Why Roy Williams likely won’t be jumping up and down when he passes Dean Smith
When Jerry Green, a former assistant coach under Roy Williams at Kansas, is asked can he recall their first win in 1988, he says “no.”
He can’t remember it.
About a month after Williams was hired to take over Kansas’ program, the NCAA put Kansas on probation for violations committed during former coach Larry Brown’s tenure.
Kansas was also given a post-season ban.
“There was so much pandemonium,” Green said in a recent phone interview. “We were in the gym and we were all crying. It was so upsetting that the national defending champions could not go to the next NCAA tournament.”
Williams had spent the previous 10 years as an assistant at North Carolina under Hall of Fame coach Dean Smith, and this was his first head coaching job.
And the news about the sanctions, which they were not expecting, was a road block.
But Williams kept a positive attitude, Green said. He assured his players that everything would be alright, and they would get better.
Williams said on Friday, “We sort of found strength in each other. The kids believed in me and gave me a chance.” He called it one of the greatest moments of his career.
“And two years after that year, we were in the final game with Duke in Indianapolis,” Green said, referencing the 1991 NCAA title game against Duke. “You could really tell from that point on that everything was set in motion then; that he was going to be a great basketball coach.”
Now, 32 years after that first win (against Alaska Anchorage), Williams is tied with Smith for the fifth-most wins in NCAA history at 879. He could pass his mentor as early as Saturday if the Tar Heels (8-5, 1-1 ACC) beat Georgia Tech (6-7, 1-2) at home. If not then, the Tar Heels play Pittsburgh at home on Wednesday.
“Yeah, you know, it’s a number,” Williams said on Monday, when asked was it hard realizing he tied Smith. “It means I’ve stayed around a long time, probably longer than some people wanted me to stay at places, but that’s what it is.
“Scott Smith (Dean Smith’s son) came out and said one thing, and I think he’s right, and he said, ‘Dad would be really happy,’ and... I think he would be, but I’ve never even knew this was even close.”
‘Mixed emotions’
In many ways, passing his mentor is a hard pill to swallow for Williams.
After all, he looked up to Smith and held him in the highest regards. Smith, who coached at UNC from 1961 to 1997, is considered a legend for his accomplishments on and off the court, and the impact he made on his players’ lives.
When the school tried to recognize Williams for tying Smith on Monday, he initially tried to avoid it and head to the locker room.
He was emotional. But he relented and was given a plaque for his feat. The plaque showed a picture of he and Smith.
“On one hand he hopes he makes Coach Smith proud, on the other hand, he never really thought that he would pass his mentor like he has done,” assistant coach Steve Robinson said on Thursday. “He probably has such mixed emotions about it all. It’s a great accomplishment to be even considered in that same breath as Coach Smith, which I think he totally deserves.
“But I also understand how torn he is about the whole situation.”
‘Just be yourself’
Those who know Williams best say its his compassion for others that really makes him a great coach.
Williams said the best advice he ever received from Smith was right before he left to coach Kansas. Williams was 38 years old. He had never been a head coach at a Division I school. And he was joining a program, which had just won a national championship the year prior.
Smith told Williams to be himself, Williams recalled.
“He said, ‘You’re good enough. Just be yourself,” Williams said. “If you be yourself, you’re going to be one of the great coaches.’ And so I’ve trusted that. That’s what it has been. I do coach every game for the players. Not for Coach Smith and not for me. I coach every game for the players and try to do the best I can.”
Along with his 879 wins, Williams has three national titles, was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame and Basketball Hall of Fame, and has only missed the NCAA tournament twice in his career. He’s also one of the most influential voices in college basketball.
Eddie Fogler, a longtime friend of Williams’, and former assistant coach with Williams on Smith’s staff, declined an interview request, but did give one comment.
“It is what it is,” Fogler said of Williams passing Smith. “It’s pretty damn special for a humble person like Roy Williams.”
UNC vs. Georgia Tech
When: Jan. 4, 6:30 p.m.
Where: Dean Smith Center, Chapel Hill
TV: ACC Network
Listen: WTKK-106.1 Raleigh; WCHL-97.9, WCHL-1360 Chapel Hill; WBT-99.3, WBT-1110 Charlotte
This story was originally published January 3, 2020 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Why Roy Williams likely won’t be jumping up and down when he passes Dean Smith."
