Roy Williams Interview

We are thrilled to have the head coach of the Tar Heels Roy Williams back on with us in the triad coach appreciate you making the time for Ross. The last time we spoke you zoom earlier this month you had a nice quarantine beard going and I think you mentioned you were going to pull out the golf clubs yet a chance to hit some balls to beard still are looking to better in the golf game that look a lot better either play more golf this time of year. This year than I've ever played in my entire life.

So it's a of the weather's been really good and windy and some rain but still I'm not playing every single day, but I do have a chance and I think I'm probably average in two, three times a week and I like buildings over 3645. Now you like 18. I know you been consuming a lot of the last dance.

You series as we all have, but speaking of golf.

Michael LaBonte. He was with us a few weeks back and he said one time he played with Michael or a few time to play with Michael on the golf course and he said that the determination that he had on the basketball floor. It also translated to the links you have a good story golfing with Mike. Oh yeah we played a lot of golf together with regard to getting started playing a little bit in Baltimore, things would play around together. We may get a first tournament he ever played in. I got them on my team and we went play somewhere but competitive as all get out and the only thing Michael does better than play is tall and on the golf course. The talking is even more impressive than it is in the basketball game has no refereed calming down anything but nobody's is a pleasure to play with, but he likes complete and he doesn't mind putting some money out there and having a friendly game he can hit the ball a long way.

He really can be no with everything's got going on.

It's amazing how good he is because he could really be really good and he's probably got it down a nice handicap spot as well as a two or three no escape metal and it could've the lower know he's competitive he likes when he likes to hit the ball and look up and see the ball flight the same thing that he pictured in his mind, and I think that's what all golf are good golfers.

I remember your first impression of Michael being. This might be one of the best high school players I've ever seen.

You know that I do sell the best quick fix report clearly not one of the best of them for a very important distinction, but you mentioned at the beginning you started to get Mike into golf. How did that go just from talking so much about him being around you go because he was with us for three years and doing that kind of thing that took him out to the course committee met there.

We get balls and still one of the favorite stories is so outrageous is that it was the week of the NCAA golf championships and our team are qualified or just Davis love John Inman to qualified. We had some guys going to the NCAA golf finals and Michael took a swing with Davis loves Robert snapped her head out and I'm sure this is like two or three days now you can go almost new place and they got a good way to put you head on there that was a bit commonplace at that time. So Davis was just destroyed from a wonder can I get this fixed.

It is going to be different when I put it only into my swing in that kind of thing but Nokia but he just fell in love with the game and he got it gave him another thing to complete. And that's what Michael really loves Williams with this year on sports triad. How would you describe the relationship Michael had with coach that was any different than the other guys with Michael.

There was always tremendous respect for his coaches and you can even see it in the last thing that some talking about and I think estate was fake. I wasn't that excited about Phil Jackson company Doug Collins had the ball in my company wants to take out my but what did he do he adapted and using something in the episode Sunday night that circular timeout that feels its impacts is a guy that's open into place in a row.

Michael's been guarded by his guy and Paxton's got company and so he finds him and makes the shot and so Michael's always so receptive to the coaches if they wanted to win is badly seated in the sacred Smith.

Any other thing that was different at that age.

Michael later own didn't need another father figure.

He didn't need one week late for us, but that's what Coach Smith was you know when you get older more mature. You don't need that Michael needed that God it to Smith was solely that is interested heart, regardless of what was going to do for the programmer not been for the program works benefit the programmer hurt the program.

He was always concerned about Michael and told microcell that clearly and appreciated that it repaid that low little ship to the loyalty back to Smith and kind yeah I was really impressed by Phil Jackson. Some of the things that you're mentioning that watching the documentary new found respect when I consider when I looked at the way he handled the Scottie Pippen situation with the team and then handle Dennis Rodman and Michael and it just seems like to me it reiterates the idea that maybe don't treat everybody the same but treat everybody fair. I will what was your take away something… Long time ago. Michael treat everybody the same treat you fairly.

In fact, I think it's a week later that says I will treat everybody the same time making the decision never believed that that was the best way to go and I think I would've had a tough time saying it will not let you go to Vegas, make sure you back 48 hours now, but feel I was perfectly program he was perfect for the bulls and it was in 16 championships that they did when anyone like what now that your but it was something that I thought he was. He was fantastic and I think that's been shown more in the last dance that were seen every Sunday night. I think your answers in the last few minutes.

They kind of speak for themselves what I'm about to ask, but I'll still ask it anyway.

How much pride do you know Michael to have in Carolina because I mean when you consider Jill Berry on a month ago he said after the 2016 championship loss to Villanova Michael he wanted to come into the locker room and speak to the guys and Joel said that meant so much to him at that time and the thing that reverberated in his message was just a pride in North Carolina basketball you have a different lens of this knowing Michael and began Carolina as long as you have, how much pride you know there today. Well, it's incredible.

He knows where will win or lose weight well and poorly talk to them during the course of the season and effective which you mentioned there and in 16 you will come again because he called me got it set up a little extra security thing and after the game.

I'm just I'm just crushed because I thought it was such a miraculous comeback from being down TN to get it tied with 4/2 seconds to play. In the end for Christian just like such a big shot. It was incredible preeminent J right in the Villanova program but I get to hold her right outside the locker room not a sedan chair because I'm trying to figure out what can I say, and also somebody just wraps her arms around and wanted to check on unit turned around and it was Michael and I said to Michael, I just feel so inadequate. I don't I don't know what to say about you, Stephanie and Marion saying something to them just for a minute and will get security to get you back out.

He said yeah no problem.

