A source close to the basketball program, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Thursday that Guthridge recently decided he did not have the energy to continue coaching the Tar Heels.

The school has called an on-campus news conference for 1:30 p.m. today.

Guthridge, 62, said just a few weeks ago that he planned to stay on another five or six years.

An assistant to Dean Smith for 30 seasons, Guthridge replaced his former boss, the winningest coach in college basketball history, when he retired in 1997 after 36 years as coach of the Tar Heels.

“I’m still planning on going five or six more years, as long as I enjoy it and think I’m doing a good job and keeping the program where it belongs,” Guthridge said in a recent interview.

Heading into what would have been the fourth year of a five-year contract, he had compiled an 80-28 record, averaging more than 26 wins a season, but had not received a contract extension.

The easy-going Guthridge often worked without a contract during his years as an assistant to Smith.

A search for Guthridge’s replacement will begin immediately, the source said.

Some fans criticized Guthridge last season when the Tar Heels went through a four-game losing streak in January and entered the postseason with 13 losses. The inconsistent season came on the heels of a first-round NCAA tournament loss in 1999.

North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour has refused to comment directly on Guthridge’s contract, saying the school’s board of trustees discourages him from talking publicly about such personnel issues.

Baddour has said he’s proud of the job Guthridge has done following Smith, which he admits was not an easy task.

Most of the team that lost 71-59 to Florida in the Final Four will return next season.

The biggest loss will be point guard Ed Cota, but he will be replaced by either highly regarded recruit Adam Boone or Ronald Curry, the Tar Heels’ starting quarterback who is recovering from an Achilles’ tendon injury.

Seven-footer Brendan Haywood will be back in the middle and Joseph Forte, one of the most impressive freshmen in school history, will be back as the shooting guard.

Among the newcomers will be top 1999 recruit Jason Parker, who is expected to be academically eligible, and 7-6 Neil Fingleton, a native of England who played his high school basketball in Worcester, Mass.

North Carolina’s lengthy coaching tree will come into play as a successor is chosen. Kansas’ Roy Williams and South Carolina’s Eddie Fogler, both longtime assistants to Smith, will be mentioned as will former Tar Heel Matt Doherty, who had success in his first year as a head coach at Notre Dame. Current NBA head coaches George Karl at Milwaukee and Larry Brown at Philadelphia are both former Tar Heels who have remained close with the program.

Kansas athletic director Bob Frederick said he talked to Williams on Thursday night after hearing about Guthridge’s decision.

Frederick said that, as in the past, he will continue to emphasize to Williams “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.”