(BleacherReport)GLENDALE, Arizona — The 66-year-old Hall of Famer with the surgically repaired knee walked gingerly along the black carpet t...
For the first time all evening—and likely all weekend—Roy Williams was alone.
Less than 30 minutes earlier, thanks to the Tar Heels' 71-65 victory over Gonzaga in the NCAA title game, Williams had become just the sixth coach in history to win at least three national championships.
Any attempt to reflect on the accomplishment vanished, however, when Williams' silent postgame stroll was interrupted by North Carolina guard Theo Pinson, who issued a warning to his coach as he sprinted past him in the concourse.
"You're about to get soaked!" Pinson screamed.
Halting his stride, Williams shook his head and chuckled.
"Oh boy," he said to a security guard standing nearby. "This ought to be fun."
Williams wasn't being sarcastic.
Just as they were antsy to empty water bottles onto their coach's head and tousle his silver hair, Williams was eager to dance and scream and celebrate, too. All of his championship teams hold a special place in his heart.
But winning the title with this squad, family members and confidants said, may be the most satisfying conquest of them all.
Not just for Williams, but for the entire UNC program.
"It's gratifying," assistant coach C.B. McGrath said, "because it makes people eat their words."
Indeed, even with Williams' track record of success—his .791 career winning percentage is second among active coaches—North Carolina's brand hasn't created as much buzz in recent years as college basketball's other blue bloods.
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