Roy Williams reveals who he is rooting for between Kansas and North Carolina
With Kansas and North Carolina set to tip off in the national championship Monday, Roy Williams had a decision to make on who to cheer for. Although he coached both the Jayhawks and Tar Heels in his illustrious career, Williams said his choice was a no brainer.
Because he also played for UNC from 1968-69 and also got his start there as an assistant, he told Sporting News he is rooting for the Tar Heels.
“I look at this Kansas team and I really enjoy them,” Williams said. “I have love for the program. But with North Carolina (my allegiance) is quite thicker and deeper because it’s a school where I went, where I was an assistant there and where all my family went.”
After spending 10 seasons as an assistant with North Carolina from 1978-88, Roy Williams got his start in head coaching with Kansas. There he stayed for 15 seasons, amassing a 418-101 record and leading the Jayhawks to four appearances in the Final Four. At the conclusion of the 2002-03 season, he accepted an offer to take over as the head coach of his alma mater.
While coaching the Tar Heels, Williams claimed his first national championship victory in 2005, and would go on to win two more in 2009 and 2017. He spent the rest of his coaching career in Chapel Hill, compiling a 485-163 record before ultimately retiring in 2021. Now, just one year into retirement, he will get the chance to watch his successor and fellow UNC alum Hubert Davis attempt to take the program to the top in his inaugural season.
Davis was an assistant coach on Williams’ staff from 2012 until 2021. The two developed a close relationship, winning the national title together in 2017, which is certainly another reason Williams has to root for the Heels. If UNC can win, it will become the first eight seed to claim a national championship since 1985, joining the Villanova Wildcats. No team higher than an eight seed has ever won the national title.
Tip off between Kansas and North Carolina is set for 9:20 p.m. ET Monday in New Orleans.