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UNC Basketball: Current, former Heels show appreciation for Roy Williams

By Blake Cockrum

Oct 13, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams with players and former player and host Kenny Smith during Late Night with Roy at Dean Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 13, 2017; Chapel Hill, NC, USA; North Carolina Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams with players and former player and host Kenny Smith during Late Night with Roy at Dean Smith Center. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports /
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Current and former Tar Heels show appreciation for longtime UNC basketball head coach Roy Williams

On Thursday morning, Roy Williams announced his retirement from the game of basketball after 48 years in the sport, 33 of which were spent as a head coach. Of those 33 years as a head coach, 18 were spent at the University of North Carolina where he won 485 games, took his teams to five Final Fours and captured three NCAA Tournament titles.

The outpouring of emotion and admiration and words of encouragement that followed Williams’ announcement have been nothing short of amazing. Posts on Twitter and Instagram from current and former players, peers in his profession and even rival teams have been quite a sight to behold.

Current Tar Heels to show Williams appreciation include senior power forward Garrison Brooks, senior reserve guard Andrew Platek and sophomore center Armando Bacot. Day’Ron Sharpe, who recently declared for the 2021 NBA Draft, also took to Instagram to thank him for the opportunity to play at UNC, and to congratulate him on an outstanding coaching career.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNIZsGhg4Ol/?igshid=1hvz6mj7kp8pc

Sean May, Deon Thompson, PJ Hairston, Theo Pinson and Marcus Paige are part of an even larger list of former Tar Heels that sent out their congratulations and well-wishes to Coach Williams via social media on Thursday afternoon.

https://twitter.com/brob_4/status/1377639008235294733?s=10

Along with his handful of Final Four appearances and trio of national titles at UNC, Williams guided the Tar Heels to nine ACC regular season titles, three ACC Tournament titles, 15 NCAA Tournament appearances and 79 NCAA Tournament victories. He was named Associated Press Coach of the Year on two occasions, and is a member of both the Basketball Hall of Fame (2007), and the College Basketball Hall of Fame (2006).

There’s no doubt that Williams will be remembered not only as one of the greatest to ever do it in his profession, but also as one of the greatest human beings in the world of college basketball. We wish him all the best in his retirement, and thank him for the wonderful 18 years that we got to watch him at his craft on the North Carolina bench.

From all of us to you, Coach, thank you.

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