University of North Carolina Athletics
Angell: Roy Williams Live
January 13, 2014 | Men's Basketball
From 7:00-8:00 every Monday night during the basketball season Roy Williams fields questions from Tar Heel fans on his radio show, Roy Williams Live. I am fortunate enough to be the host of the show meaning I get a chance every week to do something that millions of Tar Heel fans would love to do...talk Carolina basketball one-on-one with the Hall of Fame head coach.
I have to admit when I first became the host of the program I was a little wary of the weekly hour with the head coach simply because Williams has occasionally mentioned his lukewarm feelings for the show. I wanted to make sure the hour was as painless as possible for Coach and yet still informative/entertaining for Carolina fans.
I'll say (with caution) I think we have achieved that goal.
The goal of this column is not to pat myself on the back or act as though we have reinvented the proverbial wheel, but simply to encourage you to listen to the show. If you have interest in Carolina basketball I think you'll learn something about the Tar Heels.
Here are a couple of things I've learned in the two-and-a-half years of hosting the show.
• Coach Williams is very open to talking about his team. Williams is not going to give away any secrets or reveal anything he deems too personal/confidential between himself and a player, but he is very willing to talk basketball, performance, strategy, positives and negatives on a week-to-week basis. As he is in most media vehicles, Coach is very candid in his assessment of the team's performance while always protecting his guys. One of the more interesting tendencies I've noticed is that Williams is just as good, if not better, on the show after a tough loss as he is after a big win.
• Social media has increased the access to Coach Williams on the show. Williams' show, like all coaches shows, used to solely field questions from callers who had to call in during the designated time of the program to get a chance to talk to the head coach. We have changed the format to remove live calls from the show (people can still call in, but pass their question on to coach through a third party) while adding the ability to take questions during the hour and throughout the day via Twitter, e-mail and Facebook.
We get hundreds of questions/comments weekly and usually end up with 20-30 that are usable for air. The downside is that fans don't get to have a physical conversation with Williams, but it does allow many more questions to be asked and helps keep the show on topic. Interestingly, the newer forms of interaction are where most of the questions come from. I would rank the volume of questions received and used this way:
1. Facebook
2. Twitter
3. E-mail
4. Phone calls
Coach Williams was slightly hesitant when we initially suggested the change as he didn't want it to appear as though he was restricting access to him, but I think it has actually done the opposite.
• You will likely hear a good story or two during the hour. You don't get to be head college basketball coach for 26 seasons (not to mention a high school coach, an assistant coach, an Olympic coach with many other stops along the way) without picking up a few good anecdotes and Williams usually drops in a few every week.
• It is worth coming to the show in person at least once for the commercial breaks. While it doesn't happen every week, Coach Williams will often drop in a funny story and behind the scenes comment that only the crowd at Top of the Hill is privy to. That crowd is populated by some devoted regular attendees every week. I don't want to single anyone out at the risk of possibly leaving someone out, but I can't thank the regulars enough. Many of those fans come to every Larry Fedora Live during football season and Roy Williams Live during basketball season...even when the shows overlap. You don't have to come to the show to be a big fan of course, but these folks' loyalty to Carolina is tremendous.
• If you do come to the show at Top of the Hill let me recommend the Baja Chicken Salad. Whenever I get dinner from Topo I go with the Baja. I have convinced Coach Fedora of the Baja's deliciousness although Coach Williams sticks with the salmon.
Roy Williams Live airs every Monday (although we do have a few Tuesday shows this winter because of Monday night games) during the basketball season from 7 to 8 p.m. on the Tar Heel Sports Network. It may not be Coach's favorite hour of the week, but I think it's worth a listen and hopefully you will too.
Fans can submit their questions for tonight's show with Coach Williams via Twitter.
