politicalpartypoop.com

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Outside the door and down the steps, they’re waiting for him with cameras.Roy Williams’ press conference begins in 2 minutes, but as he paces about his digs at the Smith Center, the North Carolina basketball coach hardly seems hurried as he points toward the wall and begins to count.“That’s Drew Gooden and I at the Wooden Award ceremony,” says Williams, motioning toward a photo. “There’s Nick Collison … Jeff Boschee … Paul Pierce … Allen Fieldhouse on Senior Day.”

Each shelf is stacked with stories, each wall mounted with memories from Williams’ 15-year tenure as Kansas’ head coach.

A final tally reveals that 34 pieces of Jayhawks memorabilia adorn Williams’ second-floor office. There’s even a picture of North Carolina and NBA legend Michael Jordan – wearing a Kansas shirt. Jordan requested it after working one of Williams’ camps more than a decade ago.

“He was on his way to speak at a Boys and Girls Club,” Williams says. “And he told me he wanted to let everyone to know where he stood.”

Williams reaches for his desk and fiddles with a Kirk Hinrich bobblehead. His eyes sparkle and his voice booms with energy. Each time he talks about his former team … his former school – he says he can’t help but smile.

If only folks in Lawrence could do the same.

Three days before North Carolina takes the court in the Final Four, the coach who tells his players to “enjoy the ride” is having trouble heeding his own advice. That’s because the Tar Heels are matched against Kansas – the one school Williams prayed he’d never have to play.

“He’s dreading this for a number of reasons,” Williams’ son, Scott, said. “He’s thrilled to be in the Final Four, and he won’t lose his focus when he’s on the court. But from a personal standpoint I know this is bothering him a great deal.”

As if trying to defeat his former school isn’t burdensome enough, Williams is aware that a large group of Jayhawks fans are still livid with him for leaving Kansas for North Carolina – his alma mater – in 2003.

Williams guided Kansas to four Final Fours during his time in Lawrence, yet the crowd goes bananas when a losing North Carolina score is announced at Allen Fieldhouse. He won more games than any coach in the 1990s, but “Benedict Williams” shirts are still seen frequently throughout town.

Kansas claimed conference championships in nine of Williams’ final 13 seasons, but in the Jayhawks’ pregame highlight video, his image is shown only for a few seconds.

And even then, almost on cue, fans hiss.

“I know he hears those stories, and I know it hurts him,” said Boschee, who played for Williams from 1998-2002. “He’s a sensitive guy. He doesn’t care what people think about his coaching. But I think he listens to comments about what type of person he is. He takes great pride in his character.

“It really is ridiculous. The people who boo him are childish. They need to get over it.”

Some have, but even Williams’ staunchest supporters know the focus of Saturday’s national semifinal won’t be Kansas vs. North Carolina. It’ll be Kansas vs. Roy. That, more than anything, has Williams on edge as he prepares for the most emotional game of his career.

“We can sit here for two hours and talk about all the negative things,” Williams said. “But the negative things should only take about one percent of our time. This should be about a great Kansas team playing a great North Carolina team. That other stuff should command about one percent of our attention.

“The fact that it’s not isn’t very pleasant.”

READ THE REST

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This team wouldn’t have thought about the KU/UNC soap opera at all most likely if it weren’t for the throngs of well-intentioned but silly fans who have made it a ridiculous life goal to stick it to Williams for leaving THE center of the college basketball universe (it is after all…just ask any KU fan). (link)

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I rarely if ever post any sports stuff here. I’m a Bay Area Sports fan.
49ers Football, A’s, Giants, Warriors although I hate the Raiders; I have hated them since they moved from Oakland the first time years ago and I never forgave them for that. Plus Al Davis is an idiot bastard and the Raiders will never be a decent team until he sells the team or dies.

Anywho, as a resident of Lawrence, Kansas this of course is Jayhawk country.
Although Kansas football is making great strides, basketball is still king.

I have been very frustrated with KU basketball because despite having championship caliber teams they always find a way to fuck shit up. After last years loss in the Elite 8, I said screw it, until they get to a Final Four I won’t be scrutinizing every loss and shrugging off the wins.
For me as a sports fan my pet peeve is simply having my team play to their expectations.

I remember fondly when the Bay Area particularly Oakland was sports heaven.
The A’s championship run in the 70’s, and 90’s, the 49ers Super Bowls, the Warriors winning the NBA title in 1975 Raiders Super Bowl victory in 1976, imaging your team, your city winning championships in 5 consecutive years.

However an Earthquake fucked up what would have been my greatest fan moment having the Giants and A’s in the World Series.

Today my favorite teams SUCK no other way to put it.
It has been a long time since I have looked forward to a game as much as I am North Carolina and Kansas.

If you checked out the stories above and the paragraph immediately above it will tell you about the story line for us here in Lawrence. Beat Roy, beat North Carolina.
As silly as that sounds for some sports pundits to them all I can say is fuck you and fuck off. This is the type of game and drama sports fans live for.

Roy Williams did build up the program and helped the Kansas Basketball become one of the most respected in the nation.
But the man was a liar and a drama queen.
Mrs. Snoop dragged me to the football stadium for the big press conference where 5,000 plus people watched on the jumbo screen to hear Roy say “I’m stayin” the crowd roared and all was well with Kansas basketball.

Then the drama came up again about his possible going back to his home school.
If dude would have been honest about his intensions folks would have understood, but dude said shit like, “I’m not even thinking about the North Carolina job.” Just like Hillary dodged sniper fire. I hate drama queens, and Roy developed into a major one. Dude acted as if the fucken world revolved around him while keeping Kansas fans on the hook.

The other sub plot is Bill Self the current Kansas coach. Boone Pickens from Oklahoma State wants to make him the highest paid coach in college basketball history.
Self may have a huge decision. Stay at KU a premier program or go to Oklahoma State and TRY to do the same thing.

If Self chooses to leave KU fans would not have any issues with dude, especially if he beats North Carolina and ROY. Mainly because he is not stupid enough to say, “oh I’m not thinking about the Oklahoma State job.”

In case you don’t know who Boone Pickens is Google him, he is a billionaire he is trying to personally bankroll Oklahoma State into a nation college power.
He wants Self to come to Oklahoma State badly and is willing to pay him damm near anything to get him there.

If KU beats North Carolina and ROY, Self will become an instant hero in Lawrence and with this game alone will eclipse all of Roy’s accomplishments.

“But Snoop they still will have to win Monday right?” Folks beating North Carolina and ROY and Psycho T. will be our National Championship.
Just think of the American hockey team and the Soviets. That was not the championship game; they still had to beat Sweden or some other team in the finals.

If you are simply a sports fan, this is great drama. For me I have not wanted a favorite team of mine to win so badly since the 49ers beat Dallas in the 1994 NFC title game.

For people saying we should “get over it” about Roy, again fuck off. This is what sports is all about. This is sports soap at its finest.

This entry was posted on Friday, April 4th, 2008 at 10:30 am and is filed under Sports.
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