Tag: Roy Williams

Ty Lawson appears to throw shade at North Carolina on Instagram

The 2009 ACC Player of the Year appears to have a problem with Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams.

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Former North Carolina Tar Heels guard Ty Lawson appears to have a problem with head coach Roy Williams after the 2009 ACC Player of the Year posted some cryptic messages on Instagram.

Of course, Lawson played three seasons under Williams at North Carolina and helped the Tar Heels win the NCAA championship in 2009. He was named a Consensus Second-Team All-American after averaging 16.6 points, 6.6 assists and three rebounds that season.

While Lawson had a decorated career in college, the relationship with North Carolina may be strained after he appeared to call out his former coach on his Instagram story, courtesy of Josh Graham of WSJS.

Warning: Tweet contains explicit language

The message posted by Lawson appears to have been deleted but the problem Lawson has with the program likely still remains. It is unclear what happened with Lawson but he certainly feels disrespected in some way and chose to tell at least one part of his story on social media.

His No. 5 is honored by the basketball program.

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Texas Longhorns team of the century: Wide receivers

Longhorns Wire is compiling a starting roster for team of the century, next up is the wide receivers.

Outside of former Texas legends Roy Williams and Jordan Shipley, this was a tough position group to fill. Continue reading “Texas Longhorns team of the century: Wide receivers”

“Roy Williams (then a young UNC …

“Roy Williams (then a young UNC assistant) told us a great story about how everyone got one chance to play in Carmichael (Auditorium) during the UNC camp week,” Hehir said. “Michael killed everybody. After seeing him play, Dean Smith pulled Roy aside and told him, ‘This kid can’t go to any other camp.’ But Roy insisted that he had to go to Five-Star to see how he would do against Patrick Ewing, Chris Mullin and all these other kids. “I knew that we were going to do an episode on the making of Michael Jordan. Brendon Malone appears with us (in ‘The Last Dance’) primarily as Chuck Daly’s assistant for the Pistons, but back then he was a Syracuse University assistant basketball coach and Michael’s coach at Five-Star. He told us stories about Michael’s will to win as a 16- and 17-year-old.”

Roy Williams doesn’t think the G League is bad for college basketball

North Carolina head coach Roy Williams doesn’t believe the NBA G League professional pathway program is bad for college basketball.

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North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams doesn’t believe the revamped NBA G League professional pathway program is bad for college basketball.

The G League announced on April 16 its plans to launch a new developmental team as an alternative path for elite prospects wanting to play professionally. Five-star prospects Jalen Green and Isaiah Todd were the first two players to commit to playing on the G League Select Team.

Upon its launch, many believed the program could have significant ramifications for the NCAA with some of the top high school prospects skipping college basketball altogether. Williams, who spoke Thursday on the Dan Patrick Show, doesn’t believe that to be the case moving forward.

I don’t think it’s bad for college basketball. The NBA is going to make their rules for what they want. They’re not our partner, they are going to make the rules that are best for the NBA. There will be several players every year that will try to do that and that’s okay if they have no interest in college. The only negative thing I think is they are calling kids now who have already signed and committed to go to college and trying to see if they have any interest. I don’t think they should be doing that, that’s my own personal opinion.

Some kids really don’t want to go to college and that’s okay. There is going to be a game twice a year where one team has on a Duke uniform and the other team has on a North Carolina uniform and they are still going to play and it’s going to be that way next year, 10 years and 20 years from now. The NBA is doing the right thing in most part because they are doing what they think is best for their game.

On Tuesday, college basketball saw the first player to verbally commit to a school change his mind to join the G League when Daishen Nix de-committed from UCLA in order to join Green and Todd. Williams took exception with that decision in his interview and doesn’t believe the G League should target those players.

The G League Select Team will only be targeting the top prospects in the country and likely won’t interfere with college recruiting too much with the exception of a small percentage of players, though it could prevent some of the top college programs from adding high-profile players moving forward, like a Green or Todd.

Under the structure of the new program, prospects will be placed on a team filled with veteran players and experienced coaches to provide mentorship throughout the season. They will participate in training and exhibition games and will play around 10-12 games against existing G League teams.

