UNC Basketball: My Application To Join Roy Williams Staff
By Matt Hamm
I want to start off by saying that I love Roy Williams the coach, recruiter, the man. If I could pick anybody in coaching history, to carry Dean Smith’s torch for Carolina right now, I wouldn’t pick anybody else in the world. But just like every other coach or human being for that matter Ol’ Roy has some flaws. And I think I’m just the guy to sit next to him (or behind him, which ever) to help.
Roy is one of the best coaches in college basketball when it comes to recruiting. He is also one of the very best at player development, elite at putting his players in a position to succeed in the pro’s after playing for him. The man is a genius at getting top level talent to play as one and become a team. Roy’s boys always not only buy into the Carolina way, they live it and help pass it on to the next generation of Tar Heels. Roy would be a great coach of the USA Mens Olympic Team (I refuse to call them the Dream Team anymore). The man has almost seamlessly carried the torch once held by the great Dean Smith as a historically great ambassador of his University.
But Roy, we need to talk about your timeout strategy my friend. I think I can help you out a little bit. No, I don’t want to mess with your operation much. I’ll sit and watch practice, rebound for the players and do whatever other busy work you want done. I’ll stay quiet on game strategy, practice routines and which players to recruit. I’ll be the guy that nobody interviews, nobody knows about and I don’t need any credit from anyone. Call me a quality control coach or just a general assistant to the program, I really couldn’t care less. All I need is a job and a place on the bench during games, somewhere with you in arms length of me, especially at the end of tight games. I’ll give you a simple nudge, a nod, eventually when we build chemistry, it will turn into a simple look. And that’s when you’ll know, it’s time to call a timeout. It’s time to calm these kids down, it’s time to draw up a play and lead them through the woods so we can come out the other side winners.
I know Roy, you don’t think you need me. After all, your a freaking Hall of Fame coach! You have two national championships in the last six years. Your the guy that saved us from Matt Dougherty for crying out loud! And not that it matters, but you have some pretty awesome assistant coaches on your staff already. But Roy, listen to me now, you need something different than that, you need me. Roy Williams I understand you, and UNC live (and often die) by the TO strategy you learned under the great Dean Smith as an assistant on his staff many years ago. You stick to the strategy no matter what and has an obvious preference to let his team play, rather than call TO.
It’s the Carolina way, it’s your way and it got you to the HOF didn’t it? Yes it did Roy, but it’s also a new day and age in not only college basketball but all of sports and it’s time to open your mind up to a different strategy. Young players in today’s day are scouted and reviewed and poured over as early as the 5th grade (even younger in ridiculous cases). The pressure on the young athlete to perform, especially in the clutch today is greater than ever before. Freshman rarely started in past generations, Michael Jordan himself was a rare exception to Dean Smith’s policy on that. Now, they are expected to pull a Carmelo Anthony and win the title for their team as soon as they arrive on campus. No better example is UNCs own Harrison Barnes who was named Pre Season All-American before ever setting foot on campus.
Your team blew another late game situation on Wednesday to arch rival Duke Roy. These young kids need you to stop the game in these situations, calm them down, instill your confidence and wisdom. The ending in Lexington against Kentucky was an embarrassment. In both instances, you had a time out to use and could have without harm. But the instinct deep within you told you not to and everyone around you has that same instinct in them.
You need someone from the outside Roy, you need me to help you break the cycle.
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