Landon Buford
Last week, North Carolina legendary coach Roy Williams decided to retire after spending 18 years. During his time at UNC, he 485-163 leading the Tar Heels to three national championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017.
“It has been a thrill. It has been unbelievable. I’ve loved it,” Williams said. “It’s coaching. And that’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since the summer after my ninth-grade year of high school. No one has ever enjoyed coaching like I have for 48 years.”
“Everybody wants to know the reason, and the reason is very simple,” Williams said. “Every time somebody asked me how long I was going to go, I’d always say, ‘As long as my health allows me to do it.’
“But deep down inside, I knew the only thing that would speed that up was if I did not feel that I was any longer the right man for the job. … I no longer feel that I am the right man for the job.”
UNC alumnus and NBA championship coach, Larry Brown with the Detroit Pistons, would like to Williams be able to name his successor.
“In my gut, I hope Roy Williams picks his successor, and I hope it’s someone from the Carolina family,” Brown told ACC Network’s Packer and Durham, via ESPN. “… I know what Coach [Dean] Smith would want, I know what Coach [Frank] McGuire would want. … Keep it in the family, and let’s move forward.”
Many believe that former Tar Heel and ESPN analyst Hubert Davis is the front-runner for the job. It makes sense since he has been a part of Williams’s coaching staff since 2012.
However, NBA Insider Brandon ‘Scoop B’ Robinson believes Jerry Stackhouse should be considered.
“Jerry Stackhouse would also be great for UNC,” said Robinson.
“Currently coaching at Vanderbilt, Stackhouse told me on Scoop B Radio that his biggest influences were Dean Smith, Gregg Popovich, Avery Johnson, Don Nelson, and Rick Carlisle. He’s also a North Carolina legend.”
