The North Carolina men’s basketball team held one of its weekly Zoom meetings on Sunday, putting an emphasis on the group's aspects outside of the game of basketball.
Head coach Roy Williams concluded his instruction to the players regarding the team’s academic expectations with three simple things: How’s your family? Are you being smart and staying away from people? Give me something positive that you’ve done this week.
The 69-year-old says he is in good health himself, staying isolated in his home and sporting a beard. But his safety is not his only concern. He's doing everything in his power to make sure his team and the community around him gets through a difficult time.
The spread of COVID-19 has resulted in a lot of fear for a lot of people, and Williams and his team are no exception. He remembered trying to come up with a plan of action as campuses across the country were beginning to shut down.
“It was a plan of doubt, because nobody knew what was going on,” he said. “But we didn’t talk about what happened during the season or anything at all.”
Sports suddenly moved to the back of everyone’s minds, especially Williams'. He's prioritized monitoring the virus over worrying about the future of the UNC basketball program.
“What’s going on in our world has definitely dominated my thoughts,” Williams said, adding, "I haven't watched ESPN in the last three weeks hardly at all because I've been tuned to CNN and what's going on in our country."
The well-being of his team has remained a top priority for Williams. He was pleased to announce that his players and their families were all currently healthy, saying he was “blessed” and that he wishes for that trend to continue.
His care extends to the newcomers who have yet to enroll at UNC, and he said he's had weekly conversations with each first-year. Their delayed arrival has caused confusion for the entire coaching staff, but that was secondary for Williams.
