Tag: Roy Williams

NBA players react to Roy Williams retiring from North Carolina

Williams finished third all-time in victories by a Division I head coach and posted the sixth-highest winning percentage in NCAA history.

On Thursday, North Carolina Tar Heels men’s basketball head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement after 33 years of experience at the collegiate level.

The 2007 Naismith Hall of Fame inductee led the Tar Heels to three national titles during his 18 years on the sidelines and a 485-163 record. The Tar Heels advanced to the Final Four three other times under Williams’ watch while claiming three ACC Tournament championships.

He leaves as the second-winningest head coach at North Carolina, behind only Dean Smith.

Prior to coaching at Chapel Hill, Williams spent 15 seasons as head coach at Kansas, amassing a 418-101 record. The Jayhawks made four trips to the Final Four with Williams, including two appearances in the national title game in 1991 and 2003.

Williams, 70, finished third all-time in victories by a Division I head coach with 903. He posted the sixth-highest winning percentage of all-time in NCAA history and reached 900 wins in fewer games and seasons than any other coach in history.

During his 33 years as a head coach, Williams helped 32 players become first-round picks in the NBA with 52 players total in the league over that time. His legacy will go unmatched by only a few as his impact was greatly felt throughout the sport during his time on the job.

With the news that Williams will be walking away, those around the sport, including several former Tar Heels alumni, showed love to him on social media to congratulate him on an unbelievable career.

This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!

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Tom Izzo comments on Roy Williams’ retirement

Shocking news in college basketball today as legendary North Carolina head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement this morning.

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Shocking news in college basketball today.: Legendary North Carolina head coach Roy Williams announced his retirement this morning. Williams will go down as one of the best head coaches in college basketball history — something Michigan State head coach Tom Izzo acknowledged when talking about Roy Williams.

Izzo said about Williams: “I’ve had the privilege to coach against him many, many times, and I’ve always had great respect and admiration for not only what a great coach he is, but for how he has run his program and the class he has brought to college athletics’.” He also added how it would be “different to look at the North Carolina sideline and not see Roy there.”

Williams spent a total of 33 seasons as a college basketball head coach, 15 at Kansas and 18 at North Carolina. He finished with a 903-264 record with three NCAA national championships and nine Final Fours. He has the third-most wins NCAA Division I history only behind Mike Krzyzewski and Jim Boeheim.

You can read Izzo’s full statement on Roy Williams below:

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Everyone’s tweeting at the wrong Roy Williams after UNC retirement, and the ex-NFL safety is having fun with it

This is incredible.

Legendary UNC head coach officially retired after 33 years of coaching in the NCAA on Thursday and lots of fans showed him love on the internet.

Some of that love was misdirected, though.

There are a lot of people named Roy Williams out there. It’s a fairly common name. And so it’s not surprising at all that people on Twitter got UNC’s Roy Williams mixed up with another Roy Williams.

The hilarious thing about it, though, is that the Roy Williams that they were mixing him up with used to play in the NFL. Former NFL safety Roy Williams got a bunch of congratulatory messages from folks on Twitter and it was amazing.

The best part was all the fun he had with it. First, he actually photoshopped his face onto UNC Roy Williams’ body for his Twitter avatar.

He also actually trolled people who were tweeting him. It was incredible.

https://twitter.com/roywilliams31/status/1377649007477014537?s=20

He also got trolled by some former NFLers. Reggie Wayne tapped in.

So did Cato June.

Nate Washington begged someone to take away Williams’ phone.

Counterpoint: Please don’t. This is incredible content. Keep it coming, NFL Roy Williams.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1zpeaqoQE

Fans showed lots of love to Roy Williams following his retirement after 33 seasons

Roy Williams is really retiring.

It’s been quite a career for Roy Williams. After 33 seasons between Kansas and the University of North Carolina, the legendary coach is retiring.

Williams has three NCAA championships and nine Final Four appearances along with a 903-264 coaching record. He ranks fourth all-time in wins for a Division-1 head coach.

The news came seemingly out of the blue. It wasn’t necessarily expected that Williams would retire after UNC’s 2020-21 season. They made the tournament with an 18-11 record but were bounced out in the first round by Wisconsin.

