UNC Basketball reaches out to former players in coaching search
It was an emotional rollercoaster of a day with the abrupt announcement of UNC Basketball head coach Roy Williams retiring on Thursday morning. And no, it wasn’t an April Fools’ joke as Williams met the media in the afternoon saying his goodbye to the program.
With the departure of Williams, the Tar Heels are now in search of a new coach for the program to replace the legend. Athletic Director Bubba Cunningham held a zoom meeting with media hours after Williams’ retirement press conference to provide an update on what is going on with the search. During the meeting, Cunningham expressed who would be involved in the search for the coach and revealed that he will take former players input into the decision.
“I do want to touch base with as many former Carolina players as possible.” Cunningham continued, “I really want to hear from them and get their thoughts because they have built this program.”
Cunningham addressed how he wants to speak with multigenerational players, however understanding it’s not possible to speak with everyone who’s laced up as a Tar Heel. He named dropped many Tar Heel greats from different eras such as Phil Ford, Cam Johnson, Marcus Paige, Luke Maye, and Eric Montross while expressing his desire to get feed back from those invested in the program.
During that same meeting, Cunningham acknowledged that former head coach Willams would also have input on the decision, crediting his “enormous experience” and noting that he would continue to ask for his help along the way.
“He’s one of the many Carolina alums that are in the business and understands the importance of this job.”
End of an era 🐐#CarolinaFamily pic.twitter.com/Viij8MGj6c
— Carolina Basketball (@UNC_Basketball) April 1, 2021
Expect North Carolina to announce a new head coach sooner rather than later with Cunningham pointing out the movement in the transfer portal as one of the reasons why a quick decision must be made.
“I wanna go as quickly as I can. We didn’t let much time elapse between Larry and Mack Brown. We won’t let much time elapse here.”
Related Story. Head Coaches That Could Replace Roy Williams. light
Make sure to check back with Keeping It Heel for all the latest on UNC’s search for their next head coach.