Williams: Best Ever?

Recruiter? Yes. Coach? Possibly. Hersey you cry! Ah, but what if Ol' Roy comes through with another title? That would make it Dean Smith -2; Roy Williams - 3. At the rate that Williams keeps bringing in top 5 classes, it seems a good possibility that Coach Williams will be able to one-up his mentor in the next few years (maybe even this one).

I bring this up because Any Katz had a sit-down interview with the current Tar Heel coach to discuss the possibility of winning another championship. Roy being his typical humble self said that he doesn't like to think in those type of scenarios, and that he and Smith don't belong in the same sentence, but the fact is that this will probably become a reality in the next five years.

Now, please do not think that I am disrespecting Coach Smith in any way shape or form. I have great respect for the man, but probably not the same amount that older fans have for him. That's only because I didn't truly follow until after he was gone, unfortunately. But I think he is a great coach; one of the all-time greats. I love that he put Carolina basketball on the map. I love that he took the Duke/UNC rivalry to another level. I love the fact that he had players thank the passer. Coach Smith did a lot of great things on and off the court and certainly deserves to have his name attached to the home of the Tar Heels, but Ol' Roy is cementing his own legacy as Katz put it.

Coach Williams has said that he will coach as long as his health holds up. Knowing he doesn't have too many pains, besides a bad back (we all know it's because of the stance in the picture above) and suffering from vertigo occasionally, it's reasonable to expect him to coach for 10 more years. Let's say that for those 10 years, he averages a modest 25 wins per year. My multiplication skills tell me that is 250 wins. Add that to his already 594 (Yeah, seems like he just got his 500th a year ago) and that puts him at 844 while Smith sits at 879. Only 35 wins between the two. Since returning to North Carolina, Williams has averaged 29 wins for 6 years. So if he stays on that pace, that puts him at 290 for 10 years and that puts him at 884. Granted, Smith did this all in one school, but one must give credit where credit is due. Credit goes to Williams.

I'm not saying he is better or will be better that Dean Smith because for all we know, he could have a scandal tomorrow and be out of coaching, but I am saying that he is certainly building his resume to rival Smith. I know that he is not trying to out-due his mentor, but he is certainly keeping pace with him. The only question is what will they name after Williams when it's all said and done? Roy's Roof? Williams Court? Hansbrough Indoor Stadium? Oh, sorry!

I'm very thankful for the job Roy Williams has done and will continue to do. He is a real character coach and has made a big impact on lots of players out there.

Tar Heel Tid-Bits

Just some random articles and my thoughts on them.

*Dick Vitale put out his top 40 for the 09-10 season. UNC comes in at #8 and Vitale says that they will reload. Yes, UNC will most likely only have to reload now because they are in good shape. I know people have always said that Roy Williams is a great recruiter and a good coach, but I think he is an excellent recruiter and an excellent coach.

*Andy Katz put out his top 25 and has North Carolina at #5. He says this might be too high, but that a Roy Williams coached team doesn't often disappoint. I agree and think that this will be a good year.

*NBA Draft.net is an interesting website. I read it because it does a lot of scouting for me, but I find some of their material ridiculous. Nevertheless, they also produced a top 25 list and they included a projected starting line-up for next year's team. Interesting to note that they do not have Larry Drew II in the starting line-up, but rather, Leslie McDonald and Dexter Strickland, at SG and PG respectively. The only way I see that happening is if Drew gets injured or gets suspended for some very odd reason. I know Williams started Ty Lawson as a freshman for most of that season, but Lawson was a speed demon and I think Ol' Roy was looking at the big picture that Lawson would be better than Bobby Frasor in the future.

This time though, I think Roy will go with experience. I'm not saying that Strickland won't see some time at point, but I do not see him starting unless something crazy happens.

*That NBA Draft.net article got me thinking more about the starting lineup for the upcoming season. I have thought about this before, but I'm just not sure what is going to happen. Maybe there won't be a solid 34 game lineup all the time; maybe Coach Williams will mix it up somewhat. Maybe the 6 starters makes a comeback? I'm not really sure, but here is the lineup that I think will happen:

C - Ed Davis

PF - Deon Thompson

SF - Marcus Ginyard

SG - Leslie McDonald

PG - Larry Drew II

Here's a line-up that I would like to see at some point in the season:

C - Ed Davis

PF - Deon Thompson

SF - John Henson

SG - Marcus Ginyard

PG - Larry Drew II

Not a huge change, but it definitely makes the Heels talllllllll, with 3 players at 6'8" or taller. I'm really excited about Henson's potential this year. Rumor on the streets is that he is one of the three best players Williams has every recruited. That just sounds amazing for fans and awful for foes! Henson was a shooting guard as a junior because he was only 6'4" and then he grew 6 more inches, so he's got the height of a big man and the handles of a guard. I've heard people compare him to Kevin Durant. If he is anything like Kevin Durant was as a freshman then that would be stupendous! I'm going to like Henson; I just hope he sticks around for a while.

Some More Hype

I still haven't decided on the most important players for the upcoming year, but I do have more that relates to yesterday's post.

ESPN's Dickie V and Andy Katz put out some hype articles, with Vitales' Rolls Royce team and Katz with his talk of all the returning talent.

First on Dick Vitale's piece, who by the way, I don't think he is pro-Duke or pro-Carolina. I think he gives both equal praise and he's just a really intense person. But he a bazillion players on his teams, with 7 different teams, plus honorable mentions. I see that Kyle Singler is on the first team and Ed Davis is on the sixth team. I also notice that Ed Davis is the only returning player not to average double digits in points, so obviously that's saying something, like believe the hype. I do love how experts always have such varying opinions. Yesterday, Ed Davis was 11th, today he is around the 30th. Hopefully his draft stock doesn't plummet this much. Deon Thompson also made the list, but as an honorable mention, which means he's probably ranked in the 50's on Vitale's system.

Katz, who is probably my favorite analysis, hit the nail right on the head, in my opinion anyway. Here's what he said:

Davis had buzz after his Final Four performance this spring. In this draft, he would have gone in the top five, but how will he handle being the go-to guy in the post? Will he even get that tag with Deon Thompson? Davis needs to show he can deliver for the Tar Heels on a consistent basis. He didn't have the chance this past season because of Tyler Hansbrough. Now he does. Let's see how he handles the pressure.

I think he's right on. He's top five pick because of his projected talent. But it's not like he's going to be handed the post area because Tyler Hansbrough is gone. He has to deal with Deon Thompson, who both have similar offensive games, with Deon extending his range a bit this past season. What if Deon is the man this year? We don't know how it will go down. Also, Davis will be under a lot of pressure. Two mock drafts I have seen for next year have him at #2 and #6. That's a lot of potential money for a 19-20 year old. Hopefully fan, pro scouts, and probably even teammate talk of his game won't weigh him down.

One other note, not related to UNC, but kinda is. Luke Harangody returned for his senior year and it looks like he will have a Tyler Hansbrough-like year in terms of setting all these records for Notre Dame. But I highly doubt he will ride off in the same fashion that Hansbrough did.