College basketball fans everywhere had questions about the timing of things. But, mostly, they all appreciated Williams’s run as one of the best coaches in NCAA history.

https://twitter.com/JayBilas/status/1377628813845204998?s=20

https://twitter.com/byDavidGardner/status/1377638823522361344?s=20

A well-deserved retirement, indeed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VB1zpeaqoQE

10 coaches who should replace Roy Williams at North Carolina, according to Twitter

Some names to consider.

After 33 seasons, three national titles and 903 wins at North Carolina and Kansas, Roy Williams is retiring from coaching.

He’s an all-time great, right up there with Mike Krzyzewski, Roy Williams, Dean Smith and more. And of course we should take some time to celebrate his career now that the man with the third-most wins among Division I coaches is leaving.

But there are also UNC fans wondering who should replace him. And that’s what we’ve compiled here, a list of candidates put together by fans on Twitter. Some are serious, some are … a little far-fetched (but you never know!). Let’s dive in:

Roy Williams had a classic response to a question after UNC’s awful loss to Marquette

He is not happy.

Roy Williams has always been known for giving hilariously blunt and honest answers in his press conferences after games. That’s just classic Roy Williams.

He gave us another one of those moments on Wednesday after North Carolina’s 83-70 loss to Marquette. A reporter asked Williams about fans who questioned UNC scheduling Marquette in hindsight. They scheduled Marquette last week after searching for opponents to play because of COVID-19 cancellations.

The Golden Eagles are only 10-12, but they have big wins against Wisconsin and Creighton this season and have shown they’re capable of beating better teams. On top of that, it’s a nonconference game. So there really wasn’t much upside to UNC playing or potentially beating the Golden Eagles — especially since they’re a bubble team. Still, they were on the schedule.

And when Williams was asked about it, he went off.

“Well if I’d known we were going to lose, God almighty, I wouldn’t have scheduled the game. Come on. You can’t operate in damn hindsight. God almighty. If you told me we were going to lose? Yeah, we wouldn’t have played the game. If you told me we were going to beat the Lakers I would’ve scheduled them. Carolina fans, they’re not that dumb. If they are I’ve got no answer.” 

My goodness. Someone isn’t happy.

The question is still valid. This was a weird game to schedule, regardless. Williams is also right, though. Hindsight is always 20/20. As weird as this was, surely, UNC expected to win. They just didn’t.

Either way, this was a classic Williams response.

https://youtu.be/e2ocoIZSIyY

North Carolina coach Roy Williams on a round of golf with Michael Jordan: ‘You better be able to stand up for the lip’

In a video filmed at Pinehurst Resort, Roy Williams was asked what it’s like to play with Michael Jordan. His advice? Be ready for the lip.

Roy Williams, the longtime North Carolina men’s basketball coach, knows a thing or two about the level of competition Michael Jordan brings to any kind of contest.

On Wednesday, Jordan’s 58th birthday, Williams, who was an assistant coach at North Carolina when Jordan played college basketball there from 1981-84, appeared in a video filmed at Pinehurst Resort in which he talked about Jordan’s game on the golf course as opposed to his game on the basketball court.

Most of Williams’s observations had to do with Jordan’s penchant for chatter as opposed to his actual shot-making.

With Pinehurst’s iconic Putter Boy figure at his right elbow and the practice putting green and clubhouse in the background, Williams was asked a simple question for the short clip shared on Pinehurst’s Twitter account: What’s a round of golf like with Michael?

“It’s just competitive and the only thing he ever did that was better than playing basketball was talking. And so you better be on his team or he’s going to talk you to death. He can hit it a long way, got a great touch, he hits it a long way sideways every now and then, but you better be able to stand up for the lip because he’s going to talk you to death.”

Many, many stories of Jordan golf bets and talk have emerged through the years, and perhaps none greater than this tale of Jordan taunting PGA Tour player Dominic Bozzelli at Medalist Golf Club in Hobe Sound, Florida.

It takes some focus, it seems, to tee it up with Jordan.

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Coaches vs. Cancer golf auction features rounds with college legends at Pinehurst, Winged Foot and more

The Member for a Day Coaches vs. Cancer Auction presented by MGM Resorts is loaded with rounds of golf at incredible courses.

Coaches vs. Cancer has been uniting college basketball coaches and fans nationwide in the battle to cure cancer for more than 25 years.

