Delaying the NCAA Tournament a few days because of war would have been OK with patriotic Kansas University men’s basketball coach Roy Williams.
“I am one of those guys that will go with what our leaders say,” Williams said Tuesday before NCAA President Myles Brand announced the tourney would go on as scheduled even if war breaks out this week in Iraq.
“We have young people there that are having their lives at stake. That’s a lot more important than basketball. We need to back off and look at that,” Williams added.
Williams, his players and some coaches’ wives hopped on a charter bus at 4 p.m. Tuesday outside Allen Fieldhouse. They were headed to Oklahoma City, site of Thursday’s 8:40 p.m. NCAA tourney opener against Utah State.
The Jayhawks, who will practice at 6 tonight at Ford Center, packed for just four days, bringing some extra detergent if clothes needed to be washed in the event the tourney was postponed because of war.
Obviously, Williams hopes war can be averted.
“I’m really torn about what’s going on in the world right now,” he said. “Those guys that are young people, 21, 22, 23 year olds — almost the same age as what I’m coaching — going over there with rifles.
“The conflict they are going into is far more important and far more difficult to even comprehend with what we’re doing playing basketball.”
Williams said everybody should put basketball in perspective. He certainly is doing that.
“I was so discouraged, disgusted, hurt, disappointed — whatever you want to call it — after the Missouri game,” Williams said of KU’s loss to MU last Saturday in the Big 12 Conference tournament.
“Then Sunday morning I get up and start reading the paper about what might be going on. Joe Holladay (KU assistant) has a son who is a ranger over in Europe right now. A lot of people have loved ones who are going to go into that conflict right now. So thinking about that basketball game was not very important, to say the least.”
Indeed, Holladay’s son, Matthew, is in Italy right now as a captain in the 173rd Airborne Unit.
“He’s not allowed to say anything,” Holladay said Tuesday of his son, who has been in the Army four years. “I’m sure he’ll be a part of what’s going on over there before long.”
Holladay said naturally he is concerned.
“Knowing that’s what he’s trained to do helps,” Holladay said. “He will be great to represent the U.S.
“I will just support him and hope everything works out for the best. We’ve got a lot of friends thinking about him. We’ve been getting a lot of phone calls.”
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UCLA job: It is believed Williams is on UCLA athletic director Dan Guerrero’s wish list to replace fired coach Steve Lavin.
KU athletic director Al Bohl was asked Tuesday if Guerrero had called to ask permission to speak with Williams.
“We have no reason to (hear from Guerrero),” Bohl said. “I’m going to continue to support him (Williams) and we’ll keep building our program through Roy.”
Williams said recently he’d not been contacted by UCLA.
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Finger still OK: KU guard Aaron Miles practiced Tuesday with his right index finger taped to his middle finger. Miles dislocated his finger in last Saturday’s game against Missouri. There is a chance he will be able to practice today without the finger taped. No bones in the finger are broken.