DETROIT - Even after seven Final Four trips and an NCAA title in 2005, nitpickers can still find one omission on North Carolina coach Roy Williams' resume.
The 2005 title was accomplished in Williams' second season at North Carolina, with Final Four most outstanding player Sean May and most of the key players recruited by predecessor Matt Doherty.
Williams was asked if there would be a difference winning the championship with his own recruits Monday - if the Tar Heels can defeat Michigan State.
"None whatsoever," Williams said Sunday. "Absolutely none. When Sean May stands up here four years ago and says his dream would be to be the first person to hug Coach Williams if we won a national championship, it doesn't get any better than that."
"And that was my team."
Indeed, to somehow withhold credit from Williams for winning with a program he'd been coaching for two full seasons would be ridiculous. There isn't an asterisk on the banner hanging from the rafters in the Smith Center or in the NCAA record book.
Williams has a chance to become the 13th coach with two NCAA championships Monday, and he will deserve the accolades that come with it if he can get it done.
Comments
unc1dmo
Mon, 04/06/2009 - 16:20 — mdha1aAs soon as I saw the heading for this article I knew this clown would be posting his anti-Roy venom. This is the guy in the bar who keeps talking loud giving his opinion talking over everyone thinking we're all impressed with his intellect, when in fact we just wish he'd go to another bar.
Sportswriters must toss and turn all night
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 20:30 — mayberry_lady1Seriously, do you guys stay awake at night trying to come up with a new 'twist' on the events just so you have something to type into the computer the next morning? Each year new players are added into the playing rotation and some graduate. Each year a coach has to take what he has and make a competitive team out of the components. Whether any coach actually recruited his players becomes a non-issue by the time they play the first game of the season. Take Sominex tonight and sleeep.........safe and restful sleep, sleep, sleep.
For accuracy sakes....it's 18 for 18
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 20:27 — unc1dmoMore accurately....not counting this year, He has been to 18 dances with HIS OWN recruits and had 18 bus rides home a losing coach....
This time around like 2005.....his roster is SUPERIOR to the other team and can WIN in spite of courtside decisions...
but at this level .....you also find yourself in a game where the coach on the other team...is as good......or BETTER bench coach then you are...
1. That said...there can be no SCREWBALL combinations...like the Drew/ Frasor backcourt that got torched at the end of the first half last night (9-2 Nova run) that allowed the Wildcats to cut a huge NC lead to single digits at the half.....
2. Or too much Charmin Soft Thompson.......did Nova grab all 22 of those offensive rebounds with him on the floor?
3. I can only hope in their FINAL game for UNC Lawson.....Hansbrough....Green.....Ellington....are ALLOWED TO PLAY at least :35 minutes.......
4. and i hope and pray that the Holy Trinity (Lawson- Green- Ellington) can ditto that 11/21 three point accuracy from last night
....
5. IF......They DO NOT REPEAT that accuracy and 1 or more are firing bricks...... leaving it up to Roy to have to go mano -a-mano in the bench coaching trenches..... with IZZO.........it could get ugly... and there will be 65k Green people in that arena going CRAZY.....for the opposition coach.
for accuracy's sake ...
Mon, 04/06/2009 - 11:14 — gvillegatryou're a douche and really not a UNC fan. you masecerade as one, but you are no fan. Maybe you ARE Matt Doherty?? I dunno??
Tell us. Who would you prefer as UNC coach?? you are the new AD at UNC and you have to choose the new coach. who do yuo choose??
Same song
Mon, 04/06/2009 - 10:18 — heelsno1Here is more Roy-bashing from Johnny-One-Note.
This is the same type of simplemindedness and cynicism that Dean Smith faced when his detractors claimed that he could recruit great players but could never win the big one. Well, under legendary Coach Smith, the Heels lost a bunch of Final Four games but his teams also won 2 national titles.
As for Roy, I really do not care how many Kansas teams were defeated in Final Four games. All I know is that Kansas teams were consistently in the mix as title contenders. Win or lose tonight, Roy Williams is a winner and a Hall-of-Famer. UNC is fortunate that he returned to his alma mater. No amount of cynicism can change those facts. Go Heels!
How come...
Sun, 04/05/2009 - 19:16 — UNC1998OU's football coach (whose name escapes me) doesn't get these questions? If I remember correctly, John Blake recruited all of those players, as it was the first year of the new coach. Williams took a team of underacheivers and made them champions. That sounds good to me.