Instead of watching fireworks, Kansas University athletics director Bob Frederick celebrated the nation’s birthday on Tuesday evening by listening to his phone ring.
No, Roy Williams didn’t call.
Several members of the Kansas and North Carolina media did, however, many of them asking about a report in today’s Durham, N.C., Herald-Sun that Williams had agreed to succeed Bill Guthridge as men’s basketball coach at the University of North Carolina.
Frederick issued basically the same reply to all inquiries: “There’s nothing new. I haven’t heard from anybody. I have not heard from Roy Williams.”
Neither had KU Chancellor Robert Hemenway.
“I think coach Williams has indicated he wants to make a decision by Friday,” Hemenway said. “When he comes back home, we’re going to talk.”
Meanwhile, Williams spent his third full day in the Carolinas, ruminating about whether to remain at KU or jump to his alma mater.
According to the Durham newspaper, a North Carolina spokesman confirmed that Williams met with UNC athletics director Dick Baddour on Tuesday. Later, Williams played golf with Carolina coaching legend Dean Smith.
The Herald-Sun also reported that Williams had verbally accepted a multiyear deal to coach the Tar Heels, then soft-pedaled by stating that several sources could not confirm the verbal agreement.
“I don’t think we’re there yet,” a source close to the UNC athletics department told the Herald-Sun.
Presumably, Williams returned to South Carolina after meeting with Baddour and watched fireworks from the beach at his South Carolina vacation home on Tuesday night.
At a media session last Friday, about 24 hours before he left Lawrence, Williams remarked how much he enjoyed seeing the rockets’ red glares and the bombs bursting in air over the Atlantic Ocean.
If Williams met with Baddour, Frederick avowed no knowledge of it.
“I’m just waiting until he gets back, either tomorrow or Friday,” Frederick said. “Then we’ll meet with him.”
Williams said before departing that his game plan was to return to Lawrence and meet with Frederick and Hemenway before making a decision.
Then, Williams said, he would inform his players — something he would have to do by telephone because the majority of the KU players are back home.
Frederick said he would be in his office sometime between 7:45 a.m. and 8:30 a.m. today, and that he expects to hear from Williams sometime during the day.
Meanwhile, another unanswered question popped up Tuesday.
A couple of days ago, someone draped a blue sweatshirt over the Phog Allen statue in front of Allen Fieldhouse with the words “Roy Please Stay” hand-lettered on the front.
That sweatshirt was missing from the Allen statue on Tuesday. Frederick said he didn’t know what happened to it, but speculated the shirt was removed because recent rains had caused the writing to run.
