The image is still fresh. John Kuester stood courtside at Greensboro Coliseum, wearing a wide grin and a basketball net draped around his neck in the spoils of victory, following Carolina’s 75-69 win over Virginia in the 1977 Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship game.

Kuester was presented the Everett Case Award as the most valuable player of the 24th annual ACC tourney after scoring 14 points in the title contest and 13 in the Tar Heels’ semifinal win over N.C. State.

But it wasn’t the senior guard’s point total that earned him the Case Award. It was the way he responded to an emergency situation. All-America point guard Phil Ford fouled out with almost six minutes left in the championship game and UNC trailing, leaving Kuester to direct Carolina’s comeback and its famed four-corners offense down the stretch.

And he ran it to perfection, melting time off the clock after the Heels grabbed the lead and Kuester sank all six of his free throws.

Kuester continued his excellence in the Eastern Regional at College Park, Md., getting 14 points and seven assists as Carolina rallied from 14 down in the second half to nip Notre Dame, 79-77, on St. Patrick’s Day in the semifinals.

He then pretty much duplicated his ACC title game performance, filling in for Ford as the Tar Heels’ leader as they beat Kentucky, 79-72, to advance to the Final Four. With Ford playing just 15 minutes and scoring only two points because of a hyper-extended elbow, Kuester had 19 points and five assists. Again he directed four corners as UNC spread the floor the last 15 minutes after building a big lead in the first half. Kuester made 13 of 14 free throws.

Now an assistant coach on Larry Brown’s Philadelphia 76ers’ staff, Kuester laughed at suggestions that he was the hero of Carolina’s improbable drive to the ’77 NCAA championship game.

"So many guys came up big when we needed it," he said, recalling injuries to Tommy LaGarde and Walter Davis in addition to Ford. "That’s the way it was with that Carolina team and, really, many Carolina teams. We succeeded because we didn’t depend on just one player. We had a lot of great players, including the ones on the bench who didn’t play a whole lot, but who contributed when they got in there.

"It’s funny that, in the game we were supposed to win (in the NCAAs), we didn’t." Kuester was referring to UNC being favored over Marquette in the national championship contest after pulling off a string of what were considered upsets because of all the injuries.

Kuester personified the kind of player that represented what Dean Smith basketball was all about at the University of North Carolina. A fine shooter, he looked for Ford, Davis and Mike O’Koren instead of his own shot. He played tough defense, took charges and nailed clutch jumpers and free throws.

Although he jokingly calls himself the answer to a trivia question, Kuester was a key part in the Tar Heel machine that rolled to 98 wins during his four years (1974-77) on the team.

"Who was the ‘other guy’ with those four great Carolina players?" he said, asking his own trivia question. The quartet that joined Kuester in the starting lineup his last two seasons included Ford, Davis, LaGarde and O’Koren (Mitch Kupchak in 1976). But it was Kuester who did all the little things that were such big things during the Heels’ unbelievable run in the Smith Era.

"I just wanted to win," Kuester said. "I don’t remember any particular games that I had. I remember a lot of special wins we had as a team. That’s the way we all thought, always about the team. I tried to hustle and play hard. That’s the way I always played."

He played well enough at Richmond (Va.) Benedictine School to attract a number of college coaches. Duke, N.C. State, Virginia and Maryland were among the schools to offer scholarships, but the decision was an easy one for Kuester.

"There was only one school for me," he said. "Carolina. I knew I was going there. Once I met Coach Smith, that was it. I had one of the best high school coaches in Warren Rutledge, who taught the little things. Coach Smith was the same way, and he cared about his players as people."

Kuester averaged 9.7 points and four assists as a senior, hitting 51.7 percent of his shots from the floor and 81.6 percent of his free throws as the Tar Heels finished 28-5. He was voted the team’s best defensive player his last two years.

"My four years at Carolina, we were like a family," he said. "We had such great teammates. You go around the league (NBA), and there is so much respect for Carolina players. Nobody says anything bad about Coach Smith or the program."

Kuester was taken in the third round of the 1977 NBA draft by Kansas City and played one season with the Kings and one each with Denver and Indiana. He began his coaching career as a volunteer assistant at Richmond, then was an assistant at Boston University. In 1983, he became the youngest Division I head coach when he took over at BU. Two years later, he started a five-year tenure as the George Washington University head coach. He was an assistant with the Boston Celtics seven years and is now in his sixth season with the 76ers.

"I have really enjoyed it," Kuester said. "I’m really with a college coach in Larry Brown. He’s a tremendous teacher and one of the best. We’re talking about a Hall of Famer. He’s similar to Dean Smith. Both love the game, love teaching the game and love Carolina with a passion.

"Coach Brown loves Coach Smith and talks with him all the time. He lets me listen in, and I really enjoy those conversations. There is so much to learn from those two men.

"It’s great working with Coach Brown because he emphasizes everybody being involved with all phases of the team. He’s in charge, but he wants input from the assistants. He wants us to be a part of things.

"What he has done, I think, is whet my appetite to be a head coach again," Kuester said. "I would like to be a head coach in the NBA, but timing is everything. Right now, I’m enjoying what I’m doing."

John and his wife, Tricia, have been married 25 years after meeting at UNC. They have two children. John III is 15. Katie is 12.

"I got everything at Carolina," Kuester said. "I got a free education, I was associated with a great basketball program and the greatest coach, I met my wife, and we have two wonderful children.

"My best moment playing for Carolina was all of the moments with my teammates. There were so many guys with great character."