UNC players anxious for new coach

Williams expected to be offered UNC job CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- North Carolina contacted Kansas on Wednesday about speaking with Roy Williams about the Tar Heels' head coaching job. On the same day that he fired his own athletic director, Kansas Chancellor Robert Hemenway said North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour called him and said UNC officials planned to talk with Williams. "It's a little hard to say if it was asking permission or if it was notification, but they said that they wanted to talk to Roy, and I was not surprised that they called," Hemenway said in Lawrence, Kan. Baddour did not return a call from The Associated Press seeking comment Wednesday night. Hemenway fired Kansas athletic director Al Bohl, whose relations with Williams had been strained ever since Bohl was hired two years ago. Bohl claimed Wednesday that Williams orchestrated his dismissal. Williams, a Tar Heels alum who played for Dean Smith and was one of his mentor's assistants, is expected to be offered the job that became vacant when Matt Doherty resigned on April 1. Hemenway denied he fired Bohl to convince Williams to stay at Kansas. Hemenway added that Williams never indicated to him he wanted Bohl fired. Williams said Tuesday he planned to talk with Smith that night. There was no word from either man about what was discussed. Smith refused to comment, sending word through his secretary that he wasn't in a position to talk about the coaching search and referring all such questions to Baddour, who was on campus Wednesday.

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. (AP) -- The North Carolina players sit around at night and talk about their coaching wish list. The names include Roy Williams, Larry Brown, Tubby Smith and George Karl.

They also wonder what's taking so long.

"We're real anxious to get this thing going," forward David Noel said Wednesday, eight days after Matt Doherty's forced resignation. "It's been hard going through workouts knowing you don't have a coach. You've just got to push yourself."

Williams said he talked with former UNC coach Dean Smith on Tuesday night. But a day later, there was no word from the Kansas coach or Smith on what was discussed.

Smith refused to comment, sending word through his secretary that he wasn't in a position to talk about the coaching search and referring all such questions to athletic director Dick Baddour.

Baddour was on campus Wednesday, but refused to meet with the media.

So it was unclear whether Baddour would offer the job to Williams, who lost the NCAA title game to Syracuse on Monday night, or head in another direction.

Williams, a former player and assistant under Smith at North Carolina, turned down the prestigious job three years ago when Bill Guthridge retired and Baddour settled for Doherty.

Doherty resigned April 1 with three years left on his contract after a group of players met with Baddour and said they would transfer if he remained.

"Dick Baddour would be very smart to take his time with this and not be in a position to have to scramble and settle on something else," said one member of the UNC-Chapel Hill board of trustees who requested anonymity.

"He has said he wants to be certain before he extends a contract. There's a lot of sensitivity to the way it played out last time."

Baddour said more than a week ago that he would consult with Smith and Guthridge about a new coach, but he and chancellor James Moeser would make the final call.

"Coach Guthridge and coach Smith know that," Baddour said.

"My philosophy on looking for a new coach is you don't look for a new coach until you don't have a coach," he added. "I know a lot of ADs say in the bottom drawer they've got three people. I believe if you have coaches in place you work with them as hard as you can for them to be successful."

For Noel, the wait gets harder with each passing day.

"We need a coach, and if you're going to accept the job accept the job," Noel said of Williams. "If he doesn't take it we'll just keep moving on. It's just a waiting game now.

"I know it's a tough decision because he has his own legacy at Kansas. It would be tough to leave that, but this is North Carolina."

 

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