Tuesday
April 15,2003
Vol.113 Issue No.134
THE UNIVERSITY DAILY
KANSAN Legend Lost
A teary eyed Roy Williams leaves the Allen Fieldhouse locker room after a team meeting.
Jared Soares/Kansan
Williams leaves one hill, heads for another
By Doyle Murphy
By Doyle Murphy
dmurphy@kansan.com
Kansan senior sportswriter
Three years ago, Roy Williams said he couldn't tell his players he was leaving them for North Carolina. Yesterday, he found a way.
Williams met with his players for half an hour yesterday afternoon. When he emerged from the locker room, he had
tears in his eyes and few words for reporters.
"I don't expect you to understand," Williams told the cluster of reporters. "There will be a press conference later on tonight. At that time things will come out."
Williams had yet to say that he was leaving. Instead he said that the press conference was at 9:30 p.m. — eastern time. When asked why he referenced the
For more coverage on Williams' departure see page 1B
eastern time zone, he said, "It's their press conference."
The message was clear: The former Jayhawk coach was once again a Tar Heel.
Williams returned moments later to bid farewell to the Kansas basketball reporters. He asked that cameramen
turn off their cameras and others turn off their tape recorders.
"This has been a special place," he said. "I sincerely appreciate the way you've treated me from day one."
The two meetings were Williams' way of letting the reporters know his intentions without spoiling his press conference announcement in Chapel Hill, N.C.
SEE WILLIAMS ON PAGE 6A
ROY WILLIAMS' COACHING CAREER
1968: Williams plays his freshman year at North Carolina as a non-scholarship player.
1973-1978: Coaches at Swannonaa, N.C. Owen High School. He also coached football and golf and was athletic director for two years.
1978-1988: Becomes assistant coach at UNC under Dean Smith.
July 8,1988: Former Athletics Director
B July 8, 1988: Former Athletics Director Bob Frederick hires Williams as Kansas
Nov. 25, 1988: Wins first game as a Jayhawk.
Nov. 11, 1989: The Jayhawks defeat UNLV 91-77, marking the first victory over a No. 1 team during William's tenure.
men's basketball coach
1991: Kansas clinches a share of the Big Eight conference title and earns its first Final Four berth under Williams. The team lost the national championship game to Duke 72-65.
March 13, 1992: Earns 100th victory.
Jan. 28, 1996: Reaches 200 victories faster than any coach in Big Eight history.
1997: Williams' squad finishes the season with one regular season loss and a perfect conference record, clinching the Big Eight title.
Jan, 24, 1998: Sets a Kansas record of 56 consecutive home victories.
Feb. 20, 1999: Reaches 300 victories faster than any coach in NCAA history
faster than any coach in NCAA history.
■ July 6, 2000: Turns down coaching job at UNC and announces he will remain
Kansas men's basketball coach
2002: The Jayhawks become the first Big 12 Conference team to go undefeated, then advance to the Final. Four for the first time since 1993. Kansas lost to Maryland 97-88 in the semifinal.
Jan. 15, 2003: Earns 400th victory.
April 7, 2003: Loses to Syracuse 81-78 in the national championship game.
April 11, 2003: Receives the Legends of Coaching award.
April 14, 2003: Accepts job as North Carolina men's basketball coach.
Exit draws mixed reactions from former players
Bv Shane Mettlen
By Sasha Matteen
smettlen@kansan.com
Kansan sportswriter
Shortly after Roy Williams told his team he would no longer be the Jayhawks' coach, the ball was bouncing on James Naismith Court again.
Former Kansas player, Jeff Boschee, was in the Kansas locker room when Williams addressed the team and looked dejected while shooting around after the meeting.
"It's a tough pill to swallow." Boschee
said. "It's a sad day for Kansas basketball."
While Boschee said he did not feel betrayed by Williams' decision, other former Jayhawks had more mixed emotions.
"I feel a little rejected to be honest with you," Kevin Pritchard, who was a member of Williams' first Kansas team, said. "My heart hurts. The hardest thing is that this affects so many people."
Brett Ballard, who, along with Boschee, played on the 2002 Kansas Final Four team, said he was also shocked at the decision.
"I'm disappointed, but I appreciate the opportunity coach Williams gave me," Ballard said, adding that he felt sympathy for the current players.
Ballard and Bosche agreed that Kansas basketball would continue to be successful in the post-Williams era.
Pritchard and Mike Maddox, who both played for Williams and Larry Brown during their Kansas careers, were even more optimistic about the future of the program.
"Everybody needs to remember KU has been playing basketball for 105 years,"
Maddox said. "We have been good for a long, long time. We just need to find a coach that fits in with the program."
Pritchard, who coached the American Basketball Association's Kansas City Knights to a league championship, said he would "love" to be a member of the Jayhawks next coaching staff, and that the University should act quickly in hiring a new coach.
"We can't wait a week or 10 days to do it," he said.
— Edited by Leah Shaffer
.
47
L