Keeping It Heel
Fansided

UNC Basketball: The 9 lowest lows of the Roy Williams era

By Blake Cockrum

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after his players turned the ball over against the UCLA Bruins during the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena on December 21, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tar Heels defeated the Bruins 74-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - DECEMBER 21: Head coach Roy Williams of the North Carolina Tar Heels reacts after his players turned the ball over against the UCLA Bruins during the CBS Sports Classic at T-Mobile Arena on December 21, 2019 in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Tar Heels defeated the Bruins 74-64. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) /
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UNC Basketball
KANSAS CITY, MO – MARCH 24: P.J. Hairston #15 of the North Carolina Tar Heels looks on dejected as he returns to the bench in the second half against the Kansas Jayhawks during the third round of the 2013 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament at Sprint Center on March 24, 2013 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images) /

6. P.J. Hairston and Leslie McDonald miss considerable playing time due to NCAA compliance issues

Things were looking up in the spring of 2013 when the Tar Heels were set to return a host of talented players, including a pair of standout shooting guards in Reggie Bullock and PJ Hairston. Add to it a rising junior in James Michael McAdoo, a couple of promising sophomores in Marcus Paige and Brice Johnson and a freshman class that boasted Isaiah Hicks and Kennedy Meeks.

What could go wrong?

Well, for starters, the Tar Heels lost their best shooter when Bullock unexpectedly declared for the NBA Draft. Then, news broke that NCAA compliance issues would keep Hairston and junior guard Leslie McDonald out of the UNC lineup indefinitely. McDonald missed nine games before being cleared by the NCAA. His return to the lineup was contingent upon him repaying $1,783 to a charity of his choice after receiving impermissible benefits, which included the use of luxury cars, payment of parking tickets, a cell phone and lodging.

Little did we know that Hairston, on the other hand, had already played his last game as a member of the Tar Heels. The junior guard had led the team in scoring the prior season, but he’d also spent much of the summer committing a series of crimes that included multiple traffic stops, possession of a handgun and marijuana. He also received what the NCAA considered impermissible benefits in the form of rental cars from a local club promoter and convicted felon.

Just days after McDonald rejoined the team, the school announced that it would not seek reinstatement for Hairston, officially ending his time in Chapel Hill, and in college basketball. Shortly after, he filed paperwork to join the NBA D-League, and was acquired by the Texas Legends less than a month later.

In a few short months, the Tar Heels went from an experienced, title-contending team, to a fledgling, middle-of-the-pack program missing two of its top-three scorers from the season before.

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