After sweating out UNC’s Final Four matchup against Duke from the crowd on Saturday night, Roy Williams will find himself in another difficult situation on Monday. The former Kansas and UNC coach will find himself having to choose between the two programs he spent nearly his entire career with.
However, it sounds like the decision of who to root for has already been made: Williams is backing the Tar Heels.
The retired coach detailed his stance prior to tip-off Monday, explaining that he doesn’t harbor any ill will towards the Jayhawks, who he led from 1988 to 2003. He put it quite plainly: his allegiance to UNC is just “thicker and deeper” than it is with Kansas.
“It’s an unusual game for me,” Williams told Scott Gleeson of USA TODAY Sports on Sunday night. “They’re the first two schools I check on. I always root for Kansas to win if it’s not against North Carolina. I don’t know how to even feel. I’ve decided I’m not rooting for Kansas to play poorly or bad or to lose. I just want North Carolina to play great, and I feel like that’s pretty reasonable.
“I look at this Kansas team and I really enjoy them. I have love for the program. But with North Carolina, my (allegiance) is quite thicker and deeper because it’s a school where I went, where I was an assistant there and it’s where my family all went. So it’s an easy decision on that front but having ties to both does lead to some (inner) conflict.
Williams retired following the 2020–21 season as a three-time champion with the Tar Heels and one of the most successful coaches to ever come through college basketball. However, he hasn’t exactly given up the stress of watching the ACC program play, as he’s been on hand for numerous UNC games this year, including those during the NCAA tournament.
Williams acknowledges that sitting in the stands had been even harder for him than being on the sidelines this season. That being said, he’s thrilled to see his successor, Hubert Davis, continue on his the Tar Heels’ legacy of competing for national championships.
“I do really miss the coaching part,” Williams said, per Gleeson. “I miss the locker room, building a team, getting kids to sacrifice. All of it. It was in my life for 48 years. I miss it! It’s a lot harder sitting in the damn stands. I’m a doggone train wreck.
“The long-term goal for me, though, was: How can I make this team the best I possibly can. To me, I made the decision to step down for the right reasons. It was really important to me that they make Hubert the guy. I do feel a little ownership because I coached some of the kids, but it’s his team and been so satisfying to see him lead. I’ve never known anyone who’s loved North Carolina’s basketball program more than Roy Williams. The guy in charge (Davis) now is next. He’s made Roy Williams proud.”