This year, 102 college basketball coaches, personalities, and even a few celebrities are getting involved with the Member for a Day Coaches vs. Cancer Auction presented by MGM Resorts, a charity golf auction involving exclusive MGM Resort packages and rounds at some of the best golf courses the United States has to offer.

One of those involved is Oklahoma coach Lon Kruger, who has two items available: A round with Lon Kruger at Shadow Creek in Las Vegas, the No. 11-ranked course in Golfweek’s Top 200 Modern) + MGM Package, and a round with Lon Kruger at Southern Hills in Tulsa, Oklahoma, ranked No. 36 in Golfweek’s Top 200 Classic.

“We see this being hugely successful in year one, but imagining where it can go in year two and year three is really exciting,” said Kruger, who was the head coach at UNLV for seven years prior to going to the Sooners. He is the founder and chairman of the Coaches vs. Cancer Las Vegas Golf Classic, which has raised more $3.5 million over the last 11 years. “People like contributing to the fight against cancer. Everyone’s been touched by cancer. It’s a good team effort.

“It’s always important to donate, but especially now with the pandemic. Whether it be the American Cancer Society, or heart association, or any of the really significant causes, they’re struggling. This auction event came about because the ACS needs more funds because cancer keeps attacking and we need to generate addition funds especially at this time.”

Here are some of the other high-profile rounds up for auction:

  • Roy Williams at Pinehurst No. 2 or Biltmore Forest
  • Bobby Hurley at Country Club at DC Ranch
  • Rick Pitino at Winged Foot
  • Ken Griffey Jr. at Michael Jordan’s Grove XXIII
  • Jim Boeheim at Onondaga Country Club
  • Bruce Pearl at Willow Point
  • Bob Stoops at Jimmie Austin Golf Club
  • Pat Perez at Shadow Creek + MGM package
  • Jim Calhoun at Point Judith Country Club
  • Bill Raftery at Baltusrol Golf Course
  • Jay Bilas at Charlotte Country Club
  • Tim Miles and Larry the Cable Guy at ArborLinks Golf Club

According to Eric Sedransk, founder of Member for a Day, a nonprofit fundraising platform focused on once in a lifetime rounds of golf, more than $80,000 was raised for cancer research in the first 24 hours. Six months ago, Sedransk launched his first charity golf auction in support of hospital frontline workers affected by COVID-19.

Find out more about Coaches vs. Cancer here and check out all the items available here. Bidding will end on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020, at 9 p.m. ET.

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Bob Stoops, Josh Heupel, Roy Williams on 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and a foggy outlook on college football in 2020, OU and others received positive news on Tuesday morning. 

Amidst the coronavirus pandemic and a foggy outlook on college football in 2020, Oklahoma and many others received some positive news on Tuesday morning.

The College Football Hall of Fame is all sails ahead for welcoming its 2021 class. Greats from past and near present are on it, including three members from Oklahoma.

Bob Stoops’ status amongst college football can’t be questioned. His longevity of coaching and success is unparalleled for the common head college football coach. In his 17-year tenure, Stoops became the winningest head coach in Oklahoma history while leading the Sooners to one national championship (2000), four national championship game appearances (2000, ’03, ’04, ’08), one College Football Playoff appearance (2015), 10 Big 12 Championships and won every BCS bowl game. He has a statue standing outside the south end zone at Gaylord Family-Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Joining Stoops on the 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot are his players Josh Heupel and Roy Williams. Heupel set all the passing records in only two seasons at Oklahoma while being a 2000 consensus First Team All-American, Walter Camp Player of the Year in 2000 and also the Heisman Trophy runner-up. He helped end Oklahoma’s 15-year National Championship drought.

Williams was a 2001 unanimous First Team All-American and won the 2001 Nagurski (best defensive player) and Thorpe (best defensive back) awards. He also was a part of the 2000 National Championship team.

The 2021 College Football Hall of Fame Ballot is due by July 7. The newest members will be inducted on Dec. 7, 2021, with the official announcement of who makes it coming in early 2021.

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Ty Lawson posted a cryptic message on …

Ty Lawson posted a cryptic message on his Instagram story Monday in which he seemed to call out UNC head coach Roy Williams. “Who talks s— about someone who won them a championship …” Lawson wrote in his Instagram story. “(You’re) weird… I got messages from 10 NBA GMs that said it came out your mouth … That’s why I don’t f— with Carolina or support anything y’all do.”