College Basketball: Don’t be angry at Roy

Published 12:00 am Wednesday, April 9, 2008

By Caulton Tudor
Raleigh News & Observer
While Roy Williams deserves some criticism for what happened at the Final Four in San Antonio, North Carolina basketball fans are way off base in ripping his show of support for Kansas on Monday night.
The sight of Williams wearing a Jayhawks sticker on his shirt sent lots of Tar Heels fans into howling disapproval.
But at the risk of getting some of those fans even madder at me than they were for Sunday’s column, which questioned the team’s performance in UNC’s 84-66 semifinal loss to the Jayhawks, I think Williams is taking an undue public flogging about the logo.
Saturday’s game was over and long gone by the time the coach got to the Alamodome to root for his former school in the title game. Here’s hoping that performance against Kansas wasn’t forgotten รณ either by Williams, his current players or those who will play for him in the future at Carolina. Saturday should long serve as a stinging reminder of what can happen when there’s a shortage of intensity and focus in big-game situations.
That said, Williams certainly meant no disrespect for Carolina by displaying the sticker. The guy simply was wearing his emotions on his shirt. That’s who he is. It’s the way he lives. Williams isn’t kidding when he frequently describes himself as being “as corny as all get-out.”
A part of his heart will always be rooted in those Kansas wheat fields. He spent 15 years coaching KU teams and probably would still be there had it not been for Carolina’s calling through the voice of Dean Smith.
Williams’ loyalty and devotion to Carolina should never be a subject of debate.
Those fans on his case today should think back to the past two College World Series baseball tournaments, any number of football games (during losing seasons for the most part) and the wide range of campus activities in which he routinely participates. He doesn’t merely deposit his big paycheck and show up at the gym six or seven months per year.
It may be easy to forget now, but when Williams took over in 2003-04, Carolina basketball was in a bad way. There was plenty of talent, but the link to past greatness had been broken. Player morale was low, Duke was only two years removed from its third national championship run and Wake Forest was coming off a 25-6 season.
There was no compelling reason to think UNC couldn’t work its way back up, but Williams gambled in a fairly big way when he left the security of a Kansas program that he basically had on autopilot. Had he failed or even needed four or five seasons to get the Tar Heels back into national contention, a Final Four appearance might still be a distant goal for the program.
Carolina fans need to remember all of those facts. Some of the logo uproar no doubt is little more than a case of misplaced frustration, which is understandable.
It was a bewitching, bewildering weekend for Carolina fans that expected to contend for the title only to find their team down by almost 30 points before halftime. Now, those fans have to wait nervously for Tyler Hansbrough, Ty Lawson and Wayne Ellington to make decisions about their playing futures.
There’s an unusual combination of anxiety and disappointment afoot among the Carolina faithful these days. And that mix was ripe for a flash point, and the Jayhawks logo set it off.
Carolina fans are just as fortunate to have Williams in control of their basketball program today as they were a week ago. He didn’t do a good job on Saturday, but that doesn’t change the fact that he’s still one of the best coaches in the sport.