Basketball Hall of Fame Coach Roy Williams

Recently the the Basketball Hall of Fame recognized Roy Williams by placing him in the Hall of Fame. The University of North Carolina head coach has for years been among the best coaches in college basketball. With great teams at both Kansas and UNC, Williams has accomplished almost every thing a coach could accomplish at the college level. The Basketball Hall of Fame could have not made a better decision.

Williams began his career as a high school coach in a high school in North Carolina. He eventually came back to his alma mater as an assistant coach to Dean Smith at the University of North Carolina. After years of service at UNC and nearly 300 wins as an assistant coach, Williams became the head coach at the University of Kansas. During his stay at Kansas Williams would coach some of the greatest players the game has ever seen including Danny Manning, Paul Pierce, Jacque Vaughn and Raef Lafrentz. During his stay at the University of Kansas Williams won 9 regular season championships and made several Final Four appearances. Despite his success at Kansas, Williams would return to his alma mater North Carolina in 2003 as the head coach.

The one knock on Williams as a head coach had been that he could never win the big game. He had never one a national championship. After getting the Tar-heel program back on track he set out to accomplish this goal in 2005. With a super big man in Sean May, a great point guard in Raymond Felton, and a great supporting cast, Williams finally got his championship in 2005 with a victory over Illinois.

What makes Roy Williams such a great coach is his passion for the game. He is a guy who desires the best out of his players. He demands it! A great example of this would be in 2006 in a game versus the Duke Blue Devils. This was the season after winning the championship. Everyone knew the Tarheels did not have the depth or experience they had the previous season. With the Heels trailing by nearly twenty points, Roy pulled all five of his starters out of the game, a move he is well known for. The cameras quickly caught Williams chewing his starters out and trying to motivate them to play harder. Needless to say the players came back into the game and won a game few thought they could. It was Williams motivation and passion that got them the victory.

Roy Williams is a super coach. It is only fitting that he got his championship in 2005 to get the 'monkey' off his back. As he has returned to UNC, his home, he is sure to keep their winning tradition alive. Many think he may one day surpass his mentor Dean Smith as the all time leader in coaching victories one day. Only time will tell but it is fitting that he has his spot in the Hall of Fame.