just the prominent coaches.

At St. John's, Lou Carnesecca played baseball for McGuire (in the College World Series, no less) and as St. John's head coach went on to hire former walk-on guard John Kresse as an assistant.

Somehow, Kresse took the College of Charleston from NAIA status to four NCAA Tournament appearances. Gregg Marshall, one of his former Cougars assistant coaches, built Winthrop into a Big Dance regular before bolting for Wichita State.

A memorial service for Frankie McGuire is planned for after the basketball season, Cremins said. Somehow you get the feeling Frankie would approve, not wanting to interrupt the madness he helped create.

Reach Gene Sapakoff at gsapakoff@postandcourier.com or 937-5593.