Joe Wolf, a former North Carolina captain for Dean Smith who went on to play for seven teams in an 11-year NBA career before becoming a coach, died unexpectedly Thursday, the Milwaukee Bucks announced.Wolf, an assistant coach for the Wisconsin Herd — the Bucks’ G League affiliate — was 59.“Throughout his life, Joe touched many lives and was a highly respected, adored and dedicated coach and player across the NBA,” the Bucks said in a release announcing Wolf’s death. “His well-regarded talent was instrumental for the Bucks and Herd over eight years with the organization, including as a player and coach.”Wolf was a high school All-American in 1983 before joining the Tar Heels to play alongside the likes of Michael Jordan and Sam Perkins. Wolf was a co-captain for the Tar Heels as a senior in 1986-87, sharing that role with Kenny Smith.North Carolina went 115-22 in Wolf’s four seasons, making the Sweet 16 twice and the Elite Eight twice in that span. Wolf — a 6-foot-11 center and forward — quickly moved into coaching once his NBA career was done, using skills he said Smith began instilling in him from the start of his college experience.“I like to think I started getting trained the minute I stepped on campus,” Wolf told the Greensboro (N.C.) News and Record in 2018. “Coach Smith was all about building the proper habits. That benefits me today.” …