You went right in there and one of the guys in there with Marcus page should make the most miraculous shot I'd ever seen, and he had his head down the talent he was crying and then he told me later, so all of a sudden you realize that that was not Coach Williams's voice. It was, talking, and so he looked up and it was Michael and he did. He talked about how trial proud he was of them use. This is a learning experience for the rest of the life you gotta be able to handle this but you got bounced back. It was perfect in. I truly believe that wanted anything much less needed, that I can ask Michael Jordan and he would do it immediately. Just been so loyal to me.

The University of North Carolina and he and I have the same relationship we had two clicks away treats me as he did when he was sophomore in college it's going Williams with the seer on sports triad I'm looking at some of the things you been able to do in recruiting the last few weeks you think this stock is giving you a little bit of a recruiting bomb. Some people realizing hey this coach Williams guy. Maybe you know something after all. I don't know what I'm sure people enjoy it.

We already had five of those guys before, you know, I don't know what everybody loves it all, Jack Nicholas Mohammed Ali Michael Jordan Norman is not many people that are still just as popular and people see frequency around the 10 years 20 years 30 years.

When Jack Nicholas's call upon his case for your 50 years after they played so it's just that to Michael E send everybody not my guys ever saw him play again. You know they facing tapes, but they didn't seem play on television and so it was something like that is you see the replays of the old games seated things to be done in this last dance I mean it is incredible and so it's given those guys and even more better appreciation for how great he was. But again you with. There's no question that I love watching it. There is no question that I am reliving part of things is going on there but took Michael Jordan is the University of North Carolina in the universe is Michael Jordan to a certain degree nature in each case, it's just crazy what you're saying.

I mean it still the most popular shoe brand Jordan brand and most of the people who want to where it never watched in place about Zion Williams and for example he signs with Jordan brand last year and he gave up millions plural dollars to do so because he said all that's my favorite type of human Michael Jordan.

He's just the coolest, and on that note, there is news today that a lot of people are talking about the NCAA. There there looking at.

They have recommended to the board of governors some legislation for name, image and likeness and I just a big step. It seems like from where we were a year ago. Do you think that good name, image and likeness legislation would keep some guys in college who you would otherwise think would jump to the MBA first respond to me you would say no. We don't know what is going to be. I just know that last your own RT: Nancy would've probably been able to get to something but I don't know anybody else with and when Peyton Manning was at Tennessee. He couldn't done anything in the world. I don't know the center of the offense of line so it's there's no rule that's perfect for everybody using patent as an example. Again, this gave somebody else earlier today. Maybe as last year at Tennessee I don't know. I will update Manning and we been around he chose several times not to think the world but open again.

That year, but this time it's long, go so I don't know if they were selling dollars jersey and so 70,000. They were sitting still in precipitate dollars jersey and so 56,000 net loss which is which unit time. But it has Manning's name and number on the back of the young man didn't want something not right there and so I don't have any problem with the with the entire thought an idea there.

This is America, you should be able to do this, but the NCAA is also supposedly an amateur division and it's not going to be something that everybody on the football team or everybody on the basketball team are going to be able to be involved with it and you're talking about money and perhaps really good money but still that's not stop guys he thinks he's written MBA because that is the money that could so they're not going to stay in school anymore. State school because I love my whole universe.

You will stay here another year. You still see that happening. Williams right here on sports triad so you talk about football had me thinking about this coach and will close on this. How much does a strong foot tall program help basketball because I think when were going to be allowed to convene in Charlotte for an ACC football kickoff event, I would be surprised North Carolina is at the favorite and Mack Brown second year to go to the ACC championship when the coast I would describe you spent a great job they've done a great job recruiting wise and I've always said I love football. The wind that want to play golf or make the first cut. I think I will make another one to make that one of the more you win the more you when you get used to winning and I think that's important in the situation we're in it basketball at Carolinas been not. It's not the biggest contributor the finances for the entire athletic department. It's been a major contributor to the finances. It's not been the best one that takes some of the pressure off of us. I like it because the more we win, the more people get in there. The more people get in there. They say is great come to Chapel Hill for game so were going to do it your basketball llama son and daughter coming in guys they got excited about going to school display so I think winning does bring more winning and love that I love the excitement that we can have clear prospects on campus during fall football weekends. I think that's good for us, just like I think it's good for football team. They bring those prospects and in the wintertime and consider great basketball game. So I think it's all positive, but I Mack and his staff. They just done a tremendous job. Things really really looking up Brown's windows not too long ago and he said he's learned so much from you, and learn so much from Coach Smith and he's taken things that you guys have done, and implemented it to his coaching and football as anything happened vice versa. In that regard with you know it tougher for us because I just get to see them on Saturday and sometimes not got a pretty good record 32 years. It goes unless we been playing in Alaska or Maui someplace on Thanksgiving.

I think I missed one home game.

That's because that had surgery in 32 years Weathers or Kansas or North Carolina during the week. What we are doing is where the recruiting will work it right start practice. I usually go by earlier in the year and watch the practices couple times myself but I do listen to what Coach Brown says after the game in the way he deals with the press, the way he deals with problems here and I really do what's those companies closely because I'm the lucky gangs, totes, thank you so much for spending time in the triad. I hope you're safe in your home. And best of luck continuing on the golf course as well. Thanks for doing this. Okay yes, thanks for having the USA state. That's tremendous and that's Coach Williams, typical coach that Matsuda dissect and that we might have to replace some of that would be done and here the unofficial mascot of Tar Heel basketball will be with us later this hour.

However, there is one Wake Forest coaching candidate a serious coaching candidate that I really just don't get.

I don't get that is next