Roy Williams surpassed his mentor Dean Smith, by winning his third national title as head coach of the Tar Heels. (Todd Melet)
Roy Williams continues to get his very just due.
For years, Williams was either a vastly overrated coach or underrated coach, depending on the source. His own peers once left him off a list of most respected coaches in the country. His staunch supporters chafed at ol’ Roy not being mentioned in the same breath with Mike Krzyzewski because they thought, frankly, their man was a better coach.
Ironically, the UNC academic scandal dragging on for so many years helped put Williams more in the spotlight. Not because he did anything wrong – he has never been charged with a violation by the NCAA – but more because he succeeded against the odds.
Negative recruiting kept some of the best prospects in the nation from even agreeing to make an official visit. Williams lost two in-state kids to Duke who were always considered a lock for UNC, and his teams had to fight and claw their way into the national rankings and onto the big stage.
Forced to take some three-star and four-star recruits, and coach them up to be excellent college players, Williams has produced two straight Final Four teams and the 2017 national champions, his third NCAA title in 12 years. Those players who stayed three or four years love him and swear by his loyalty to them and his ability as a coach.
This week, Williams found out he will receive the Nell and John Wooden Leadership in Coaching Award, which Roy considers a great honor because he so admired Wooden and his support system from wife Nell. Williams believes he has the same kind of relationship with his wife of 45 years, Wanda.
Wouldn’t you know it, Williams also learned Wednesday that a top 10 recruit he has been chasing for two years committed to Carolina in the freshman class of 2019. Nassir Little, a 6-7 forward from Orlando rated the 10th best player in the country, picked the Tar Heels over several other big-time schools, including Duke. Little said the primary reason for choosing to play for the Tar Heels is Williams and how he treats his players on and off the court.
Kudos to good ol’ Roy Williams, our coach, thankfully.
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2017 National Champions, Art. I know that ‘2016’ was just a typo, but . . . well, we know.
Yep, typo, fixed, thanks!
Art, I believe that’s 2016 runner-up champion and 2017 National Champion.