NCAA Basketball: UNC, Kansas among top head coaching hires from 2003

1. Roy Williams (North Carolina)

There’s no doubt that North Carolina is one of the greatest college basketball programs in the nation. Back in 2003, the program was in a rare spot of struggle, with coach Matt Doherty failing to make the NCAA Tournament in his last two seasons before being relieved of his duties. With hopes to get the Tar Heels back on track, North Carolina reached out to the man they hoped to hire twice before when the job came open; this time they got their man.

Roy Williams is a Tar Heel alum who started his career as a high school coach in the state before joining Dean Smith’s staff. He then spent 15 years as head coach at Kansas, leading the Jayhawks to a whole host of success, including four Final Four appearances. He helped bring Michael Jordan to Chapel Hill and had already proven himself as a head coach, and in 2003 he was finally brought back home to North Carolina.

The results were immediate, as Williams led North Carolina to the national championship already in 2005. His legacy would increase with titles in 2009 and 2017, with five total Final Fours with the Tar Heels. Williams spent 18 years in Chapel Hill before retiring his past offseason, but it’s hard to argue against him being one of the best coaches in the history of this sport. He quickly resurrected the Tar Heels program and led them three times to the promised land.

We have concluded our dive into the best coaching hires from 2003; but which of these coaches do you think made the biggest impact on their programs?