GoHeels Exclusive: Pre-Georgia Tech Notebook

By Pat James, GoHeels.com

Four days removed from Anthony Harris sustaining an injury in North Carolina's win over Yale, UNC announced Friday that the freshman guard tore his right ACL and will undergo surgery next week.

Harris, who missed the first eight games this season due to a left knee injury he suffered in high school, joins Sterling Manley (left knee) as Tar Heels who are out for the season. They aren't the only players who will be sidelined for Saturday's game against Georgia Tech, though, as Andrew Platek (left ankle) is game-to-game and Cole Anthony continues to recover from arthroscopic knee surgery he underwent on Dec. 16.

Together, those four players, along with Jeremiah Francis, Brandon Robinson and Leaky Black, have already combined to miss 39 total games due to injury thus far this season.

"It's been really hard," Roy Williams told reporters on Friday. "If you think about it, heck, Sterling was going to be in our top six at worst. Then Cole is arguably – and probably rightfully so and truthfully – our best player. We lose him and then Anthony and Jeremiah up to that point. …

"It has been difficult, but I was talking to another coach the other day and he said, 'It's the most weird thing I've ever seen.' But both of us said it at the same time, 'Nobody is going to feel sorry for North Carolina.' So, I realize that. That has made it a more difficult season for us, but the good news is we've got a lot of games left to play."

Here are five more notes from Friday's media availability:

'He's going to overcome this'
In the press release regarding Harris' injury, Williams said "the impact on our locker room after the Yale game was devastating." No player was more emotional than Francis, who rehabbed alongside Harris as he recovered from several surgeries on his left knee.

On Friday, Francis said he's "really torn" about Harris' injury, but has tried to be supportive of him during this tough time.

"I told him this is going to be his last time doing this," Francis said. "It's going to be a long journey, but it's something he has to deal with. Coach told him God wouldn't give him enough that he couldn't handle. We're just going to keep telling him that, and I believe he is really strong for this and he's going to overcome this."

Francis' comeback
Francis hadn't seen any game action in 990 days, dating back to March 24, 2017, when he made his first appearance as a Tar Heel on Dec. 8 at Virginia. The freshman guard played only three minutes against the Cavaliers, but he's played 16 or more in the four games since then, highlighted by his first career start against Yale.

"It's been very fast," said Francis of his progression the last few months. "I believe I've been given a lot, but I believe I can handle it. It's been a lot, but I'm just going to keep listening to Coach and everybody and keep doing my job to the best of my ability."

Over the last three games, Francis is averaging 11 points and four assists.

Anthony's recovery
At the time of his surgery, Anthony, UNC's leading scorer at 19.1 points per game, was expected to miss four to six weeks. Monday will mark three weeks since the procedure, but Williams said he's unsure when Anthony will return, considering he hasn't practiced.

"The whole thing is we're not going to try to push him and get him out there any earlier," Williams said. "He's got to feel completely safe about it himself. Everybody said the surgery was great and his rehab is going great. I really haven't talked to him, I really haven't."

Francis was asked how Anthony has handled being out.

"You guys see him in the games yelling and screaming on the bench," Francis said. "I believe he's been very positive. He's been doing rehab very well, and he's starting to shoot free throws and stuff like that on the court. I know he's been positive; that's the kind of kid he is."

'A pain in the rear end'
Monday's win over Yale marked Williams' 879th as a head coach, tying him with Dean Smith for the fourth most among Division I coaches. On Friday, Williams was asked about coaching against Smith in the 1991 Final Four, when Williams' Kansas team beat Carolina 79-73 and Smith was ejected for receiving two technical fouls.

"It was a pain in the rear end because that's all everybody wanted to talk about in the lead-up to the game as opposed to talking about our teams," Williams said. "So, in '93, when it happened again, Coach and I got together before and said, 'We're not going to talk about it at all.'

"But it was way too much attention to it from that viewpoint. I really wanted to focus on our team because we had really done a great job to get there. We weren't expected to be that good. So, that was just a tremendous run for us my first final four, but I didn't have a chance to enjoy it quite as much because of that."

Williams went on to compare the way that game ended to Monday's.

"At the end of the (1991) game," Williams said, "I was so upset for two reasons: that I didn't think Coach should've been thrown out of the game – that really bothered me – and the fact that by him being thrown out of the game, it was going to take away from a really nice win for our team, and he said that himself.

"The other night when the game was over with, (team spokesman) Steve (Kirschner) stopped me because I was going to the locker room. I told him I didn't want to do that and I forget what he said but he said, 'Coach, this is going to be quick.' I said, 'I just don't want to do it. I want to go see Anthony.' I didn't get a chance in my own mind in '91 to have my team enjoy the game and because of Anthony's (injury) the other night, I don't think my team enjoyed the game."

Patience paid off
While discussing Smith, Williams shared one story from 1988, when as an assistant coach on Smith's staff he turned down the head-coaching job at George Mason.

"The AD was coming down to meet with me and sign the contract and I was going to go back," Williams said. "And I called him at 6 a.m. and said, 'Don't come.' I called Coach Smith at 10 because I knew he wasn't going to be up at 6 and told him, 'I've got some good news and bad news, either way you look at it.' And he said, 'What's that?' And I said, 'Coach, I called and told him I wasn't coming because it didn't feel like it was the right thing.'

"And I'll never forget he said, 'Everything is going to be fine. I love the way you're patient. Everything is going to work out one of these days. A job is going to open up that's going to have your name written all over it and be staring you right in the face.' That was in May and that July is when I was named the new coach at Kansas."

Scoreboard Slider

University of North Carolina Athletics

Players Mentioned

Cole Anthony

Leaky Black

Jeremiah Francis

Anthony Harris

Sterling Manley

Andrew Platek

Brandon Robinson

Related Videos