It’s become commonplace among Tar Heel basketball fans over the past four years to ask themselves a similar question before each game.
Are we getting “Good Brice” or “Bad Brice?”
Perhaps nobody has asked that about senior forward Brice Johnson more than his head coach, Roy Williams—creating a fascinating relationship between them.
Thrust into the conversation recently as one of the nation’s best players thanks to his 39-point, 23-rebound game against Florida State last week, Johnson has shown steady improvement all season long and is the main reason this year’s Tar Heels have made the leap to NCAA title contenders.
Brice Johnson’s recent hot streak has the nation taking notice. (Todd Melet)
Despite the growth in his game, Williams knows there is still plenty of potential out there—so he treats Johnson as tough as he always has, almost like a son.
For Johnson, it’s just what he knows. His high school coach, Herman Johnson—his father—treated him the same way.
“It takes a lot for someone to get under my skin,” Johnson said. “My dad did a pretty good job of that sometimes. Coach Williams does a pretty good job of pushing me. He does just about the same as my dad.
“But my dad is my dad, so he kinda did a little bit more,” he continued. “He didn’t want me to be the golden child.”
In recent years, it hasn’t been uncommon for Johnson to appear emotional and distraught during his postgame interviews with the media—even after wins. Many times it’s clear that Williams has just finished using him as an example in front of his teammates—making sure Johnson is never the golden child, whether he scores four points or 40.
“I guess sometimes you can step over the line, and I’m sure I have,” Williams said about the way he pushes Johnson. “But if I’m trying to help you be the best you can possibly be—I sound like an Army commercial—if I’m trying to do that to you, then I don’t think that needs any apology.
“But he’s such a wacko kid,” the coach continued, with a smile. “”He comes in [the room] and I start laughing.”
While the majority of the Williams/Johnson love affair comes behind closed doors, there are times when it spills over into games.
Against Tulane earlier this year, Johnson drew laughs from the bench when he patted Williams’ head as he approached to take his seat.
This reaction is typical for Roy Williams whenever Brice Johnson makes a mistake. (Todd Melet)
The next game, against then No. 22 UCLA in Brooklyn, Williams benched Johnson for using profanity out on the floor. Held out for close to nine minutes during the first half, Johnson responded with a then career-high 27 points to lead UNC to victory.
“He does every little thing that he can,” Johnson said of Williams. “I can’t say exactly what he says, but he has said some very motivating things that probably hurt my heart a little bit, and kind of got to me—forced me to play a little bit better.”
Williams has done the same thing since Johnson first arrived in Chapel Hill from his home in Orangeburg, South Carolina.
Push him to get a little bit better each day, whatever it takes.
Now the scrawny 6-foot-10 185-pound freshman–who wasn’t on anyone’s high school All-American team—has bulked up to 230, added a mean right-handed hook shot to pair with his explosive dunks, and established himself as the go-to guy for a traditional college basketball powerhouse.
“Joe Holladay told me after [Johnson’s] freshman year—the first day of workouts—he didn’t know if [Johnson] would show up for practice,” Williams said, referencing his former assistant. “He said he thought [Johnson] would go home that day. Brice said ’I thought about it.’
“It’s been a gradual process,” he added. “I keep pushing him, and pushing him, and pushing him. And I’m gonna keep doing that.
“But he’s made some very significant progress there.”
Although Johnson has had a couple off-nights this year, like his three points on 1-for-8 shooting against Clemson, his level of consistency has been the most notable aspect of his improvement.
Johnson’s emergence has fans in Chapel Hill thinking big this season. (Todd Melet)
Naturally a quiet personality, Johnson admits that the expectations that come along with his recent hot streak do scare him a bit.
That’s where Williams comes in, always preaching to him what he’s capable of—regardless of whether he’s in the mood for it.
“It does help for him to say a couple of things that’ll motivate me to get me into the right frame of mind,” Johnson said. “But I don’t necessarily need him to do that.”
As the season goes on and the Tar Heels continue to win, Johnson’s star will continue to shine brighter.
And with it, Williams’ chances at his third—and the school’s seventh—national title will continue to grow larger, potentially cementing this odd couple in UNC history forever.
No matter what happens though, there’s one thing you can always expect Williams to say about his big man, given what they’ve been through together.
“With Brice, you gotta understand,” he said. “Brice is still Brice.”
