University of North Carolina Athletics
Kenny Williams
Photo by: Jeffrey A. Camarati
GoHeels Exclusive: No Panic
November 13, 2018 | Men's Basketball, Featured Writers
By Pat James, GoHeels.com
Amid an 0-for-10 shooting streak to start the year, Kenny Williams never panicked.Â
He knew his shots would fall, at least eventually. North Carolina's coaching staff did, too, affirming Williams' shot looked the same as when he averaged 11.4 points and made 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers last season.
But in a subtle effort to boost Williams' confidence, assistant coach Steve Robinson ensured the scouting tape for Monday's home opener against Stanford included some clips from last season's meeting with the Cardinal. Williams registered career highs in points (20) and made 3-pointers (6) in that game. All came in the first half.
"That was a little mental thing for me," said Williams of the video. "He told me that he did it so I could see the ball go through."
And he saw the same inside the Smith Center on Monday.
After scoring one total point across the first two games of the season, Williams finished with 12 in seventh-ranked UNC's 90-72 win over Stanford. He went 4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. Nine of his points came in the first half.
Appropriately, Williams' first basket of the season came after he stole a pass. He subsequently drove the length of the floor, making a layup for the game's first points.
Less than two minutes later, he made a 3-pointer.
"It was a big relief …" Williams said. "I wasn't doing anything different to my shot. Like I told you guys, it just wasn't going in, and that happens sometimes. At some point, they'll end up falling again."
Growing up, Williams said he struggled embracing such a positive attitude whenever he missed a few shots in a row. That was still the case when he arrived in Chapel Hill. But he's gradually learned the importance of staying confident.
Still, that didn't keep him from showing frustration Friday, when he went 0-for-7 against Elon and his lone make was waved off because of a whistle. Between then and Monday, he spoke with Justin Jackson, who's been experiencing his own shooting struggles with the Sacramento Kings. They encouraged each other, knowing they'd overcome their issues eventually.
Williams' current teammates were also certain he'd shake his slump.
"He's going to let the offense come to him," Coby White said. "One thing I respect about him is he can go a game without scoring, but he can impact the game in so many other ways than just scoring the basketball. Him doing that, I think that's incredible.Â
"I've got a lot of respect for Kenny, and I look up to him."
Other Tar Heels drew more attention than Williams on Monday. He didn't lead the team in scoring; that was Cameron Johnson, who notched 17 points. He didn't post the most impressive line; that was Luke Maye, who had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. And he didn't have the signature highlight; that was Nassir Little, who collected a pinpoint pass from Seventh Woods for an emphatic alley-oop dunk.
But Williams made an impact, overcoming his shooting woes. That was never more evident than when he displayed no hesitation in draining a 3-pointer with 11:30 left.
"The three he made in the second half, that was the old Kenny," Roy Williams said. "He just knew he was going to knock it in. I like that part of it."
But he didn't like much else Monday.
Roy Williams spent a majority of his six-minute postgame press conference criticizing Carolina's poor defensive play, especially in the second half. He also chided his team's effort on the offensive glass.
So when asked about Kenny Williams' shooting performance, the Hall of Fame coach started detailing how his senior guard helped his teammates defensively during Sunday's practice. "I'm going to play him forever," Roy Williams recalled telling the team. He then said he joked about how he wanted to see Kenny Williams make a jump shot before the coach dies.
"He definitely said that," Kenny Williams later confirmed. "So I granted that wish."
Â
Amid an 0-for-10 shooting streak to start the year, Kenny Williams never panicked.Â
He knew his shots would fall, at least eventually. North Carolina's coaching staff did, too, affirming Williams' shot looked the same as when he averaged 11.4 points and made 40.2 percent of his 3-pointers last season.
But in a subtle effort to boost Williams' confidence, assistant coach Steve Robinson ensured the scouting tape for Monday's home opener against Stanford included some clips from last season's meeting with the Cardinal. Williams registered career highs in points (20) and made 3-pointers (6) in that game. All came in the first half.
"That was a little mental thing for me," said Williams of the video. "He told me that he did it so I could see the ball go through."
And he saw the same inside the Smith Center on Monday.
After scoring one total point across the first two games of the season, Williams finished with 12 in seventh-ranked UNC's 90-72 win over Stanford. He went 4-for-6 from the field, including 2-for-3 on 3-pointers. Nine of his points came in the first half.
Appropriately, Williams' first basket of the season came after he stole a pass. He subsequently drove the length of the floor, making a layup for the game's first points.
Less than two minutes later, he made a 3-pointer.
"It was a big relief …" Williams said. "I wasn't doing anything different to my shot. Like I told you guys, it just wasn't going in, and that happens sometimes. At some point, they'll end up falling again."
Growing up, Williams said he struggled embracing such a positive attitude whenever he missed a few shots in a row. That was still the case when he arrived in Chapel Hill. But he's gradually learned the importance of staying confident.
Still, that didn't keep him from showing frustration Friday, when he went 0-for-7 against Elon and his lone make was waved off because of a whistle. Between then and Monday, he spoke with Justin Jackson, who's been experiencing his own shooting struggles with the Sacramento Kings. They encouraged each other, knowing they'd overcome their issues eventually.
Williams' current teammates were also certain he'd shake his slump.
"He's going to let the offense come to him," Coby White said. "One thing I respect about him is he can go a game without scoring, but he can impact the game in so many other ways than just scoring the basketball. Him doing that, I think that's incredible.Â
"I've got a lot of respect for Kenny, and I look up to him."
Other Tar Heels drew more attention than Williams on Monday. He didn't lead the team in scoring; that was Cameron Johnson, who notched 17 points. He didn't post the most impressive line; that was Luke Maye, who had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists. And he didn't have the signature highlight; that was Nassir Little, who collected a pinpoint pass from Seventh Woods for an emphatic alley-oop dunk.
But Williams made an impact, overcoming his shooting woes. That was never more evident than when he displayed no hesitation in draining a 3-pointer with 11:30 left.
"The three he made in the second half, that was the old Kenny," Roy Williams said. "He just knew he was going to knock it in. I like that part of it."
But he didn't like much else Monday.
Roy Williams spent a majority of his six-minute postgame press conference criticizing Carolina's poor defensive play, especially in the second half. He also chided his team's effort on the offensive glass.
So when asked about Kenny Williams' shooting performance, the Hall of Fame coach started detailing how his senior guard helped his teammates defensively during Sunday's practice. "I'm going to play him forever," Roy Williams recalled telling the team. He then said he joked about how he wanted to see Kenny Williams make a jump shot before the coach dies.
"He definitely said that," Kenny Williams later confirmed. "So I granted that wish."
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Players Mentioned
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