New Orleans ? “Roy, this is Dean.”
“Hey, Dean, how’s the golf game?”
“Lousy. Listen, I know you’re busy, and I don’t want to bother you. So good luck this week, and we’ll talk to you Tuesday.”
“That’d be neat.”
That may or may not have been how the phone conversation between Roy Williams and Dean Smith went this week. Then again, there may not have even been such a call because the winningest college basketball coach in history (Smith) isn’t talking, and the would-be dean (Williams) isn’t entertaining serious questions about what could be his next gig.
But it’s hard to imagine that the two haven’t crossed paths since the North Carolina basketball job again came open Tuesday, and speculation that the Tar Heels will again target Williams has been rampant.
“He’s earned the right to handle this any way he wants,” said Nick Collison, Kansas’ senior forward. “Knowing him, he hasn’t been offered the job, and he feels it would be disrespectful to talk about it.”
As he has all week leading up to his Kansas’ national semifinal against Marquette today, an irritated Williams addressed the topic Friday.
And it’s hard to blame the 52-year-old coach, because the timing is dreadful. Here he is, desperately trying to win his first Final Four in his fourth crack at it, and the job at his alma mater where he was an assistant for 10 years comes available.
“I think it’s a shame that the timing of someone else’s scenario bothers that (preparation) or raises these questions,” Williams said.
“Before you make every decision in your life, you ought to think about it. And, by God, I’m not going to think one second (about something) that’s going to take me away from Nick Collison and Kirk Hinrich. Whether it’s the media, whether it’s college presidents . if they have a tough time with that, that’s their problem.”
Williams had not previously referred to the topic as a “decision.” But make no mistake, the line of succession is as such:
Williams, No. 1.
Larry Brown, No. 2.
Everybody else, No. 3.
Quite simply, it’s Roy’s job if he wants it, over the 62-year-old Sixers coach, who would probably have to give up the U.S. Olympic head coaching spot and take a $5 million paycut.
But if you’re Williams, why not just say you’re not interested, and be done with it? Here’s why: That ain’t Roy. He doesn’t do anything without logically analyzing the situation.
North Carolina may be the best job after Duke and Kentucky. He took it when the job was offered three years ago, then changed his mind after hanging around his Kansas players. Williams is, if nothing else, extremely emotional and intensely loyal.
He could be hedging his bet and wanting the Jayhawk faithful to crave his return, even if he doesn’t win here. As excellent as his résumé is with 417 wins and an 80.7 winning percentage, an 0-for-Final Four record won’t make those Lawrence winters any warmer.
The guess here is Williams will stay put because he is Kansas basketball, although one Atlantic Coast Conference source puts the decision at 51-49 to stay at Kansas. I’d put the odds higher, at 80-20.
True, Williams doesn’t get along with Kansas athletic director Al Bohl, but neither does anyone else, which is why Bohl may not be retained, maybe not past Tuesday.
Williams’ wife and son would love to return to Chapel Hill. It is easier to recruit to North Carolina — where the Heels have four McDonald’s All-Americans on their returning roster, plus a commitment from 6-3 junior Jameson Curry, who’s already scored 2,300 points at Eastern Almance High School — than to Kansas. Roy’s forever having to trek out to California and Oregon to sign talent.
North Carolina would love nothing more than to hire Williams after he not only won the national championship, but did so at the expense of hated Duke in the Sweet 16.
Williams will jot down the pros and cons, but only after the Jayhawks’ final game. Then, and only then, the educated guess is Williams will stay where he is, because there’s less pressure in Lawrence, and there will only be one Dean Smith at North Carolina. And Roy is already the dean of Kansas.
