Roy Williams throws “least gifted team” UNC under the bus, made over $2.2 million assembling that team

Well, North Carolina Tar Heels coach Roy Williams made some wonderful headlines over the week, calling his 2019-20 squad “the least gifted team I’ve ever coached” at Chapel Hill.

I’m not editorializing.

But it gives us a chance to roll out our new idea for an article series:

Don’t actually click the article, it’s just ESPN (or SI) and you don’t need further context. Here’s the relevant bit:

North Carolina is off to an 8-6 start to the season, and in the wake of a 96-83 loss to Georgia Tech on Sunday, a frustrated coach Roy Williams called his squad “the least gifted team I’ve ever coached in the time that I’ve been back here.”

Speaking on his weekly radio show “Roy Williams Live” on Monday, the longtime coach expounded on frustrations he had about how the Tar Heels, who began Sunday’s game down 19-2, performed in the loss.

”We stunk, OK. We were not very good,” Williams said. “The crazy thing about it is, our team, and we’ve had some very gifted teams, this is not a very gifted team. It’s just not.”

To remind you, Roy Williams is a serial cheater who made $2,298,778 in 2019 for assembling, you’ll remember, the “least gifted team” in the history of his tenure at North Carolina.

He has, for what it’s worth, doubled down on this to the Charlotte News & Observer, saying “I didn’t make that for any reason other than I was telling the truth”:

“With the team I (put) out there on the floor, I’ve got one McDonald’s All-American out there, because Cole Anthony is not playing, and we’ve had some teams that have had a lot more than that,” Williams said. “So I stand by that. Anybody that wants to make a big deal about that, that’s their prerogative.”

“I’m not going to be perfect, never have been perfect, and don’t really care to be perfect.”

One McDonald’s All-American! Just one! Perish the thought of trying to compete with just one of those in major-conference basketball! Can you imagine? (I’ll let you go count how many are on the Michigan Wolverines team that beat the Tar Heels earlier this year, which is the nicest thing I’ve ever said about Michigan, which really frustrates me.)

What did those “least talented” guys have to say about it?

“I mean, I feel like that’s why we came out so hard in the first half,” Armando Bacot said of Williams’ comments. “Obviously we didn’t win the game, but it definitely motivated us.

“But I don’t think coach (meant) no harm in it. He still believes in us. He’s just coach. That’s how he is. He keeps it real.”

It’s very admirable for these players to stand up and give the “Coach didn’t mean it” line—they both play for him and might like the guy who recruited them to play high-level, Division 1 basketball! I don’t begrudge them that!

I find it amazing, though, that we’re just willing to swallow the “Coach is motivating us” line—or, if you’re a UNC fan who’s stumbled over here (and well done on making it this far!), the “ESPN just wants to get clicks and stir pots!” narrative—and not look at just how incredibly ballsy it is, or what a complete indictment it is of modern college basketball, to watch a coach—who, to review, is making $2.3 million dollars a year!—just readily admit he didn’t do his own job and appears incapable of, y’know, coachin’ ‘em up.

It takes an incredible level of “don’t give a fuck” and “lol just try to fire me” to say “Yep, I did a shitty job, but not only is it not my fault for putting this team together, I’m going to blame it on my unpaid employees!”

Roy Williams isn’t even trying to hide his cheating anymore. He’s literally asking his bagmen “Would you offer more gifts to my recruits so I get the better ones?” It is incredible to watch a paid state employee just so brazenly and openly highlighting the problems with the NCAA and all but acknowledging that he wants to keep cheatin’ the way that he always has, damnit.

On second thought, it’s perfectly in keeping with who Roy Williams and the North Carolina Tar Heels are.

Anyhow, enjoy this from Tar Heel Blog:

Congratulations to a basketball program that can burn in hell.