Roy Williams has cut down the nets as both a Jayhawk and a Tar Heel over the course of his 33-year coaching career, so Monday night is going to be a tough one.
This year’s national championship pits two of Williams’ greatest basketball loves against each other; North Carolina and the University of Kansas. Speaking to the Kansas City Star, Roy Williams opened up about his feelings going into the game.
Monday’s national title game between UNC and Kansas is being dubbed the “Roy Williams Bowl” https://t.co/UirhQAjheC
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 3, 2022
“There is only one negative for me — that is my two favorite teams are playing each other,” Williams said. “That’s hard. But it is easy for me to say it this way: I am not pulling for Kansas to lose. I am just pulling for North Carolina to play great. I never pull for Kansas to lose. That will never happen, but at the end of the game, somebody has to lose. It can’t change. That’s the truth.”
While Williams shared his love for his days in Lawrence, Kansas, he admitted that his ties to North Carolina are a bit closer to home at this point.
“I love the way I was treated [at Kansas],” Williams continued. “I loved everything about it … Kansas is dear to my heart and always will be a place I love, but these are the guys I coached, where I went to school, where [my wife] Wanda went to school and kids went to school.”
Roy Williams did not have a farewell tour, but his imprints are ALL OVER tonight’s national title game.
The two men who succeeded him at his two head coaching jobs — Bill Self and Hubert Davis — square off head-to-head tonight.
America!
— Jon Rothstein (@JonRothstein) April 4, 2022
Roy Williams stepped away from coaching last year after 18 seasons on UNC’s sideline. Over that span in Chapel Hill, the 71-year-old retiree led the program to 16 NCAA Tournament appearances and three national titles.
After that 18-year drive, Williams handed the keys over to his longtime assistant, Hubert Davis, who quickly brought the Heels back to the Final Four as an eight-seed.
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