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Roy Williams claims Michael Jordan ran a 4.38 40-yard dash

Michael Jordan was probably faster than your NFL team’s first round pick

Michael Jordan is one of the greatest athletes we’ve ever seen pick up a ball of any kind. But we all knew that.

That’s not what makes MJ a legend, though. It’s the mythology that does all that. Some of the stories are real, some of them aren’t. But there are so many that you’re just eventually left like…”they can’t ALL be fake, right?”

That’s where this latest story from North Carolina Head Coach Roy Williams falls. On The Herd on Monday, Williams claimed Jordan ran a 4.38 40-yard dash once during a team practice when Williams was an assistant coach under Dean Smith in 1982.

Williams said three coaches were tracking Jordan’s time with stopwatches. One got 4.39 and two got 4.38. He tells the rest in the 5:00 mark of the video.

“So I waited, I said ‘Michael, we missed your start. We made a mistake here. I need you to run it again.’ He said ‘Oh, too fast for you, huh?’ He goes back to the line, runs it again, and all of us got below 4.4 as a sophomore.”

Fam. Roy Williams is trying to tell us Jordan would’ve been faster than all but four of the athletes at the NFL combine this year. Think about that. It’s almost like the only thing he wasn’t good at was baseball. Oh, and running the Wizards. But that doesn’t count. No one has ever been good at that.

Now, there’s a big caveat here. They tracked Jordan with stopwatches and there’s a huge margin of error with those. That has to be accounted for here.

But, honestly, it is not surprising to hear this at all. Larry Bird didn’t call this man God for nothing. The legend of Jordan just keeps growing.

Texas Longhorns first round picks since 1999

Take a journey back to every Texas Longhorn to be drafted in the first round since 1999.

The 2020 NFL Draft is just hours away from officially kicking off. There are a few ways that you can tune into the festivities on Thursday Night. Despite the fact that the Texas Longhorns don’t have a first round caliber player according to almost every major draft analysts board, we take a journey back to every first round selection since 1999. The Longhorns could have a first round pick next year if Samuel Cosmi decides to declare or another name jumps to the front.

1999

Ricky Williams: 5th overall to the New Orleans Saints

Brian Bahr /Allsport

In 1999 the New Orleans Saints and head coach Mike Ditka gave up their entire draft just to secure the rights for Ricky Williams. Williams went on to play for the Saints until 2001 when he had a career year for the Miami Dolphins in 2002. He earned his only Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors that season with 1,853 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Williams played for one other team before hanging up the cleats, the Baltimore Ravens in 2011. He finished his 11-year career with 10,009 yards rushing and 66 touchdowns. Adding another eight receiving. His career was never the same after retiring in 2004 and returning to the NFL in 2005.

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North Carolina at Duke college basketball odds, picks and best bets

Analyzing North Carolina at Duke sports betting odds and lines, with college basketball betting picks and tips.

The North Carolina Tar Heels (13-17, 6-13 in the ACC) visit their Atlantic Coast Conference rival, the Duke Blue Devils (24-6, 14-5 in the ACC),  Saturday for a 6 p.m. ET tip-off at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. We analyze the North Carolina-Duke odds and betting lines, with college basketball betting advice and tips around this matchup.

North Carolina at Duke: Three things you need to know

  1. North Carolina is playing its best basketball of the season. The Tar Heels are on a three-game winning streak (all against ACC competition) following a seven-game losing streak. Duke has been struggling lately losing two of its last three games.
  2. North Carolina lost a heartbreaker, 98-96, in the first game this season against Duke thanks to Wendell Moore Jr.’s buzzer-beating putback in overtime. 
  3. Duke got revenge against North Carolina State in its previous game, 88-69 on March 2, after the Wolfpack upset the Blue Devils on NC State’s home floor. 

Get some action on this college basketball matchup or others by placing a legal sports bet at BetMGM! New customer offer: Risk-free first bet! Visit BetMGM for terms and conditions.

North Carolina at Duke: Odds, betting lines and picks

Odds via BetMGM; access USA TODAY Sports’ betting odds for a full list. Lines last updated at 10:00 a.m. ET.

