That sign, plastered above the main entrance at the Dean E. Smith Center, said it all on Monday as North Carolina and Kansas basketball fans await Kansas coach Roy Williams’ decision whether to accept the vacant Tar Heel head coaching position.

Williams, a North Carolina grad, has set a Friday deadline to announce whether he’ll be coaching in the ACC or Big 12 next season.

Yet rumors persist at least on Tobacco Road that the coach is Carolina-bound. Williams is the popular choice to succeed Bill Guthridge, TV and newspaper reports mentioning no other candidates.

“Where’s the sign?” Smith Center maintenance worker Billie Brooks said during the lunch hour, the sign apparently plastered on the entrance after he reported to work in the early morning hours.

“That’s great. He is a native son. He’ll be accepted as much as Dean Smith.”

The Smith Center home of Carolina basketball was mighty quiet on the eve of the Fourth of July holiday, with few university officials reporting to work the day before an early-week vacation day.

The basketball office was empty and locked during the early afternoon. Some sports information officials were on hand, along with an employee or two in other offices.

On the court, Carolina senior-to-be Brendan Haywood and some former players took part in a game of “21.”

One of the players was second-year Seattle SuperSonics guard Shammond Williams, Carolina’s all-time three-point scoring leader who once scored 42 points in a game.

Williams, a 25-year-old native of the Bronx, N.Y., was a teammate of Roy Williams’ son, Scott, at UNC.

“Scott is my man,” Shammond Williams said. “There were two Williamses on the team during my four years Scott was the other Williams. Scott is a great individual and person.”

So is Scott’s dad, Shammond Williams indicated.

“I’ve liked and respected coach Williams a long time,” he said. “As a player, I remember coach coming to Chapel Hill to see Scott. He said some very inspirational things to me.

“I only have great things to say about coach Williams. I don’t know if he’ll take the job here or not. If he doesn’t, I’ll still respect him and realize he did the best thing for his family.”

Shammond Williams shed some light on the Carolina “family” a nationwide network of those involved with UNC basketball.

“The Carolina family is a solid family,” Williams said. “Guys who played here show a lot of respect for this institution and area. Many of us come back to live here. Like myself, I’ve bought a place.

“It’s a great place to work out in the offseason. The community is great. You can always get a good pick-up game going in the summer.”

“You don’t have to go look for NBA players,” said Smith center maintenance worker Jalaal Aleem, who took a break Monday to watch the pick-up action. “Stay here and they’ll come to you.”

For example

“Last week was coach Guthridge’s camp,” Aleem said, noting numerous pro players were in attendance. “I’m sure it’s the same with Roy Williams. If he wants to come here, I have no objection. This is where he started out. He’s part of the tradition here.”

And Carolina, like Kansas, has great basketball tradition.

On Monday, Randy Lee Taylor drove his son, Randy Lee, Jr., an hour and 20 minutes from Turkey, N.C., to walk around the Smith Center.

“I’m 45 years old and I’ve never been in here,” Taylor said as his son snapped pictures of the court. “I’m on vacation this week so we decided to finally get here.”

Duke fan Jay Ennis, a local delivery driver, had a couple free hours before he had to return to work.

“This is basketball heaven,” Ennis said. “I am a Duke fan, but I love ACC basketball. It’s all here Duke, North Carolina, N.C. State. It’s just fun to sit down and relax in here.”

Even with nothing going on during the summer, months away from hoops season.