Former Kansas and UNC Tar Heels head coach Roy Williams is the next guest on Sports Legends of the Carolinas with Scott Fowler. Coach Williams discusses his relationship with legendary Tar Heels head coach Dean Smith.

By Jeff Siner / The Charlotte Observer

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You mentioned coach Smith and I would be Remiss not to ask you about him then Your retirement press conference that You visited his grave site sometimes and That also I believe you said quote I Talked to him every night and Was sort of explain that you know it's It was something important when I was at Kansas I mean I'm coaching at a place Where uh James Naismith coached in fog Island who was the Dr at Doc Allen was The father of basketball coach and he's The one that went to James Naismith and Said I want to coach and Dr Naismith Said you can't coach basketball and Dr Al said yes I can and so coach Smith Played for Doc Allen but coach Smith to Me Was the epitome of the perfect Basketball coach he was fiercely Competitive but he who did things the Right way never cheated to do anything To get any player nothing period the end He was he was perfect every day that I Coached I wanted to do some things that he would Approve of It's almost like that I wanted his Approval and after I did it I wanted him To feel good about it it's because he Had such an influence on me I'd been a High school coach for five years but my Development as a basketball coach In those 10 years I was with him came in

Leaps and Bounds of just how to treat People and doing things for people Without them knowing about it you know Most people do a favor for somebody and They tell them about it sir coach Smith Would always do things and wouldn't try To get any credit for it and I loved That part of it and my feel for the Others programs and the other teams at The University of North Carolina Everything about Roy Williams as a coach Was influenced more by Dean Smith than Anything so I you know I don't know what I said there whatever I said I know that I I didn't make up any lies but I would Always think what would coach Smith want Me to do right now And I think that he would have been Proud Of the fact that I stopped because he Would have felt like if you don't think You're doing it as well I understand because he was great I mean Basically you know before he passed he Would have time periods we he'd come in And out right of making you know talking To you and uh is his birthday uh And he I had cake and ice cream in the Office for him every day on his birthday From the first year I got there until The end and his the last year that he Was alive for his birthday he came up in The office and Linnea brought him up and Uh

He sat there and you know didn't say Much but he ate some cake and ate some Ice cream and all of a sudden he got This look on his face and he looked at Me and he said uh you know you're doing A great job It hit me so hard but if you're going to Think and remember Something about somebody If they say something positive it's Pretty doggone good yeah you know so it Was it that was the way I was with him And I knew that that nobody's perfect Right and Coach Smith wasn't but he was Close to perfect as any person I've ever Seen and he was as close to perfect on a Basketball court of anybody I've ever Seen

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