THE UNIVERSITY DAILY KANSAN • SPECIAL SECTION
BIG MAN OFF
THE BENCH
Junior swingman Steve Woodberry has been called the best sixth man in the country. Page 2
A YEAR TO
REMEMBER
The Jayhawks were ranked in the top 10 in the Associated Press poll all year, but the season had its ups and downs.
Page 4
PROUD HISTORY
From Phog Allen to Roy Williams, the University of Kansas has a rich tradition in the Final Four.
1993 NCAA
FINAL
FOUR
NEW ORLEANS
Page 5
UP CLOSE
Take one more look at the squad, Player and assistant coach biographies include action photos and quotes.
Pages 7,8 and 9
New Orleans
Exciting nightlife awaits Final Four fans in New Orleans. Page 11
FINAL FOUR PREVIEW
FRIDAY, APRIL 2, 1993
By David Dorsey
Kansan sportswriter
Kansan sportswriter
"Sometimes his eyes are like a volcano ready to erupt," said Rex Walters. "His emotions are so up and down. We've seen him laugh, and we've seen him cry, and we all like those moments. We like to know where he stands.
"He's a challenging coach, and he's a very good coach."
In just five years at Kansas, Roy Williams has taken the jayhawks to two Final Fours and a 132-36 record.
And while tomorrow's Final Four matchup between Kansas and North Carolina — the second between them in three years — will again involve the storyline of Williams coaching against his mentor Dean Smith, Williams is intent on downplaying the coaches' involvement.
"The bottom line is that it's our players against North Carolina's players." Williams said.
Williams served as an assistant under Smith for 10 years before coming to Kansas in 1988.
"I can remember the 36 dumb ones a lot better than the good ones."
After Kansas lost to Kansas State in the semifinals of the Big Eight Tournament, Williams blamed himself and called it the worst coaching job of his career.
He describes himself as a fierce competitor. When asked about some of his worst coaching decisions, Williams quickly recalled several. When asked about some of his best coaching moves, he paused.
His players,however,talked about the loss in different terms.
A strong believer in thinking about each game one at a time, Williams also has a long term goal.
"My goal for this program is to make it one of the top five or six programs in the nation." Williams said. "I want our team to be a contender for the national championship every season."
"I've never been a big Huckleberry Hound fan," Williams said. "In fact, I've never been much of a cartoon fan. When I was young, I was dumb. I was always watching baseball games."
People have compared his appearance to the cartoon character Huckleberry Hound. Williams said the comparison had never bothered him.
A native of Asheville, N.C., Williams received his bachelor's degree in education from North Carolina in 1972 and his master's degree in teaching the following year. He played under Smith as a freshman in 1968-69, but confesses to being "not much of a player."
His skill, however, did not scare him away from what he described as the value of college athletics.
You can gain so many things," he said. "The value of hard work, the value of teamwork, the value of sacrifices, the value of setting goals. You learn the value of reacting to defeat, which you are going to face
"My goal for this program is to make it one of the top five or six programs in the nation."
Roy Williams Kansas men's basketball coach
in life, and how you're going to come back from that."
"He wants us to do what's best,
And if we're not doing our best, he'll
let us know in one way or another.
But he really cares about us, not just
as players, but as people."
During Williams' first season, the Jahways are ineligible for post-season play. Since then, Kansas has made the NCAA tournament four consecutive years. Last season, he added a Big Eight Conference Tournament Championship to his list of accomplishments.
This season, he added a third consecutive Big Eight Conference title.
Williams' Honors
"On offense, if he tells us to be in a certain spot, we'll get a shot," Walters said. "Whether we make it or not, we don't know. But the shot will be there."
Walters said that if players listened and executed according to Williams' plan, they probably would not lose.
1990 National Coach of the Year (USBWA)
1990 National Coach of the Year
(Shin Born/Manager)
1992 National Coach of the Year (AP)
1992 Kodak District Coach of the Year
1992 District Coach of the Year (USWBA)
2012 Big Bits Coach of the Year (AP)
1992 assistant coach U.S. Olympic Development team
1990 Big Eight Coach of the Year (UPI)
1992 Big Eight Coach of the Year (AP)
1992 NABC East-West All-Star
1989 National Rookie Coach of the Year (Basketball Times)
1992 United States Olympic
Development Team
1991 United States University Games
assistant coach (Sheffield, England)
assistant coach (Sheffield, England)
1989 Big Eight Conference Select Team
1989 Big Eight Conference Select Team head coach (toured Australia)
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