Two-time AP Coach of the Year and three-time national champion Roy Williams is currently retired after a long and successful career.
But long before he was the head coach of the North Carolina Tar Heels for nearly two decades between 2003 and 2021, he led the program for another college basketball juggernaut for the Kansas Jayhawks.
Williams coached Kansas between 1988 and 2003, winning Naismith College Coach of the Year in 1997. He was replaced by Bill Self, who still coaches Kansas.
The two men’s basketball teams are scheduled to play against each other on Friday, 7:00 p.m. ET, in Kansas at Allen Fieldhouse. Both teams are currently ranked top-10 in the nation with the Jayhawks at No. 1 overall. So everyone is wondering if Williams will attend the game.
Regarding the biggest story in NC this week, no — Roy Williams will not be in Lawrence Friday night for UNC at Kansas.
Had a long talk with him last night for stories to come.
“There is no way that I can go into Allen Fieldhouse and clap when the other team scores a basket.”
— Andrew Carter (@_andrewcarter) November 4, 2024
According to Andrew Carter, who spoke to Williams, the answer is no.
Williams could not find it in himself to go to Allen Fieldhouse and applaud when the other team scores, even if that other team is the Tar Heels, where he had so much success and experience.
He is clearly a man of principle, which is why he appeared to refuse to cheer for North Carolina State during the March Madness tournament in 2024.
