Williams goes back to UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C., April 15 (UPI) -- Roy Williams Monday went back to North Carolina, his alma mater, and the decision led to an eruption of feelings at UNC and Kansas, the school he left.

Williams, who had coached the Jayhawks for the past 15 years, turned down the UNC job three years ago. This time, he found he could not reject the school's offer.

Reports are that Williams will make 260,000 per year plus incentives that should push his deal closer to $2 million per year.

He will succeed Matt Doherty, who resigned under pressure last month.

"I was a Tar Heel born," Williams said. "When I die, I'll be a Tar Heel dead. But in the middle, I have been Tar Heel- and Jayhawk-bred, and I am so, so happy and proud of that. I came back because it was the right thing to do. Last time, I stayed at Kansas because it was the right thing to do. I feel I made the right decision."

It was a strange news conference for Williams, who wore a Kansas tie and spent the first five minutes talking about the Jayhawks. He said his final star-studded recruiting class at Kansas, which included J.R. Giddens, David Padgett, Omar Wilkes, and Jeremy Case, made the decision difficult for him.

"I will regret not being able to coach them," Williams said.

Before the UNC news conference, Williams met with his players at Kansas to inform them of his decision, flanked by Kansas assistant coaches Joe Holladay and Steve Robinson. There were plenty of feelings about the decision.

"I am very upset," Scot Pollard, who played collegiately at Kansas, now is a member of the Sacramento Kings, and lives in Lawrence in the NBA offseason, told the Lawrence Journal-World. "I feel the guy made the choice three years ago, and the reasons he gave three years ago have not changed. We're still his family. I feel like selling my house out there and never coming back, but I won't. I am coming back and keeping my house. If he thinks I'm going to North Carolina for an alumni reunion, it will not happen."

"I gave my right arm for him," said Kansas forward Wayne Simien, who suffered a shoulder separation which ended his season prematurely in 2003. "I literally gave my right arm for that man."

"They're looking for a new basketball coach," said guard Keith Langford when asked if he would return to KU. "As for my future, I don't know. My future is uncertain."

The father of Kansas recruit David Padgett told the Kansas City Star his son was disappointed.

"Coach (Williams) sat in my living room and sat in my office and said he was going to be there for four years to coach David," Pete Padgett told the paper. "It's just frustrating. David is reeling. It broke his heart. I just don't know what avenue we're going to take. We put 21/2 years of intense scrutiny into the recruiting process. We thought we did our homework and did a good job. When a majority of the reason (you choose a school) leaves, it makes you step back and re-evaluate."

"It's no surprise that every team in America wants a great coach like Roy Williams," said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius (R-Ks). "We thank Roy Williams for 15 exciting seasons and wish him the best. Kansas has a long-standing tradition of excellent coaching, and we look forward to the next chapter."

"It doesn't matter," said Kansas guard Aaron Miles, who will be a junior next winter. "We're going to win the national championship next year anyway."

In 15 years at Kansas, Williams became the winningest active coach in Division I, taking the Jayhawks to 14 straight NCAA tournaments, four Final Fours, and two national title games. A week ago, Williams and Kansas lost to Syracuse, 81-78, in the national championship game.

He said being at KU was a personal honor.

"The great people in Lawrence who love KU made me feel I was not an adopted one, but one of theirs," Williams said. "Being in middle America, Kansas doesn't get the respect it should. The University of Kansas, Lawrence, and the people there made me feel lucky to go to work each day."

Born in Spruce Pine, N.C., Williams played for the Tar Heels and served as an assistant coach under Dean Smith from 1978-88. With Smith's strong recommendation, Kansas gave Williams his first head coaching job in 1989.

"You don't always have a chance to go back home, but he has that chance again," said Oklahoma Coach Kelvin Sampson, a North Carolina native. "That had a lot to do with his decision, and I think Dean Smith also had a lot to do with it. When he's done coaching, I think North Carolina is where Roy wants to end up living. Now, he'll already be there."