Roy Williams Reflects On National Championship Loss

Roy Williams never saw the ball go in the basket.

“As soon as he went up to shoot it, I knew it was going in,” he said. “I watched his follow through and I never looked at the ball after that. I knew it was going in the hole.”

Understandably, Williams is far from the only Tar Heel struggling after Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater gave Villanova their first national championship since 1985.

Roy Williams (Photo by Todd Melet)

Isaiah Hicks, the UNC player closest to Kris Jenkins on the final shot has said it was his fault Jenkins was open.

Williams said his power forward was too hard on himself and that Jenkins was not the man Hicks was supposed to be guarding on the play.

“He took way too much responsibility,” he said. “That shot was against North Carolina’s team. When we graded the film we gave Isaiah two good defenses on that one possession.”

In an effort to help him himself move on, Williams returned to work, hitting the recruiting trail last week.

“I did that because it helped,” he said. “It impressed Ty Lawson in ’05. It impressed Harrison Barnes in ’09. And the other thing is if I’m going to go out after winning something I’m dang sure going to go out after losing.”

But no amount of recruiting will help Williams fully recover. Kris Jenkins’ buzzer-beater that secured Villanova’s second national championship is something Williams says is going to haunt him for the rest of his life.

“You can ask me the day before I die,” Williams said. “Because I’m sure I won’t be recovered then either. That’s very dramatic and that kind of thing, but I don’t think you ever get over it. I really don’t.”

Roy Williams Reflects On National Championship Loss

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