NCAA Basketball: Ranking all 353 D-I head coaches for 2018-19
By Joey Loose
2. Roy Williams (North Carolina)
- Overall record 848-229
- Final Four appearances in 1991, 1993, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2008, 2009, 2016, and 2017
- National Championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017
A player and assistant under Dean Smith, Williams returned home to the Tar Heels in 2003. He returned to North Carolina having spent the last 15 seasons as head coach of Kansas, sandwiched between successful tenures by Larry Brown and Bill Self. He made four Final Fours and went 418-101 at Kansas, but couldn’t lead the Jayhawks to that elusive title.
Things would turn out differently back in Chapel Hill. Williams has led the Tar Heels to national championships in 2005, 2009, and 2017. His teams are in the NCAA Tournament nearly every year and it took a Villanova buzzer beater in 2016 to keep them from a fourth. His 842 career D-I wins are third among active coaches and his teams have never lost in the first round of the Tourney.
A smart talent evaluator and even greater coach, Williams has had a number of his players move onto NCAA success at both Kansas and North Carolina. He’s coached Paul Pierce, Ty Lawson, Danny Green and many others, including Naismith College Player of the Year Tyler Hansbrough.
The bottom line is that Roy has revitalized the North Carolina program after a few down years under Matt Doherty. The Tar Heels are a definite Blue Blood and we can expect to see them near the top of college basketball every season. Aside from a rebuilding year in 2010, the Tar heels are always near the top of the ACC and in the Tourney under Williams and this is a trend that should continue in the future, perhaps bringing home a few more Final Fours to Chapel Hill.