Roy Williams joked this season that he should’ve majored in psychology. The Hall of Fame head coach has tried it all to motivate his players.
“The kids want it,” he said. “I want them to want it desperately.”
Williams said his team, which sits dead last in the ACC with a 3-10 record in conference play, has spent more time dwelling on wins and losses instead of fixating on the process. It’s a habit he’s trying to get his players to break as Virginia comes to the Smith Center on Saturday night.
To inspire his current group, he even had a movie night a few weeks ago, where the team gathered to watch an inspirational sports film — a strategy Williams said he tried in his first year at Kansas amidst an eight-game losing streak.
He admits, though, that neither “Rocky III” nor “Hoosiers” did the trick then. And so far, nothing’s worked in 2019-20.
Last week versus Duke, UNC’s 17 missed free throws were costly in an overtime loss. And Tuesday against Wake Forest, they shot a dismal 1-16 from three en route to getting blown out on the road.
Both are examples of a problem Williams thinks has more to do with a lack of confidence than a lack of talent.
“They think about result instead of playing the game,” Williams said. “I guarantee you some of our players that went to the free throw line in the Duke game were worried about result.”
And while he’s still searching for a player with a Tyler Hansbrough-esque competitiveness in this year’s group, he said it’s been a challenge to inspire his team as the losses continue to pile up.
