North Carolina coach Bill Guthridge announces his retirement Friday.(AP)

"I will not discuss publicly what schools I've contacted," Baddour said. Any speculation is "very unfair to this process and to those institutions and their programs."

On Thursday night, Williams talked with Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick, who said he emphasized "how strongly the university, the community, the people in the state of Kansas and all of our alumni and fans feel about him continuing as the Jayhawk coach forever."

Williams said an announcement clarifying his situation will come "on or before July 7," the day before he goes on the road recruiting."

The 62-year-old Guthridge said he lacked the energy for a fourth season and began considering retirement last month when he returned from a European vacation.

"I thought I could get my batteries recharged, and it came time for a decision to be made. I think it is time to turn it over to someone else," Guthridge said at a news conference with Smith and Baddour by his side.

Guthridge wouldn't elaborate after saying he hoped the next coach would have "Carolina connections."

Former Tar Heel and Detroit Piston Eric Montross attended the news conference and said, "My gut is it will be someone in the Carolina family."

Smith wrote in his memoir, "A Coach's Life," that before he retired in 1997, he told recruits: "If I'm not coaching, I am confident that your coach will be either Bill Guthridge, Eddie Fogler, Roy Williams, Larry Brown, George Karl or Phil Ford, not necessarily in that order. It has to be one of those."

Smith said he and Guthridge would have a role in choosing the next head coach.

Guthridge laughed and joked several times during his press conference. The emotion of telling his players goodbye came the night before.

"He'd kinda get a couple of words out and then get choked up," said assistant coach Pat Sullivan, a former player from 1990-95.

Guthridge then handed each player a statement about his retirement because, "I couldn't read it."

"I was shocked," said Jason Capel, a returning junior forward/guard. "It was very tough hearing it, and now it's finalized. It makes it harder."

Guthridge spent 30 seasons as an assistant to Smith, the winningest coach in college basketball history, and took the Tar Heels to the Final Four in two of his three seasons as head coach.

"What a marvelous run of three years," Smith said. "I don't think it will ever be duplicated."

Guthridge said a few weeks ago he planned to stay another five or six years despite intense criticism from fans and alumni after the team's worst regular-season record (18-13) in decades. During the season, the Tar Heels fell from the Top 25 for the first time in a decade. But North Carolina rebounded in the NCAA tournament, earning a berth in the Final Four.

Last season marked the 14th time Guthridge participated in the Final Four. He competed in one as a player at Kansas State in 1958 and was an assistant coach at 11.

Guthridge coached UNC to the Final Four in his first season before losing to Utah. He set NCAA records for most wins by a first-year head coach with 34, and for wins in his first two years with 58. In his second year, UNC lost to Weber State in the first round of the NCAA tournament.

Heading into what would have been the fourth year of a five-year contract, Guthridge compiled an 80-28 record, but had not received an extension.