University of North Carolina Athletics
Coach Roy Williams on Kansas-North Carolina
November 23, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 23, 2002
On playing former KU assistant Matt Doherty:
"A few years ago in the Preseason NIT we played Florida State when Coach
(Steve) Robinson was the head coach there and it's not pleasant for me. It
won't be pleasant having to answer all the questions that we'll have to
answer. I am going to try to focus on the game. I think Matt will do the
same thing. I wanted this team to go to New York and to get there we play
North Carolina just like it's scheduled right now. We have got to play them
whether I like it or not. If I had my choice I would choose not to play
them until it was Final Four time, and then I would be excited to play
anybody at that point."
On KU students chanting "We Want the Tar Heels":
"I said that there is no need for that. Let's just enjoy tonight. I mean
we
are going to get them. They are going to show up. I just think there is no
need to get carried away. Let's enjoy the journey as I have said thousands
of times. Let's enjoy tonight. A lot of times you wish for things you
wished you hadn't wished for. I want to enjoy tonight and we'll see what
happens when we get up there."
On contact with Coach Doherty:
"During the season usually about once every 10 days or so we'll talk. This
week alone we have traded three messages. I called him Monday - the day of
their first game. He called me Tuesday. I called him Wednesday. I think
that was it. I even said when I called him Wednesday don't worry about
calling me back. At least we are thinking about each other and we have got
things to do instead of talking on the phone a lot. I let it go at that."
On his overall feelings about North Carolina:
"North Carolina is the one that is harder to play than anybody else because
I
have those feelings of my entire life I dreamed of playing there and I
dreamed of coaching there. I did coach there for 10 years. I love that
place. I don't think anybody loves that basketball program as much as I do.
It is not just Matt Doherty. It's North Carolina. Tar Heel born. Tar Heel
bred. Tar Heel dead. There is something to that. I made the decision to
stay at Kansas. I am a Jayhawk and that isn't going to change. The only
thing that is a problem for me in more than one way is North Carolina."
On North Carolina fans resenting him:
"I am sure there is some (resentment). I have really tried not to look
back
and tried to really focus on the Kansas people being happy that I stayed
here. It was not an easy decision. Part of it since then has not been
pleasant. At the same time it's really the only reason I did not want to
play this game in New York because I have to answer all those questions
again. That is the hard part."
On Coach Dean Smith:
"Coach Smith has been phenomenal to me and is still phenomenal to me. It is
impossible to have any more respect for any person in the entire civilized
world than what I have for Coach Smith and the way he has treated me since
then. He knew what we had at Kansas. Larry Brown made a good statement he
said, 'He (Coach Smith) was one of the few people that knew the problem I
was going through."
On the differences between Kansas and North Carolina:
"The people at Kansas don't understand what they have at North Carolina and
the people at North Carolina don't understand what we have here at Kansas.
I disappointed some people and that's been hard for me to handle, but you
have to go on."