Prediction

Duke 78, North Carolina 70

Moneyline (ML)

North Carolina (+475) out-rebounded and shot better from the field than Duke -667 in their first meeting. The Tar Heels’ major flaw in that game was committing 18 turnovers to the Blue Devils’ 11. Both teams are stacked with well-recruited talent. The key matchups of Duke’s PG Tre Jones and C Vernon Carey Jr. versus North Carolina’s PG Cole Anthony and PF Garrison Brooks were essentially draws. It’s hard to fathom the Tar Heels scoring an upset in Duke after blowing a double-digit lead in their own home. We certainly aren’t spending the exorbitant Duke moneyline price. PASS ON THE MONEYLINE.

Against the Spread (ATS)

North Carolina +11.5 (-125) have covered five consecutive games, and six out of seven, against Duke -11.5 (+105). Plus Duke has been struggling lately losing two of its last three games and are 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games. The Tar Heels get up for tough teams on the road—they are 6-4 ATS versus winning teams. Also, Duke is 1-3 ATS when laying 10-12 points.

I LIKE NORTH CAROLINA +11.5 (-125).

Over/Under (O/U)

The last North Carolina-Duke game went Over the projected total, snapping a six-game Under streak. I think Saturday’s game will go Under, but it’s only a slight LEAN toward UNDER 152.5 (-110). It’s only a lean though because Duke has a 21-9 Over/Under record on the season, and both the Tar Heels and Blue Devils went Over the projected total in five of their previous six games.

Want some action on this matchup? Place a bet at BetMGM now. For more sports betting picks and tips, visit SportsbookWire.com.

Follow @Geoffery_Clark and @SportsbookWire on Twitter.

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Watch: Four Quick Thoughts on Roy Williams F-Bomb

Roy Williams doesn’t usually crack quite like that.  The only thing to come to mind for me is Bonnie Bernstein upsetting him because she dared to ask him about leaving for North Carolina after his Kansas team lost is the only to leave for North Carolina shortly after.

Roy Williams is a college basketball legend.

He’s won three national championships during his time at North Carolina, led his teams at Kansas and Carolina to a combined nine Final Four appearances and has coached 11 Consensus All-Americans.

The 2019-2020 season is another story however as Williams and North Carolina are just 10-16 after Notre Dame beat them in the final seconds Monday night.  After surrendering a 15 point lead Williams finally cracked, at least as much as he can in front of a camera.

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A few thoughts on this one:

  1.  Has anyone ever apologized faster than that for letting the mother of all cuss words fly?  The apology is legit out before the f-bomb is even completed.
  2. It just breaks your heart to see North Carolina basketball going through this tough run.
  3. Roy Williams doesn’t usually crack quite like that.  The only thing to come to mind for me is Bonnie Bernstein upsetting him because she dared to ask him about leaving for North Carolina after his Kansas team lost is the only to leave for North Carolina shortly after.
  4. I am no way, shape or form offended by his honest slip-up but am offended by you if you are.

Notre Dame’s Muffet McGraw Wins Twitter on President’s Day

McGraw hasn’t won often in 2019-20, but on social media Monday night she was lights out.

When you think Muffet McGraw you think building a program from a near-nothing to a national powerhouse. You also probably think of a couple of national championship banners that hang in Purcell Pavilion and a bunch more Final Four appearances.

When you think Roy Williams you probably think somewhat the same in terms of men’s basketball as he holds a few national championships himself, is a legend in the game and has guided both Kansas and North Carolina to elite levels on an annual basis.

Except this year.

McGraw’s Notre Dame squad sits just 10-16 on the season and 5-9 in ACC play. Meanwhile Roy’s Tar Heels are an unheard of 3-11 in conference play entering Monday night.

McGraw didn’t shy away from the fact the two former champions are suffering through a couple of trying seasons.

You can call Muffet McGraw many things but perhaps more than anything, she’s self-aware.

Bonus points for mentioning Steve Kerr of the 12-43 Golden State Warriors, too.

McGraw hasn’t won often in 2019-20, but on social media Monday night she was lights out.