Dean Smith, center, is flanked by current North Carolina coach Roy Williams and Michael Jordan/Photo by Associated Press

When legendary North Carolina basketball coach Dean Smith died Saturday, he was remembered throughout the country by those who knew him and by those who played for him. Clippers coach Doc Rivers was one of many who said that Smith was much more than one of the greatest college basketball coaches in history.

“It’s a sad day,” Rivers said Sunday after his team was beaten 131-108 at Oklahoma City. “Obviously, we lost a giant. The thing I liked the most about Dean – we always talk about his coaching because we know he was a great coach – but I just thought he was a great leader of people. He would lead his teammates or all the guys that he coached. You have to be around those guys to understand that. But you really get the impact that he had on them.”

Smith, who was three weeks shy of his 84th birthday, was head coach of the Tar Heels from 1961-97. He had 879 victories, fourth-best among Division I men’s coaches.