Kansas’ gain is Dean Smith’s loss, yet the North Carolina coach isn’t complaining about being forced to seek a replacement for assistant coach Roy Williams at an inopportune time.
A three-week off-campus recruiting period begins on Sunday and Smith will have one less recruiter in the field after Williams was named head coach at Kansas on Friday.
“Of course, it is difficult,” Smith said, “but it is a great opportunity for Roy. We’re really excited for him, and we know he’ll do Kansas a great job.”
Williams spent 10 years on Smith’s staff in Chapel Hill, the last two as chief recruiter.
Williams had been head coach at a small high school near his hometown of Asheville, N.C., when Smith invited him to join his staff in 1978.
“He was on our freshman team while he was in school here,” Smith pointed out, “so we knew him very well. Then he started working in our camps and eventually he ran one.
“There was no doubt when I had an opening that I wanted to bring Roy in.”
Smith said he had one prospect in mind as Williams’ replacement — former North Carolina All-America guard Phil Ford, who is now in the banking business in Raleigh.
“I’m sure I’ll talk to Phil about it,” Smith said. “But I may have to talk him into going into coaching.”
