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WCNC BLOG |
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April 2008
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#1 topic for Carolina fans three days after the loss to Kansas: What was Roy Williams doing wearing the Kansas Jayhawks sticker at the Championship game on Monday night? Educated guess here after covering Roy for five years at KU and a couple of seasons at UNC -- The same Roy who pulled out an ice cold Coca-Cola (one of his sponsors) on the NCAA interview podium (Coke definitely NOT an NCAA Tournament sponsor) is the same Roy who wore the sticker and cheered for KU. The same Roy who irritated many at UNC when he used his introductory press conference in Chapel Hill to laud everything and anything great about the school he left behind, Kansas, that's the same Roy who wore the sticker last night. Roy will always let you know that he's in charge and good luck doing anything about that. I talked with some national writers and they were struck by just how much Ol' Roy lectures from the pulpit, I mean the NCAA interview podium. That's just him, and you never get half the package. The same Roy Williams who is often generous and caring with so many in the community is the same Roy who will turn media sessions into lectures. My favorite came when Dean Smith retired. We all packed into a tiny room in Lawrence, Kansas to get Roy's reaction and thoughts. Forget that Coach Smith led UNC's program since the dawn of time and had accomplished everything under the sun. Roy Williams told us that day that "the junk" that surrounds modern college basketball had driven his mentor from the bench, and we (the media) were the leaders of "the junk." He didn't mean it personally -- at least I didn't take it that way, that's just Roy. "I hurt and I speak and that's what comes out." It takes some getting used to, but the good far outweighs the bad. Kinda like that sticker last night. One Carolina fan summed it up this way today, "He's got us and he knows it." So he does. When he wins his next national title (and he will) maybe I'll bring up the sticker again just to see what kind of lecture I'll get. The Joys of Flying Our flight from Austin, Texas, to Charlotte had everything ready to roll. Plane - check. Flight attendants - check. Navigator - check. Co-pilot - check. Pilot? What do you mean, "pilot"? He's in Chicago, of course. Sent there to captain another flight. You would think you could find a pilot in an airport, but not this time. Couple our little issue with American Airlines' decision to ground a group of MD-80's today and we've got a "situation." A guy from Memphis that I sat next to on media row for the Memphis-UCLA game used that word to describe the tax evasion charges against former Memphis coach Dana Kirk. "He had a tax situation." Not evasion. Not obstruction of justice. Just a "situation." I like that and it works in Memphis. Coach Cal Classy job by Memphis coach John Calipari for taking the heat for his team in last night's postgame interview. Cal blamed himself for not substituting more. Truth is, if Memphis makes one more free throw late (and they missed a handful) the Tigers are champions. Don't forget to tell your kids or the team you coach that free throws really do win games. 1 CommentsLeave a comment |
No, the sticker isn't my #1 question -- although it is definitely very high on the list. My question is (and I'll keep harping!) why won't an excellent coach actively coach his team in a semi-final game? Why no time outs? Why spending so much time sitting on the bench instead of storming the sidelines like he does when we play Duke or any other major team? Something is fishy! I'm still pondering whether it was a "throw" for whatever reason ...