Roy Williams is wading into uncharted territory, and it’s not in North Carolina — it’s right here in Lawrence.
Williams, for 15 years Kansas University’s basketball coach, tonight will make his first public appearance in Lawrence since being named head coach at the University of North Carolina.
He will break bread with his basketball players — make that his former basketball players — for a final time tonight.
Then Williams will participate in the official KU basketball awards ceremony beginning at 7 p.m. at the Lied Center. It’s unclear what sort of reception he’ll receive from players and fans still smarting from his departure.
“I don’t want this to be Roy’s story,” Williams said Wednesday at Allen Fieldhouse after returning from Chapel Hill, N.C., via the Tar Heels’ private jet. “I want it to be a celebration for these kids.
“I’ll be going just to show, regardless of what happens, I’m going to stand up and say to the day I die that I love KU. I gave everything I could to them and the team.”
Dr. Ken Wertzberger, a KU athletics booster and a team physician, wasn’t certain Wednesday whether he would attend the ceremony, but he said he thought Williams needed to attend.
“He wouldn’t have any gumption if he didn’t come back to face everyone for a final time,” Wertzberger said.
Williams’ former players said he was welcome to come back.
“Most definitely,” sophomore Keith Langford said. “He’s a part of celebrating the team.”
Margaret Simien, mother of KU sophomore forward Wayne Simien, said she had been to Lawrence to visit her son the past two days and sensed no desire of the players to keep their former coach away from the festivities.
As for her: “With myself and my husband, it doesn’t make a difference one way or another,” Margaret Simien said. “We are there for our son. He is our main thought now. As long as he’s comfortable, we are.
“I have no hard feelings. He’s no different from any other coach that moves on. My son started playing basketball in fifth grade. From fifth grade to now he’s had many AAU coaches and basketball coaches. To us, what’s one more coach?”
The 1,800 tickets sold for the Lied Center portion of the event long ago were gobbled up, with 95 percent of them going to members of the Williams Fund, which raises money to finance scholarships for KU athletes.
A huge media contingent is expected for tonight’s event, with representatives of The New York Times and ESPN among those expected to attend.
KU journalism student Emily Johnson contributed to this story.