No, it’s not an April Fools’ Joke. I wish it was. Roy Williams is one of my favorite coaches of all time and an all-time great. He is loved by fans and hated by opposing team fans, like most of the greats. He started his coaching career in Black Mountain, North Carolina at Charles D. Owen High School, where he coached the men’s basketball and golf team for five years. He became an assistant coach at North Carolina, his alma mater, where the legendary Dean Smith was at the helm. As an assistant coach, Williams earned himself his first championship ring in 1982, where Michael Jordan led the Tar Heels over Patrick Ewing, John Thompson, and the Georgetown Hoyas. He’s known for helping Dean Smith recruit Michael Jordan, the greatest to ever pick up a basketball. He was hired to be Kansas’s new head coach in 1988, succeeding Larry Brown. Here are his accolades below (h/t Wikipedia):
- Three-time NCAA Champion (2005, 2009, 2017)
- 903-264 record (.774)
- 79-27 NCAA Tournament record
- 4-1 NIT record
- 9 Final Four Appearances (Kansas: 1991, 1993, 2002, 2003; North Carolina: 2005, 2008, 2009, 2016, 2017)
- Nine-time ACC Regular Season Champion (2005, 2007-2009, 2011, 2012, 2016, 2017, 2019)
- Three-time ACC Tournament Champion (2007, 2008, 2016)
- Four-time Big 12 Regular Season Champion (1997, 1998, 2002, 2003)
- Three-time Big 12 Tournament Champion (1997-1999)
- Five-time Big Eight Regular Season Champion (1991-1993, 1995, 1996)
- 1992 Big Eight Tournament Champion
- 2019 USA Today Sports National Coach of the Year
- Two-time AP Coach of the Year (1992, 2006)
- 2 Henry Iba Awards (1990, 2006)
- 1997 Naismith College Coach of the Year
- Two-time ACC Coach of the Year (2006, 2011)
- 2006 Adolph Rupp Cup recipient (2006)
- 2003 John R. Wooden Legends of Coaching Award recipient (2003)
- Three-time Big 12 Coach of the Year (1997, 2002, 2003)
- Four-time Big Eight Coach of the Year (1990, 1992, 1995, 1996)
- Inducted in the Basketball Hall of Fame in 2007
- Inducted in the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2006
- Assistant Coach for the USA Olympic Team in 2004 (Won Bronze)
- Sporting News Coach of the Decade (2000s)
- Fastest coach to 900 games
- Only coach to win 400+ games with two different schools (Kansas and North Carolina
- 418-101 (.805) at Kansas
- 485-163 (.748) at North Carolina
- 30 NCAA Tournament Appearances
- 33 years as a head coach
Roy Williams is a coach that has brought so much to Kansas and North Carolina. Now that he is retired, who’s going to replace him? Here is what I’ve heard, whether it’s from Sports Illustrated, Sporting News, or my thoughts (I don’t agree with all of these, by the way):
Hubert Davis, North Carolina assistant coach
Roy Williams retired around the same age that Jim Calhoun retired. Calhoun recommended Kevin Ollie, an assistant coach for UConn at the time, to be the next head coach. It wouldn’t be surprising if Williams decides to make Hubert Davis the next head coach. He played under Dean Smith from 1988 to 1992, was named second-team all-ACC in 1992, and was the 20th overall pick in that year’s draft. He’s been an assistant coach at UNC since 2012 and is a national champion as an assistant coach.
Steve Robinson, North Carolina assistant coach
As the longest-tenured assistant coach for the Tar Heels, Robinson is certainly qualified to be a head coach. He has head coaching experience at Florida State and Tulsa, where he won the 1996 Missouri Valley Tournament. He has been on Roy William’s coaching staff at Kansas and North Carolina. He’s a solid candidate for the replacement.
Wes Miller, UNC Greensboro head coach
This name has shown up more than any other. He played for Roy Williams at North Carolina, where he was a part of the 2005 National Championship team. He was a candidate for power 5 jobs last year, most notably at Wake Forest. He’s been at UNC Greensboro since 2011 and has won three SoCon regular-season championships, two SoCon Tournament championships, and was named the conference’s coach of the year twice.
Jay Wright, Villanova head coach
This one is a long shot. When I was talking to my dad, this was the first name he thought North Carolina should at least reach out to. He’s a future Hall of Fame coach and has won two national championships, been to three Final Fours, and has ruled the Big East ever since the 2013 conference realignment. As my dad said, getting Wright would be a “home run.” I doubt he leaves Villanova though, with all the success there.
Mark Few, Gonzaga head coach
I saw this one on Sports Illustrated, and I scratched my head. Really? Why would Mark Few the dominant program he’s made in Spokane? He had job offers throughout his head coaching career at Gonzaga and turned down all of them. Yes, he’s friends with Roy Williams, but seriously, why would he leave? This has the lowest chance out of all of the coaches on this list.
Billy Donovan, Chicago Bulls head coach
No. Unless he’s the basketball version of Nick Saban, he’s not leaving the Bulls. Yes, he’s been more successful in college, winning back-to-back national championships with Florida. But what would it take to get him in Chapel Hill?
Brad Stevens, Boston Celtics head coach
He already denied rumors of him going to what he once considered his dream job, Indiana. What makes people think he would go back to the college level? College basketball Twitter is begging Brad Stevens to come back to the college level, but why would he leave one of the greatest franchises in NBA history?
Scott Drew, Baylor head coach
Meh. Pass. I think he’s done a good job building Baylor into a top team in college basketball, but I wouldn’t leave unless Scott Drew knows he’ll be better off there. It’s more likely that Brad Stevens, Billy Donovan, Mark Few, or Jay Wright, but still a humongous long shot.
Eric Musselman, Arkansas head coach
I like this pick. He’s loved by everyone in Fayetteville and has been a solid coach at Nevada and Arkansas. I think it’s unlikely to happen, but it’s worth a phone call.
Chris Holtmann, Ohio State head coach
I’m shaking my head at this one. I think Holtmann is a fine head coach, but he’s only into his fourth year at Ohio State, and I think there’s potential there to do more.
Porter Moser, Loyola Chicago head coach
This is the name everyone talks about in this crazy offseason. Porter Moser is known for taking Loyola Chicago to the Final Four in 2018 and made top-seeded Illinois look like an average team. He’s getting phone calls from all over the nation, and I think this could be a risky hire. The more risk, the more reward possible, they say.
There are more out there, but I would rather not waste yours or my time just saying “No.” It’s hard to replace Roy Williams.
Calhoun's Corner 