Bomani Jones, formerly of 620 the Bull, has a nice piece over on ESPN.com’s Page2 on Roy Williams, UNC, and The Lost Season.
But this won’t break him, nor is it close to the beginning of the end of his career. If something does Williams in, it won’t be losing. That’s partially because he’ll never again lose like this, but it’s also because the pressure of winning might be harder to bear than the sting of losing. Hypercompetitive people like Williams walk away because victory is no longer sweet, not because losing is too much to stomach. The latter is what drives them, but the former is what makes it worthwhile.
In spite of how foolish Williams sounded with his Haiti comparison, he knows he’s on top. He’s got the best coaching job in the country, makes a boatload of money, works in his home state, and was essentially the handpicked successor of his idol, Smith. After the memory of this season fades a bit, he’ll go back to being the most popular man in North Carolina. That’s a lot to live up to, but it’s everything a man in his line of work could want, and not even the second-worst season anyone in Chapel Hill can remember could obscure that.
Roy Williams certainly can’t handle many more seasons like this one. But remember — this is the first time he’s had a year like this, and probably the last. If 21 seasons of winning hasn’t burned him out, one year of losing won’t do it, either.
Be sure to read the whole thing.
