University of North Carolina Athletics
Coach Doherty on Upcoming Game Versus Kansas
November 25, 2002 | Men's Basketball
Nov. 25, 2002
courtesy of Bill Cole, Winston-Salem Journal
Q: Will it be tough to coach against Roy Williams because of your
relationship with him?:
"He has said it in the past. I've said it playing against Steve Robinson.
You don't like to play against someone you care about because someone is
going to lose. And sometimes when you win those games you feel worse than
you do if you lose because you feel bad for the other person. But once the
ball goes up, it's going to be Carolina's players against Kansas' players.
I'm sure that they'll be favored. They've got such a talented team of
experienced players. They've got two All-Americans in Hinrich and Collison,
and they have Miles and Langford. They are a very good team. The thing I'm
concerned about is guarding against two quality, strong post players. And
they've got them. And they've got team speed. There's no weakness on their
team."
Q: Have you played a game at Madison Square Garden?:
"Yes. I've played like three or four games in the Garden. It's pretty cool.
Their horn is different. John Condon was the announcer and just to hear him
announce your name and hear the buzzer go off, it brings back memories of
Walt Frazier and DeBusschere, Bradley and Reed. It's special for me. It's
special for me to go back to the Garden and see family and friends. But my
biggest concern is certainly playing against the talented Kansas team."
Q: Roy Williams and Eddie Fogler said they felt like brothers when they
worked on the UNC staff. Do you have the same feelings about Williams?:
"He's like a big brother. Yeah, I think he's like a big brother to me. I
don't want to make him feel bad by saying he's like a father to me. He's not
that old. He's like a big brother to me. I always call him for advice and
leave a message to say, 'good luck.' We've probably left each other three or
four voice mails in the last week and a half. I'd say we probably talk about
once every 10 to 14 days."
Q: When was the last time you spoke to Williams in person?:
"I was out at Kansas for a dinner in his honor. That was like Oct. 20th or
25th, somewhere in there. It was a Sunday night and they were honoring him.
I went out and actually went to his practice on Sunday and went to the
dinner Sunday night. I was in Lawrence seven years. My son, Tucker, was born
there. We've got great friends there. I love Lawrence. Lawrence is very
similar to Chapel Hill. They've got great fans there. It's a great tradition
in basketball. It's a neat place to go. It feels like home."
Q: Are you worried about your young players being in awe once they get to
New York and play in the Garden?:
"I don't think our kids will be in awe. I think they'll be energized and
excited. I don't feel like they'll be intimidated. They're not that kind of
kid. I think they are looking forward to the challenge. They understand that
Kansas is a great team, but I don't think they'll be in awe."
Q: What about Coach Williams' role in the UNC coaching job when he turned it
down and that led to you being hired?
"That happened so long ago, three years almost. It's been brought up so
many times I don't think that's an issue."
Q: Do you have mixed emotions about going against Williams in the game:
"I'm not afraid about facing the coach; I'm afraid about facing the players.
If I was going against Coach Williams I'd have an opportunity to post him up
because he's a little smaller than me. I'm more concerned about Nick
Collison, Kirk Hinrich, Wayne Simien and Aaron Miles. They're a great team
that's very experienced and very explosive. I'm more concerned about their
players."
