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Wednesday, July 12, 2000
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Williams' drama closes with happy ending for Jayhawk fans
Story by Michael Rigg Illustration by Kyle Ramsev
As it turned out, Roy Williams could say no to Dean Smith after all. It just took him a little while.
Just hours after letting Smith —Williams' mentor—know his decision on the telephone, Williams told a burned-out gathering of media, a national television audience and more than 16,000 onlookers in Memorial Stadium Thursday that he would stay at the University of Kansas.
But, when it came down to it, Williams just couldn't bring himself to say goodbye to his players. Ironically, the loyalty Williams showed to Kansas was learned from Smith and former Tar Heel coach Bill Guthridge.
The announcement ended a week of speculation that Williams would accept North Carolina's offer to coach the Tar Heels, Williams' alma mater and dream coaching job.
"I just did what they taught me to do," Williams said. "And that's put my players ahead of my dreams."
The announcement of the decision seemed so simple. Williams walked in front of the gathering, stared down at a prepared statement, and simply uttered the words "I'm staying."
With those two fateful words, Williams put to rest all the North Carolina rumors and, in many ways, became a Jayhawk for life.
"There will be no more job things," said Williams, who has coached the Jayhawks for 12 years. "The next press conference will be when they fire me or when I retire."
Williams struggled with the decision for days. Media in North Carolina reported that Williams had already accepted the Tar Heel job. Williams fueled the rumors when he said last Friday that he had dreamed of coaching at the school ever since he was young, and then visited the Chapel Hill campus on Tuesday.
"If someone held a gun to my head last Thursday, then I probably would have said North Carolina," Williams said. "But then I got in the plane, and it would jump, and I'd change my mind. Then it would bump again and I'd change my mind again."
After that meeting, he slipped out the back door of Strong Hall and, during a stroll around campus, decided to stay. Fans were kept in suspense until the press conference while the University flew Williams' wife and daughter in for the announcement.
In fact, he still hadn't made up his mind as recently as Thursday morning when he met with Bob Frederick, Kansas athletics director, and Chancellor Robert Hemenway.
Roy's decision and KU recruiting
The day after his decision, Williams hit the road recruiting for next season, when the Jayhawks will have as many as six scholarships to offer. Monday, Williams was in Indianapolis for the last of three days recruiting at a Nike camp. Later this week he will travel to New Jersey for additional recruiting.
"I am here and I am ecstatic to be here," Williams said. "It's been an excruciating seven days, and again that shows what a lucky person I've been."
A reporter at the press conference called the day after the decision the first day of the rest of Williams' life — a thought Williams found fitting.
Kansas is on the short list of many of the nation's top recruits, namely point guard Aaron Miles of Portland, Ore., and forward David Lee of St. Louis. Leavenworth High's Wayne Simien has already verbally committed to the Javhawks.
Current and former Jayhawks agree that Williams' loyalty will e id Kansas' recruiting tenfold.
"Its a huge bump for our program," Frederick said. "This will obviously be a huge bump for recruiting."
Ryan Robertson, former Jayhawk guard, agreed.
So what's up next for Williams and the Jayhawks?
"Now, no one — not Quin Snyder — nobody, can ever say that Roy Williams
will not be here," Robertson said, admitting that schools used the possibility of Williams' departure against Kansas when he was being recruited.
Dick Baddour, North Carolina athletics director, said that he was obviously disappointed at Williams' decision, but that Matt Doherty — Notre Dame coach, former Kansas assistant and starter for the '82 North Carolina championship team — was a perfect match for the Tar Heel program.
Following Williams' decision to stay at Kansas, Baddour's next choices — South Carolina coach Eddie Fogler and NBA coaches Larry Brown and George Karl — said no to North Carolina, as well.
While Williams didn't pinpoint an exact moment when he decided he would stay, he said he walked around the North Carolina and Kansas campuses alone. After his press conference on June 30, he walked up and down Massachusetts Street and through campus, dipping his feet in the Chi Omega fountain.
Meanwhile in Tar Heel land...
On Chapel Hill, the shock following Williams' announcement dissipated and the search for a new coach ended with one of Roy's former assistant coaches.
"Its not immoral to love two institutions," Williams said. "And I do."
And that love, for now, will keep
- With the Williams' saga behind them, two Kansas sophomores are turning their attention to some on-the-court endeavors
Williams at Kansas
Kansas Basketball Notes
Sixteen college-age players are attempting to make the 12-man squad. The team's roster will be announced by Sunday, with the team's first game coming on July 19 against Uruguay.
Both Collision and Gooden made it through the first round of try-outs in May in Colorado Springs. Collison is considered by many as a lock to make the team because of his three previous stints on national teams—the most international experience of any player at the tryout. ESPN.com's Andy Katz reported Gooden will also have a strong shot at making the team.
Sophomore forwards Nick Collison and Drew Gooden are in Miami, Fla., trying out for the USA Basketball 20-and-under squad.
Kansas lost its chance at having three players on the team when sophomore point guard Kirk Hinrich was cut during the first tryouts.
- Frederick announced the attendance for Williams' press conference at Memorial Stadium at 16,300. The number drew a chuckle from the media in attendance, because it is the capacity of Allen Fieldhouse.
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