UNC Basketball: Jawad Williams relives intimate moments with UNC
By Quierra Luck
2005 UNC basketball champion Jawad Williams talks Carolina family, Roy Williams and nearly leaving the program.
There’s just something about the University of North Carolina that keeps their players returning. Whether it’s the comfort of home, stability or the familiar faces, its undeniable that the word “family” holds some serious weight around the basketball program. But how deep does that word really go? Is it something that’s simply portrayed for the media? According to Jawad Williams, it’s the real deal.
14 years removed from UNC-CH, Jawad Williams is still a familiar face around the Dean Dome. He practices there faithfully when he returns home from his overseas adventures of playing professional basketball. During his summers spent around the campus, Williams makes sure to provide mentorship, challenges incoming players and welcomes them into the Carolina bond.
Williams and I spoke for over an hour about his time at UNC, and if Roy Williams was his ideal coach when he took over the UNC basketball program — Williams happened to be a part of the team that was inherited by coach Williams in 2003. Williams and his teammates had just finished the worst season in UNC (recent) history… 8-20; a season everyone seems to forget during the tenure of Matt Doherty.
Williams talked about the moments during that season, and why he feels the team, nor Doherty, were respected, despite being much of the same team to win a title two seasons later.
During this interview, Williams spoke candid about being under the leadership of two coaches who had the pressure of performing for Carolina in front and behind the camera. What most don’t know is the dedication it took for Williams and his teammates to adhere to two coaching styles in a matter of two years, and experience the ups and downs of winning/losing in front of dedicated fans and desperate coaches.
The early 2000s for UNC was a roller coaster to say the least, but if there’s one thing for certain, it’s that the players never faulted; they got stronger. In an exclusive interview with Keeping It Heel, Williams shares those moments, personal or not, on what propelled himself and his teammates into champions on and off the court.
It’s more than just basketball.